The short answer: an effective accounting firm website comes down to seven well-designed pages: the homepage, one page per service, one page per client type, the team, the fees (or their logic), contact and a news section. Seven pages, each answering a question a business owner asks before entrusting their numbers. Here is the detail, page by page, with what belongs on each and the mistakes we see everywhere.
1. The homepage: the answer in five seconds
An owner comparing firms must immediately understand: who you serve (freelancers, SMEs, liberal professions, non-profits), what you do for them, and how to reach you. The classic mistake: a homepage that talks about "values" and "proximity" without ever saying who the firm works for. Clarity reassures more than adjectives.
2. One page per service, not a catch-all catalogue
"Accounting, tax, advisory" on a single page is three missed opportunities. A dedicated page per service (bookkeeping, tax returns, company formation, management advice...) lets each one answer the real questions of its audience, in its vocabulary. It is also what lets each service be found by the right searches.
3. One page per client type
A self-employed person and an incorporated SME have neither the same obligations, nor the same questions, nor the same budget. A "freelancers" page, a "companies" page, a "non-profits" page if that is your clientele: each profile recognises itself, and you show that you know their reality rather than claiming it.
4. The team: the profession's number one trust lever
People entrust their numbers to people, not to a legal name. Faces, names, qualifications and accreditations (chartered accountant and certified tax adviser titles are regulated; display them correctly), who handles which type of file. Firms that show their team start ahead of those that line up skyscraper stock photos.
5. Fees: talking about money without taboo
Few firms display prices, and that is understandable: everything depends on the file. But between total silence and a rate card, there is a page that explains how your fees are built: flat rate or per service, what is included, how the first consultation works. The owner is not looking for an exact number; they want to know whether you are in their range and whether they can trust you on billing.
6. Contact: frictionless, but not naive
A short form (name, email, situation, question), a clickable phone number, the address with access details. And one rule specific to the profession: the public form is not for transmitting accounting documents. Sensitive files go through a secure channel or your client portal, not through a website form. Saying so on the page is already a signal of seriousness.
7. News: showing the firm is alive
Not a "blog" to feed weekly: a news and deadlines section, with a visible update date. Three publications a year on tax deadlines and changes affecting your clients are enough to show the firm keeps up, whereas a blog abandoned since 2021 produces the opposite effect.
What should NOT be on the site
- Misplaced numerical promises: the profession is regulated, and so is its communication. Restrained wording, no "cut your taxes by 40%".
- Internal jargon: your client says "my invoices" and "my taxes", not "supporting documents" and "direct contributions". Write the way they speak.
- Calculator stock photos: everyone has seen them everywhere. One real photo of your office beats ten stock images.
- The ten-field form: every extra field chases away a real enquiry.
The typical structure, at a glance
| Page | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Homepage | Am I in the right place? |
| Services (one page each) | Do they do what I need? |
| Client profiles (one page each) | Do they know my situation? |
| Team | Who will I entrust my numbers to? |
| Fees | Am I in their range? |
| Contact | How do I start, simply? |
| News | Is this firm up to date? |
Depending on the firm's size, add the pages that fit you: recruitment (the sector needs it), an FAQ, or one page per office if you have several.
And technically?
All these pages must be editable by the firm itself: opening hours, team, news, deadlines. That is the point of a well-designed CMS, and that is why we work with Wagtail. The rest (structure, speed, technical SEO) is our job, not yours.
We built an entire page about what we do for firms: websites for accounting firms, with our references in the profession. And if you want an opinion on your current site, tell us about your firm; we will have visited it before we answer.