Earlier this year I told an accountant that they shouldn’t spend time and money on a website for their practice. The last time I gave such advice to accountant was back in 2018. Back then I then explained my advice on Linkedin and sought feedback on my views. That post secured almost 27,000 views as well as dozens of likes and comments.
Once they understood the rationale for my advice, many people indicated that they agreed with me. Naturally even more people disagreed, although, in most cases, their logic didn’t always stack up.
The accountant to whom I gave my advice earlier this year, is in a very different place to the accountant I was advising in 2018.
I’ve outlined both situations below and explained the rationale for my advice in each case. I’ve also shared a summary of the contrary views I received in 2018. As you read these two case studies, do consider whether any similar points are relevant to your practice.
Background
Accountant number 1
This accountant was in their late 60s and had been badgered by marketing experts, website designers, SEO consultants and accountancy gurus, all of whom had said he must get a website. I disagreed. And he was pleased to hear my reasoning, with which he agreed.
This accountant had taken up a recent invitation I sent him to book a call with me to get some unbiased input on a topic of his choice to help him in his practice.
When he called we chatted for a couple of minutes and I then asked him to tell me what was on his mind. This led to him explaining how he had built his practice, what sort of work he enjoys doing and what sort of new clients he now wants. I offered some positive suggestions and advice as regards his main issue before the subject of his website came up.
He said that he has never had a website and that he only wants more clients like those he has and who are referred by clients or people he knows.
He isn’t looking to pick up lots of new clients. He barely has time to deal with all those he has and anticipates encouraging some of the smaller ones to move elsewhere. As regards new clients he doesn’t want to take on any start ups or to work for anyone who is searching randomly online for an accountant.
He is widowed and doesn’t intend to retire or to sell his practice but to keep going until he is no longer able to do so.
My advice to Accountant number 1
I suggested that some of the best people referred to him may not get in touch if they can’t find out ANYTHING about him online. This is one reason everyone has been suggesting he needs a website.
However my advice was that he doesn’t need a website. Instead he should simply update his Linkedin profile and add a profile photo to it.
In my view, if he does that well enough, it will be sufficient. The important point is to allow people who are referred to him to see that he has the skills, experience and approach that they seek and that he is the sort of person they would like to work with. In effect, for the recommendation they have received to be endorsed and confirmed.
Accountant number 2
This accountant is in a very different position to Accountant number 1. They are much younger and keen to build up their specialist practice which currently serves a small number of clients – providing an outsourced family office/finance service.
Their current clients have been with them for years, and the practice has never had a website. It was only quite recently that they decided to increase the size of their client base so have only just started networking to build relationships and generate referrals.
They approached me for initial help, guidance and support as they look to start generating new clients for the first time in many years. The accountant booked a short initial series of weekly mentoring sessions. They had indicated a willingness to invest substantially to get new clients and seemed surprised when I said that was NOT a good idea at this stage. No one can magic up new clients for them.
Anyone they might work with would first need to know who they wanted to attract as new clients and what services would they be promoting? This was very much NOT a typical compliance focused practice; and the ideal clients were MUCH more specific than most smaller accountants might pursue.
We discussed the type of clients that they seek and how these are most likely to come through referrals and recommendations. It is hard to imagine the type of people who might engage this accountant searching online and approaching someone they don’t know or to whom they haven’t been referred or recommended.
My advice to Accountant number 2
At this point in time a website should NOT be their priority. BUT, as with Accountant number 1, they do need to ensure that their Linkedin profile presents them in the best possible light and contains the key info that prospective clients and referrers would be seeking online.
I stressed the same points re Linkedin profiles as for Accountant number 1 – but I also gave quite different personalised advice re changes to make to their profile.
I am NOT against them planning a website IN TIME but, at this stage, I suggested it would be a distraction and would be unlikely to generate the new clients they seek. Indeed, until they have had some decent conversations with potential introducers and prospective clients, they would probably make the same mistake as many accountants have done.
That mistake is to craft a great looking website that fails to engage the target audience, contains loads of irrelevant content and loads of messages that need to be updated before the website actually starts to provide worthwhile leads. Better to build up insights from personal experience and conversations before investing the time, effort and money in building such a website.
In the meantime, given some very specific factors concerning this accountant’s style, work, connections and targets, I was very happy to advise them NOT to get distracted building a website AT THIS TIME.
Support
Among those people on Linkedin who agreed with the basic rationale for my advice to Accountant number 1, some also agreed with my view that a Linkedin profile is akin to having a website with amazing built in SEO – it’s just hosted on a LinkedIn URL rather than a WordPress URL or a custom domain.
And, as I frequently point out, your Linkedin profile will often show up in search results well ahead of your website. If that’s the case you need to ensure that your Linkedin profile is sufficiently engaging so that anyone who finds it wants to get in touch, or, at least, then go to check out your website.
Missing the point
Dozens of people on Linkedin suggested that a website is crucial for Accountant number 1 to be found on Google, to appear in online search results, to evidence an accountant’s credibility, to build up their practice, to show they are a 21st century accountant and to show that they have an established and substantial practice.
I agree with some of that, where relevant. But not in either of these cases. Neither want to be found by random people searching for AN accountant.
Accountant Number 1, in his 60’s with a large and thriving practice only wants to be contacted by people who know of him already.
He only wants to take on a few new clients a year and can afford to be very choosy when deciding which, of the clients who are referred directly to him, to take on as clients. To date the absence of a website doesn’t seem to have stopped any such referrals getting in touch with him.
Accountant number 2, would probably benefit from a website in due course. But, it would be an unnecessary distraction at this stage.
Some people also seemed unaware that the search engines will find and display your Linkedin profile to anyone who searches for you even if they are not themselves on Linkedin. And you can decide how much of your profile is visible to the (non-Linkedin) ‘public’. Generally I suggest making everything public.
A contrary view
It is fair to note that relying solely on LinkedIn and not having their own websites means that neither of these accountants has control of a key promotional element of their business.
If Linkedin were to block them or remove their profiles by mistake (or for any other reason) they would no longer be findable online. This could happen, for example, if someone with the same or a similar name does something wrong. Or, less likely, if Linkedin change their entire business model.
They also have no way of knowing how much business they MIGHT be losing by not having a website and by only relying on their Linkedin profile to attract enquiries and contact from the right sort of people (IF those people are searching online).
Domain name
I did advise both accountants to acquire a domain name related to their practice (eg: JonesAccountants.co.uk) and to initially direct this to their respective Linkedin profiles.
At a later date they can create a simple one page website that contains basic information and makes clear both who they would like and who they would NOT be interested in as clients. That webpage could also link through to their Linkedin profiles rather than replicate the information.
They could also add a company page to Linkedin with brief details of their practices and their firms’ logos – which will then also show on their personal profiles.
By the way, if either accountant ever has to look at selling their practice it would be good if their firm had it’s own website that would move with the clients to the purchaser.
For the moment Accountant number 2 has no intention of selling up for many years. Accountant number 1 is in a similar place to loads of mature accountants I know who are frustrated that the likely ROI following sale wouldn’t be high enough to justify a sale in the first place. As such their preferred approach is to continue working (reduced hours often) until they can no longer do so.
What about you?
If you would appreciate independent advice specific to YOUR situation and needs, let’s have a conversation. Who knows where it might lead?
