Back in the days of yore a CPA's lobby was believed to be the most imperative design component in a working accounting practice. It was the initial impression almost all prospective customers had of their company, and as such accountants spent ridiculous sums on expensive furniture and art. Well in this day and age websites for accountants say something more about a practice than their waiting room. Their accounting website is normally the 1st impression that visitors get of a new firm, so when they visit an accounting site having a robust design is vital. It continually shocks me how many accounting firms are still posting obsolete, even DIY, sites. Unfortunately, an outdated site, to most observers, represents an obsolete practice. Here are a few ideas you'll want to keep in mind when reviewing your own company website.

Let the Experts Handle the Design:

If you don't already know how to do it, and your not already good at it, don't try to build your website yourself. It's not going to come close to looking like something a professional can build. If you really want to attract clients (or, at the very least, not turn them away when they visit your site) you'll want a website that looks like it was professionally done. It may cost you a lot more initially, but you want something that represents who you are. If your site doesn't look professional then visitors will think that you're not professional. That's not a good way to start out a potential business relationship.

Take It Easy on the Cheese:

There were days when flashy websites with fast-moving images, loud backgrounds and music were all the rage. In just a few years this has changed. With HTML 5 Flash is teetering on the brink of obsolescence, and as people become more sophisticated they are becoming less impressed with, and even somewhat annoyed by, gimmicks like animation and sound. There are still uses for this kind of website. They're still popular and effective for game, movie, and music sites. The life expectancy for a website design is really only about three years. New technologies, new new layouts and new color-themes start to take off and what was once popular may not be so hot down the road. A few short years ago the most popular color scheme for websites was what we called "microsoft blue". Now, for obvious reasons, blue has become something of a website design cliche and "fall" colors (browns, golds, and oranges) are exceedingly popular (with reds and burgundies looking like the up-and-coming trend). You want a website that's easy to navigate so that the user can quickly find what they're looking for. Drop-down or fly-out menus are perfect for this, because you can start out with major topics, then let the visitor drill down as they scroll over the various topics (links) to see more details about what you offer.

Make your welcome page welcoming. Lay off the heavy handed text and add some images to make the page more attractive. When viewing a website, a viewers attention span isn't very long. You don't need to throw everything at the visitor right there on the home page. Just make them feel comfortable and at home, and let them explore the site as they wish to learn more about you and your firm. Just offer them a quick summary and make the links they need easy to find. This not only gives visitors options, it also keeps your home page simple and clean.

Make a Splash:

A popular trend in websites today is to use a "splash page" an introduction to your website. This type of page tends to be a bit more on the "flashy" side, with some rotating images. But a splash page doesn't need to have rotating images. The main difference between a splash page and the other pages of your site is that the splash page tends to have a slightly different layout/look/feel to it than the other pages of your site. Splash pages are placed in the index position making it the first page you see when you type in the domain. The function of the page is not to provide information, but to quickly and easily help you find the information you're looking for. It does tend to be a bit more showy than the other pages of your site, so having a splash page can be a good way to show clients or prospective clients that your company is modern.

Color Choices:

The subject of color is pretty subjective. There has been a lot of research conducted on color, and there are a lot of theories about what various colors mean to people. Mind you most actual studies have been done by fast food restaurants and product packagers. There's no saying how well the research extends to the web so readers are advised to take these theories with a grain of salt, but the general consensus is that red suggests anger while blue suggests calm. There are many different schools of thought behind color choices, but what is most important is that your colors represent your company. Look at your existing brand. By looking at your logo and existing marketing materials you can choose a color that's consistent with your branding. A red logo probably won't look very good on a green website. Some folks are willing to modify their firms logo to match a website they particularly want, but think sensibly before tweaking your branding. Just because you have an online presence it doesn't mean you should range far from your existing company branding.