The Teaspiller team asked accountants if they wanted to take the challenge of putting up their accounting firm's website against a Teaspiller Webstory with potential clients.  David Tunstall, who has a CPAsitesolutions’ website and a Teaspiller Webstory, decided to take us up on the challenge.

We asked clients to tell us which did they prefer:  an accountant’s website or his Teaspiller Webstory.

When we completed the survey and presented the results to David, his expression can only be explained in one word, “shocked”.   He explained he had certain preconceptions about what an accountant's website should look like for clients – and felt that the accounting industry had given him those biases.

David really liked seeing the comments from the potential clients in the survey too.   So we’ve included the actual comments below to help other accountants as well :

What potential clients thought about David Tunstall’s $840 / year CPAsitesolutions’ website

• “I found myself passing by what I perceived to be marketing rather quickly, in search of credibility and credentials.”
• “It was, in a way. It seemed like a reputable website but I was confused because it seems to be for multiple accountants. I didn't think a photo would be so important, but it is ... I would prefer to see a picture of who I would be working with.”
• “ I find the website boring and not particularly intuitive.”
• “No client reviews, no prices for services, no credentials or certifications listed.”
• “It was not easy to find a simple "price" of what it would cost me to use their services.”
• “… no photos, no reviews/testimonials that I could find”
• “… too busy on the main page - if I didn't know it was the website of an acountancy, it would have taken several minutes to figure out what sort of business it was. Your tagline is good once I know your business, but it doesn't help me figure out what you do.”
• “… the quality of their website is poor so they must not be the best accounting firm.”
• [Teaspiller’s] more personal, and the information you'd want first (the fees, his resume, reviews, etc.) are easy to find. The first website was a bit more professional-looking, but the second was definitely better.”
• Hard to find/relate to [David’s CPAsitesolutions’ website] even though more information provided but not what I was looking for. 

What potential clients thought about David Tunstall’s free Teaspiller Webstory

• “… offers a wealth of information which can be used to assess him: Ratings, Practice Areas. Fees, Licenses, Resumes, his educational history, and the fact that you can see how he answers to some of his clients' questions gives valuable insight on how he treats his clients”
• “… much cleaner, and it didn't seem as desperate as the first one did”
• “Photo and customer reviews were instantly accessible on the main page. Pricing and contact info were simple to decipher.”
• “Reviews, you can see who you're dealing with, lists his resume”
• “All the free resources on the website shows the accountant is dedicated. Additionally, there was plenty of information regarding values like professionalism.”
•  “The picture and layout appears quite professional.”
• “I like the availability of user reviews. It is also helpful that the account is confident about posting his photograph and is open with his education and background.”
• “The reviews are really helpful in giving me an inside look of how this person would perform their accounting duties. I get to see what others think of him, if problems occured, and how dependable he is.”
• “photo, easy layout (easy to find résumé, fees, etc.)”
• “The picture is good so that you can see who will be working for you. There is easy access to different part of the site. There a reviews on the site about the accountant.”
• “I liked the user reviews a lot, and was glad to see a photo. This website just makes me feel more like the accountant is "real" “
• “I am able to get this accountant's basic information, i.e., fees, his resume, contact info, etc. In addition, I can view reviews that this accountant has. With this information, I can get a sense of who this man is as a person, and a business man. That's important when dealing with your personal finances.”
• “I really liked the big "Contact Now" button”
• “I like the reviews and how it showed when he is available.”
• “I feel more comfortable judging based on client reviews.”
• “[Teaspiller] was more personable. I was able to see the accountant, not what an accountant is supposed to look like. With [Teaspiller’s] information, I can contact the accountant, set up a meeting and be on my way to financial success.”

Sugesstions for David (and other accountants)

David’s been playing around with a few of CPAsitesolutions other templates to see if he can solve some of the problems with his website – but it probably wouldn’t really change the survey results.

• What’s needed in a firm’s website.   A Teaspiller Webstory isn’t always a replacement for a firm website – but it definitely can help with getting clients and retaining clients.   Our suggestion to David was to link his Webstory into his website as soon as possible so client's knew about the quality of his practice.

• Leverage Teaspiller’s Webstory better.   David wasn’t even maximizing his Teaspiller Webstory to get more clients.   We suggested to David to integrate his Teaspiller Webstory into his email signature and his invoices – that’s the best way to continue to get updated feedback from his clients.   The Teaspiller Webstory integrates with social networks – so it will make sure he continues to leverage his current base to get more word-of-mouth referrals.

And at $840 a year for his CPAsitesolutions site, David’s seriously re-thinking that investment – and wants to be on the path to getting more clients (and retaining clients) by using his free Teaspiller webstory.

[UPDATE:  David did update his template on CPAsitesolutions, so we’ve included an image of the original that was used in the test below]. 

Screenshot of David's $840 / year CPAsitesolutions' website

(download)

Click here to download:

survey-david-s-site-vs-his-teaspiller-webstory-hsIiBJAyIhmdikgzexcE.zip (398 KB)

Screenshot of David's free Teaspiller Webstory