Our clients get up to 38 free CPE credits!

During busy season, it’s all about wading through client work.

But once things die down and you’ve had a chance to rest, it will be the perfect time to take some CPE courses.

One challenge of these courses is their cost. It’s not always easy to come up with a couple hundred dollars to fulfill this requirement.

But now, you can get up to 38 CPE credits for free, and get a 30% discount on any of dozens of courses, all just for having a CPA web site from CPA Site Solutions.

Choose a Free CPE Course – On Us

When you’re a CPA Site Solutions client, you get to choose a free CPE course – with up to 38 credits and a value of $277.95.

The user-friendly course includes these helpful features:

• Place-saving so you can progress at your own pace without losing your spot.
• Both online and PDF formats.
• Move around in the course with minimal clicks.
• Full text searching in both online and PDF versions.

Course topics are varied and cover the following:

• Essential Legal Concepts with Tax Analysis
• Complete Guide to Estate and Gift Taxation
• The Ultimate Guide to Retirement Planning from a Tax Perspective
• Business Taxation
• Family Tax Planning
• Dozens more

Added Bonus: 30% Off Each Course – for Life

As a CPA Site Solutions client, you get a coupon code entitling you to 30% off each course you choose. (Click here to see a course listing.) That’s a value of up to $92 – and it’s yours to claim as often as you like.

Even if you decide to terminate our service for whatever reason, you keep the coupon code.

Completing CPE courses is a requirement as a CPA – so you might as well save money doing it.

To get your coupon code giving you 30% off and to claim your free course, give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Brian O'Connell, President

It feels so good to have a professional CPA website for your accounting firm. One with a modern design and loads of tools.

And what feels even better is putting your own stamp on it – personalizing it so it reflects the uniqueness of your firm.

The best way to do this is through writing new content. When you write up a unique home page, About page, or blog posts, your website visitors get a great sense of your personality, which helps them decide to do business with you.

The challenge is that it takes time to write. With a busy accounting office to run, many of our clients find this task falls to the bottom of their (impressive) to-do list.

But I think we have the solution for you: our new custom copywriting service.

When you hire us to write for your website, you get the relief that comes with striking something off your list. Further, your site becomes personalized and unique…

…and as a bonus, the custom content helps your site rise in the search results and increase conversions.

Writing for your website takes a certain set of skills.

The Challenges of Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web is its own beast. Believe it or not, people ingest information differently online than they do when reading a newspaper, brochure, or other printed material.

For one thing, people scan. Using headlines and lots of bolds help them get the gist of a page in a minute or two, without having to read the whole thing word for word.

For another, writing for the Web often involves persuasive writing techniques with a call to action at the end. You want folks to read your services page, blog post, or email marketing message – and then DO something. Your writing needs to persuade the readers why they should contact you or sign up for your newsletter – and then give a clear way to do that.

Finally, to help with your rankings in the search engines, writing for the Web needs to incorporate keywords. You need to know what keywords to target, where to place them, and how many to use. When you get this right, you can dramatically improve your placement in Google and Bing – which brings you new prospects.

Our Writers Are Trained in Online Writing

Our writers know how to write compelling copy that urges readers to take action.

They know how to increase your listings through proper keyword copywriting.

And they do it quickly, with no typos or grammatical errors.

What Can We Write for You?

There’s truly no limit to what we can write for your website – but here are some ideas:

• Welcome / Home page
• About Us page
• Service page – a page covering a particular service or one describing all of them
• Blog post
• Email marketing message

Cross “Writing” Off Your To-Do List

Now that busy season is here, you might be feeling the need to outsource some of your duties. Writing is the perfect candidate.

Focus your efforts on serving your clients – and save the writing for us. We have the experience and skills to get the job done quickly – and get more traffic and better conversions for you.

Sign up for Custom Copywriting today – or contact us with questions: 1-800-896-4500, support@cpasitesolutions.com. We’re here to help!

Two-thirds of your prospects might be ignoring you.

Do you ever feel like you’re being ignored?

If you’re not in one of the top 3 spots on the search results, you’re probably right.

In fact, among those searching for an accountant online, 67% click on only the top 3 results.

CPA websites that are any lower  - even in the 4th spot – are missing out on up to two- thirds of potential clients.

So, the obvious question is…

How can you get to the top of Google and Bing and stop being ignored?

The answer is surprisingly simple. All you have to do is… write.

What do I mean?

Well, Google and Bing love fresh content on your website.

The more new content you provide, the more likely they’ll be to list you higher in the results.

Why Do Search Engines Love Fresh Content?

Let’s look at this from the search engines’ perspective.

Their goal is to deliver the most relevant results when someone searches. They want to show the best website or web page, the one with the most timely information.

The more relevant the results, the more people use their tool – and the more money they make with advertising.

In fact, their entire business model is predicated on the need to show timely results.

So you need to give them what they want by adding new pages and content to your site on a regular basis.

What Kind of Content Should You Update?

You should refresh any of the content relevant to your firm – such as:

• new tax information
• changes in accounting practices
• your services
• updates to your firm

And don’t ignore…

• blog posts
• your home page

How Often Do You Need to Update?

The more often, the better.

But, with a busy accounting practice to run, you should strive for at least once a month.

What If You Hate to Write?

If the idea of sitting in front of a blank computer screen fills you with fear and loathing, here are some tips.

1. It doesn’t have to be grand literature. Just focus on getting the information across.
2. Don’t worry about using big words or impeccable grammar. Use a conversational tone and it will be easier to read.
3. Start your sessions by writing for 5 minutes without stopping. It gets the creative juices flowing and loosens you up.
4. Consider investing in speech recognition software, which types for you while you talk.

If you still can’t face it – or you want help with one of your site’s pages, such as your blog – we can help with that.

We now offer Custom Copywriting services.

In an easy, quick phone interview, you tell us what you want on the page, and our writers craft it into compelling, error-free copy.

This is a stress-free way to keep your site updated.

And at $1.00/word, it pays for itself.

If you add just 300 words a month to your site for $300, your site has a much better chance of rising to one of the higher spots in Google.

And once you get to one of the top 3 positions, you’re exposed to 67% more traffic. If just one of those searchers each month becomes a client, your investment has paid off.

Make Your Website the One They Visit

If you’re not getting enough new clients from your website, check your position in Google and Bing. You want to be in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd spot.

If you aren’t, adding fresh content to your site on a regular basis can make a huge difference. The search engines will view your site as being more relevant, which makes them far more likely to move you up to the top.

Once you’re there, you capture 200% more visitors than when you’re lower on the search results.

So get started writing today!

And if you need help, sign up for our Custom Copywriting services.

Brian O'Connell, President

Tax season is just around the corner – and with it comes the need to exchange a lot of financial documents and sensitive files with your clients.

Unfortunately, if you email the files or send them via FTP, you’re out of compliance with state and federal privacy laws and liable for heavy fines and other legal consequences.

The good news is that you have a Secure File Exchange system that comes with your CPA website. This system is ultra safe. Your clients’ data is protected by 14 layers of security with this Client Portal.

One of the layers keeps the files encrypted 100% of the time. Your clients’ files are protected during transfer to the server, while sitting on the server, in all the backups, and when transferred back to you or your clients.

This level of file encryption keeps you in compliance with every state and federal privacy law.

Now You Get a Lot More Storage Space

The more you (and your clients) use the Secure File Exchange and Online Document Management System, the more storage space you need on our secure servers.

This month we are proud to announce that we are essentially doubling the amount of storage space in the Client Portal.

For Those on Our Old Server…

Most of our clients will see these changes in their Portal automatically. But a few of you will need to migrate to our new server to take advantage of the extra space.

If this looks familiar, you’re on our new server, and you’ve been automatically upgraded:

If either of these look familiar, though, then you’re on an older platform, and we need to migrate your website:

Once we move your site over to our newer system, your Secure File Exchange storage space will double.

If you have any questions about whether you need to be migrated, just give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Continually Improving

This month’s improvement required a major investment in servers and the development of  scalable file storage and backup systems. I hope it demonstrates our commitment to continually improving the service we offer you each month.

We truly appreciate your business. Thank you for letting us take care of your website needs.

Happy Holidays.

As always, you get some new designs to choose from for your CPA website this month - 8 modern looks.

You can change your design at any time at no charge – so take a look at your new choices and let us know if you’d like an update.

Design 449 Gold	Design 450 Gold
Design 451 Gold	Design 452 Gold
Design 453 Gold	Design 454 Gold
Design 455 Gold	Design 456 Gold

These designs are all Gold level. If you’re a Silver client and would like one of these looks for your site, consider an upgrade to Gold. When you upgrade, you can choose from all 300+ site styles.

All of the 8 new designs have slideshows – and all of them can be customized with pictures of your staff and your hometown for no additional fee. You just need to provide the photos!

Just Call Us

If you’d like to swap out your current style for one of these new designs – or any of the designs in our portfolio – just give us a call at 1-800-896-4500. Or you can email a Dedicated Webmaster at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Remember – change is good!

Brian O'Connell, President

Why do accountants buy CPA websites? So they can retain their current clients and attract new ones. Sounds simple, right?

But of course, a lot goes in to the retention and attraction process. And certain elements are more important than others.

Email marketing is one of the power players in your website package. In this era of advertisement saturation, the inbox is a sacred space. Getting targeted messages straight through to your clients’ and prospects’ email is highly effective from a marketing standpoint.

Of course, with every website from CPA Site Solutions, clients get an Email Marketing System that automatically sends out monthly newsletters and can be set to deliver custom messages.

I’m happy to say that the EMS just got even more effective.

Now, your emailed newsletter automatically displays your website’s colors and your company logo; you can also customize the look of your messages so they’re as professional as possible. We’ve also added a feature that allows you to pinpoint the exact time you want messages to send.

A more professional and targeted EMS means a stronger reputation, more client trust, and a better response to marketing messages. These are the way to sell your services and build more clients.

EMS Messages with a More Professional Look

Newsletter Messages

Here are the two ways your newsletter was improved:

1. Your messages now incorporate the colors of your website design by default.
2. Your messages automatically pull in your company’s logo.

Newsletter messages used to look like this:

This is the previous look of your newsletter messages.

Now check out your newsletter’s new design:

Here's the new look for all your newsletter messages. They can also be customized with different colors.

This new template – using your website’s colors and displaying your logo – takes effect on all monthly newsletter messages starting with the November 2010 issue.

And, if you’re looking for something a little different, you can customize both the background colors and the headline colors. Check out this Help file for step-by-step instructions on how to do that.

Custom Messages

You can customize the look of custom messages as well, so that they also display your website’s colors and logo. Read the Help file for details.

Controlling When EMS Messages Are Delivered

Newsletter Messages

Your newsletter messages automatically send on the 10th of each month.

However, if you’d rather have them send on a different day, you can now easily schedule that. You can even set the time of day you want the message to send.

Please refer to the Help file and scroll down to “Customizing the Newsletter’s Time of Delivery” for information on how to change the newsletter send date and time.

Custom Messages

How Do These Changes Get You More Clients?

Email marketing is an exploding field. Marketers are finding that email is the best medium to target their audience. After all, millions of people check their email at least once a day. (And your business clients surely check email many times a day.)

Prospects and clients are suspicious of unsolicited emails. Your new EMS helps combat this.

However, folks are suspicious about unsolicited email. It’s the age of spam – and if people open an email that doesn’t immediately grab their attention, they’re likely to throw it away.

The professional new design of your email messages helps assure them that the message is coming from a reputable source. They also see your logo right away and understand you’re their trusted financial advisor – not just a spammer.

Further, if you send your messages at the optimal times, you’re more likely to reach a receptive audience.

Think of it this way: when you get to work in the morning and find 30 new emails in your inbox, aren’t you likely to delete anything you don’t immediately need? On the other hand, once you’ve settled in to your day and put out any fires, then you can take a measured look at the emails coming in. There’s a better chance you’ll open and evaluate each message that comes through.

Bottom line – a more effective EMS does a better job of what it’s intended to do, which is to market your services and earn you clients.

Enjoy Your New EMS

These new changes are already in effect. The November 2010 newsletter has been sent to your EMS, so you can log in to the Portal and take a look at the new template anytime between now and November 10th.

And remember that you can change the date and time the newsletter sends, this month and going forward.

If you have any questions about these improvements to your service, please call a dedicated webmaster at 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Do you need a CPA website? Make the most of your site - consider buying one with a robust Email Marketing System. Sign up now and get a 2-month risk-free trial.

October was productive for our designers – they added 22 new Gold designs and 8 new Silver designs to our Design Portfolio.

Changing your CPA website design is always absolutely free. So take a look at your new choices and see what you think…

Design 419 Gold	Design 420 Gold
Design 421 Gold	Design 422 Gold
Design 423 Gold	Design 424 Gold
Design 425 Gold	Design 426 Gold
Design 435 Gold	Design 436 Gold
Design 437 Gold	Design 438 Gold
Design 439 Gold	Design 440 Gold
Design 441 Gold	Design 442 Gold
Design 443 Gold	Design 444 Gold
Design 445 Gold	Design 446 Gold
Design 447 Gold	Design 448 Gold
Design 427 Silver	Design 428 Silver
Design 429 Silver	Design 430 Silver
Design 431 Silver	Design 432 Silver
Design 433 Silver	Design 434 Silver

See any you like? It’s totally free to swap out your design. Just give us a call (1-800-896-4500) or email us (support@cpasitesolutions.com) and let us know which design you’d like.

Gold clients, you can choose from any of these designs. Silver clients, you get your choice of Silver designs, here and in our Design Portfolio. If you see a Gold style you like, consider an upgrade to Gold.

What About the Slideshows?

Slideshows for Gold. All of the 22 new Gold designs have slideshows – and all of them can be customized with pictures of your staff and your hometown for no additional fee. You just need to provide the photos!

Slideshows for Silver. The 8 new Silver designs don’t show slideshows in the thumbnails above – but if you click on one, you see that there are a host of home page options, including slideshows, that are yours for free at your request. Check out these Standard and Dynamic home page options.

Slideshows for Silver styles can be customized with your images for an additional fee. Call one of our Dedicated Webmasters for a quote: 1-800-896-4500.

Sign Up Today

If you don’t have a Complete Web Suite with CPA Site Solutions, sign up! You pick your design from our portfolio and get a professional site loaded with tools and content, with absolutely no obligation for 2 whole months.

Give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com if you have any questions about our designs or our service.

Brian O'Connell, President

Last week we rolled out a new feature: SecureReceive for CPA websites. With SecureReceive, when a client sends a file to the Secure File Exchange, you just click on the link in the email notification and you start receiving the file right away.

Instead of 7 steps to download that file to your hard drive, it’s just 1.

And, SecureReceive works for your clients, too – when you deliver a file to their My Documents folder, they get an email with a link that automatically retrieves the file.

This feature works wonderfully for a lot of firms and their clients. But we heard from some of you that you miss being able to log in to the Portal directly from the email notification.

So…

SecureReceive Now Has Two Links

G. Scott McDaniel, CPA, PC, made this suggestion on our blog:

When we upload payroll files, including checks, [our clients] get one file at a time. It is much better for them to be logged into the portal where they can view all the files in their box. They can then determine which files to download, and in what order.

Please give us the other way back, or the option for the client to choose.

It makes a lot of sense to give the option of whether to download a file or log in to the Portal. We added the second link – so now the choice is yours.

Your email notification now has two links, like in this example.

If you or your client just have one file to retrieve, then the first link is best. If, on the other hand, your client has sent numerous files to the Vault and you want to view them all, then choose the second link.

Same High Level of Security

Remember that SecureReceive has the same high security of our Client Portal – the most secure Client Portal on the market.

The new feature doesn’t actually deliver the file through email; it just allows you to receive the file straight from the secure environment of the Portal in just one click – or, as before, to go there directly.

Let Us Know…

If you have any questions at all about SecureReceive, just give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, send us an email at support@cpasitesolutions.com, or post a comment!

Brian O'Connell, President

Having a Client Portal is a must for accounting websites – and with CPA Site Solutions, you get a secure Portal that saves you time and money.

I’m happy to say that your Client Portal just got a little more efficient, while maintaining our high level of security.

Now, with SecureReceive, you receive your clients’ documents in just one click. And it’s just as secure as ever because it still goes through our secure Client Portal.

The New Way to Receive Client Documents

It used to be that when a client sent a document to the Secure File Exchange and you got an email notification about it, it took you 7 steps to start loading that file. You clicked on the link, gave your username, gave your password, clicked over to the Secure File Exchange . . . and so on.

That was the old way. Want to hear the new way?

Now, when you get your email notification that a client has deposited a file in the Portal, you just click the link in the email and the file starts to load right away. Instead of 7 steps to receive the file, it’s just 1.

Here's an example of the email notification you get with SecureReceive.

If you’re not logged in to the Client Portal at the time, you get a screen asking for your password. Once that’s filled in, the file starts to load.

Once you start receiving the file, you see this screen.

How Is This Secure?

Using SecureReceive doesn’t mean you’re getting client documents through email. (Email is NOT a secure platform for sending and receiving client files – which is why you need a Client Portal.)

SecureReceive still routes through the Client Portal. But now receiving files is quicker because you can easily get the file by clicking on the link in your email.

That’s why, if you’re not logged in to the Portal when you click on the SecureReceive link, the system will prompt you to give your password. This ensures that only authorized users are receiving files with this method.

And your Client Portal is protected by 14 layers of security. In fact, it’s the most secure Client Portal available on the market.

SecureReceive Is Already in Place

This new feature is already working for you. There’s no need to download or install a thing!

With the busy season creeping closer, this little time saver should make life a bit easier for you.

Do you have any questions about SecureReceive? Give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Brian O'Connell, President

Have you heard about WordPress?

It’s one of the top blogging programs – chosen by millions of people and businesses worldwide, including eBay, Martha Stewart, and Wired.

People love it because it provides superior flexibility, in both design and function. (You can even build a whole website on the WordPress platform.)

In fact, it’s used by over 12% of the 1,000,000 biggest websites – and it’s the most popular content management system out there.

Host a WordPress Blog on Your CPA Website

Now, you can have a WordPress blog right on your CPA website with CPA Site Solutions.

Of course, we already have an Integrated Blog feature, which is perfect for those who want to blog once a week or less.

But if you’re in love with blogging and have been yearning to ramp it up – a WordPress blog is an excellent choice for you.

Here are 3 benefits to blogging with WordPress on your CPA website…

Boost Your Online Presence

When you blog regularly, you increase your chances of appearing higher in the search results on Google, Yahoo, and Bing. That’s because your site is more dynamic, with fresh content every few days.

Eager to see your website rise through the ranks and draw in new clients? Lots of blogging is a great way to get that going.

Perfect Your Image

Using WordPress allows you to choose from scads of themes (their word for “designs”) as well as plugins (bits of software that add to your blog’s functionality). More themes and plugins means you can customize the look and feel of your blog to better shape your image.

Needless to say, regular blogging is a fantastic way to show off your professionalism. Writing about the latest tax news and issues that affect your clients positions you as the expert you need to be to get new clients and keep your current ones.

Join the Community and Get Referrals

Your WordPress blog is set up so others can easily comment on your posts. When you get a comment, respond! Then go to the commenter’s blog and leave a message there.

The more you do this, the more you’ll be part of the community. And that’s a crucial part of getting word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals.

Two Packages to Choose From

Choose from two blogging packages: Do It Yourself or We Do It for You.

Both options include hosting, setup of all the proper settings and permissions, installation of the WordPress software, and an admin account – making either choice an easy and efficient way to go.

Do It Yourself

For $49.95, we get you started with WordPress. You find and install the theme and plugins that work for you.

We Do It for You

For $99.95, you get as many user accounts as you like. We also install a theme and plugins of your choice from our list of the best.

Get Started Today

To get started with a WordPress blog on your CPA website, just sign up!

Still need a website for your accounting firm? Sign up for one of our Complete Web Suites and get a free 60-day trial.