There is a lot of information on what you get with each service level when you look at pricing for a CPA website hosted by CPA Site Solutions. When you consider the amount of time saved through the two hours of updates at the Gold or Platinum level then it becomes a much easier choice. Here are some reasons for new or existing clients to consider the Gold level.

Two Hours of Updates. There are often questions regarding exactly what is meant by two hours of updates for your CPA website per month. There is a previous post on two hours of updates that helps clarify what that means.

Busy Tax Professionals. Certainly your time as a CPA or other tax professional is worth more than $10 an hour. Yet you only pay $20 more to go from the Silver to the Gold level. Plus you not only get two hours of updates but also access to many more ready-to-go website designs.

Have CPA Site Solutions Add Pages For You

Easy To Do. Although it is true that the Site Manager is easy to use, there are many other tasks that call for your attention. When you are not used to using a free online photo editor to resize photos for the web for instance, then that can be time consuming.

When you hand off that task to CPA Site Solutions you can get that done without so much worry and more time to focus on your own clients. Plus at the Gold level you also get access to a great application that allows for automatic backup of critical files.

This application is available not only to you but your clients as well. You can even sell the critical backup file solution to your clients for a minimal fee.

Flexibility. When you have a CPA website with CPA Site Solutions you are under no contracts and pay on a monthly basis. You can use this flexibility to your advantage.

Lets say you know that you are only going to be using the two hours of updates and not any of the other features. You also know you are going to be very busy for the next couple of months but still want to update your CPA web site.

You can move to the Gold level for a couple of months. You can then email CPA Site Solutions with photos and content with directions on where to place them. Usually twenty-four hours later the task is complete.

Think you want to switch to the Gold level? You can email support@cpasitesolutions.com or call 800-896-4500 with your request.

In a previous posting there was an offer for 10% off a February Jennings Seminar. As promised CPA Site Solutions is offering 10% off a Jennings Seminar for March. This time the topic is Lunch with Bob, The BIG 1040 Push, is scheduled for March 16th and is worth 1 hour of CPE credit!

10% off Jennings Seminar in March through CPA Site Solutions

Limited seating! The seating is limited so you will want to sign up early for this event. Be sure to test your system to make sure that you meet all of the system requirements.

1 CPE credit hour! This is a great way to get 1 hour of CPE credit. If you attend this event and answer 75% of the polling questions at the conclusion then you will get 1 credit hour for this event. There are no prerequisites for this seminar.

To get your 10% discount: Be sure to use the code marcpasite during the checkout process to get the 10% discount. Regular price $49. CPAsitesolutions.com customer price: $44.10

Event Description. “The big 1040 push – dealing with the big balance due returns and problem clients.”

Jennings Seminars was founded by Bob Jennings CPA, CFP, CITP, a national and World renowned speaker. Jennings has published articles in such magazines as The Journal of Accountancy and The Practical Accountant along with authoring several accounting and technology seminar manuals.

If you can’t make this event look for another posting in March for a similar offer for a April seminar. Click here to take advantage of 10% off Jennings seminar in March.

There are many times when your firm might want to create a quick image, or improve upon an existing one, for your CPA website. There are some online image editing tools available for free. Here is another example of an online tool you can use to edit that next image or create a fun message for your page header.

Main Page. Splashup is the site and there is a main page or you can just jump right in to start using it. There is also a much lighter version that you can download.

55 Logos

CPA Website Header. Every website hosted by CPA Site Solutions has a header area that shows on every page of the CPA website. The firm’s logo goes into this area. If you don’t have one, there are 55 logos to choose from, free with any website.

Alternatively you can create a logo or modify an existing through Splashup. Sometimes all you need to do is change some text or change an image and Splashup works great for this.

Accounting Page Header. Every website page has some header text and image that can be customized. Check out a previous post on just how to create custom page headers for your website. You can use Splashup to create both the text and images you want to use.

Footer Images. Another place to have fun on your CPA website is within the footer that displays on the bottom of every page. At default the footer shows your contact information.

Many CPA websites are now including Facebook or Twitter images. Check out a previous post on how to get Facebook and Twitter badges to use on your CPA website. You can also reduce an image of your firm to place next to your address or use an icon for a fun look.

However you use Splashup, it is one more tool you can use to personalize your CPA website hosted by CPA Site Solutions. The more you personalize and stand out from the rest the better chance you have of converting website visitors to clients.

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Any website hosted by CPA Site Solutions has access to a  Tax Organizer that saves time for both you and your client. For many that might use the electronic version, there are others who just want to print it out and fax it back. Here is a breakdown of some alternative ways to present any Tax Organizer to your clients.

Add Page. There is a page you can add to your website with the PDF version of the Tax Organizer. This page can be placed anywhere on your CPA website or you can take the text and link to include that within an existing page. Here is how you add the page:

• Login to the Portal.
• Click on “Modify Your Site.”
• When you are in modifying your website click on “Add Page.”
• Scroll down until you see the page titled “Tax Organizer (PDF).
• Click on the page and then click the “Add” button.
• Go to Site Map and drag the page where you want it to show on your website.

PDF Version of Tax Organizer

Download, Edit, Replace Link. If you have a PDF editor (if you don’t there is also a free PDF editor you could use), you can download the Organizer to edit it. You can then upload the PDF and link to that anywhere you want on your website.

Download, Print, Fax. You can now direct clients to your CPA website Tax Organizer PDF link. The clients can download, print out and then fax it back after filling it out.

Download, Modify, Upload. Another alternative is to direct your clients to the free PDF editor above or another one here. They can then download, modify with the right information and then upload it to their client folder within the Vault.

There are many different clients who like traditional methods of exchanging information. For them the PDF version of the Tax Organizer can be a great alternative.

There are others who just like to do their work offline yet still exchange electronically. Either way, having a CPA website hosted by CPA Site Solutions gives you the flexibility for all of your clients.

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There are ongoing changes to existing security laws that affect CPA’s and other tax professionals. An example of this is within the new Massachusetts law governing how a client’s personal information is handled. Regardless of what state you are in, if you have a website hosted by CPA Site Solutions, then there are several ways that you and your clients data are kept secure that should meet any new requirements you may encounter.

14 Layers of Security

14 Layers of Security. All data for any website hosted by CPA Site Solutions has 14 layers of security. One way to think about layers of security is with your house.

If you have a key and an alarm then you have two levels of security. Once I pick the lock and disable the alarm then I have gained access. Each of our 14 layers protects you and your clients data from illegal access.

SAS 70 Type-II. There are many data centers out there that have security measures in place but our data center is SAS 70 Type-II certified. This means that, “a specially trained CPA Firm performed an in-depth audit attesting to the fact that the datacenter has sufficient processes, controls, and safeguards to keep your data safe from theft, corruption or mishandling.”

Passwords. There are stringent requirements for creating a password for an admin, firm, or client accounts. Beyond that none of our account representatives have access to any of those passwords.

Data Logs. Every CPA website hosted by CPA Site Solutions has a report that can be run showing all of the activity on every account. These data logs can be accessed at anytime.

(To access the data logs you need to be logged into the Secure File Exchange. Up near the top left corner is a More option. When you click on this you get several options one of which is titled “Usage Report.” )

There are many ongoing changes to the security laws in place. By using Secure File Exchange that comes with every website hosted by CPA Site Solutions, your firm can help stay within compliance.

Have a comment about security? Fill out the form below.

In a previous posting there was an offer for 10% off a January Jennings Seminar. As promised CPA Site Solutions is offering 10% off a Jennings Seminar for February. This time the topic is Lunch with Bob Engagement Letters, is scheduled for February 16th and is worth 1 hour of CPE credit!

Limited seating! The seating is limited so you will want to sign up early for this event. Be sure to test your system to make sure that you meet all of the system requirements.

10% off Jennings Seminar in February

1 CPE credit hour! This is a great way to get 1 hour of CPE credit. If you attend this event and answer 75% of the polling questions at the conclusion then you will get 1 credit hour for this event. There are no prerequisites for this seminar.

To get your 10% discount: Be sure to use the code febcpasite during the checkout process to get the 10% discount. Regular price $49. CPAsitesolutions.com customer price: $44.10

Event Description. “Engagement letters and financial statements-what to do and what not to do.”

Jennings Seminars was founded by Bob Jennings CPA, CFP, CITP, a national and World renowned speaker. Jennings has published articles in such magazines as The Journal of Accountancy and The Practical Accountant along with authoring several accounting and technology seminar manuals.

If you can’t make this event look for another posting in February for a similar offer for a March seminar. Click here to take advantage of 10% the seminar in February.

Video has increasingly become a lot more commonly used on any website to help give users a quick and easy way to connect with what your website is about. There are some previous posts on how to use video to promote your CPA website.

One of the keys behind using video are the many different video sharing websites that can be used. Using these websites ensures that your message is seen by a lot more people along with being able to have it shown on your own accounting website.

Inspiration. One of the more common questions when using video is when to use it. If your looking for inspiration Proactive Tax Solutions uses video on many pages on of their website in a short yet informative way.

Georgia Rogers from Proactive Tax Solutions

Short Yet Informative. One example of a short but informative video is found on their Engagement Letter page. The points are reinforced via text, the voice is varied for interest, and the user is talking directly to the viewer.

Use of Clients. Another great way that Proactive Tax Solutions uses video is by adding in one of their clients Chuck. Chuck was audited by the IRS and was helped by the firm’s services.

Length. There are any number of thoughts around the best length of a video to use depending upon your content and the people watching. In general if you keep the video to 1-2 minutes in length then you can keep people from being distracted by something else.

Know What You Want to Say. At the very least you should have a list of of points you want to make that you can refer to during the filming. You can also set up your own tele-prompting via a computer screen off camera. Either way try not to make it obvious that you are reading or checking these points.

Video is a great element to add to any CPA website. If you do post it to video sharing sites you can also help to advertise your accounting firm.

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Having a website for your CPA firm is one of the best ways to have people become aware of your services. There are some previous posts talking about marketing any CPA website.

A Website is Your First Step but Not The Last

The classic word of mouth that you can get from people still goes further than any marketing dollar you can spend. This post is the start of a small series of posts dealing with your online image and how to increase and fine tune what is out there about your firm on the web.

Start with Your CPA Website. If you have a website hosted by CPA Site Solutions then you have tons of great resources and content that both potential and regular clients want to read. Even so it is beneficial as a previous posts touches upon, to make sure you make a number of the pages and ongoing content your own.

Social Platforms. Engage in social platforms like Twitter and Facebook in order to not only increase exposure but to join an ongoing discussion around your profession. The conversation is out there, the more you are not only aware of it but take part, the healthier your CPA firm becomes in terms of being known.

Blogs. Add a blog to your CPA Site Solutions website and update it on a regular basis as a way to provide fresh content for for search engines. There was a previous post on how to start your blog.

Help Others. Answer questions and help others online at certain key websites. There is a previous post that looks at one place to do this. Look for future posts regarding more online avenues to help others.

The key to being online is to engage in multiple sources of media. You can connect with both those that know about you and those that may be interested in your services.

There are over 250 website designs available to any accounting website hosted by CPA Site Solutions. As previous posts, such as using a brochure or blending a previous design, have indicated a customization can be a great way to start your CPA website. Clayton, Paulk & Associates used their own website designer with some great results.

Moving Image

No Gray Area. Clayton, Paulk & Associates slogan is, “No Gray Area.” They came up with a design that uses this idea within the black and white colors used throughout.

Moving Image. Another great feature they incorporated is the use of an image that scrolls down the page. What is nice is there is a link that brings you right back to the top of the page at the top of this scrolling image. This means that no matter where you are at you can get to the top of the page.

Simple Yet Effective. This type of website is both simple and effective. There is a strong element of personalization both within the slogan, the choice of colors, and the moving image while still leaving the content to speak for itself.

Working With Your Own Designer. If you have a web designer that you already are working with it is easy enough to incorporate that design element into the CPA Site Solutions system. It is very cost effective as well.

Relationships that you can develop as a CPA through social platforms are a strong way to solidify your firm’s website presence. Although there are some previous posts on using Twitter and Facebook another avenue is through answering questions for those looking for answers. Although there are many places you could go to do this, here is a breakdown of how that works through TaxQueries.com.

TaxQueries.com is one online community to try.

How it works. A member of the website asks a question and those who know answer them. There is no money charged for answering the question but you do get the question added to your list and your reputation grows from there.

Why? Since you are taking your time and making answers freely available, the number one question to ask is why? Doing this helps to establish your CPA website as an authority.

Granted if you have more work than you know what to do with this is not the option for you. However it can be especially helpful if you are just starting out your CPA firm as it gives you another avenue to get potential customers.

Ongoing benefit. The more you and your CPA firm are mentioned on the Internet besides your own website, the more you become known not only by people but search engines as well. The longer you have established your website as a presence online, in general, the more authority your domain name establishes through the search engines.

Amount of time. The amount of time you spend is of course up to you and the questions being answered. In general even if you answer 3-4 questions a month you can keep yourself as an active and participating member of the online community.

The more questions you answer though, the more you can strengthen your authority. Doing more also establishes you as a resource and increases your reputation.

If your still interested take a look at the TaxQueries website and start answering questions. Alternatively you can do a Google search for other such communities to find one that might fit your needs.