Website copy for Accountants - engaging copy to attract new clients

A number of reasons -

• I have many years of experience successfully generating copy for accountancy practices both large and small. My work includes keyword research for SEO, content for web pages, blogs, newsletters, social posts and LinkedIn profiles.
• Although I'm a 'generalist' copywriter, I have more clients from the accountancy sector than any other.
• I've been able to help many accountancy practices to expand their client base by writing copy that addresses their target audiences' pain points and encourages them to get in touch.
• As a freelance professional copywriter, I'm adaptable and responsive.

A principal benefit of my SEO copywriting services is online visibility.

• You'll appear higher up the search engines, allowing potential clients to find you more easily. By targeting specific keywords related to your services, you'll attract a relevant audience, increasing your website traffic.
• Also, the compelling content I write will engage readers, build trust in your expertise, and encourage enquiries and client sign-ups.

You'll be able to measure success through several key metrics -

• increased website traffic
• higher search engine rankings for targeted keywords
• improved engagement rates (such as time on site, bounce rate, and page views).

You should also, of course, see an increase in enquiries and client sign-ups.

Regular updates are essential for maintaining and improving SEO performance.
This could be simply by posting new, relevant content at least once a month. This keeps your site fresh, encourages repeat visits, and provides more opportunities to rank for various keywords.
However, the frequency will vary based on your specific goals and the competitive landscape of the accountancy sector.

Well, that depends on the type of client you're after.
Before the content writing process starts you and I would talk about the kind of client you want to attract.
What are they looking for?
What are their pain points?
What problems will your accountancy skills resolve?

Once we've answered these questions, we can come up with a writing style and 'tone of voice' (More about Tone Of Voice here) that matches your values and practice 'personality', while resonating with your target audience and encouraging them to sign up with you.

‘I don't need a copywriter. My wife's a real stickler for grammar and punctuation.’

Yes, it's true. Someone said this to me just a year or so ago.

Have you noticed? Everyone thinks they're a good driver. Well, almost everyone.
It's a bit the same with English. Everyone - OK, not everyone - but far too many people, think they can write well. But - there’s a hell of a difference between putting one word in front of another and writing in a way that's clear, concise and compelling. In other words, writing English that achieves what you want it to achieve.

'It'll do'

This is me when I have a go at DIY. It's also why I'm barred from doing it. My 'it'll do' is likely to lower the value of our house by at least 25%!

It’s the same with copywriting. Sure, you can have a go yourself but - and a touch of tough love coming up here - your copy will never be anywhere near as good as that which a professional copywriter will write for you.

Think how long it takes you to plan, write, and rewrite your own copy.
The chances are it will sound flat-footed, stiff and formal - about as engaging as a date with a blobfish with haliotosis.
So - in the end did you really save yourself any time and hassle?
How many extra clients would you have found with professionally written copy?

 More on why copywriting matters here.

The most important question of all!

A copywriter uses their knowledge of language and how people respond to it to 

• enhance your brand
• get you new clients - not just any clients, but the type you really want
• strengthen the relationship you have with your current clients

It sounds simple, doesn't it?
But there's far more to effective copywriting than many realise.
Almost everyone sudies English at school. Many enjoy these studies and achieve high grades. The trouble is, some of these high achievers believe that being 'good at English' and knowing about the rules of grammar and punctuation are all that copywriters need to know.

It don't come easy

From knowing the difference between the passive and active voice to knowing how to write words in a way that's commercially effective is a big leap.

A copywriter's creativity doesn’t come easy. It doesn’t happen on demand - at the click of a pair of inky fingers.

A copywriter might one day, with a thunderbolt of inspiration, come up with a killer strapline in a few seconds. The next day, it could take a half a day of agonising mental grind to achieve the same result.

As with any skill, copywriting knowledge and judgement is borne of years of learning and experience,  not to mention the occasional catastrophe!

You'll find out much more here about the life of a copywriter.

OK - Copywriters can sometimes be really picky about this - though not this copywriter.

Strictly speaking, 'copy' is words. 'Content' is anything that appears on the website (or in the brochure) - words, images, links etc. For general purposes, the two terms are interchangeable.

Good question. I work with dozens of web designers and there's no consensus as to which should come first - the design or the content. It will certainly help to get an idea of the 'personality' of your business if I get to see the design before writing the copy. But I'll work whichever way suits you and your web designer.

Normally, two are enough - and that's what is stated in the Copywriter Pro Terms & Conditions.
I'm often prepared to make further amendments until it's right.
What matters most of all is that you get the finished copy that you need.

Proofreading? All part of the service

As you'd expect, that's all included. Once you've approved the final draft,
I carry out a rigorous round of proofreading to eliminate any spelling or punctuation errors.
I use proofreading platforms, such as Grammarly. Read a review of various such tools here.
I also follow old-school techniques, such as reading aloud from a printed copy, starting with the final sentence, before reading the previous sentence, then the one before that etc.
It's time-consuming - but it works

Clearly, this depends on the nature and the scale of the project.
As a general rule of thumb

• for copy for a full website, you can expect the first draft 3 or 4 weeks following payment of the deposit.
• for blogs, 5 working days is normal

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a simple answer? But, of course, there isn't - and the answer won't surprise you.

The price of a copywriting job depends ... on how long the job will take to complete. Broadly speaking, there are three variables

• How much research will I have to do?
• How much background information can you provide?
• How many words do you need?

 Read in more detail here about how much copywriting costs.

For one-off projects -

• We start with a 50% deposit.
• When you receive the first draft, you'll also receive an invoice for the second 50%, which becomes due two weeks later.

For on-going work, such as regular updates or blogs and social media posts -

You'll receive an invoice on the 1st of each month (due for immediate payment) for the work carried out during the previous month.