# Do accountants need a website?

Pick My Accountant (https://pickmyaccountant.co.uk/answers/do-accountants-need-a-website/): Do accountants need a website? — Quick answer. Yes — not because a website wins clients by itself, but because every other channel routes through it. Referrals check you out before calling, directory visitors click through before enquiring, and increasingly AI assistants summarise your site when someone asks for accountant recommendations. A practice without a site (or with a 2012 brochure site) silently fails those checks. What you need is modest: a fast page saying who you serve, what you charge, and how to reach you.

## Key facts

- Referred prospects almost always look you up before making contact — no website means failing a check you never see
- The converting essentials: who you serve, indicative fees, qualifications with body logos, reviews, and an obvious contact route
- AI search matters now: assistants recommend firms by reading structured, factual pages — invisible sites don't get cited
- A solid practice site costs from a few hundred pounds (template) to £2,000–£5,000 (professionally built) — it doesn't need to be big, it needs to be current
- Publishing fee ranges filters price-shoppers before they reach your inbox

## The website's real job: passing the check

Most practice websites never 'generate' a client directly — and are still indispensable, because they close the clients other channels open. A referral hears your name, searches it, and finds either a credible current site or nothing. A directory visitor compares three firms and clicks through to each. In both moments the site's job is simply to not lose a client you'd already half-won: current year in the footer, real people, real qualifications, real fees, and a phone number that gets answered.

## What a converting accountancy site contains

One page can do it: who you serve (sector and business size — 'we do sole traders and small limited companies in the North West' beats a generic services list), indicative pricing (ranges are fine), your qualifications with verification links, genuine reviews, a photo of actual humans, and a low-friction next step — a call booking link converts better than a contact form. What to skip: stock-photo handshakes, twelve service pages nobody reads, and a blog you'll abandon by March.

## The new dimension: being legible to AI search

A growing share of 'who should I use as an accountant?' questions are asked to AI assistants, which answer by reading and citing pages that state facts plainly — services, prices, locations, credentials — and carry proper structured data. Sites built as vague brochures ('bespoke solutions for your business journey') give an AI nothing to cite. Plain-English facts, FAQ sections, and schema markup are now visibility features, not just design choices — the same qualities that help you rank in traditional search.

## FAQs

**Q: Is a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile enough instead?**
A: Better than nothing, but you don't control it, half your prospects don't use the platform, and AI systems treat social profiles as weaker sources than a site. A one-page site plus your social profiles beats either alone.

**Q: How much should a small practice spend on a website?**
A: A template-based one-pager done well costs a few hundred pounds; a professionally built small-practice site typically £2,000–£5,000. Spend on clarity and speed, not size — five crisp sections outperform twenty thin pages.

**Q: What if I can't take on a website project right now?**
A: Complete your free listings as an interim measure — a fully-filled directory profile with services, fees, and contact details covers part of the 'check you out' job while the site gets sorted. Partner options exist if you want it handled: our partner Elite Digital builds starter websites for accountancy practices.

Updated: 2026-07-09

Source: https://pickmyaccountant.co.uk/answers/do-accountants-need-a-website/