There's a sad but widespread misconception about the best way to market with your accounting website over the web. It's perfectly normal to want to make cash fast and concentrate on immediate conversions. The fact is, however, that sales over the web is a long term strategy. There are a number of ways to make a fast dollar if you're familiar with the right secrets, and I'm about to educate you about a main one, but if you truly want to draw the best clients you'll have to stay on the long game.

Only a few business owners are in the market for a new a new CPA at any specific time. As a rule people are happy with their accountants. They already have a bond of trust, even friendship. Hitting prospects with a hard sell will very likely alienate them.

What's the best strategy, then, for luring new clients into the firm?

Technology has changed a lot recently, but the fundamental principles of marketing hasn't really changed much in centuries.

Network. Take the time to get to know your prospects. Care about them and treat them as individuals. Post information to your website that will benefit them over the long run and use your email marketing system and newsletter to let them know when you post something they'll find helpful.

There's a downside to networking, of course. It's time consuming and labor intensive. You'll often need to work prospects for months or years before they finally sign with you.

Take the time to do this. I've written about how exactly this can be done many times, and I'll continue to write about it for a long time to come. In the long run the prosperity of your firm depends very much on your networking efforts.

I had to say that. I don't want you to think that what I'm about to teach you can replace your networking efforts.

If you know where to look and how to attract their attention, there are some fast conversions to be had out there.

The web gives you a huge advantage. For the first time small business owners have an opportunity to really take advantage of what industrialists call the "economics of scale". There are a LOT of people out there, and even if most of them are happy with their accountant, a few of them aren't. Like the watering holes and wells of old most of these people are congregating in one place, but now that place is the Internet.

In those days the most material component in a firms success was "location, location, location". This is still true but for most businesses the actual physical location is much less notable then their location on the web, and this means their representation in the search engines. Take some time to make sure your accounting website is properly represented in Google and Bing.