I'm going to assume for purposes of this article that you've embraced websites for accountants as a marketing tool. This is the first step in establishing an online presence to promote your firm, but there's lots more to do if you actually want to exploit the internet to lure prospects. If you are without a business site consider yourself formally warned. consumers don't use phone books any more. Today even comparatively unsophisticated consumers use the internet instead. Specifically they find you by performing a Google search for local CPA practices. Because your website is the first introduction many people will get when they start researching your business, you need to make a good first impression.

One great way to add some content quality to your website is to use videos. A well produced video won't cost as much as you think, and it offers your website a number of significant benefits.

Here are some important reasons to consider using videos on your website:

1. A Personal Touch

Video can and should be used to give the viewer a personal look at your team. Let them see how hard you and your employees work, and to really let them feel like they're getting to know you give them a glimpse of you at play. Talk about your company's mission, or show customers what goes on behind the scenes in order to bring them the top-notch customer service you provide. By giving prospective customers and clients a glimpse of who you are, you're already relating to your clients before ever meeting them. Images are far more effective than text at this. People are more inclined to trust what the see, and their emotional reactions will feel more intimate. You stand out from the competition because there is a face to go with your name. This is a huge advantage. People are much more likely to do business with someone they feel they already know.

2. Share Valuable Information

Use your videos to provide online service demos. A quick video can really help your clients with simple tasks like using a file portal of filling out a tax organizer. Show prospective clients how easy it is to use your service or product. This will make customers more likely to use the advanced features of your websites, for example, and reduce the amount of time you and your staff will need to spend on support.

3. Videos Demonstrate that You Embrace New Technology

You don't want your prospective customers to think you're stuck in the stone age-- that your technology is outdated, and that you aren't keeping up with the latest trends in your industry. Your website will be a reflection of this. Prospects won't be impressed with your technical prowess if your website looks ten or fifteen years old. The reasonable assumption, which may or may not be a conscious one, is that an obsolete website is indicative of an obsolete accounting firm. By adding relevant videos to your site, you are showing visitors that you're a 21st century business competitor! First impressions are very important, both in real life and on the internet. If you fail to impress a prospect at first glance all they need to do is click the back button and find someone else. Don't be sloppy about it. Just posting any old home-made video isn't going to cut it. Get professional help making the video. If your site has a fun and informal feel to it, then you can consider do-it-yourself videos, but I'd still suggest using a professional production service.

4. Search Engines Love Videos

The jury is still out on exactly how search engines are using video on websites to improve search rankings, but there seems to be evidence to support the notion that having videos on your site does help. While they may or may not boost your site rankings, videos have their own listings and these listings are frequently displayed on organic search engine results pages for basic web searches. This gives your page an extra chance to appear on a search page. Extra listings means more traffic to your website. A few tips are to use keywords in the title of your video, the tags and description. Sites like toprank.com suggest re-purposing your videos by embedding them in blog posts, and to encourage others to post your videos on their social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, etc).

The cliche in website development is "content is king". Well, like most cliches this expression has a firm foundation in truth. That doesn't just mean written content. You want to have lots of content, and lots of different kinds of content. Search engines try really hard to find and present sites that offer high quality content, and offering a diverse variety of content (text, images, and video) is one of the on-site factors they prefer. Mix video into your site. It's unlikely you'll regret it, but your competitors will.