CPASiteSolutions ‘ CPASiteSolutions Website

All web sites are initially created
by CPASiteSolutions staff, who coordinate
with accounting firm staff to develop
the web site. The company’s
system offers nearly 120 template
styles that can be further modified
to meet the needs of firms. After
web site development, the package
level (Silver, Gold, Platinum) purchased
by the firm determines their involvement
with the web site. Through the Silver
package, firms assume management
and editing of their site using
CPASiteSolutions’ web-based
web site manager. This function
provides a friendly interface with
simple access to site editing, e-mail,
file management and marketing functions.
Within the Site Manager, users can
edit either information that is
present throughout the site, such
as firm name and contact information,
or can edit particular pages. The
basic templates can be changed in
the Site Manager at any time.

The system provides a list of all
pages on the site, with icons for
editing and other functions, making
site editing generally intuitive
for even new and infrequent users.
Users can also add unlimited new
pages through the Site Manager,
with many pre-created pages available
and the option to create one from
scratch. More than 60 pre-created
pages are available for instant
use. The system allows uploading
of images and logos, or use of a
library of professional-themed images.
The Gold and Platinum versions provide
full management, maintenance and
updates to the system, allowing
a firm to call CPASiteSolutions
and tell them what they want changed
or added, and CPASiteSolutions does
the work. There is no limit to the
number of service calls/edits that
can be made. Subscriptions to all
levels of the program include site
hosting, and the company assists
users in registering their firm’s
domain name. The company provides
toll-free support.

TOOLS – 5 Stars
The system offers an overwhelming
selection of tools and features,
including more than 30 financial
calculators, a due date calendar,
state/federal tax refund tracking,
a credit card payment system, an
online tax organizer, online payroll
processing through integration with
PayCycle, an online appointment-setting
system, and a secure file transfer
system that automatically generates
an e-mail, alerting the recipient
that files have been received.

The system comes with 10 e-mail
addresses that includes spam and
virus protection, out-of-office
replies and remote access, as well
as the ability for advanced firms
to manage the e-mail on their own
Exchange server.

VISUAL QUALITY/USER NAVIGATION – 5 Stars

CPASiteSolutions creates high quality
web sites that can employ Flash
and other enriched media content,
as well as most image types. The
company’s very large array
of customizable templates virtually
ensures site uniqueness. The system
provides a variety of navigation
menu styles, including pop-out and
pull-down JavaScript options that
provide excellent navigation within
the site, which is structured vertically,
allowing directories and subdirectories,
but always making it easy for a
visitor to get back ‘home.’
This is important since the sites
can contain hundreds of pages. The
Memphis firm of J. Wayne Vanderford,
P.C. uses the system for its web
site (www.memphisaccountant.com).

SITE MARKETING – 5 Stars
In addition to creating optimized
Meta tags when developing the web
site, CPASiteSolutions provides
its users with a variety of site
marketing tools, including unlimited
free submissions to the top 40 search
engines and directories. The company
also provides a premium listing
in the Accountant-Finder Directory
(www.accountant-finder.com)
of accounting professionals. A unique
offering of CPASiteSolutions is
its ‘new web site’ promotion
e-mail. After creation of a firm
web site, the company can send out
an e-mail to all of the firm’s
clients describing the features,
benefits and tools available on
the site. The system also provides
FAQs on promoting web sites and
offers, and provides good web site
and visitor tracking and statistics.

PRICING/VALUE – 5 Stars

There is no setup charge for any
of CPASiteSolutions’ packages,
and all versions provide the same
general content and features. The
Silver version costs $594 per year
(billed monthly); the Gold version
is $834 and includes web site maintenance
and editing performed by CPASiteSolutions’
staff; and the Platinum version
is $1,194 and includes full web
site maintenance in addition to
added search engine optimization
tools and functions.

SUMMARY
CPASiteSolutions’ method wherein
they create a firm’s site
and then provide the firm with tools
to manage it is an excellent model,
relieving firm staff from the challenges
of initial site design and construction.
The system provides an outstanding
selection of tools and features,
including secure client collaboration
functions and web site marketing
tools, as well as a deep library
of financial content and news. The
company provides a 30-day demonstration
version of the system.

2004
OVERALL RATING: 5 Stars

This review looks at several web
builder solutions that are designed
for accountants, tax preparers and
other financial professionals. They
range in cost from free to more
than $1,000 per year and offer significantly
varying degrees of content, tools
and ease-of-use, so firms should
identify the needs that are most
important to them. Based on input
from accounting professionals and
the system vendors, we scored these
systems in the following areas:

Automated Content: This section
looks at the financial content provided
by the vendor, including quality/reliability,
whether it is automatically updated,
newsletter offerings, and other
material that would be valuable
to a visitor of the web site.

Editing/Updating Ease-of-Use: After you build it, you still need to update

contact and service
information periodically. This
section looks at the tools the
vendor provides for creating and
updating the site, which are usually
accessed through a browser. Ease-of-use
is an important factor here, because
users may only work on the site
a few times per year.

Tools: In addition to rich financial content, tools such as financial

calculators, calendars, useful links and online tax preparation keep clients and prospects

coming back to a web site. Additionally, options such as secure file transfer enhance the

client relationship. This section considers such tools as well as e-mail and Intranet

capabilities.

Visual Quality/User Navigation: How a web site looks and whether navigation

is intuitive plays a very large role in whether visitors will return, and can certainly

influence the impression the site has on clients and potential clients. This section also

evaluates the templates used by the system, and how logos and other image files are

incorporated.

Web Site Marketing Tools: If you build it, they still need to find it

before they can come. This section identifies whether the vendor assists in registering the

site with search engines and other directories, as well as other marketing assistance. And

since measurement tells you how you’re doing, the availability of web site visitor stats is

also addressed. Who owns the web site?
Firm’s need to own their
primary domain name (www.firmname.com).

Pricing/Value: Is there an initial setup cost? How much does it cost per

month/year? Are there any other fees?