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Tax preparer website: what to fix before tax season.

Most of your new clients for next spring will look you up between now and February. Here's what they're checking, and what your website should already say when they do.

Tax preparers have the most lopsided calendar of anyone I work with. A few quiet months, then a rush where the phone doesn't stop. The problem is that most preparers only think about their website when that rush is already here, and by then there's no time to fix anything. November and December are when you can actually do it.

And people are pickier about a tax preparer than about almost any other local business. They're handing over their Social Security number, their income and their bank account. Before they call, they want proof you're real, qualified and still going to be around in June.

What the IRS tells people to look for

The IRS publishes tips for choosing a tax preparer every year. Your customers may never read them, but the tips line up with what careful people check anyway. In short, the IRS tells taxpayers to:

• Pick someone with a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
• Look at credentials. CPAs, enrolled agents and attorneys can represent clients before the IRS.
• Find a preparer who's available year-round, not just until April.
• Avoid preparers who charge a percentage of the refund or promise a bigger refund than anyone else.
• Use an authorized IRS e-file provider.
• Expect a good preparer to ask for records and receipts.

That list is basically a blueprint for your website. If your site answers each point before anyone asks, you look like the safe choice. If it doesn't, you look like every pop-up storefront that opens in January and disappears in May.

The checklist: what your site should show by January

1. Your credentials, in plain words. "Enrolled agent," "CPA," or "Annual Filing Season Program participant." Say what it means in one sentence. If you're listed in the IRS directory of preparers with credentials, say so.
2. Year-round availability. A line like "Open year-round for IRS letters, amended returns and questions" answers one of the IRS tips directly. Put your off-season hours on the site and on your Google Business Profile.
3. How you charge. You don't have to post a full price list. But "Individual returns start at $X" or "Flat fee quoted before we start" builds trust. Never anything tied to the size of the refund.
4. The services you actually do. W-2 returns, self-employed and 1099 work, rental property, small business returns, back taxes, IRS notices. Each one is a search someone types. List them so Google and the customer both see them.
5. A "what to bring" list. W-2s, 1099s, last year's return, photo ID, childcare costs, mortgage interest statements. People search for this every January. Having it on your site gets you found and saves you phone time.
6. How to book. Tap-to-call at the top of every page, plus online booking if you use it. In February, a lot of people will pick whoever lets them grab a slot without waiting on hold.
7. Languages you speak. If you prepare returns in Spanish, Polish or anything else, put it near the top. For a lot of Chicago neighborhoods, that one line decides the call.
8. A safe way to send documents. More on this below. It matters more for you than for any other business I build for.

Don't collect tax documents through a contact form

A standard website contact form usually sends an email. Email is fine for "Can I book a Tuesday appointment?" It is not where you want people typing a Social Security number or attaching a W-2.

Here's how I set it up for tax offices:

• The website form only asks for name, phone, email and what they need help with.
• The form says, in plain words, "Please don't send tax documents or Social Security numbers here."
• For documents, the site links to the secure client portal that comes with your tax software or practice management tool, if you have one.
• If you don't use a portal, the site tells people to bring documents in person or explains your drop-off process.

That one note on the form does two jobs. It protects your clients, and it shows them you take their information seriously before you've even met.

Picture this

Picture a two-person tax office on Cermak Road in Berwyn. Most clients are families who've come back every year for a decade, plus a lot of self-employed contractors. Right now the website is one page with a phone number, the word "Taxes," and a photo from 2015.

Here's what I'd build. A homepage that says "Enrolled agent in Berwyn, open year-round, se habla español" right at the top, with a tap-to-call button. A services page with separate sections for families, self-employed and 1099 workers, and IRS letters. A "what to bring" page they can text to clients in January. A booking button. A contact form that says not to send documents. Nothing fancy. Just everything a nervous first-time client wants to know before they pick up the phone.

Your Google profile matters just as much

A lot of people will find you on the map before they see your website. Update your Google Business Profile with your season hours and your off-season hours, and set special hours for the holidays (I wrote a guide to Google Business Profile holiday hours). Then ask this year's happy clients for reviews in April and May, while the refund is fresh. My post on getting more Google reviews without breaking the rules walks through how.

What this costs

Most solo preparers and small tax offices fit my Starter plan: $399 setup and $49/mo, for 1 to 3 pages, hosting and updates included. If you want separate pages for each service plus online booking, that's usually Local Growth at $699 setup and $99/mo. The full breakdown is on my website cost page.

If you start in November, the site is live, indexed and on your Google profile well before the IRS opens filing season, which in recent years has been late January. Book a free call and I'll look at your current site and tell you what I'd fix first.

Common questions

When should a tax preparer update their website?

November or December. That leaves time to build and fix pages before January, when people start looking for a preparer and you no longer have time to work on your site.

Should I put my prices on my tax preparation website?

You don't need a full price list, but a starting price or a clear note that you quote a flat fee up front helps people trust you. Avoid any fee tied to the size of the refund, which the IRS warns taxpayers about.

Can clients upload tax documents through my website?

Not through a normal contact form, since those usually arrive as plain email. Link to a secure client portal from your tax software instead, or ask people to bring documents in person.

Keep reading

• Service Area Pages: How to Write Town Pages That Get Calls
• Google Business Profile Holiday Hours: Set Them Now

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Frank's Web Studio · Serving Chicagoland and the Midwest · (773) 474-4780 · [email protected]

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