Let me tell you what happens when a potential client lands on most accounting firm websites.
They scan the homepage. They read something like “we offer a personal service” or “our experienced team is here to help.” They feel absolutely nothing. And then they click away to look at the next accountant on the list.
Not because your firm isn’t good. Not because you don’t genuinely offer a personal service. But because that accountant website copy is so familiar, so utterly expected, that it’s become invisible.
I’ve read a lot of accountant website copy. Occupational hazard. And the same phrases appear so consistently that I could probably write most of them from memory. If your website copy sounds like everyone else’s, why would a potential client choose you?
Here are the phrases I see most often. And more importantly, what to do instead.
“We Offer a Personal Service”
This one’s first because it’s everywhere. And I genuinely understand why, because you do offer a personal service, and it matters to you.
But if every single accountant says this, it no longer differentiates you from anyone. It’s become the accounting equivalent of a restaurant saying, “we serve food.”
What does personal service actually look like in your firm? Is it that clients get your direct mobile number, not a call centre? That you proactively contact them before deadlines rather than waiting for them to chase you? That you sit down with new clients for a proper onboarding meeting rather than just sending a portal login?
Say that instead. Specific beats generic every time.
“Our Experienced Team”
How experienced? In what? Experienced at what specifically?
“Experienced” is one of those words that sounds meaningful until you realise it tells the reader nothing at all. Twenty years of experience doing the wrong thing is still twenty years. Experienced compared to whom?
If your team’s experience genuinely matters (and it probably does), show it, don’t just claim it. “Our founder spent 15 years as a financial controller in manufacturing before starting this practice” tells me something real. It tells me she understands business finances from the inside, not just from an audit perspective. That’s compelling. “Experienced team” is not.
“We Take Care of All Your Accounting Needs”
This one’s trying to reassure. I get it. But it’s so vague it actually creates doubt rather than confidence.
All my accounting needs? Which ones? Do you do R&D tax credits? Do you handle international payroll? Can you help me structure a business acquisition?
Vague reassurance is the enemy of trust. Your potential client has specific concerns and fears. They need to know you understand them. Broad claims that you handle “everything” don’t address any of those specific fears. They just slide off the reader’s brain without leaving a mark.
Be specific about who you help and what you help them with. That specificity, incidentally, is also the foundation of good accountant niching and the two work brilliantly together.
“Friendly and Professional”
Again. Every accountant says this. Every single one.
“Friendly and professional” has become so standard in accountants’ website copy that it now reads as filler rather than a genuine descriptor. It’s the equivalent of writing “good communicator” on your CV. Nobody’s going to write “unfriendly and unprofessional,” are they?
If friendliness is genuinely part of your firm’s personality, show it in how you write. Use contractions. Write in first person. Let your actual voice come through. A warmly written “About” page that sounds like a real human wrote it will do more to communicate your approachability than the words “friendly and professional” ever could.
“Here to Help”
Three words that mean nothing and appear on approximately 80% of accounting websites.
Who isn’t here to help? Your potential client doesn’t need to be told you’re available to assist them. They need to understand how you’ll specifically make their life easier, what problems you solve, what it actually feels like to work with you.
“Here to help” is a placeholder that got left in and never replaced with something real.
So What Does Good Accountant Website Copy Look Like?
The fix isn’t complicated, but it does require some honest reflection.
Think about the clients you love working with. What were they struggling with before they came to you? What changed after they did? What do they say when they recommend you to someone else?
That’s your website copy. Not the polished, corporate version but the real version, the one that sounds like a human being talking to another human being about something that genuinely matters.
Good accountant website copy doesn’t just describe your services. It makes the right client feel seen. It makes them think, “Finally, someone who understands what I’m dealing with.” It builds enough trust that they pick up the phone.
And if you want to see how better copy combines with stronger client testimonials to turn your website into something that actually works for your business, that’s exactly the kind of thing I help accounting firms with.
Start by reading your own homepage. Ask yourself honestly: if I didn’t know this firm, would this copy make me want to get in touch?
If the answer isn’t a clear yes, you know what to do.
About the Author
Michelle Eshkeri is a CIMA-qualified accountant turned copywriter, specialising in content and marketing for finance professionals. With 23 years in finance including 18 years at GSK plc, she understands what accountants do and, more importantly, how to explain it in a way that actually wins clients. Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does accountant website copy tend to sound so generic?
Most accounting firms write their own websites in a rush, defaulting to safe, professional-sounding phrases because they’re worried about saying the wrong thing. The result is copy that’s technically inoffensive but completely forgettable. It doesn’t give potential clients any real reason to choose one firm over another.
How do I write good accountant website copy?
Start by asking your best clients why they chose you and what’s changed since they started working with you. Their answers will be far more compelling than anything you’d come up with sitting in front of a blank screen, and they’ll speak directly to the fears and hopes of the clients you’re trying to attract.
Does website copy really affect how many enquiries I get?
Absolutely. Your website is usually the first proper look a potential client gets at your firm, and most people make up their minds very quickly about whether something feels right. Copy that speaks directly to their situation builds trust fast; generic copy creates distance and sends them back to Google to look at the next option.
Should I rewrite my whole website or just certain pages?
Start with your homepage and your about page, because these are the pages most people visit first and where first impressions are formed. Get those right before worrying about anything else, and you’ll see a noticeable difference without having to tackle the whole site at once.