Introduction
If you are a tax professional it’s imperative that you know these 5 things every accountant website needs to be secure. In our last article, we discussed the importance of a WISP. The internet has forever changed business for the better it also carries with it some additional risks to consider. Your website is the digital representation of your company. In the same way, you have locks on your office door, you have to make sure your website is also secured at all times.
1. SSL Certificates (Secure Socket Layer)
SSL certificates to ensure secure communication of internet traffic to and from a website. This encryption helps prevent the interception of this information. By encrypting this information any transaction details such as credit card information or social security numbers can’t be stolen. You may have seen this padlock next to a website’s URL when shopping on sites such as Amazon.
How it works:
- Step 1 – Your web browser requests a secure page (HTTPS rather than HTTP) from a web server.
- Step 2 – The web server then sends it’s public security key, along with its SSL certificate to your web browser. This certificate is digitally signed by a third-party certificate authority.
- Step 3 – After the web browser receives this certificate, it will then verify the issuer’s digital signature to ensure that it was a valid source. It will do this by comparing the information the database of known third party digital keys. Once it’s authenticated the padlock will appear and will then be listed as a trusted site.
This process can ensure that information communicated between your accountant website and your customers is encrypted and safe.
2. Client Portal
Your clients need a secure way to send or upload important tax documents to you. Documents such as W2s contain more than enough information for a scammer to commit identity fraud. Traditional email clients or messaging services are not secure enough to be sending these sensitive documents over the internet. Having a client portal in place not only increases the security when transferring such important documents. These portals can also aid with efficient communication between you and the client. From here the customer can check on their account status and provide any information or documents may be waiting on.
3. Integration with CRM
The days of going through multiple filing cabinets to find a specific client’s information should be over. If you’re still having to do that on a regular basis then you’re spending too much time maintaining an outdated system. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a website or software where you track your interactions with your customers. These interactions can include money owed, work you or your colleagues need to complete, and important documents currently kept on file.
4. CDN (Content Delivery Network)
CDNs such as Cloudflare help optimize the performance of your accountant website. The performance of an accountant website is directly tied to where your website ranks in a Google search listing. Better website performance not only helps with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but may make the difference between a new potential customer or a new customer for your competitors. A website that looks outdated or loads slowly says to your clients that your online presence isn’t a priority. This lack of digital focus often carries over to negligence concerning digital security. A poorly performing website tells your clients you’re not prepared to protect them against the myriad of digital threats.
A CDN also adds protection against DDOS attacks. A DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks are increasingly common. By using repeated brute force attempts to access websites’ secure data it also occupies the site’s bandwidth, making it unresponsive for other users.
5. Marketing
Word of mouth alone may have got your business to where it is currently. However, digital marketing promises to keep business steadily, for years to come. But not all marketing agencies are created equal. It’s important to choose the right marketing team for the job. Many claim to be able to get you results but few deliver. Even fewer still know the specific needs that accountants like you require. That’s where Proadvisor Marketing comes in. They can help with the branding of your business to make sure it stands out among the noise of your many competitors.
Conclusion:
If you would like more information of how Rush Tech Support or Proadvisor Marketing can help with your accounting website, give us a call at 844-880-7874!
