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Accountancy Practice Launch Programme · Stage 7 of 10
Build Your Website & Client Portal
Get a credible site live and a secure portal in place, so prospects trust you and clients exchange documents safely.
How long
4–6 days
You’ll have
A live website, a secure client portal, and working enquiry capture
Steps
3 steps
Resources
3 resources
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01 Step 01
Step 01
Build a credible practice website
It is the first thing a referred prospect checks, and no site, or a broken one, loses their trust instantly.
Do it yourself
- Cover the essentials: services, who you help and your niche, your credentials and body membership, pricing or "from" pricing, an about or founder section, and a clear contact and enquiry form.
- Use a simple builder or WordPress, where content and clarity matter far more than custom design.
- Display trust signals honestly: your professional-body logo only if you are entitled to it, your qualifications, and a real photo.
- Add your privacy notice and, if it applies to you, your regulated-status statement.
Common mistake · Hiding your pricing and credentials, the two things a small-business prospect most wants to see before enquiring.
Time3–5 days Cost~£0–£150/yr hosting, plus optional build DifficultyMediumResource for this step
CHECKLISTWebsite content checklist
The pages and trust signals a practice site needs, so nothing important gets left off.
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02 Step 02
Step 02
Set up a secure client portal
You exchange highly sensitive records, and email attachments are insecure and unprofessional, so secure exchange is a data-protection expectation.
Do it yourself
- Use a portal for financial documents, often built into your accounting or practice-management software, or a dedicated client-portal tool, rather than email.
- Turn on secure upload, e-signature for approvals and engagement letters, and per-client access.
- Write a one-page "how to use the portal" guide for clients.
- Make the portal your default channel and stop sending sensitive files by email.
Common mistake · Emailing tax returns, ID documents and bank data as attachments, a data-protection risk and a poor first impression.
Time~1 day CostOften included in your stack; standalone tools low £/month DifficultyMediumResource for this step
PDFClient portal how-to guide
A rebrandable one-page guide to send each new client, so they upload, sign and find documents without emailing you.
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03 Step 03
Step 03
Wire up enquiry capture and analytics
Your first clients will come via the site, so you need to catch enquiries and know what is working.
Do it yourself
- Add a simple, GDPR-compliant enquiry form that routes to your inbox or CRM and confirms consent.
- Set up a booking link for discovery calls.
- Add basic analytics and your Google Business Profile links, which you set up in the next module.
- Test the whole path end to end on mobile.
Common mistake · A contact form that silently fails or dumps to spam, so you lose the first leads and never know.
Time~half a day CostFree DifficultyEasyResource for this step
What you’ll have after this stage
- A credible practice website showing your services, niche and credentials
- Clear pricing or "from" pricing that a prospect can see before enquiring
- A secure client portal for documents and e-signature approvals
- A one-page portal guide to send every new client
- An enquiry form and booking link that route leads to your inbox or CRM
Next · Stage 8 of 10
Get Found
Keep going yourself — carry your momentum straight into the next stage.
Prefer we build it?
Hand this stage to us
A practice website and a secure client portal are two of the things we build. We can put your site together on a simple, fast platform with your services, niche and pricing laid out clearly, and set up a portal where clients upload documents and approve them by e-signature instead of email. If you would rather have it built than build it yourself, talk to us.