| Website
of the Month: Eisner & Lubin LLP
By
Susan B. Anders
Note:
Although all accounting firms use their website to
communicate similar information, the approaches taken vary
considerably. This space periodically reviews websites for
some of the larger public accounting firms, as well as for
smaller firms that have particularly good sites.
Eisner
& Lubin LLP is a New York City–based accounting
firm with a well-polished and professional-looking website
at www.eisnerlubin.com.
The website has many positive features, and is worth a look
by CPAs that feel constrained by prepackaged website designs.
It is attractive, interesting, and provides a clear picture
of the unique character and identity of the firm.
The
homepage is eye-catching, but relatively simple. It provides
one important feature that many CPA firm homepages lack:
the firm’s address and phone number. The homepage
format and appearance is repeated throughout the website
in a title header and a left-hand vertical index. The same
vertical index appears on all of the webpages linked to
information on the firm’s services, partners, industry
expertise, publications, careers, and contacts. While the
website principally explains the firm’s services to
potential clients, there’s enough information to hold
a browser’s interest and to be useful for clients
looking for initial answers.
Services
and Partners
The
main vertical index lists Eisner & Lubin’s six
service concentrations: comprehensive tax planning, estate
planning, information technology, financial management,
litigation support, and accounting and auditing services.
Each service area has a subsidiary webpage providing a description
of the specific service and a general contact link to request
more information. These pages would be improved if they
included the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses
of available firm personnel. Additionally, the text presentation
could be standardized for the various services and reformatted
to require less diligent reading by the user. The “industry
expertise” hyperlink on the main index connects to
a webpage that provides a comprehensive listing of the firm’s
specializations, but the trail ends there. Potential clients
would find it helpful if firm personnel contact information
were listed with each category.
One
outstanding feature of the website is the identification
of the firm’s partners, which many CPA firm websites
do not provide. Eisner & Lubin’s website provides
a substantial introduction to its partners, although it
requires a bit of effort. The “partners” link
on the main vertical index connects to a webpage with links
to all of the partners’ names. This webpage could
identify the partners’ specializations next to their
names; currently, users must access each partner’s
webpage to determine who they might wish to contact.
The
individual partners’ webpages are well designed, standardized,
and provide basic professional information about specializations,
expertise, and education, while avoiding the extraneous
content that many firm websites emphasize. Each partner’s
webpage provides a photograph and a recording of the partner
introducing himself. A helpful addition would be partners’
phone numbers and e-mail addresses to contact the individuals
directly.
Eisner
& Lubin’s website includes a well-organized section
of “publications and articles” prepared by firm
personnel on topics such as real estate, state and local
taxes, and inventory costing. Some articles provide specific
contact references or a link to a general request for more
information on the topic. The firm’s brochures can
be ordered through the website, but cannot be downloaded.
Susan
B. Anders, PhD, CPA, is an associate professor at
St. Bonaventure University, N.Y.
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