An accounting or bookkeeping website should make it clear what you do and what it costs, and make it quick for new clients to start: send their details, upload their documents and agree your terms. EverWeb gives you the pages, and in EverWeb 4.6 and later its forms can collect documents, signatures and fixed fees.
Before you collect documents or payments online, check your professional body's rules on client records, engagement letters and handling client money. We can't advise on them.
Who uses this
- A two-person bookkeeping firm lets new clients upload last year's return before the first meeting.
- A sole accountant sells a fixed-price personal tax return package and takes payment when the client sends the form.
- A payroll bureau posts a checklist PDF each month and replaces it without changing the link.
- A small practice takes requests for a free 20-minute call during the busy season.
Features marked (add-on) need the Contact Forms Enhanced add-on. Signatures and payments also need EverWeb 4.6 or later. See What is the Contact Forms Enhanced Add-on?
Pages to make
| Page | What goes on it | Use in EverWeb |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Who you help, your main services, "Get started" button | Text, buttons |
| Services and prices | Packages, what's included, fixed fees | Text, or a form with Card Select |
| Get started | New client form with uploads and engagement letter | Contact Form Advanced (add-on) |
| Book a call | Request a call or meeting | Contact Form Advanced |
| Resources | Checklists, deadline reminders, guides | PDFs, the blog |
| About | Your team and qualifications | Text and photos |
| Contact | Address, map, hours | A shape with its Fill set to Map |
EverWeb features that help
A new client form in steps (add-on for uploads)
Use Step Break to split the form into pages, for example About you, Your business, Documents and Agreement, with a progress bar and Back and Next buttons. Add a File Upload field for each document, because each field takes one file, and set Accept to Images And PDF, Excel or another type you expect. You download the files from your Client Area. See Client intake forms with file uploads: collect documents from your clients.
What not to collect in a form
Don't ask for bank account details, online banking or tax portal passwords, or government ID numbers in form fields. If clients upload documents that contain them, download the files and delete the submission once you've saved them where your practice keeps records. Your site should have HTTPS so forms are sent securely: see My site says 'Not Secure': how to get HTTPS (SSL) on your website.
Engagement letters (add-on)
Show the letter, or link to it, then add a Consent tick box, typed full name, Date and Signature. Set Mail Sending to SMTP Details for any form with a Signature field: then the signature arrives as a picture (PNG) attached to the email. Rules for electronic signatures differ by country and document, so check with your professional body that this is enough for your use. See Get agreements, contracts and consent forms signed online.
Fixed fees online (add-on)
A form can charge a set price for a package. Put your packages in a Card Select field with a price on each, add a paid extra with a Toggle, and set Tax Rate (%) if you charge tax. Visitors pay on Stripe's or PayPal's own checkout page, and you get the form marked Paid. Form payments are one-off only: for monthly retainers, use the recurring tools in your Stripe or PayPal account, or Membership Sites paid plans. See Sell a product with options and extras from your contact form.
Calls and meetings (add-on)
Calendar and Select Time let clients suggest a time. The form doesn't check your diary, so confirm by email. If you already use an online booking service, show its calendar with the HTML Snippet widget. See Take bookings and deposits with your contact form and Add a booking calendar, Instagram feed or other outside code with the HTML Snippet widget.
Checklists and guides
Link a button to a PDF with Link To set to A File. When you update the checklist, use Replace Asset... in the Assets list: the address stays the same, so links in your emails keep working. See How do I link to a PDF so visitors can open or download it? and Replace an image or PDF everywhere at once, and clear out files you no longer use (the Assets list).
Deadline reminders and news
Post reminders and short guides on EverWeb's blog, and share them with clients. See How do I add a blog to my EverWeb website?.
Help visitors find answers
A Search Field lets visitors find any page that mentions a word, such as "VAT" or "payroll". The Accordion widget keeps a long FAQ page tidy. See Add a search box to your website so visitors can find any page.
Feedback after the busy season
A short form with a Star Rating or a 0 to 10 Rating Scale tells you how clients found the process. See Collect feedback, reviews and survey answers with ratings.