Pub. 4 2022 Issue 3

SUPERCHARGE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE WITH THE .CPA DOMAIN BY CHRIS COMER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, CPA.COM Put a good idea in the hands of CPAs, and they’ll find innovative ways to make it even better. That’s exactly what’s happening right nowwith the new .cpa web domain. When .cpa was launched in fall of 2020, there were plenty of good reasons for firms to take notice. For starters, it’s a practical way to enhance client trust. When clients see a firm with a .cpa domain, they know it’s a firm they can trust rather than some questionable f ly-by-night operation. That’s because only individually licensed CPAs and licensed CPA firms can obtain a .cpa domain through a verif ication process managed by CPA.com, a subsidiary of the AICPA. There’s also the issue of security: When firms adopt the .cpa domain, they’re better able to protect firm and client data from phishing and other security threats, since top-level domains like .cpa are more resistant to fraud than the less-regulated, more commonly used .com. And then there are the brand benefits. When it comes to using the .cpa domain to support their brand and marketing strategies, firms have been steadily innovating and creating new opportunities and advantages that weren’t immediately obvious. As a result, in only a short time the profession has seen a host of new domain strategies take f light—and they’re just getting started. If you’re wondering whether your firm shouldmake themove to a .cpa domain, here are some domain-based brand strategies (in addition to the benefits of heightened security and trust) that your peers in the profession are already putting to work. “Let’s use this as an opportunity to rebrand.” Rebranding is perhaps the most obvious opportunity presented by the .cpa domain. If your firm feels tethered to a name or web address that it had outgrown but couldn’t find a better option in the overcrowded realm of .com domains, the .cpa domain allows the firm to start fresh. Stuck with JonesCPA.com even though Jones retired five years ago? This is a rare chance to get the website address that fits the firm’s present and future ambitions. I S S U E 3 , 2 0 2 2 20 nebraska cpas

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