From a 20-year-old accounting site to a website built around SMH.

The inherited site listed services, tools, and tax resources. It gave SMH an online presence, but did not clearly introduce the firm it had become. We helped define the brand, sharpen the message, and build a website organized around the clients SMH serves.

Client: SMH Associates · Santa Clara, CA
Work: Brand direction, messaging, and website
Delivered: A firm-specific story in place of a service directory

San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, imagery used in the SMH Associates portfolio card — SMH Associates

THE CHALLENGE

The website worked. The story had moved on.

SMH Associates acquired an established business with a website that had been around for 20 years. The old site had the familiar parts of an accounting website: tax and business service lists, QuickBooks information, a newsletter, calculators, and tax resources. Those tools had a purpose, but the page read more like a directory than an introduction to the new firm.

For a practice built on trust, that gap mattered. Prospective clients needed to see what SMH focuses on and whether the firm serves someone like them. The team needed a site that reflected its direction and felt credible to share after a referral.

OUR APPROACH

Define the firm first, then build the website around it.

Get Found

Decide what the firm should be known for

We worked with SMH to sharpen its vision and move the website's opening message toward tax preparation and strategy.

Get Found

Give that story a recognizable look

We developed a brand direction for the firm and replaced the older, detailed tax-consultants lockup with a simpler mark.

Capture Leads

Help each audience find its place

We redesigned the site around clearer routes for individuals, families, and businesses, then worked with SMH through launch.

“Ramon helped move our business forward by aligning who we are with how we communicated ourselves through our website.”

Jomar Gomez Managing Partner, SMH Associates

BEFORE AND AFTER

From a service directory to a firm with a point of view.

The original website beside the current one. Select an image to explore the full page.

The homepage

The old homepage led with a broad service list and tax resources. The newer one leads with tax preparation and strategy, then identifies the audiences SMH serves.

Archived SMH homepage with a broad service list, green navigation, and tax resources — **BEFORE**Original homepage

Current SMH homepage with a tax preparation and strategy headline and Golden Gate Bridge image — **AFTER**Current homepage

A referred prospect can more quickly see the firm's focus and decide whether SMH is relevant to their needs.

Finding the right service

A broad service directory became a set of audience-specific paths. The right image shows the current page for individuals.

Archived SMH service directory with long lists of individual, business, tax, and QuickBooks services — **BEFORE**Original service directory

Current SMH For Individuals page with distinct cards for planning, estate, expat tax, preparation, and tax planning — **AFTER**Current ‘For Individuals’ page

Instead of sorting through every service the firm offers, a visitor can start with their situation and scan a smaller set of relevant services.

The brand people recognize

The old tax-consultants lockup beside the newer SMH mark.

BEFOREOriginal website mark

Current SMH Associates mark in white on a deep green background — **AFTER**Newer SMH mark

The simpler mark gives the website a more focused visual identity, with fewer details competing at small sizes.

THE OUTCOME

A site SMH can stand behind.

The redesign gave SMH a clearer way to present its identity, tax focus, and core audiences. The managing partner describes the result as a website the firm is proud of and says the collaborative process gave the team confidence in the launch.

“The outcome was a beautifully designed website that we could be proud of. It communicated who we are and who we serve effectively.”

Jomar Gomez Managing Partner, SMH Associates