Free stock photos for accountants

Books in order: what photos help someone choose an accountant?

People looking for an accountant usually arrive with a deadline: annual tax returns, a new business that just started invoicing, or payroll for their first hires. They want to see order and method. Good choices include a wooden desk with a report and calculator, binders filed by year, an accountant seen from behind reviewing a spreadsheet, the firm's entrance and an office set up for appointments. Calm, sober scenes suggest how their paperwork will be handled.

Placing each image

• Homepage: A desk with documents and a calculator in 16:9, leaving room to list your core services.
• Small business services: A laptop beside invoices and a notebook, for owners who just registered their business and need bookkeeping.
• Payroll page: Neat binders and a screen of tables with no readable data, next to a description of the service.
• Tax deadline reminders: A calendar with marked dates next to receipts, in 4:5, for posts about filing dates.
• Contact and directions: A plain entrance can fill in for a while if you lack an office photo, but replace it with your real door later.

Advice for accounting firms

• Check that no document in a photo shows readable figures, company names or tax ID numbers.
• Match the setting to your clients: a classic office with shelves for mid-size companies, a simple table and laptop for freelancers.
• Skip piles of cash and coins. Accounting work is about records, not money on a desk.
• The person at the desk isn't on your staff; if the page introduces your partners, use their real portraits.