Making Your Law Firm’s Website Client-Friendly
Technology is an essential part of any modern practicing attorney’s toolkit. In Tad’s Tech Corner, join me as I discuss how to best utilize technology– both from a device and software standpoint– during your daily lawyering tasks and during trial. Discussions, as always, are welcome in the comments section below.
— Tad Thomas
For many legal professionals, creating and maintaining a law firm website falls outside of their wheelhouse, so the process can seem daunting. However, lawyers need to understand the importance of their firm’s website and how it drives clientele.
Even if a potential client is referred to your law firm by another lawyer or someone they know personally, it’s more than likely they will go online to learn more about how your firm operates, your experience, and what they can expect if they hire you.
To boost the positive response to your website, you need to think about the content you’re producing, the overall readability of your site, and how you can help visitors find the information they need efficiently.
Optimizing Your Site’s Content and Readability
The content you post for visitors should be easy to consume. Your potential clients aren’t lawyers, so there’s no point in using legalese or legal jargon. Also, keep in mind that visitors are unlikely to read long paragraphs—especially on mobile devices.
As a trial attorney, you know what the current hot button topics for your practice areas are. When you’re thinking about publishing new content on the site to draw visitors, focus on those issues. Write blogs about what’s going on, so readers know you’re staying abreast of important topics, law changes, etc. Make sure your practice area pages are easily accessible from the homepage. Use images and videos thoughtfully to add to your content, not distract from it.
Make sure your contact information is readily available. Depending on the size of your firm and your availability, you could consider implementing a chat feature to hook clients the moment your site loads.
Improving Your Website’s Overall Design
The top law firm websites are intense competition for many. Therefore, it’s important to learn who your top competitors are, so you can make sure your website looks as good as theirs, if not better. If it does not, potential clients will likely go with the more attractive site design because it’s something that breeds trust.
A good law firm website is easy to navigate. Potential clients should be able to maneuver around your site easily to find what they’re looking for. Use white space to your advantage to make your site look cleaner and give visitors some breathing room.
You can also improve your design by implementing different forms of content like videos, infographics, e-books, and whitepapers. With the right information on your site that’s easily accessed, you’ll increase visitor engagement and provide potential clients with different ways to learn about their cases.
How to Help Web Visitors Process Information
If your site’s design is clean and your content is easily accessible, you’re more likely to hold a potential client’s attention. But how do you go about helping them process the information you’re giving them, so they reach out to schedule a consultation?
To start, consider the first impression your site will make on visitors. For example, does it load quickly, have clear navigation, and conveys trust? If not, visitors will likely leave, and you’ll never have the opportunity to help them process information. Remember that everything you do to your site should provide visitors with a better user experience, keep them engaged, and make it easier for them to contact your law firm.
The Benefits of Hiring a Digital Marketing Company
While you can DIY your law firm’s website, you’re likely to have more success if you invest funds in a professional law firm web developer. A digital marketing company can design a cohesive and visitor-friendly design scheme for a small law firm and keep content up-to-date while monitoring the site for issues. The overall cost of a professional service will vary on a number of factors, including the number of pages, the level of content support needed, and additional features you’re interested in.
If you decide to hire a web designer for your law firm’s website, you’ll want to know how long it will take to get your site up and running, how content will be updated, what support and resources are available in the event something goes wrong, and how the site can be optimized for search engines.
No matter how you optimize your law firm’s website for potential clients, it’s important to stay on top of current industry trends. If your website is easy to use, eye-catching, and informative, you’re more likely to turn a potential client into an actual client.
