If you're a lawyer or law firm in need of a new website or an update, you may be feeling overwhelmed by all of the options and choices available. Do you need a simple site with just your basic information, or do you need something more complex? What features should your site have? Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you begin planning your law firm's website.

Your website is often the first impression potential clients will have of your law firm. First impressions are important, so it's crucial that your website makes a good one. Be sure to put your best foot forward by investing in high-quality design and copywriting, clear messaging, and maintaining your site properly.

Here are a few critical steps to making sure your law firm website is bringing you customers and not scaring them away.

1. Your website should be designed with your target audience in mind.

Your website should be designed with your target audience in mind. Who are you trying to reach with your website? What are their needs and how can your website address them? How do you want them to feel after they do business with you?  And what do you want them to do on your site?  Asking yourself these simple questions can make a tremendous difference in how effective your site ultimately is, as the main job of your website is to effectively communicate that you are the ideal choice for your target audience, and what they should do to work with you.

This also means your website needs to speak their language not yours.  We all go blind to professional jargon after a while and as a lawyer it is easier than most to assume a word most of your clients have never heard is everyday jargon.  Make sure after you write the copy for your site that you have a few people that could be your ideal client check it for comprehension.  If people are unsure, they won’t buy.

2. Your website MUST be mobile friendly.

This means having a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes, and is easy to read and easy to use on any device.

More and more people are using their smartphones and other mobile devices to access the internet. Search engines know this, you know this, let’s be honest everyone knows this at this point.  Make sure your website is designed to be viewed on a mobile device. Or people will not find you, and even when they do, they will not like you or your law firm.

3.  Your website needs to be secure.

Since you'll be collecting sensitive information from your website visitors, it's important to make sure your website is secure. Your website should have an SSL certificate installed so that all data is encrypted when it's transmitted between the server and the visitor's browser.  Some browsers won’t even let users access your site if it isn’t secure, and Google will show you to less and less people for the same reason.

The last thing you want is for a potential customer to get a warning message when they try to visit your site, or for your site to be at the bottom page of Google, so make sure it’s secure.

4.  Your website has to have a privacy policy.

This is less obvious to the average user, but it’s something search engines and advertising platforms look for.  As privacy laws around data become stricter and more common this will also be legally required in the near future (if it isn’t already in your area).

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but if you are capturing people’s information or data in any way (you are, because asking for emails, having them fill out contact forms, using remarketing all count) then you need to have a privacy policy linked to from the footer of every page on your site.

5. Your website should be easy to navigate.

Your website should be easy to navigate so that visitors can find what they're looking for easily. Use a simple navigation structure and consistent branding throughout your site. Include a search function so visitors can search for specific keywords on your site.

Your website needs to be user-friendly and easy to navigate. No one wants to waste their time trying to figure out how to find the information they're looking for on your website, especially a potential client. Make sure your navigation is intuitive and your content is organized in a way that makes sense.

You also should be making it extremely clear what you want users to do.  If your main goal is to get people’s email so you can follow up with them, then the button asking for their email should be very prominent at the top of your site.  If you want them to message you, download something, sign up for your newsletter, etc. it’s the same thing.  If it’s not at the top of your home page there is a very good chance a visitor will never see it, so make sure your most critical call to action is the first thing someone sees.

6. You have to plan for SEO while you are building your site.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for driving traffic to your website. Be sure to do some research on SEO and how to implement it effectively on your site or hire someone that REALLY understands SEO to help build your site(most web designers have no idea what actually helps a website rank in search engines). 

If your site isn’t structured with both potential clients and search engines in mind, and the content doesn’t appeal to both, it might never be seen by the exact people you built it for.  Remember, user experience is most important, by far, but structuring your sites for search engines is a close second.

7. Your website should be updated regularly.

Your website is the digital billboard for your company.  If it shows lawyers that no longer work for your firm, services you no longer offer, and really old articles about things your firm did a decade ago but nothing recent, a user will question if they should do business with you, or if you are even in business at all. That’s not the first impression you want to make.

Your website should be updated regularly with new content, including blog posts, articles, whitepapers, etc. This will help keep visitors engaged and coming back for more. It will also help improve your visibility in search engines since they favor websites that are regularly updated with fresh content.  And ranking in Google is competitive for law firms as I’m sure you already know, so don’t miss the easy wins like keeping your site updated.

8. Don’t get left behind.

Your website should be constantly evolving. The internet is constantly changing, so it's important that your website keeps up with the times. This means regularly publishing fresh content, updating your design, and adding new features as needed. If you don't keep up with the latest trends, your site will quickly become outdated and customers will take their business elsewhere.

User experience is more important than ever and expectations are changing faster than ever.  5 years ago a website being mobile friendly was optional, now it’s critical.  Almost nobody had direct messaging on their sites 5 years ago, now if a customer can’t message you and get a response almost immediately you will probably lose them.  It used to be pretty easy to rank at the top of search engines too…don’t get left behind.

Make sure you monitor what your best competitors are doing and keep up, or hire someone to do it for you.  User experience is the difference between page one and page 4 of Google, and someone becoming a client vs. someone considering becoming a client.

9. Know your information.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with a business and they don’t know where their domain is, who their web host is, who has access to their Google My Business account, etc etc. 

Not having this information can create situations for your firm that range from a mild annoyance to a total catastrophe, so make sure you always have access to your domain and host and that information is kept somewhere that won’t disappear with an employee some day.

Having a website that clearly expresses who your ideal client is, why they should pick you, and what you want them to do while they are on your site is critical to any business in the modern world.  A website is the one piece of online collateral you own.  It can and should serve as a hub for all of your marketing efforts, but like any good tool it needs maintenance, and to be applied properly.

Conclusion:

Building a website for your law firm can be a daunting task. But by keeping the nine things we’ve mentioned in mind, you can create a website that will make a great first impression and help you attract more clients. If you need help getting started, don’t hesitate to give our team a call. We would be happy to assist you in creating an effective website that showcases your law firm in the best light possible.

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We’re experts at helping you craft the ideal website and can advise you about what should be on your website. Give us a ring today and find out how cost effective it can be to have an industry-leading website designed for your business.