Law Firm Websites

Just having a website for your law practice and expecting results is like just showing up to court and expecting to win: it’s a start, but you’ve still got a long way to go before achieving success.

Law firm websites need to be different from any other type of website for a number of reasons, most importantly because your target audience is very unique.

The fact is, law firm clients differ from most other markets in at least three ways:

• Law firm clients are in a position of vulnerability

• Law firm clients have unique legal needs

• Law firm clients are faced with a lot of options

How do these factors impact an effective law firm website?

Your clients are in a position of vulnerability

A legal client is likely facing a situation that they have never dealt with before. They may not know what they need, what to look for in an attorney, or what to expect.

On top of this, they may also have to take important legal steps before approaching deadlines.

All of this confusion, stress, and pressure has a major influence on who they choose to represent them.

That means your website needs to immediately create trust, demonstrate that you know how to solve their legal problems, and prove that your practice is ready to provide the legal help they need.

Your clients may have unique needs

You can probably name dozens of attorneys, all providing specialized services within their various areas of practice. Why do these specializations exist? Because every client is different.

Clients seeking help within the same general area of practice may have needs that are unique to them.

That means there is no such thing as a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to having an effective law firm website, regardless of your area of practice.

Instead, you need to make sure your website communicates specifically what you do, how, and for whom, along with demonstrating why visitors can be confident you will deliver the results they’re looking for.

Your clients have a lot of options

No matter who you are, what your practice area is, or where you practice law, you’ll always be competing with other attorneys in your market for future clients.

But while you understand why potential clients should choose you, is your unique value made clear from the client’s perspective?

To help you answer that question, first think about how your clients feel as they see a long list of lawyers in their area, all supposedly providing the legal services they need: while it may be nice to have a choice in who represents them, having dozens of different law practices to choose from can also overwhelm clients.

Understanding this, you need to make sure that your website clearly and efficiently shows why you’re better than the competition, what makes your law practice the best choice, and how you provide unparalleled value for your potential clients.

Separating your law firm from the competition while attracting leads ready to hire an attorney is possible from a website that aligns your practice with your target market.

But what does that website look like in real life?

 The most effective law firm websites often contain the following elements.

Search Engine Friendly

Since 96% of people seeking legal advice search online, having good search engine visibility is crucial to create a steady stream of qualified leads.

That means your law firm website needs good search engine optimization, or SEO. This aligns your digital presence with what search engines like Google are looking for, putting you in front of clients searching for your legal services within your market.

However, SEO is an ongoing process, since your website needs continuous analysis and adjustment to stay ahead of your competition who are trying to rank for the same legal services as your firm.

On top of that, search algorithms are constantly changing, which means you have to adjust your SEO strategy to maintain your search visibility.

Strategic Content to Get Results

Not only is having high-quality content on your website essential for good lawyer SEO, but it will also provide visitors with the information they need to choose your law practice over your competition.

From the time your potential client lands on your website until the moment they’re contacting you for your legal services, you need to use content to communicate:

• Your areas of practice

• What sets you apart

• What you’ve already achieved for your clients

• How you’ll provide the results they’re looking for

You can do this with concise content on your homepage, which gives an overview of your firm and incorporates what results you’ve accomplished, how many years you have been practicing law, how you help your clients, as well as positive client testimonials.

From there, your website content can branch out with different pages dedicated to the specific subjects relating to your practice areas. These will demonstrate your knowledge and authority in your practice area, while also encouraging visitors to trust you with their legal needs.

A Professional Design for all Devices

How do you and your clients present yourselves in court? With a professional appearance, no doubt. Why go to the trouble of making sure you look professional?

Because appearances matter. They communicate a great deal about us almost instantly and without words.

The same is true for your law firm’s website: its appearance will either signal to your potential clients that you’re trustworthy, accomplished, and successful, or that you don’t take your practice seriously–nor their case.

To help attract future clients, your website should have a clean, modern design that’s clear and easy to navigate. It should include high-quality images of the legal professionals that work with you to humanize your services.

It also needs consistent branding elements, such as your firm’s logo, colors, and fonts to provide visitors with a trustworthy, professional impression.

Finally, your website needs to appear correctly for every user. This includes users on computers as well as mobile devices, since over half of online traffic now takes place on mobile devices.

A Website Experience That’s Fast and Secure

Having a secure website that loads quickly has a number of benefits for law firms.

For example, a fast website improves the user’s experience, making visitors happier when they navigate your law firm website. Why? Basically, because we don’t like waiting. Studies show that users prefer a fast online experience and are over twice as likely to leave a site that takes ten seconds or more to load.

Fast loading websites also have better SEO, since search engines reward websites that load quickly with better search visibility.

So a fast loading website–which includes optimizing images and browser caching–is a key aspect of a professional law firm website.

On top of speed, your law practice’s website needs to be secure. Having a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certified website helps your law firm website create a sense of security and trust for visitors on multiple levels, showing that you value them by providing a secure, private website.

Website Analytics that Matter

All of the above elements of a law firm’s website mean very little if they’re not used in the right way. But what is the ‘right’ website for your practice?

You know your website is properly designed and performing correctly by analyzing third-party data. Without analytics, you’re just guessing at what’s working.

Thankfully, your website’s performance can be easily monitored using data provided from different tools. These let you accurately track visitor behavior to understand what pages are getting the most attention, as well as traffic sources to identify how leads are contacting your practice.

eProphet Media regularly uses these and other elements to ensure attorneys like you are maximizing the number of qualified leads their website is generating.