• Desarrollo Web

Legal Firm Websites: 4 Essential Strategies and Mistakes That Could Be Costing You Clients.

Your presence in the digital world as a legal advisor is more than just a business card. It’s your opportunity to automate customer support for your current and future clients around the clock.

Here, we detail some of the best practices to ensure you are making the most of it.

You know your firm needs a website, just like any other business. However, everything it entails or should have is not always clear. This is not uncommon. The options for functionalities, graphic design, coding languages, and communication or content messages can be overwhelming. Additionally, what works for one industry or type of business may not be the most effective for another.

But what makes a successful website? It depends on the goals. However, the ideal function of a business’s digital site is to attract and convert visitors into potential clients—people already seeking the solutions and services the firm specializes in providing.

Furthermore, a lawyer’s website or firm should convey the specific value proposition they offer to attract the right clients. It should be a source that builds and communicates trust, authority, as well as knowledge and expertise about what the firm can achieve for its clients.

Functional Interface Design with Accessible Navigation

This refers to the interactive elements of your website and the processes a visitor must go through to find the information they are looking for. Studies on user preferences when navigating business websites demonstrate what we consciously or unconsciously recognize in ourselves. Approximately 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on its virtual presence, including its website.

Some of the most important graphic design elements to project confidence on law firm websites include simple, to-the-point, and easy-to-understand navigation. Section headings should precisely describe what users will find on each page, and if there are many subsections or pages, they should be logically organized.

A confused user is a lost customer when it comes to accessing information about services. Visual appeal is equally important. A site map and a clean graphic design with visually appealing elements are required. In other words, it should not overwhelm with too many unnecessary elements that do not contribute to expressing what the firm offers concisely.

Eyes get tired, and people don’t want to scroll for too long to make a decision, so site development should be designed to be equally functional on mobile devices. This is where most people make their inquiries. It’s also a good idea to include a search function or frequently asked questions section to quickly find relevant details.

Essential Sections for a Legal Website

Regardless of how many services or types of procedures are offered, it’s not necessary to include the same number of sections or pages on the website. It’s enough to have the following:

• “Home Page” to capture the visitors’ attention and make a good impression.
• “About Us” and/or “Bio” to communicate the firm’s history, vision, mission, values, and areas of legal practice expertise. It’s essential to remember that less is more, and these parts don’t have to be extensive. Professional photographs and career reviews of lawyers can also be included, as these details convey trust and credibility.
• “Services” or “Areas of Practice” detailing the legal specialties the firm focuses on and the services or procedures provided to clients. It’s advisable to have a dedicated page or section for each service category or practice area. This can facilitate user navigation and create SEO opportunities. Keywords such as specific phrases or words that someone requiring such services might use in their Google search can be employed.
• “Contact” where visitors can find the necessary details to get in direct contact with someone who can assist them or direct them in the right direction. It’s crucial to maintain consistency in contact information across all communication channels: social media, Google My Business, and classified pages.

Written Content for Clients, Not Other Lawyers

The best law firm websites do something that may seem counterintuitive to those who practice and interact with the law. The texts used to communicate with visitors, potential clients, are written for the readers who need their services, i.e., people who are not lawyers.

The goal and challenge lie in making the reader feel that the lawyers understand their needs and know how to address them. The information on the page should communicate just that, without too much legal terminology or structure that means little to someone who is not a lawyer. These are the people who need advice. This is why the content should be useful and accessible at the same time.

More importantly, services and value propositions should be described in terms of the results or objectives clients seek, not so much in the firm’s features or attributes. Someone with a problem to solve primarily thinks in terms of solutions or guidance.

Testimonials and Calls to Action

Who better to communicate what a legal firm can achieve for its clients than other clients? Especially clients who had the same problems that potential clients may have now. This is the best recommendation letter one can obtain. It’s worth asking satisfied clients for testimonials about their experience with the firm, as well as their permission to publish them on the website.

Last but not least, and of utmost importance, is giving interested visitors clear instructions on the next steps to hire the firm’s legal services. These should indicate how they can request an initial consultation or obtain more information. Without these calls and guidelines, it becomes challenging to foster greater interaction with visitors who could potentially become clients.

These were just some of the moves involved in the creation and strategic development of an effective website for a law firm. If you are now reconsidering your current page and need someone else to handle all this web development management while you focus on your legal practice, you can contact the experts at BlueTide here.