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Create a Website that Brings in New Clients and Massively Increases Marketing ROI

 

Law Firm Web Design in 2023
A Guide for Attorneys and Law Firms

In this post, we reveal the 4 key elements which we’ve found work for building a website that not only ranks well in search engines, but also converts prospects into paying clients at a much higher rate. It contains actionable information that you can put into place immediately to start getting more of the clients you want for your legal practice or law firm.

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Why is Web Design Important to the Marketing Efforts of Your Law Firm or Legal Practice?

Your website should be the central piece of your law firm’s digital marketing efforts. It’s often a prospective client’s first impression of who you are, what sets you apart and how well you can meet their legal needs. Therefore, it’s vital to consider how effective your website will be in getting people to want to hire you.

You can drive all the traffic in the world to your website, but if the website lacks fundamental elements, you’ll likely convert little to none of that traffic and have very little to show for it at the end of the day.

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This is often the main reasons many lawyers and law firms believe that SEO for law firms and PPC marketing doesn’t work. If you’re sending good traffic to a bad website, it won’t convert (and those clicks can be expensive!) For this reason, it’s imperative that your website be built to convert prospects into paying clients before you ever spend any money on getting website traffic.

1. Modern, Professional, and Simple Design

The design of your website is critical to communicating the right message to your prospective clients. A clean, simple to use site with a strong, unique personality can instantly set you apart and help increase conversions.

Your website should be mobile optimized with easy to read content on all devices. People respond much better to a modern website that looks great on smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

Fancy features such as Flash video and graphics, sliders or other memory-consuming content can actually make the user experience worse. Expensive features like this rarely increase conversion rates (phone calls and contact form submissions).

Keep your website straightforward and easy to use.

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Technical SEO and Web Design

Technical SEO is the process of ensuring that a website meets the technical requirements of modern search engines with the goal of improved organic rankings. Website architecture is an important element of a simple, modern website. Again, over complicating your website with fancy Flash video and sliders can slow down your website which can reduce your website’s ability to rank in search engine results.

You can test the “page-speed” of your website to see how it performs using free tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

2. Speaks to Your Ideal Clients

Many attorneys struggle to articulate what services they provide in terms that their prospective clients can easily and quickly understand. When designing your website, always put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes first. Your website should be able to communicate the value of your legal services in a matter of seconds and your message should be crystal clear, enticing and memorable.

The creation of a good website content strategy is one of the most important thing you can do for your digital marketing efforts.

Good law firm web design conveys what makes you unique and helps you stand apart from your competition. Online, trying to be all things to all people is a great way to reach no one. Effective design zeroes in on your ideal client and communicates with them through images, videos, words, and how your website is organized.

Answer prospective client’s questions

Make it simple for prospective clients to know that you are the answer to their legal problem(s). A well-designed law firm website clearly communicates this upfront by answering questions potential clients have before ever speaking with you.

You can do this by answering frequently asked questions that you hear when speaking with prospects and current clients alike. Include these questions and answers throughout your website, in headlines, FAQ pages, and anywhere they fit naturally.

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Minimize Practice Areas

People tend to seek out a “specialist” when looking to solve a legal problem and Google knows this. When a website is completely branded for a specific practice area and all of the content matches that practice area it does two things.

First, it can give you an advantage in search engine rankings compared to other attorney websites with multiple practice areas. Second, it can give you an advantage in the mind of a potential client because you appear to be an “expert” or “specialist” without having to say so.

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3. Builds Trust

Importance of Website Branding

Your website is a direct reflection of your legal practice and your brand. In today’s marketing world, it’s critical that it convey an image of credibility and professionalism to your prospective clients. Your website can literally create or destroy your credibility in the eyes of a prospective client in an instant.

Having a consistent and professional brand conveys a sense of trust in your website and in turn your law firm. By implementing strong branding practices, your website will have a much higher conversion rate.

Colors and Logos

Your logo and the colors you choose for your website should compliment each other and match. Always think in terms of your prospective client’s expectations. If you’re a DUI attorney, being “aggressive” (think power colors like red) can help reinforce your message to a prospect.

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On the other hand, if you’re a family law attorney taking a “softer” approach would likely resonate more effectively. You can refer to this post to see a color wheel and get some ideas for your website colors and logo. You can take this one step further and use tools like imagecolorpicker.com which will give you a range of color combinations based off of any image you upload.

Feature Testimonials

Displaying testimonial videos and embedding online reviews from sources like Google and Facebook are a great way to build trust and increase your website’s conversion rate. You can use tools like EmbedSocial and YouTube to do this easily.

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Display Badges and Awards

If you have awards, recognitions or any other badges that can bolster your credibility and expertise, add them to your website. Websites like Avvo offer opportunities to get impressive third-party logos to improve your website’s conversion rate.

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Showcase Your Personality

Don’t settle for just another “stock/template” website. Keep in mind that while you’re selling legal services, you’re also selling yourself. Don’t be afraid to add personal touches such as your photo to your website.

People who have never had to hire a lawyer before may be feeling intimidated by the hiring process. It’s important to keep in mind that your website should exude a certain friendliness and approachability.

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Also keep in mind that people are looking for a local expert. Avoid using stock photos where possible. Choose images that reflect your personality, practice areas and geographic areas you serve. Then, reinforce those messages in headlines and other prominent blocks of ad copy.

4. Creates Action

A call to action (CTA) is a prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action. This seems like the simplest element, but you’d be amazed at how many attorneys and law firms overlook this key detail.

The end goal here is simple. Get your prospective client to take the next step and contact you. The best designed calls to action include the following:

  1. Have strong visuals
  2. Create a sense of urgency
  3. Eliminate objections or friction
  4. Make them stand out and easy to find

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At the end of the day, the core function of your website is to convert prospects into paying clients.

Make sure that mobile versions of your website include features like “click to call” buttons and very simple contact forms. It must be easy for people to know how to contact your law firm.

Conclusion

A vast majority of attorneys and law firms currently have websites that miss the mark.

That leaves a ton of opportunity for you to build a website that will resonate with your ideal clients and result in more business for your law firm. Don’t just be like everyone else who gets a website “because everyone else has one.”

Build your website with a purpose, to attract and convert your ideal prospects into paying clients. Follow these 4 simple key elements to designing a website for your law firm or legal practice and you’ll be well on your way to getting more of the clients you want!

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