Creating a Winning Website for Your Law Firm

Your law firm may be the best choice for clients who are struggling with a particular legal issue. But if your website isn’t up to par, potential clients won’t trust you enough with their valuable business. According to Forbes Advisor, more than half of consumers are less likely to recommend a business after an unsatisfactory website experience. 

Creating an easy-to-use, well-designed website is one of the foundations of your law firm’s success. This is because a website is more likely to convince potential clients that you’re the best choice to solve their legal issues. 

Whether you are starting from scratch or considering a website redesign, there’s a lot to consider. After all, having an effective website is more than just establishing a presence. Once they arrive on your site, you need to get them to stay and eventually sign up as clients. 

What Pages Should Be On a Law Firm Website?

The most effective law firm websites share a similar structure. Trying to get too unique or cute with your navigation will likely confuse and frustrate your visitors. For the most part, people who visit a legal website expect to find certain elements present. If they’re not there or too difficult to find, they might hit the “Back” button and try a competitor. 

Almost all successful law firm websites contain a similar page layout. Despite having different titles, you’ll find many similarities between the pages on a family lawyer’s website and those on a criminal defense lawyer’s site. The basic elements of a law firm website include:

• Home Page — Your home page is like your law firm’s digital front door. It welcomes potential clients who click on links from a variety of sources and creates a valuable first impression of your business. 
• Practice Area Pages — Your practice area and service pages expand on the summary of the services you list on your home page. These pages provide an opportunity to detail how your firm can help a client solve specific legal issues. 
• About Us Page — Your About page will tell the story of your law firm, such as how and when it was founded, its core beliefs, and the qualifications of its different attorneys. 
• Contact Page — This is a simple page that details how a potential client can get in touch with you. It should list your office locations and phone numbers and have a contact form for lead generation. 
• Blog — Your law firm’s blog should be populated with fresh and engaging content that is relevant to your potential client’s interests. For example, your posts can answer frequently asked questions, discuss relevant changes in the law, and help your firm rank for geographic and long-tail keywords. 

This isn’t to say you can’t use some slightly different terminology for your main pages. For example, some law firms label their blogs as “resources” or “news.” There are many ways you can differentiate your firm through website design and content. 

Creating a Winning Website for Your Law Firm

Knowing how you want your website to look is only the first part of the process. Here are some basic steps for creating a winning law firm website:

1. Acquire Your Domain Name

Before you can create a law firm website, you need a domain name. Choose a name that is simple and reflects your law firm’s name and/or location. If at all possible, stick to “dot-com” names as they are the most memorable. 

2. Get Quality Website Hosting

You will also need somewhere to host your website. You definitely don’t want to look for the cheapest web hosting because you need a business that offers fast hosting and an SSL certificate for your site. 

3. Choose a Content Management System (CMS)

There are many CMS options available, allowing you to create, publish, and edit your website. However, most of them won’t offer the technical features and search engine optimization (SEO) you need to achieve competitive results. The most feature-rich CMS is WordPress, which can have a learning curve. 

4. Select a Page Builder

Depending on the CMS you choose, you may also need to select a page builder. For example, you also need a page builder if you decide to use WordPress. 

5. Develop Your Website

The next step is to develop your website. This is a complex process that involves designing headers and footers, outlining your navigation, choosing original and attractive images, researching keywords, creating content, and putting all the pieces together. Doing this on your own can be a major undertaking, and it’s easy to let important elements slip through the cracks. 

6. Test Everything Before Publishing

Finally, it’s critical that you thoroughly test everything before the site goes live. By putting the website through its paces, you can confirm that it is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, has functional forms, and has working links, among other things. 

Should Lawyers Build Their Own Websites?

In most cases, it’s more beneficial for law firms to work with an experienced website developer than trying to go the DIY route. Building an effective and SEO-optimized website is a time-consuming and complex process. Few lawyers have the technical background to accomplish this. Also, why would you want to invest so much time in this endeavor when there’s a strong chance you won’t get the results you need?

When you work with a professional, you’ll get an attractive website that ranks well for valuable search terms. DIY websites rarely achieve high search engine rankings, which should be one of of your goals. When you partner with an expert, your website will load fast, be easy to navigate, have accessibility features, and convert more visitors into new clients. 

Are You Ready to Create a Winning Law Firm Website?

Creating a law firm website that produces results can be challenging. But when it’s done right, it can transform your business. Your website will inform potential clients about your services, build trust, and bring new business to your firm. 

At Too Darn Loud Legal Marketing, we specialize in helping law firms create engaging websites that convert. Our digital marketing specialists will spend time getting to know your firm and its goals before creating a customized strategy designed to produce results. Call us today at (800) 649-1764 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.