The New Era of Web Design for Law Firms: Three Changes to Make Post-Panda

Google Panda, the new search engine protocol update released earlier this year, has changed the way we think about search engine optimization and web design for law firms. More importantly, it has changed how successful many lawyer websites are when it comes to driving traffic. When the Panda came to town, a number of attorney homepages were hit hard.

When it comes to lawyer website design, what can you do in this post-Panda world of SEO and conversion?

• Focus on the people who use your website. The number one thing that you need to change is your mindset. Stop thinking about how you can design an attorney website that the search engines will like, and start thinking about how you can design a website that people will want to visit and use. As search engines continue to evolve, they will become better at finding the most informative and useable sites - the same sites that visitors are searching for. Focus on an intuitive design, fast loading times, high-quality content, and speaking to the needs of your users.
• Offer unique content. The best way to be at the top of the page when someone searches for information is to offer information, articles, and videos that no one else has provided yet. Resist writing the same old article that you see on every other attorney's site. Think outside of the box, think about your readers' needs, and create content that you would be interested in.
• Throw out your black hats. If your website was hit hard by the Panda update, it may be because you have been using "black hat" marketing tactics: strategies designed to trick search engines into liking your page. In the post-Panda world, you need to get rid of these efforts, including link buying, hiding texts, cloaking, doorway pages, and keyword stuffing.

Remember: making these design changes to your website won't have instant results. Creating a truly helpful website takes time and effort, and long-term strategies often take longer than quick tricks and cheats. Just keep your eyes trained on your goal of great content and ease of use, and your traffic and conversions will increase - no matter what animal Google throws at us next.
Want to learn more about web design for law firms? Contact our team today at 1.888.886.0939, and get started with Foster Web Marketing.