There’s something wrong with most law firm websites. And, although it’s something that’s obvious to visitors and potential clients, it’s something that can be a little tough for lawyers to spot for themselves. On the surface, your law firm’s website design may be attractive and modern. You may think that it showcases all the best parts of you and your business. However, you might be missing the one important thing that really divides the best websites from the less-than-stellar ones.
What is that “special something” I’m talking about?
If you look around, you’ll see that most law firm websites out there are designed for lawyers’ egos, not for the consumer that’s being served. You’ll see the same ego-based designs over and over, with the same formula and same competition over who can shout the loudest about the highest-dollar case results.
It’s a huge mistake! And it really misses the whole point of what your website needs to do for your law firm.
Want to get granular about the design of your website? Learn more about the small details that go into a successful law firm website design.
The Big Picture: What Your Law Firm’s Website Needs to Do
Your website must make a connection with the clients and referral sources you want to attract. Instead of focusing on you and your accomplishments, it should focus on:
- Answering your perfect clients’ questions and offering solutions
- Empathizing with and speaking to your perfect clients’ pain
- Building trust with new visitors and showing the success you have given to other clients
That’s how you build online relationships that turn into real-life cases and clients!
Remember this: people buy from people they like. So, make your website less about your greatness and more about how you’ve used your expertise to resolve problems for real people.
By the way, don’t be afraid to be authentic and really show your potential clients who you are and why you do what you do. You don’t want a website that gives you a generic personality, just like all the other guys. Instead, your law firm’s website should facilitate real connections with the clients, contacts, and referral sources that matter the most to your business.
The Small Details: What Your Law Firm Website’s Design Needs to Do
To accomplish the big picture, you need to look into some of the smaller details of your design. You have to think about what your potential clients are looking for when they visit you, and you need to meet those needs at every turn. You want all those little touches that show you care about their experience.
This kind of care can be built into your law firm’s website design in a number of ways, including:
- Contact information. Don’t make it hard for people to reach out to you. Your firm name, phone number, address, and other contact information should be right in front of your potential clients when they need it.
- Device responsiveness. All kinds of businesses make this mistake with their websites. If your website can’t deliver a great experience on the most common devices and browsers, then it is designed to fail. This is something that WordPress templates are particularly bad about!
- Clear and intuitive navigation. If people can’t figure out how to get to the answers they want and need, they won’t spend a lot of time digging for it—they’ll move on to a competitor’s site!
- Personality. Like I said above, you need to be authentic, not generic. Ditch the “lawyer tropes” you see in everyone else’s website designs—the gavel image, the Scales of Justice image, the photo in front of the bookshelf, tough poses with arms crossed, etc. Instead, use your photos, videos, and even website colors to tell your story and welcome potential clients. And don’t forget to use your bio and office pages to build trust and show people what to expect if they hire you!
Of course, there is a lot more that goes into it, but that should give you a taste of the kinds of details that build up to a great user experience. It all adds up to a law firm website that is designed to SUCCEED.
Have you been wondering how to measure the success of your website? Are you ready to start fresh with a new design? Join my team for a website design consultation, or give us a call at 888.886.0939 with your questions.
Are You Wondering If Your Law Firm Or Medical Practice Website Is Standing Up To The Competition? It's Likely Time For A Website Redesign.
If you're convinced your website is outdated, chances are it is. Help is available, however. Please contact us online or call our office directly at 888.886.0939 to schedule your free website redesign consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.