You’re a great attorney, but that doesn’t mean you’re a great web designer. A lawyer’s website needs to be better than the competition’s, otherwise, that potential client will go to someone else.
Everyone’s on the internet these days, even most law firms. The American Bar Association reports that at least 87% of law firms have their own website. That number is down from 2021, but it’s still a powerful opening statement. Calling cards and billboards are still valuable, but they don’t compare to the benefit of having that same ad in a digital space. No matter what kind of law you practice, you need a website that not only reflects your practice but also the kind of law you practice. Your website needs to have everything a future client is going to want to see, and just like the right case, it takes the right knowledge to win that client.
It takes more than a phone number and the word “Accident” to get potential clients flocking to your website. Those strategies worked 20 years ago, but as the consumer has continued to evolve, so have the ways we market to them.
To help make your mark on the digital space, I’ve put together a list of everything a lawyer or law firm’s website should have to win that next client.
But first, let’s break down why that website needs to exist in the first place.
Why A Lawyer Needs A Website
Your offices might not be open 24/7, but your website can be. It’s not an actual waiting room, but it’s a way to give clients a glimpse into your practice and whether or not you’re the lawyer they need.
If you don’t have a website, you’re already falling behind, because there are many benefits.
Your Website’s Available 24/7
A website can be just as telling as a physical visit to the office. With a website, potential clients can look over your experience, and your areas of expertise, any time they want.
It’s A Digital Billboard
Almost every business needs to market themselves, and that includes lawyers and law firms. Word-of-mouth can only get you so far. Having a website that’s optimized for your field can cast a digital billboard over the internet. One that doesn’t go away until you decide it does.
It Can Build and Establish Your Brand
Branding is integral to any industry. That doesn’t mean you have to have a flashy website with games or products that have your name posted on it. It means that your care, services, and identity are all connected and representative of the same ideals. Combine those with a website, and your brand can easily boost your business.
A Website Generates Leads
Depending on the kind of law you practice, you might not get a ton of repeat clients. Lead generation isn’t just a concern for salesman, it’s a skill every business needs to develop, and a website can help. 85% of users go to Google to look for lawyers, so make sure you have a website that appears on those results.
Websites Build Credibility
Not every client can afford to choose who represents them, but for those that can, they need to know that your expertise is what’s going to help them. A website is not only your billboard, it’s your portfolio, where everything from reviews to reports on litigation can boost your brand and establish credibility.
Now, let’s discuss what your website needs to keep potential clients from heading to another lawyer or law firm.
Everything A Lawyer’s Website Needs To Succeed
1. Detailed Pages On Specialties & Law Practice Area
The law can take many shapes and forms. It’s arguably more important for a potential client to first know the kind of law you practice than for them to know your actual name.
While one client may have a lengthy case regarding an injury, another might pursue an issue involving patent law. For most of the 20th century, it likely took a lengthy phone call or office visit for a potential client to learn that their desired attorney doesn’t practice that particular kind of law. Now, it’s as easy as creating detailed pages that describe your expertise, background, and the area of law that you practice.
2. Your Contact Information
A website can absolutely be a digital office that receives and sends messages, but when your work involves meeting with clients, they need to find out how to reach you.
Studies show that over 40% of users will leave a website if it doesn’t feature the business phone number. It doesn’t have to be your personal number unless you want calls in the middle of the night, but being accessible is incredibly important to the average person. Ensure your website details where and how potential clients can contact your firm or practice.
3. Staff Profiles
Even if your practice is on the smaller side, profiles can do a lot to build a potential client’s trust. There’s a reason almost every website features an “About Us” page. People want to know who they’re giving their time and money to, so give them the opportunity to learn.
Create profiles for not just the law practitioners but for every member of the staff. There’s a good chance that clients spend as much time at reception as they do in your office, so create introductions that ease people’s minds while introducing them to your team.
4. Social Proof - Testimonials, Reviews, Recommendations
Social proof has arguably revolutionized “word-of-mouth”. Your future clients want to know the kind of success you’ve had with your past clients, so give them that chance. Studies show that positive reviews and testimonials encourage users to spend upwards of 31% more money. While potential clients aren’t exactly “sales”, conversion rates are a huge factor.
When a user visits your website, utilize every tool available to turn them into your next client. By having positive reviews and success stories throughout your website, they can start to imagine the benefits of working with you.
5. Informative Blogs & Articles
Blogs have never been more popular. Not only does everyone have a computer in their pockets these days, but most posts are read in just a matter of minutes. It’s an extremely effective form of marketing, with roughly 57% of marketers saying they’ve gained customers through blogging alone.
Are many of them poorly disguised ads? Yes, but yours don’t have to be. Create blog posts relevant to the area of law you practice and release them for free on your website. They could have advice, cautionary tales, or anything relevant to the needs of your clients.
Blogs boost credibility, establish an authoritative voice, and encourage more users to stay on your website instead of clicking away to someone else’s.
6. User-Friendly Design & Features
This point is one of the most important rules of customer service. Not every potential client has the same capabilities. Some may have issues that hinder the way they go online; some might be inexperienced in using websites or computers. That’s why having a user-friendly website, with all relevant accessibility features, is key.
Having an accessible website can increase traffic by up to 50%. It’s not that complicated. Issues with colors can affect how some people view your website while indecipherable menus can keep others on the same page instead of navigating to the one they need.
Every lawyer’s website needs to be accessible to every potential client, so maintain the features that do that.
7. SEO Optimization
SEO (search engine optimization) has effectively revolutionized how content is written. Keywords are a keystone of every successful website, even websites for lawyers and law firms. If the area of law you practice is incredibly niche, it needs to be mentioned consistently and organically throughout your website. That way, when someone heads to Google or a competing search engine for “lawyers who deal with estate law in Philadelphia”, your website will appear.
I’ve written extensively on how to optimize a law firm’s website with SEO, but it’s a science. Over-optimization can do more harm than good, so make sure those keywords are natural instead of forced.
8. Names, Logos, & Branding
Last but not least, your website needs to feature you. The firm’s name should be on the masthead as well as the footer of every page. That goes for the logo too. Even though most law firm logos are just an amalgam of initials, it’s still a symbol that represents the business. When that symbol appears, users should know what it means, but that’s only going to happen if the brand is consistently displayed on your website.
