The Importance of Design in Law Firm Websites
Have You Ever Really Looked at Your Firm’s Website?
In the past, if you needed to hire a lawyer you opened the phone book and searched it’s pages for the most eye catching ad. Today, potential clients search out an attorney the same way they look for restaurants and the best brand of shoes – with an online search. From the consumer’s perspective, your website is your law firm. It sets you apart by creating a lasting first impression of who you are and how well you can satisfy a client’s legal needs.
Website design is vital to capturing a visitor’s attention and communicating the right message. Your window of opportunity is very small. You only have a few seconds to persuade a visitor to give your firm a chance. Your online presence is an integral part of your marketing and your legal practice as a whole.
Why It’s Important to Have a Great Law Firm Website
Now that roughly 95% of the U.S. population is online, it’s a safe bet that your target audience is searching for your services. And your website can make it easier for them to find you, trust you, and ultimately, hire you.
If you haven’t gotten serious about law firm marketing in the past, it’s time to begin paying it some attention. Unless your website is better than your competitors on many levels, there’s a good chance you’re losing potential clients without even knowing it.
Here are a few of the reasons why it’s important to make law firm website design a priority:
- Your Website Directly Represents Your Brand
Every law firm has a brand, whether it realizes it or not. The real question is, how well do you control the message, or is the market doing it for you?
If your website design is outdated and visitors have a hard time finding what they need, this is a direct reflection on your business. And it doesn’t place you in a positive light. According to one UK study, 70% of online users refuse to purchase from a business with poor website design.
Most consumers show up on your virtual doorstep knowing nothing about you, meaning they’ve found you through some generic search term such as “how to beat a DUI in Mississippi.” You have a short time to make a first impression, and a modern, engaging, and visually appealing website can help you accomplish this.
- Helps You Stand Out from the Competition
There are roughly 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S., so the competition is fierce. Statistics show that consumers will visit about 4 or 5 law firm websites before deciding which one they will contact.
Most people who are dealing with a legal issue are frustrated and looking for a combination of answers and encouragement. Overall, they’ve probably never hired a lawyer before, so they have no idea what to expect.
The best way to stand out from the crowd is to provide the information they want and the compassion they need. Let them know what to expect, that you have the experience and skills necessary to help and give them the next steps to take to get started.
- Boosts Your Organic Rankings
It’s going to be tough for potential clients to learn about your law firm if you don’t have any online visibility. Specifically, your firm’s website needs to show up in the results when someone searches for a “divorce lawyer near me” or asks Google, “how can I appeal an SSDI claim denial?”
A properly designed website will be optimized for the correct keywords to help you achieve some of those valuable organic rankings. It will also pay attention to technical SEO items like page speed, mobile-friendliness, HTML tags, navigation, and link-building.
- Improves the User Experience
A good website design delivers a positive user experience (UX). This is something that can also impact your rankings because Google has made it clear that providing a positive UX is one of its latest priorities.
But what does that mean? Specifically, your content should match the intent of the searcher. In other words, if a person is searching for an estate planning attorney, it would be a poor experience if they were taken to a personal injury page.
Great website design delivers what it promises quickly and efficiently. And this builds trust with both the search engines and your potential clients.
- Maximizes Your Conversions
While driving traffic to your website is essential, it’s even more important to get those visitors to call your law firm or submit their information through your contact form. That’s the only way you’ll ever make the connection that will lead to signing up new clients and growing your business.
Great website design is about much more than just getting your website to the top of Google’s search results. If you hit number one for all your targeted keywords, this is an incredible accomplishment. Having tons of people visit and read your blog is also noteworthy. But, neither of these is adding anything to your bottom-line results.
Your website should be structured in such a way that it continually guides visitors to contact your law firm for further assistance. There should be a sense of urgency built into some of your content that warns visitors about the potential consequences of trying to handle a matter on their own or waiting too long to act. Further, there should be plenty of calls to action giving the reader clear direction about how to contact your firm to get the help they need.
Take Action to Bring Your Law Firm Website to Life
You probably already know how competitive the market is for law firms. Getting your business to stand out from the crowd has a lot to do with the quality of your online presence. This starts with your law firm’s website design.
First impressions are vital, which is why you should consider professional assistance when planning and designing a website. At Sundown Marketing Group, we specialize in creating beautiful, engaging, and functional custom law firm websites that are geared toward your target audience. Contact us today for a free consultation to review our top web designs and learn how our services can help your law firm improve its results.
