Why Your Legal Website Should Be Your First Priority

The legal industry is extremely competitive.  Every law firm needs a website that stands out from the others.  A website is the anchor of your firm’s online presence and is the first impression representation of your brand.  Cutting corners on your firm’s website presence is not a place to look for ways to save money as it will cost you money in lost opportunities that never become leads for your firm.

Every day a greater share of individuals, businesses, and organizations search the internet to find, research, and hire lawyers.  A firm without a website or with a website that lacks a good user interface and browning experience will without a doubt cause your law firm to miss new client opportunities.

The award-winning ONE400 team of experts design and develop innovative legal websites that are graphically appealing to set law firms apart, fully SEO-optimized, and fully ADA-compliant.  Because of their full understanding of the legal industry, ONE400 can also integrate scheduling and intake automation, customer relationship management software (CRM), and create special lead generation widgets for your law firm’s new website.

Below you will find an overview of why a well-designed website should be a priority for your law firm. 

A Website Establishes Your Law Firm’s Digital Presence 

A website establishes the digital presence of a law firm. A well-structured, properly designed, and engaging legal website is critically important. Without one, a law firm cannot be competitive in today’s business climate. A firm with no website will have its digital presence and brand controlled entirely by third parties. 

More and More Potential Clients are Turning to the Web to Research and Hire Lawyers

Websites are increasingly important for law firms. A consistently-rising share of potential clients is now looking to the internet to find, research, and hire attorneys.  A survey cited by Thomson Reuters found that the internet is now the “most popular way to find and research a lawyer.” Data cited by Martindale Avvo found that the primary ways people report that they hire a lawyer is from either: 

• An internet search; or
• A personal reference. 

A Poorly Designed Website Can Be as Ineffective as No Website 

Every law firm should have an appealing website, regardless of practice areas. Having or simply putting up an unappealing or simple website on the internet could be as ineffective as not having a website at all. A poorly designed, difficult-to-use, or sloppy website can actually drive away potential clients. A website is a way for a law firm to get its message across to prospective clients and other interested parties. Lawyers and law firms should use their website to make a strong, positive, and professional impression.  

Get Your Law Firm’s Website Right: A Checklist

Knowing the importance of a well-designed website that provides an excellent legal-oriented experience and understanding for your clients and prospective clients , you also need to understand what goes into a successful legal website. A well-designed website can make a dramatic difference for your current and future revenue growth.

Here is a checklist that you can use when designing and developing a website for your law firm: 

• First Impression: First impression matters. The homepage of a legal website is critically important. What does a user think after viewing your website for three seconds? That initial impression can be a lasting impression. It is important to design a website with this in mind. 

• User Experience: Overall user experience is also important. The internet is fast-moving. If a legal website loads slowly because of poor technology, a potential client may simply click away without a second thought. If a website is difficult or unintuitive, it could frustrate a user. 

• Mobile Friendly: It is crucial in today’s day and age that all law firm websites need to be mobile-friendly. More people are looking at websites via mobile devices than desktops and laptops. According to data provided by Oberlo, more than 53% of web browsing in the United States currently comes from mobile devices. A website that has not been designed in a mobile-friendly manner can easily miss out on over half of its potential traffic. 

• Authoritative: A legal website needs to be authoritative. Any person who looks at a law firm’s website should be left with a lasting impression that the firm and its lawyers are knowledgeable and trustworthy experts in their field. 

• Informative Content: A legal website should have engaging, informative content. Content that is too vague, too boring, or too formulaic may fail to leave an impression. That type of content is also detrimental to your firm’s organic search engine rankings as search engines actually penalize and downgrade it. Great content gets more engagement, increases your organic search engine results, and further establishes your law firm as an authority in its field.  

• Reviews, Testimonials, Results, Etc: Potential clients want to know that the attorney they choose has a history of results. It is generally a best practice to include reviews, testimonials, and results on your legal website in an easy-to-digest format. Once again, you want to leave a lasting impression on users. It also has high value for increasing your website’s organic search engine rankings.

• SEO Optimized: How do people find a law firm’s website? Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key part of that process as mentioned a couple of times already. If you are a criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles, you will want to show up as high as possible in organic search results when local people look for those services. A solid SEO foundation and optimization on your firm’s website makes a major difference. 

• Accessible: Your law firm’s website should be ADA-compliant. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that requires accessibility. Since you’re in the legal industry, it is critical that a modern law firm website is fully compliant with the ADA. ADA-accessible websites offer a number of advantages to law firms. 
• Call to Action: A law firm website established a digital presence. It is also part of a larger funnel. A legal website should make it easy for potential clients to take action and become leads for your firm. The desired action is generally taking the next step toward hiring the law firm. Typically, that means setting up an initial consultation. Make that easy. 

Designing and developing a legal website is complicated. It’s challenging to figure out everything on your own. As the leading website design company in the legal industry, ONE400 is committed to helping lawyers and law firms build customized, engaging, and mobile-optimized websites that deliver results. 

ONE400 is the Leader in Website and Mobile Design for Lawyers and Law Firms

ONE400 is the leading website design company for attorneys and law firms. A website is the anchor of your firm’s digital presence and a direct reflection of your law firm’s brand. It is crucial to your law firm’s success thus is a high priority if you want to grow your firm. If you have questions about legal websites or digital marketing, request a free consultation with ONE400. Contact us today for help designing and building a website for your law firm. ONE400 works with attorneys and law firms in the United States and around the world.  ONE400 has law firm working in many practice areas including personal injury law, family law, estate planning law, criminal defense, real estate law, immigration law, business and intellectual property law, civil rights law, tax law, immigration law, and many others.