Few industries are as competitive as the legal space. Gone are the days when there were only a few lawyers in the US. Now, thousands of attorneys are competing for fewer clients. Every lawyer should thus consider methods that’ll give them an edge in the legal market. Fortunately, the internet has given everyone an edge.
Also, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the importance of internet marketing for all businesses. Furthermore, legal website design isn’t even a challenging process anymore. Thanks to WordPress and other alternatives, lawyers can easily design their websites. However, are these standard designs the best for your law firm?
What design does your law firm website need? This information is crucial for law firms looking to create a website. In addition, lawyers with already existing websites need to know if that’s the best design for their firms. Fortunately, you can learn all this in this article.
Can Website Design Boost Legal Business?
Lawyers are highly practical on financial issues. Therefore, they wouldn’t jump on website building if it didn’t improve their businesses. The Legal Trends Report gives us insight into whether websites aid law firms.
This survey interviewed about 2,000 persons. Notably, 57% of clients in a study personally searched for lawyers. Out of this number:
- 17% used an online search engine, and
- 17% visited a lawyer’s website.
Unfortunately, many lawyers still rely heavily on referrals to get clients. However, this data shows that individuals are relying less on referrals. They’re, instead, selecting attorneys personally. So, your website’s design quality significantly impacts your client attraction.
Furthermore, clients were looking for data such as:
- The lawyer’s experience and credentials
- The cost of their case
- Understanding of the legal process
- The type of cases attorneys handle
What Type of Website Design Does My Law Firm Need?
There are two main website design models. Several factors can influence your choice of either one. However, we explain both of them below.
Do It Yourself (DIY) Law Firm Website Design
As we said previously, different platforms can allow you to build your website. Notably, you don’t have to be a techie to create your website. Instead, resources like WordPress or Wix.com simplify the process. With the DIY option, you can design your website from scratch.
This choice is excellent if you get most of your clients through referrals. Such a client retention method means that you don’t need complex websites. Instead, you only need a platform with your firm’s contact details.
This information would include your:
- Phone numbers
- Firm addresses and locations
- Email address
- Customer chat service
- Consultation forms
How To Build Your Website Yourself
Suppose you choose a DIY website design. Then, you’ll typically follow the following steps:
- Buy a domain name and a hosting plan. Your domain name must be something that doesn’t already exist. Notably, another firm may have already hosted a website with your firm’s name. In such instances, you’ll have to choose another name.
- Choose a website theme that best suits your firm.
- Create content for the background pages of your website. These include an “About Us” page, your services, and contact details.
- Write an engaging blog and other posts. Then, exploit SEO strategies to drive traffic to your website organically.
With these steps, you can save significant website development and maintenance fees.
Professional Law Firm Website Design
The name explains itself. Rather than personally design your website, you can have a professional do it. This could be an individual or a company. People often shy away from hiring professionals because of the cost. However, several website designers are competitively affordable.
After that, you only have to maintain the website. In addition, your firm’s size determines the scope of the design. Other factors include the following:
- Number of pages on the website
- Content support
- Website quality
All these factors affect the website’s price. Whatever the case, though, hiring experts is best. Once you explain your law firm’s needs, they’ll know exactly what design you need.
You also wouldn’t have to bother about rookie mistakes. In addition, lawyers are pretty busy people. So, taking on website designing will be too much work for you. That’s why outsourcing this responsibility is ideal.
Mobile-Compatible Law Firm Website Design
When designing your law firm website, it’ll be best to consider your potential clients’ type of device. Previously, people focused only on building desktop and PC-based apps and URLs. However, internet users are increasingly going mobile. As a result, a significant portion of web traffic is from mobile devices.
This is all thanks to the proliferation of smartphones. Mobile internet usage currently surpasses desktop and tablet connections at 56%. Also, Google uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking tool for websites. Therefore, an excellent law firm website must consider mobile designs.
This means that you’ll make the platform accessible on mobile gadgets. Improving the mobile experience increases your chances of reaching your clients. So, an expert should handle your law firm’s website. Creating a website is one thing. However, ensuring that its quality remains high on mobile platforms is different.
Updating Your Law Firm Website
Finally, your job doesn’t stop at designing a website. Instead, you have to keep it up-to-date. This is a demanding aspect of the website maintenance task. Old websites often have poor design and content.
You can notice signs of late updates through:
- Long page loading periods
- Unhealthy bounce rates
- More inferior content and picture quality
Benefits of Updating Your Law Firm Website
Updating your website has many advantages. Firstly, it increases your search engine visibility. So your clients can easily see you. A current website will also show clients that you’re keeping up with trends. Poorly managed websites drive potential clients away. This is because they may think that you aren’t still in business.
However, updated and fresh content and layouts are proof of activity. Furthermore, updates are crucial in all technology products. They protect the website or application from unscrupulous third parties.
A typical update will plug any security leaks and other weaknesses. In addition, your website visitors will also be safe while browsing your pages. Essentially, updates can increase your client conversion and retention rates.
Let’s Help You Design Your Law Firm’s Website!
Do you want to build a website for your law firm? Do you already have one, but you aren’t sure if the design is best for your firm? Then, it’s time to let the professionals help you out.
Digital marketing for lawyers can be challenging. However, this need not be the case. All you have to do is contact us at EverConvert for the best law firm digital marketing solutions.
