Out of all industry web design, designing for a law firm is one that requires more individuality because of the intense competition. With literally hundreds if not thousands of lawyers probably working with your state alone, creating a website that differentiates from all the others is no easy task.
Nevertheless, you’ll still find far too many law firm sites that use stock photos and generic templates. This includes text that seems lifted from every other law firm in existence.
Those in law say a successful legal firm needs a specific niche in order to stand out. You’ll need to reflect this in your web design if you’ve finally found that niche.
So what best practices should you use in your web design that helps you look unique within the legal herd? The best approaches come in making your buttoned-down industry look more personalized, including a superior UI and UX. In the latter case, you can open the doors to providing easier information and calming any legal anxiety.
Creating a Responsive Site for Mobile Devices
If you’re still behind on using responsive site design for your legal firm, you need to catch up now. In particular, you need to make your site responsive on every mobile device used today.
As other designers note, those wanting legal information are usually on the go. Accidents frequently occur on the road, and someone may look for legal services on their smartphone or tablet minutes after the incident happens.
You’ll want to have your site ready and easy to navigate on a mobile device so you don’t lose out to a competitor. While unique and localized keywords on your site already gains you better placement on Google, you have to make sure your site is truly mobile-friendly.
Having a responsive site available for all mobile screens is automatically good for SEO. Yet, testing your site for different screen widths is essential, and that includes wearables that could soon become more mainstream.
Having an Easy Search Feature
Those looking up law firms want educative information, and having a reliable search bar on the main page gives anxious users immediate answers. The American Bar Association recommends this as well, despite stressing you need a search feature that’s well-structured.
You don’t want to overwhelm first-time visitors with information. Still, you need to provide basic answers to their most pressing questions. Add topics you know associate strongly with your legal category.
More Clear Contact Information
Some law firm sites hide contact information out of concern that users consider it an official lawyer-client relationship. You need to make the latter clear on your main page, but never hide your contact information. It’s a major mistake more than just lawyers make on their websites.
Those looking up your site on a mobile device need a method where they can contact you in a hurry. Give them multiple options to accommodate their various circumstances.
Social Media Links
Only in recent years have lawyers gravitated to using social media for marketing. If you’ve avoided it, it’s a must now, particularly when integrating a social media channel on your site.
A good place to provide a direct link to your Twitter or Facebook account is through your attorney profile page. Doing so gives a more personalized connection and an easier way for clients to reach you in real-time.
Proving Your Value
Evidence shows many who seek law firms online rely on customer reviews to make their immediate choice. It’s all the more reason to include client testimonials on your legal site to prove your value. One good way to get those testimonials is to gather them from email surveys.
Be sure to place these in a prominent place on your main page so users can see real-world examples of how you’ve solved major legal problems. Keep in mind that the more positive testimonials you have, the more Google helps your visibility within their search engine results.
Contact us here at Mankato Web Design so we can help bring these best practices to your law firm and many other industries.
