The Seven Deadly Sins of Law Firm Websites

By Katherine Hollar Barnard

As more than three-quarters of adults look for lawyers online, your firm website is a major component in your marketing arsenal. Regardless of your firm size or practice area, it’s critical to build and maintain a website that makes the right impression – and helps close the sale.

Unfortunately, many law firms do not make the most of this precious online real estate. To often firms post cookie-cutter sites that don’t differentiate in the least; clunky sites that are hard to navigate on cell phones or tablets; or stodgy sites written in legalese….with little regard for the potential client.

How can you make the most of your investment in your law firm’s website? Having spent 15 years in legal marketing – and having launched a number of award-winning websites – I have identified seven major problems with legal industry websites. (The good news: Most of them have straightforward solutions.)

Behold the Seven Deadly Sins of Law Firm Websites:

One: Enraging Visitors

Does this sound familiar: You visit a website for a company or service, and all you want is a phone number, and you can’t find it anywhere? It’s frustrating – and depending on your need, it can lead you to look elsewhere. Don’t lose out on new client queries by hiding your contact information.

Other potential vexations:

  • Sites that don’t make it clear what the firm actually does;
  • Sites that use five-dollar words that obfuscate meaning;
  • Sites that overwhelm users with popups, animation, sound or chatbots.

What to do:

  • Make your contact information clear and prominent throughout the site. Incorporate a special “Contact Us” form – but include a phone number, too.
  • Add a positioning statement “above the fold.” This should answer what you do and for whom you do it, and users should not have to scroll to see it.
  • Apply the veil of ignorance, and visit your site like a potential client. Is it clear what you do? Is it easy to find help? Is it obnoxious? Does it read like a law textbook?

Two: Neglecting Attorney Bios

Attorney bios account for nearly 60 percent of law firm website traffic – almost double the number of visits to home and contact pages. It’s not hard to understand why; in professional services, the people are the product. Your biography pages are a prime opportunity to showcase your experience and qualifications….so it’s sad that so many stagnate with outdated or anemic information.

Data from BTI Consulting provides some intel on exactly how your potential clients use attorney bios:

  • 91 percent browse attorney bios when scouting new firms;
  • 81 percent find help in new jurisdictions;
  • 71 percent validate referrals;
  • 56 percent compare their attorneys to the other side; and
  • 45 percent conduct periodic reviews of current counsel.

For me, the last two bullet points are the most compelling. When your current clients visit your bio, does it reinforce their choice? Knowing you are their advocate, do they feel confident or insecure?

What to do:

  • Make bios very easy to find. A section titled Our People, Our Lawyers, Who We Are or something similar should be one of the first things visitors see on your site.
  • Pay close attention to the bios themselves. I consult clients to focus most of their copywriting time and energy on these pages, for they will bring the most return. If you can draft killer bios and make it very easy for people to find you, that’s half the proverbial battle.

Three: Telling, Not Showing

How do you make your case in court? By providing evidence that proves your case. Think about your website the same way – what evidence can you provide that you are a safe choice? How can you definitely show your potential clients that you’ve resolved a problem like theirs?

Obviously, client confidentiality is a paramount concern. However, there are some creative – and ethically sound – ways to provide some reassurance about your qualifications and abilities.

Compare these two hypothetical firm descriptions:

Telling
Our firm is well-known for its success in litigation. We have achieved results in jurisdictions across the country.

Showing
Our firm has an exceptional track record in litigation nationwide. Recent accomplishments include a defense verdict for a major agribusiness company in Missouri, a $5.6 million verdict for an automobile accident victim in Georgia and the dismissal of a class action for a manufacturer in Utah.”The first is bland piffle; the second provides concrete evidence of the firm’s chops.

What to do:

  • Prove your case. Consider ways to demonstrate why a client should trust you:
    • Testimonials/client quotes
    • Case studies
    • “By the numbers” roundups (i.e., number of settlements, number of states served, years of experience)
  • Think visually. While there are myriad “badges” available for lawyers (Super Lawyers, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, you name it), a select few can be a visual stamp of your stability and trustworthiness. Used sparingly and strategically, these can function like a “USDA Approved” seal.

Four: Ignoring the Small Screen

Depending on your practice area, 21 to 57 percent of your website traffic could be coming from mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, according to Forbes. (Criminal defense tops the list at 57 percent.)

However, a 2018 analysis of law firm websites showed that nearly one-third were not mobile-friendly. If your site makes a large fraction of your visitors try the “pinch-and-zoom,” or if you stick them with mouse type and scrolling, you’re likely to lose them.

What to do:

  • Ensure that your website is responsive. That means it will automatically adjust for each users’ platform and screen size. If your current site is not responsive, this may require upgrading or changing your content management system.
  • Think about text, too. Smart phone browsers don’t have the screen size or attention span for lengthy paragraphs. Make your copy easy to scan with subheads, bullet points and short, active sentences.

Five: Lacking a Call to Action

What do you want users to do when they visit your website? Do you want them to browse and learn more, to contact you, to set an appointment, to subscribe to a newsletter, or to download some information? How easy do you make it for visitors to do this?

Many law firm websites are standoffish about direction; indeed, in 2018 nearly half – 41 percent – lacked a clear call to action. Your prospective clients are as busy as you are; make it easy for them to engage with you by providing clear paths to direct engagement.

What to do:

  • Make it easy. Decide the one thing you want users to do on your site – for most law firms, this will be “Contact Us.” Sprinkle it throughout your site; make it a part of your primary navigation, link to it throughout your copy, put it on the footer. This may feel repetitive to you, but keep in mind that most website visitors will not consume your site linearly; they will skip around.
  • Focus. Limit the number of possible actions a user can take. If you offer too many paths, the website will get overwhelming.

Six: Hiding from Search Engines

There’s more to a website than good looks – if search engines don’t see it, you will not realize a decent return on your investment. Indeed, 37 percent of law firm clients now use an online search engine to find their lawyers. That doesn’t account for the 62 percent who ask a friend, family member or other attorney for a recommendation and Google the referral to check their credentials. (Recall Sin Two above; 71 percent of them will do this.) Neglecting search engines is the online equivalent of practicing in an underground bunker – no one will find you.

Advanced search engine optimization is both an art and a science, but there are a few fundamentals that will make your website discoverable.

What to do:

  • Complete your “Google My Business” listing. For most consumers, this is the new phone book; by completing your listing, you will verify your legitimacy to the No. 1 search engine and populate it with key details like your hours, location and URL.
  • Tweak your website to make it search-attractive. Some basics to consider:
    • A Frequently Asked Questions page; Google recognizes this as helpful content.
    • A blog or news section; Google rewards fresh content.
    • A Google map to your physical location; this shows legitimacy.
    • A privacy policy or “terms and conditions” page; this also shows legitimacy, an important consideration as search engines look to deemphasize “fake news” and scam sites.
  • Get compliant. Your search rankings can suffer if your site is not mobile-friendly, if it lacks security (like https encryption) or if it is not accessible by people with hearing, vision or physical impairments.

Seven: Blending In With The Crowd

A law firm’s brand is the second most important reason clients hire law firms, second only to the reputation of an individual attorney. Meanwhile, research shows an established brand can be worth a 10 to 20 percent premium in fees.

Like search engine optimization, law firm branding is a specialized field. However, your website can and should reflect the principles of solid branding:

  • Is it relevant? Does your website language address a meaningful problem for your target market?
  • Is it authentic? Does the image on your website accurately reflect the culture and capabilities of your firm?
  • Is it ownable? Does your website look like everyone else’s?

We often see the final point ignored – indeed, here in our hometown of Kansas City, more than a dozen firms use the exact same photo of Union Station on their home pages. Not only does stock art of landmark buildings – or gavels or scales or courthouse steps – not convey your authentic brand, it makes you blend in with every other law firm. Your website visitors won’t be able to separate you from your competitors – and they may forget you altogether.

What to do:

  • Show your humans. What’s the one thing you have your competitors don’t? Your people. Just as you’ve taken the time to show their expertise on bios, show their faces, too.
  • Own your position. Take some time to complete some branding exercises – with an agency (like us) or on your own. This should include a positioning statement, an elevator speech and some parameters about how you present the firm. Compiled in a brand guide, this work will ensure all of your communications are clear and consistent.

Katherine Hollar Barnard is the founder of Firesign | Enlightened Legal Marketing, a full-service marketing agency that helps attorneys attract, win and retain business.

Firesign creates websites that work – by making solid first impressions, delivering the right content and establishing prominence in the right searches. Ready to revamp your site? Contact us today at spark@staging.firesignmarketing.flywheelsites.com.

What our clients say:

“We love working with the Firesign team. They worked to deadline, listened to our needs, and executed at a high level. Our new website looks extremely professional and really speaks to our strengths and our clients. We have seen increased web traffic and several potential clients have reached out to us as a result. Very impressive!”

Lara Glauber
Chief Financial Officer
DECIPHERSM Competitive Intelligence

“I had no idea what to expect when I began to look for someone to brand my new firm and design a website. Firesign took the time to learn how I work with clients and how I approach cases, then crafted a plan that let my personality and philosophy come through. They made sure my brand was ‘me,’ and they made it clear they were invested in my success.”

Roya Hough
Founder
Hough Law Firm

“We came to Firesign with our general business plan and a few – and only a few – ideas and concepts. They masterfully, efficiently and quickly expanded and executed on those ideas to create a website for our new firm that far surpassed our expectations, especially given our limited budget. It has been a pleasure working with the women at Firesign. The value they provided cannot be overstated.”

Brian Wallace
Co-Founder
Foster Wallace, LLC