Despite spending oodles of money on their websites, some law firms have managed to create sites which are hard to use, unfriendly to the visitor, and achieve very little for them in terms of their business.
If that's the kind of website YOU want too, then here's how you can do it and ensure that your digital strategy remains a failure for years to come.
Everything Above the Fold
Websites can be used for lots of things, and lawyers with complex practices will have a tonne of options to throw on the page.
Of course, you want people to see all of your important stuff straight away, right?
And naturally, everything's important.
The obvious solution is this: put EVERYTHING front and center on the page.
That way people can find anything they need in a single glance, right?
Calls to Action Everywhere
You already know that your site should have a few calls to action on it.
But you can't decide which one matters most – contact form? Read the blog? Sign up for the newsletter? Give us a call?
No worries! Just put them all in, scattered judiciously around the place to ensure that people get exposed to every single call to action you can think off.
Because if you shove that stuff in their face enough, they're more likely to do something.
Assume Desktop
There's not much chance that your clients are going to use mobile devices to visit your website – ensure your design works on desktop first and foremost.
Keep your Blog… Even if You don't Blog
Whether it's “Announcing Our New Blog” or a photo from an event that took place 6 years ago, you should keep your blog prominently located to ensure that everyone can read the one article you wrote back then.
That means linking your blog all over the place, keeping it in the menu, and ensuring that your post is shoved somewhere into what's left of your home page between the calls to action and links to every practice area you work in.
Remove White Space
If your website was a productivity hack, you'd know that you shouldn't just have space lying around not doing anything for you.
White space = unused potential. Fill that white space up with as much information, as many links, and the most words and information you can possibly think of.
If people can move their eyes around your page without seeing some of your ultra-important information, then you've got more space to fill.
Focus On You and Your Law Firm
After all, that's why people are on your site – to see pictures of you, hear about your achievements, see your logo over and over, and read your pithy catch phrases.
As much information as possible should be focused on talking about yourself, promoting yourself, demonstrating your accolades and shoving your branding in people's faces.
Because only then will they realise how awesome you are and hire you as their lawyer.
Over to You
Well, that's all the helpful tips we've got time for today I'm afraid.
Now it's over to you – go forth and ensure that your sites are myopic, expensive and ugly. At least that way the people I work with will capture more of your market share.
