So you have a website. Excellent. Great. Grand. Now you can get clients off the web right? Um…no. It’s not that easy. It’s obvious (or it should be anyways) that if your law firm’s website is not showing up on the 1st page of Google for search terms that are commonly used by consumers, you will not have great success in generating new cases through the Internet. What is NOT obvious to most attorneys however is the importance of your law firm’s website design. Most attorneys think “All I care about is ranking high on Google..then the cases will pour in!”. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. The design of your site is absolutely crucial to the success of your site. The bottom line is that your website will often be the first impression made upon a potential client. Keep in mind that consumers will be comparing your site to other sites they find on the web (your competitors). If your site does not immediately impress that visitor, they will leave your site and look for another law firm’s website that does impress them. An outdated site design or poorly designed site means you will be losing potential cases. Do you really want to lose that big case because a visitor didn’t stay on your site long enough to read through your site’s content??? No, you don’t. Spend the money on a quality website design that will help you convert visitors into brand new clients. Make sure your site is better looking than your competitors, has better content and tells your visitors why they should choose you rather than your competitors. For example, one way you can do this is by adding helpful and informational videos to your site. Videos are a great way to help improve conversion rates since consumers love watching videos. Helpful video clips on your website are one way to differentiate yoursell from your competitors. Google has actually started incorporating video into their search results because they know how much consumers love videos. I’ll dig deeper on the videos on another post, but the point is do not overlook the importance of your firm’s website design. Is it time to upgrade or improve your website?

When it comes to marketing your practice on the Internet, one of the most overlooked aspects is the design of your law firms website. While the most important aspect is high visibility in the search engines, the design of your law firms website is a critical component in turning a visitor into a potential client. A website is often the first impression made about you to a new potential client. I compare it to the first time someone walks into your office. If it’s old, unorganized and filled with ugly furniture, that’s not the kind of impression you want to make on your clients, is it? But if your office is nice, clean, organized, comfortable, etc. that makes a client much more comfortable to be in your office. It’s the same thing with your law firm’s website. If it looks old, outdated and it’s not easy for visitors to find the information they’re looking for, then your visitors are more likely to leave and look for a website that looks nice, professional, modern and easy to find information. Trust me, from analyzing web analytics and website visitor behavior this isn’t a theory. It’s proven fact. Have an ugly website and visitors leave. Bottom line. Do not overlook to importance of having a great looking website. Make sure your website is more graphically appealing and filled with better content than your local competitors and you give yourself a much better chance of turning a visitor into a client. In the end, that’s what having a website is all about.