Attorneys require a powerful law firm website design around which their entire digital marketing strategy will revolve. An effective interface will be helpful in providing useful information to the target audience. This is essential for building up their reputation as a credible entity which helps in winning the trust of potential clients. It would not be incorrect to say that a website is the cornerstone of the entire promotional strategy. This is the platform which the audience will visit and get converted no matter if their first exposure to the law firm is in a search result or on a social network. Legal practitioners need to plan their entire approach to acquiring an interface. The following steps will help them in mapping out the entire project and execute it efficiently.
Table of Contents
1. Determine A Budget For The Project
The first task is to figure out how much money you want to spend on building the interface. The money will be required for registering a domain name and subscribing to a hosting service. Then it will be needed to pay the development and design team. You will also need to hire an agency for search engine optimization and online marketing. A website is not a fixed term project and one or the other modification is required regularly. This means that an agency will also need to be hired for maintenance of the interface. The kind of design elements and feature you desire will also affect the cost of the project. The reputation and expertise of the company hired for development will also be a key factor. Outline a budget for the interface after considering all these factors.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Lawyers have to think like marketers while planning their interface. The next step is to determine who is their target audience. The nature of your potential client base will dictate the kind of layout you must create. Legal websites must look professional with sober pictures but some fine-tuning is needed so that the design strikes a chord with the audience. For instance, putting pictures of executives in business suits is not going to work on an interface which represents a firm specializing in workers’ compensation claims. Similarly, the key features like calls to action will also need to be designed accordingly. Research and create an ideal client persona by listing their education levels, career graphs, social outlook, income, interests, and priorities. This will help you in creating a website which is aligned with your audience’s needs.
3. Identify The Essential Features Of The Website
Attorneys must identify the set of features they want to integrate into their law firm website design. It will be pertinent to divide the features into two groups based on their importance. In the first group of mandatory attributes, they must include things like lawyer profiles and separate pages for each practice area. Contact information on every page along with a relevant CTA is another necessary feature. A blog is another key component that must be included in the project. Every legal interface must have a simple contact form also. The second group should contain elements which can be included based on their relevance to the firm. For instance, a large and well-known firm can add a section for career opportunities. This feature will be redundant on the website of a single lawyer agency or small firm. There are some other innovative features that can boost conversions and engagement. You can choose to include a live chat or online appointment booking facility to engage potential clients.
4. Ensure No Ethical Guidelines Are Violated
A legal website is different from other business interfaces as it has to adhere to guidelines laid down by bar associations and other entities. Every interface must have a disclaimer which tells the audience that the content is for informational purposes. This is to ensure that people do not consider it as legal advice. The disclaimer must also mention that the viewing of the information does not create an attorney-client relationship. As mentioned earlier, every legal interface must have a contact information form. Strict privacy laws have been enacted in various jurisdictions which make the entity requesting the data responsible for its protection. Your website must have a privacy policy section which takes the consent of the visitors for taking their data and also tells them why it is being collected. Moreover, you must not make unsubstantiated claims or misinform your visitors about your expertise, practice areas, and jurisdictions where you can work.
5. Create A Site Map Of The Project
It is now time to create a site map of your custom law firm website design project. A sitemap is a visual representation of the hierarchical structure of the intended website. It shows how various pages of the interface link to each other. The homepage of your project will be connected to other major sections like different practice areas, attorney profiles, locations, blog, contact us, testimonials, case studies, etc. Some pages will be connected with multiple sections like the contact us page will be linked to almost every page of the interface.
6. Define Your Content Requirements
Identify the kind and amount of content you want on every page. This does not only include the text but also other material like images and videos. The attorney bios must include headshots of the professionals. Attractive and relevant images will be needed for all other pages including the homepage. You can also include video testimonials to engage the audience.
Conclusion
The stepwise procedure mentioned here will help you create a plan for building your law firm website design. This will help in completing the project smoothly and in acquiring a productive interface.
