Building a website for a law firm is a specialized task that when done right, can result in growing the reach and amount of leads the firm will get generously. We’re going to cover the sections of the website you don’t want to pass over when getting online. These pages and sections will result in a clear message of what area of law you practice, where you practice it, why the client should choose you, and how they should proceed to reach out to you.
Practice Areas
Covering the “what area of law you practice”, these pages should segment the website user into the various areas of law that your firm works within. Each area of law should have it’s own page to help narrow down exactly what the client could be looking for in a lawyer. This serves multiple purposes:
- Your client won’t be confused about what you practice
- For Legal Search Engine Optimize (SEO) it is key to separate these out for search value
- Calls to action can be clear about that particular area of law
- Resources can hone in on this practice
- Reviews can be supporting the specific service as well
Don’t be afraid to break it down very granularly. For instance, out-of-state speeding vs speeding in the state are 2 different phrases in search and can be treated as separate areas to practice. If you specialize in something niche, then show it off and likely you’ll find that the conversion on that service is higher than a more general page.
Jurisdictions
Another multipurpose set of pages on the site would be the jurisdictions pages. How does the client know you’re able to help them? These pages will tell them where you practice law, but it’ll also tell Google where you’d like to be ranked. We recommend breaking down the jurisdictions page by page and sharing great resources about that area. Each page should be segmented by the cities or counties you want to rank for. The goal is to focus broadly on all of the practice areas of the law firm. While providing valuable local court information and showcasing the firm’s experience in that area. For instance, you can share the court schedule, phone numbers, addresses, education resources, and much more.
About your firm
Very often, a website user will find the service they’re looking for and then want to learn more about the people that are going to provide that service. In the case of a legal website, they want to feel that you can actually help them. Items like where you went to college, how you did there, what is your track record like, why are you doing this line of work are all valid items on the list to answer when covering an about page. Other major items:
- Mission Statement
- Vision Statement
- Differentiators (what makes you different from the other guy down the road?)
- Core Values
Merely having these on your website can make you stand out of the crowd of lawyers fighting for the case while having a compelling and passionate one, will be the reason you close more deals through the website.
This page is a great area to share the “top lawyer” awards, accolades, case studies, and success stories.
Educating Content
Most search on Google is exploratory and used in the awareness stage of the buying process. Googling phrases like “do I need a lawyer for X” are common before searching “lawyer in X state for X crime”. One of the best ways to win a client early is to be the authority on the subject matter by answering the questions they have in blog/article form on the website. Long-form answers of the why, how or what questions is a surefire way to win the confidence of a person researching and drag them over the marketing funnel to reach out because they feel you’re the right person for the job.
Other resources, such as checklists, guides, post court, and pre-court items they should know about are great ways to gather email addresses so that you can contact them regarding their specific needs.
Clear calls to action
Finally, what do you want them to do? They’ve found your site, digested your content, looked at you as a potential to handle the case, how do you want them to convert into a consultation? Speak it out on the website. A clear call to action of “Call Today to Setup a Free Consultation” with a phone number next to it takes the guesswork out of how they should proceed. It should be plain, clear, easy to follow directions such as, “take the next step, call now” or “fill out this form to setup your free consult” to tell the user, here is where you go now. This should be prominently displayed in content, footer, header and anywhere it makes sense. The call to action should suit the problem you’re trying to solve, for instance, “We can help you with that speeding ticket, call today”
Hire Experts in Law Firm Digital Marketing
At W3 Affinity we know the last thing you want to worry about is your website, marketing and messaging. You want more cases coming in so that you can do what you do best, help your clients. We take on the role of your partner in digital and take the guesswork out allowing you to simply do just that, your work. Reach out to info@w3affinity.com if you’d like to setup a free consultation on how we can help you secure more cases today. To showcase the work we have done for one of our many clients, visit: BernsteinHough, P.C.