Success in getting more clicks, conversions and clients on a law firm website turns on the site's usability - which today means engaging visitors and prompting them to stay longer and dig deeper into your site.
That's the message from my colleague Paul Julius of Consultwebs, a law firm web marketing and SEO company. Julius, who is a PPC (that's pay-per-click) focus specialist, identified several elements of usability on SevenishLaw that he says are essential components of attorney websites:
- An immediate call to action (e.g., "WERE YOU INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT?");
- A simple contact form that appears "above the fold," or on the first viewable screen, and collects only basic information about a visitor - no address or phone number yet;
- Resources for visitors to download, such as a special report, accident videos and FAQs;
- Ample use of visual elements and graphics throughout. Not "less text, more art," but art with text;
"Your goal is to get people to engage with the firm and to provide specifically what they are looking for," Julius said. "Helpfulness equals clickability and will get the most conversions and cases."
When it comes to form, there's a good reason for keeping the message simple and direct. If you're a lawyer with literary flair, that's great - but not for your website. Get too fancy with the language and you're bound to be missed by potential clients, whose web searches are decidedly basic, for obvious reasons.
Julius noted that those seeking representation often will conduct the most rudimentary Google search when attempting to solve their problem, to try to cover as many bases as possible. For example, "I was just in a car accident; what do I do?"
Julius also noted the importance of infographics. As impressive a case history as you may have, a visitor is more likely to be impressed by your competitor's less numerous accomplishments if they look prettier to the eye.
Engage users by displaying complex or wordy information in a simple visual illustration. Don't be intimidated by the prospect of graphic design. It's not about creating a visual masterpiece, but an engaging one. Venn diagrams and timelines with simple graphics at the various stops are examples of effective yet easy-to-design infographics.
Finally, don't get ahead of yourself, or worse, neglect your site operations once you're online. Julius outlines nine steps a firm should take to create click-worthy website assets. Note that the process doesn't begin with creating content and doesn't end with the launch:
1) Assemble your team
2) Identify goals
3) Outline a plan
4) Assign tasks
5) Write content
6) Design for conversions
7) Perform a beta test
8) Launch
9) Track and adjust
Remember: An effective website is a viewed website. Be original, be bold, but do it by enhancing your site's usability, not compromising it. Otherwise, you risk being overlooked.
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A former litigator, Larry Bodine is a legal marketing expert and editor-in-chief of Lawyers.com. He can be contacted at larrybodine.com.
Published: Mon, Jul 20, 2015
