How to plan, prepare for a new firm website

 Vanessa Schaefer, The Daily Record Newswire

Creating a new law firm website can be a daunting project. Like building a house, if the planning stage is not carefully executed, the design and building can be rife with problems, running overtime and over-budget.

By taking a few important steps up front, many common complications can easily be avoided. Below, I outline seven of the most critical steps for a seamless website project.

1) Define your budget.

Websites, like houses, can range widely in price. Imagine asking an architect to design a home without providing a budget. You might end up with a multi-million-dollar mansion that’s much too large and fancy for your needs, or a tiny bungalow that cannot accommodate your family of five. The same applies to a website. Although it may be tempting to put the project out to bid without a budget, there are far too many variables to make that process effective.

2) Create a detailed RFP.

If you plan to bid the website project to several agencies, it is critical to provide a thorough RFP. The document must define the full scope of the project, in detail, or the responses you receive will not be apples-to-apples. Basic criteria to list include:

• Writing — Will you or the agency write some/all of the website content?

• Photography — Will new portraits need to be taken? Will new stock photos be required?

• Brand analysis (see No. 4 below)

• Content population — Who will be responsible for importing all text and photos into the website’s database?

• New functionality (see No. 6 below).

3) Form a website committee.

If your firm has a marketing person or department, they typically will lead the website redesign process. Additionally, law firms often form website committees to assist with the critical decisions along the way. Keep the committee to a small group (fewer than five works best) and make sure the true decision-makers at the firm are included. Choose people whom you can count on to keep the project moving forward and who will think about the needs of the entire firm, not just their own practice areas.

4) Understand your brand.

A brand is much more than a logo. A brand conveys your firm’s style, your way of working and your personality. If your law firm does not have a strong brand, it may be wise to invest in a formal brand analysis prior to starting the website project so your new site accurately reflects your firm’s brand attributes.

5) Write compelling content.

Writing web content is hard. Writing really great web content is really hard. Often, law firms will task several attorneys to write different pages of the site, which leads to a disjointed style that readers find disconcerting. The tone and voice of content should be consistent throughout the site. All bio pages should follow the same template. Practice descriptions should be succinct. Most importantly, the content should not be all about you; it should be focused on your clients’ needs. Whenever possible, hire a professional writer to craft messaging that is appealing and engages your audience.

6) Document necessary functionality.

If you want to add new and improved features to your website, it is important that they are clearly defined. Your agency will help determine modern features to include, but it is always helpful to do some research. Look at competitors’ sites and make note of useful components. Do you want your site to be mobile-friendly? Do attorney bios and other pages cross-link with other content? How easy is it to search the site? How fast can you find specific attorneys? Can content be shared easily via social networks? Will your site include any e-commerce functionality?

7) Schedule realistically.

Typically, your web agency will develop a formal schedule for the project. If you have a specific launch date in mind, perhaps to coincide with a name change, office move or special event, it is critical that the schedule be followed. Make sure you build in ample time for internal review, feedback and revisions. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the holdup to a website launch is the content, so it is crucial that individuals tasked with writing web content deliver when promised.

If you prepare properly and plan wisely for your website project, the process not only will be easier, but it will be a truly enjoyable experience.

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Vanessa Schaefer is president and creative director of Clockwork Design Group Inc. in Waltham. She and her team help law firms with all forms of marketing. Schaefer was the 2012 recipient of Lawyers Weekly’s Excellence in Legal Marketing award.