Description: A well-designed law firm website can help build trust and convert visitors into customers. This basic guide to Web Design for Law Firms will cover basic principles and design trends that will create a great user experience that puts your legal practice on the map.
An introduction
Proper web design for law firms should help build a digital identity for the legal business. Aside from being engaging and functional, the law firm website is an essential tool that can be used to attract new customers, engage with existing clients, and educate web visitors on a particular practice area or legal matter. Gone are the days when law firm website design was predictable, old-fashioned, and boring. In today’s competitive landscape, you’ll need to be aware of the design trends and invest in a better website design that showcases your law firm’s unique identity. Checkout lawyer website design guide by dNOVO Group.
Table of Contents
Key features of web design for law firms
Today’s law firm’s website design is creative, modern, and not only optimized for usability, but it’s also functional and easy to use. In this article, we will start off by sharing some key components that should be prioritized in any attorney website design. We will explore key features of law firm website design that you must consider when building a site that will grow your legal practice.
Also Read: Top Benefits of Using SEO for Your Law Firm Marketing
Home Page Web Design for Law Firms
Let’s start with the home page, which is where you get an opportunity to make the best first impression. What do you often notice when you visit the home page of any law firm’s website? In many cases, this page clearly represents what the law firm is about. The best home page will convey who you are as a law firm without mincing words. Effectively communicating your legal services and what you’re about to web visitors will make it easier for them to understand your business and consider engaging further.
8 features of an effective home page in law firm website design
1. A conspicuous search bar
One of the most prominent elements on most law firms’ home pages should be the search bar. The search bar should be placed in an expected location, making it easy for website visitors to find it. It should be sized appropriately and designed for mobile. The search bar should appear not only on your homepage but also on every other page on your law firm’s website. You can find a great example of a good search bar on Simon Law firm website.
2. An engaging headline
When website visitors land on your homepage, you have 3 seconds to tell them what your legal business has to offer. You need a striking headline that’s clear and concise on the homepage – no fluff. You can add a sub-headline that briefly describes what you do and the legal services you offer. Think of the common pain points your target clients face and include these in your headline/ sub-headline.
3. Have 2-3 Call to Actions (CTAs)
When visitors land on your home page, the goal should be to have them take some form of action that moves them deeper down the funnel. Have a Call to Action that is strategically located above the fold. This can be anything from ‘contact us’ to ‘join our mailing list’ or ‘book a consultation’. CTAs work best when coupled with some incentive. E.g. most law firm websites will have ‘contact us to get a free initial consultation’.
4. Proper use of images & videos
Your law firm’s website visitors are very visual, so accompanying any information with an image or video helps retain their attention. Compelling videos and images are way easier to process than text. You can have a video or image above the fold on your home page to showcase your law offices and team and clearly indicate your services. Use visual content to capture your viewer’s emotion and cause them to take some form of action.
5. Internal links
Great web design ensures that people don’t just get to your law firm’s homepage and leave. It will make them stay on the website for much longer by visiting other web pages via internal links. Your homepage should feature links to the practice areas you cover, recent blog posts and more information about your team. Remember that the longer they stay on your website, the higher the chances of becoming a customer.
6. Testimonials
As a law firm, you’ve probably served many people who’ve appreciated the legal services you offered. Why not reach out to them and ask them if they can share testimonials to be included in your home page section? You may also check for customer reviews on common sites such as Yelp. Video reviews will work even better for law firms as they give potential customers visual evidence that captures their emotion.
7. Live Chat- Web Design for Law Firms
As soon as web visitors land on your homepage and stay for a specific period, they should be prompted to engage further with you via a live chat tool. Live chat gives potential customers an opportunity to get in touch with you quickly and easily. You get to provide top-notch customer service and convert more leads to customers.
8. Success indicators
Another way to make a good first impression is to feature success stories that will inspire potential clients and establish your credibility in the legal industry. These could be awards and recognitions your law practice has received in the past. You can also feature a successful case you’ve recently resolved.
Practice Area Pages
Practice area pages are critical when sharing information about your legal services. In these pages, you can cover news and publications, relevant awards, case studies, attorneys, and so much more. Providing detailed and comprehensive information on your practice area pages will set your law firm’s website apart. This is one of the easiest ways to demonstrate your authority and stand apart from other law firms to both website visitors and search engines.
5 guidelines for building effective practice area pages
1. Give the page structure
Avoid having a long block of text that has no structure. Break the content with relevant headings and sub-headings. Start with an introduction and then transition into in-depth discussions.
2. Utilize page headings and title tags
These will not only help in search engine optimization but will also make your pages more user-friendly and easier for both visitors and search engines to comprehend.
3. Incorporates elements for conversion
Include key selling points for your legal practice, such as the years of experience you have, client testimonials and CTAs. Your contact information should also be visible on your practice area pages.
4. Include links in your content
Both internal and external links can help to build trust and provide detailed information to your readers. Utilize proper anchor texts and avoid linking the same words to different pages.
5. Optimize images- Web Design for Law Firms
Your practice area pages will perform better in search if they are well optimized for search engines. Add alt text to all images when uploading and choose a relevant name for each.
About us page features
Most users will land on your about us page to learn more about your legal business. This is a great place to tell a story about your legal practice. You can talk about how the law firm started in an interesting way to connect with your customers. Remember that storytelling connects with web visitors much more than sales pitches, so your aim should be to keep the ‘about us’ page as personal and unique as possible. Other features to include in your about us page are:
- A map to your law firm office(s) so users can know where to find you
- Clearly list your business hours
- Provide contact information – phone number, email address for users who want to get in touch with you.
- Provide a contact form with a box where they can express their concerns or areas they need help with
- A breakdown of your legal team. Users need to understand who they are doing business with.
Also Read: Should You Write Website Content Before or After Creating Website Design
Blog- Web Design for Law Firms
Your law firm’s blog can effectively bring traffic to the website through unique and engaging content or provide regular updates to your web visitors. Other than using the blog for search engine optimization, you can take advantage of this resource to create educational content that sets you apart in the legal field in your community.
Tips for an effective law firm blog design
- Make the content evergreen: Write legal posts in a way that they will remain relevant, factually correct and interesting in the future. Write new posts frequently or perhaps edit existing posts with new insights to make them current again.
- Showcase your best content: You may have specific blogs attracting a lot of traffic, which indicates that your users are finding them more useful. In fact, the top blogs should be prominent on other pages or featured on the navigation menu.
- Clearly define headings and breakdown content: These are simply ways to make your blog content look good. People often scan these page
s picking out major points so ensure the content stands out. - The blog must be mobile friendly: Your entire law firm’s website, including the blog, should be optimized for mobile viewing.
Also Read: 7 Signs Your Law Firm Needs A Better Marketing Strategy
Get help to improve your law firm web design
All in all, effective web design is a critical aspect of digital marketing that can help you expand your reach online. Partner with marketing agencies that make it possible for your law firm to develop its digital presence through effective web design.
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