Tela’s experience developing law firm websites and digital strategies has enabled us to identify a few areas that can lead to a more successful site. It is important that creatively, your website stands out amongst competitors but it must also be designed and structured to increase engagement with prospective clients. Regardless of the business areas, location or size, there are a few tips and tricks that when implemented, will help your website work harder as an online marketing tool.

Responsive Design

As shown in our research on the Top 100 UK Law Firm’s Mobile Speeds, as of July 2016, 26% of top 100 UK law firm websites were still not optimised for mobile viewing. With upwards of 25% of all traffic coming from mobile devices ( a number that is only set to rise ) having a fully optimised website is extremely important. A mobile responsive site offers a tailored user experience for devices with different screen sizes and resolutions.

Users are much less forgiving when it comes to using their mobile devices, with Bing Ads reporting that those with mobile optimised sites have a conversion rate 37% higher than those without.

There are a huge number of benefits a mobile responsive UI and UX bring law firms. A mobile optimised site allows users to browse through the law firm’s site easily, allowing them to access information about lawyers and business services quickly and efficiently. Visitors can also use the calls to action and find contact details much more easily than if they were having to zoom in on a non-responsive site.

By offering a mobile optimised website, your law firm will also be keeping up to date with new technology which brings additional benefits such as helping with SEO. Google recommended implementing mobile responsive page templates well ahead of the release of their Mobile Friendly Update ( or Mobilegeddon as it became known ) in April 2015. The update introduced a mobile ranking algorithm that helps boost mobile-friendly pages higher in the mobile search results, meaning prospective clients will find mobile friendly law firms websites ranking higher in mobile search than not mobile-friendly competitors.

Imagery

Images have the important task of compelling users to stay on law firm websites, so it is important that the images used grab attention, are interesting and engaging. For example, rather than going down the stock photography route, show the faces of those who work at your firm. By showing the good quality photos of your lawyers you are giving your website a more personal,  approachable and engaging feel. Clients feel more comfortable if can see the face of the person they are contacting. For certain clients, it can make the process of contacting a law firm more transparent and less intimidating. With access to high levels of good quality photography now easier than ever, more law firms should make the most of promoting their firm and differentiating themselves from their competitors through the use of good imagery.

Reviews & Testimonials

With word-of-mouth being one of the best ways law firms can generate new business, it should be utilised to offer the best advantage. Client testimonials and reviews featured on the firm’s website are a great way of offering credibility and also more of a personality. It is much more encouraging for visitors to see confidence building content as it offers reassurance that you have a great service to give. Getting reviews on sites like Yelp and Google for Business are an easy way for your law firm to rank higher in the local search results. The majority of web users read online reviews before making a decision and committing to a service, and law firms are no different. Having testimonials is a great way to increase confidence and drive new leads.

Practice Areas

One of the most important components of good law firm websites is to have pages containing good content for each business area. Not only does this content offer a better chance of your firm ranking higher in the search engines through the use of keywords that are relevant to the business, it makes it easier for clients to find specific services. Pages dedicated to specialist business areas mean clients can access the information they need to check a firm’s expertise before getting in touch. Having pages for each business area also means that lawyer’s profiles can link back to their related specialist areas. Having a good level of internal links will help users when navigating around the website. It also establishes an information hierarchy which helps to build an SEO friendly site architecture which offers a greater chance of your law firm website ranking higher in search engines.

Search Criteria

A successful user experience is achieved by providing users with the content they require as quickly as possible. Users want to find the information they are looking for quickly and efficiently so when it comes to finding a suitable lawyer, the search criterias are really important. For larger firms, a directory with suitable search criteria will help users refine their searches to find a suitable lawyer in their location or one with the required level of specialist knowledge. Allowing the user to filter their search results by different criteria is the most efficient way for users to find the person or service they are looking for rather than having to scroll through long lists of information.
Implementing these features on law firm websites will have a positive impact on traffic and conversion rates. They will also make the user experience more enjoyable as the website will be easier to navigate, presenting a more professional online of the firm to clients.

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