Everyone knows what lawyers do, right? Your firm has been in town for twenty years, surely everybody’s heard of you? Who needs a website when clients can call up?
50% of offline purchases are made after the buyer researches the product online. 45% of people read reviews online first as well. Whether they’re buying a fitness watch or a legal service, consumers are increasingly turning to the online world before committing. With so many options to choose from, it’s faster to check out a law firm’s website than to visit multiple firms in person. This means that, without a web presence, your firm is being overlooked.
Do you want to spend less money on advertising but get more clients through the door? Would you like your existing clients to become long-term fans and refer you to others? Do you want to come across as modern and trustworthy?
You can achieve all these things with a website. Keep reading to find out why your legal practice needs a law firm website without further delay.
1. Establish Your Brand
Branding is much more than your colors and logo, although those are vital components. Branding includes everything from how you speak in correspondence to the images you use in ads.
The power of branding is vast and will reflect your values as a business. Without a website, though, it can be difficult to establish your brand.
Using great website design in 2020, you can build a website that’s immediately eye-catching and leaves a lasting impression. When visitors land on your website, they’ll get an instant sense of your brand’s personality. Are you friendly and welcoming? Do you speak in easy language and sound trustworthy? You can give off these impressions through branding.
2. Build Your Reputation
Your brand is what you say about yourself, but your reputation is what other people say about you. The legal industry suffers from a bad reputation in general, which stems from three assumptions:
- Overly expensive
- Outdated
- Needlessly complicated
By building a website that reflects your values and behavior, rather than these stereotypes, you can help develop a better reputation for your firm.
3. Reach Your Audience
How does your audience find you at the moment? If they search for law firms in the local area online, will you come up?
Having a website is a non-negotiable when it comes to reaching your audience. 81% of Americans own a smartphone, and with so many people checking out a business or service online first, without a website, you’re almost invisible.
With a website, you’ll have a home online that anyone can find, you’ll be able to start ranking in search engine results and appear when potential clients search for what you offer.
4. Show Your Humanity
Thanks to complex legal language and media stereotypes, lawyers have a reputation for being aloof and superior.
Clients will come back for more if they feel they can trust you, and that means showing your human side.
Creating a law firm website that reveals lots about your firm helps make this human connection. You can start a firm blog, share news about your employees, and show your audience that you’re relatable.
5. Provide Outstanding Value
Many law firms assume that prospective clients already understand what services they need or even that they need a lawyer in the first place. There are many situations where it may not be black and white, though.
If you have a website for your law firm, you have an opportunity to share information and knowledge with your audience. You could run a blog that breaks down legal services and post information like, “what is average settlement for car accident?”
6. Be Easy to Find
There’s nothing more frustrating than needing to contact or visit a business but struggling to find that information. When you have a website, you’ll open up this information at the click of a button.
List your phone numbers, email addresses, and physical location right in search engines as well as clearly on your website.
7. Stay up to Date
We mentioned that lawyers have a reputation for being outdated, and nothing says “old-fashioned” more than not having a website. It doesn’t take much effort to set up a website, so law firms that don’t have one may come across as lazy and deliberately outdated.
In the modern era, having a website shows respect to potential clients who want to find out more about you.
8. Impress With a Newsletter
Would you like to advertise directly to clients? Do you want to remind previous visitors that you offer great services?
A law firm website is a perfect place to invite visitors to sign up for a newsletter.
You can personalize newsletters to the exact services subscribers need and deliver the news right to them.
9. Showcase Testimonials
Word-of-mouth marketing is the most trusted type of marketing as it’s not coming from the business, but previous customers. Without a website, there are few places you can show how happy your previous clients are.
A great law firm website will have testimonials clearly laid out. As a large percentage of people read reviews before making purchase decisions, testimonials provide you with the social proof you need to sign a new client.
10. Take Control
A website is the online heart of your business. You might have a great reputation in your community, but what about newcomers to the area? What about national businesses that need a lawyer in your town?
When you have an outstanding law firm website, you’re taking control of your marketing, presence, and brand online.
You can show site visitors what you believe in, why you’re the best, and what others have said about you.
A Law Firm Website Is Essential for Your Practice
Whether you’ve been practicing for twenty years or twenty days, your law firm needs a website to stay current in the modern world. Websites give your clients, new and future, an easy way to find out more about you and get in touch. You can show off your achievements, testimonials, and provide further value for site visitors.
A law firm website doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing to set up. There are many excellent web designers who can build you an easy-to-use website that your clients will love. You can even create a blog and use it to explain the common services you offer and show why your employees are the best.
Don’t delay anymore and instead start building an online presence you can be proud of.
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