Law Firm Internet Marketing Blog

Lawyer Web Site Developer - Making the Right Choice

The most important decision after deciding to develop a law firm web site is who you choose to develop the web site. There are four key qualifications that are critical for when selecting a lawyer web site developer.

Hiring the Law Firm Web Site Designer

The most important decision after deciding to develop a law firm web site is who you choose to develop the web site. There are four key qualifications that are critical for when selecting a lawyer web site developer.

1. Consultative-Are they helping to implement your firm's goals into the site?
2. Expert design abilities- Have they designed sites that you find impressive? 3. Search Engine Optimization- Can they show you how their sites rank?
4. Experience- Do they specialize in law firm web design?
5. Cost- Are they competitively priced?

1. Consultative Approach
An experienced lawyer web site developer should be more of a trusted advisor than simply graphic designer. Your law firm web designer should be an excellent resource for enhancing your law firm's design vision. Your web designer should be asking you lots of questions about the purpose and goals for the web site project. It is also important that your attorney web site design provides your law firm with ongoing consultation as new technologies emerge.

Basic Web Site design Tips for Lawyers

In this article I will provide a few of the effective lawyer web design tips that I use to increase the effectiveness of my clients web sites.

1. Limit the number of pictures you use on your home page.
2. Reduce the amount of text on your home page.
3. Use attorney photos on the home page.
4. Avoid using bright colors such as red or yellow.
5. Provide helpful content that focuses on the needs of your clients.

1. Limit the Number of Pictures You Use on Your Home Page
Having too many photos on your web site can harm the download speed of your web site. That could cause many of your web visitors to lose interest and leave your web site. The other problem with using too many pictures can weaken the search engine ranking of your web site.

2. Reduce the Amount of Text on Your Home Page to around 500-700 words
Many search engine optimizers will mislead you into thinking your home page should contain an enormous amount of keyword enriched content and related links. Although this can make some slight improvement in search engine rankings, the lack of overall performance of these content heavyweights far outweighs any search engine benefits.

Law Firm Web Site Designers - Making the Right Choice

Selecting a law firm web developer is a daunting and risky proposition.  A law firm could easily spend several thousands of dollars before realizing they have made a poor purchasing decision. The following information will provide you with an insider’s point of view on how to identify the very best providers for web site development.

There are four key qualifications that are critical for when selecting a law firm web site developer.

1.     Consultative – The best practice of talented web developers is having a consultative mind set. Their job is to listen to your needs, ask relevant question to uncover unique ideas and offer suggestions to help meet your firm’s needs and objectives.  You are almost guaranteed to have success when your web designer understands your business and your needs thoroughly.

2.     Expert Design Abilities- A law firm web presence is said to be the face of your law firm.  Make a professional impression that is sure to leave a positive and lasting impression.  Be sure to review several of their web site design and verify that these sites are customers by looking for web design credits at the bottom of each design sample.

3.     Search Engine Optimization- Visibility is critical for a successful web presence. If your existing clients or prospective clients cannot find your web site, you have just wasted your time and resources. Ask for a demonstration of search rankings they expect to deliver for your project and have delivered for past clients.

4.     References- If you ask for references, call them! Most web developers will offer you business references thinking that you will not bother to call them. 

Good questions to ask a web design reference:
     Did they meet the desired expectations?
     Was their price competitive?

How long did the project take?
     Do they respond quickly to your customer service needs?

5. Cost- Are they competitively priced? Pricing for web site development varies tremendously from several hundreds of dollars to several tens of thousands of dollars. There are many “do-it-yourself” web companies such as Network Solutions and Godaddy for those who wish to got at it themselves. The national average for the cost of a high quality, custom web site with professional search engine optimization is around $10,000 for 35 web pages.  We have found several high quality law firm design firms offering similar services for 50-75% less.

Inevitably when you buy a web site you are buying a relationship not a product. The Web is constantly changing and frequent web site updates are commonplace. An experienced law firm web site developer should be more of a trusted advisor than simply graphic designer.

Your law firm web designer should be an excellent resource for enhancing your law firm's design vision. Your web designer should be asking you lots of questions about the purpose and goals for the web site project. It is also important that your attorney web site design provides your law firm with ongoing consultation as new technologies emerge.

James