B Y T O M T O R T O R I C I
Think that mentioning your law firm’s practice areas and credentials are enough? Think again.
To compete for attention online these days, attorney websites have to step up their game. Since prospects typically go with the first firm they call, here’s how to ensure it’ll be your firm.
1 Make a Genuine Connection
A law firm’s expertise and credentials are hugely important. But from a marketing perspective, they’re just half the story.
What was a potential client thinking and feeling when they began their search for an attorney? A law firm website that reflects their issues, from their perspective, is more likely to elicit a phone call. Humans trust those who seem to truly understand them; that’s just how we’re wired.
An attorney website that’s filled with the words “we” and “our” naturally tends to appeal to firm insiders. But starting some sentences with “you” and “your” is more likely to resonate with people who see themselves at the center of their own story.
2 Be an Information Resource
High-value clients aren’t just looking for an attorney. They’re also looking online to under¬stand their predicament.
It’s simple: If your firm’s website provides some helpful context, that gives you credibility – and the inside track. Producing relevant blog posts and addressing Frequently Asked Questions are smart ways to draw online searchers closer. Useful tips and insights on your practice area pages show both caring and topic authority.
Then of course, you’ll invite readers to get in touch for more personalized guidance. As a plus, that type of ‘quality content’ helps signal Google to send searchers your way.
3 Separate Yourself From Other Firms
How do law firms expect to stand out when most pretty much say the same things?
Common boastful clichés on firm websites about ‘excellence’, ‘experience’ and ‘reputation’ give prospects little reason to choose one over the other. But by digging a little deeper, you can ‘position’ your firm with an advantage that no one else can claim.
What do clients say when they’re happy with what your firm’s work? In what way does your practice go the extra mile for clients? Those are good places to mine for a unique and strategic ‘differentiator’ that resonates, and helps you stand out in the minds of web searchers.
4 Get Core Messages Across Quickly
We live in a time of short attention spans. Smart websites are designed for how people actually read these days.
Pay attention to your attention when you land on a new website. You’ll find that your eye initially skims the page. If nothing truly meaningful immediately jumps out, you’re more likely to hit the Back button than go any further.
Reader-friendly websites quickly address clients’ issues and your beneficial approach in prominent headlines. Then, bite-size chunks of insightful text draw them further in. Even top firms often miss opportunities by not approaching their sites as readers approach them.
5 Make Each Specialty Special
No new client is seeking a ‘generalist’ law firm. Yet that’s how many practices present themselves on their Home page.
Instead, what if each of your practice areas had it’s own Home page, where each type of client would see you as a specialist in their specific area of concern. That’s a more engaging experience than the plain text practice area pages on most attorney sites.
Then when you’re out promoting your firm to say, business owners, you can give them the URL of your Business Law Home page – which quickly address their specific needs, concerns and questions. It’s also a smart idea to give more emphasis to your most important and lucrative practice areas.
6 Target Specific Business Needs
Combine one business category with one type of legal service, to claim opportunity in areas that no other practice is pursuing.
If the tips about specializing in #5 make sense, think about getting even more granular. For example: Tax Law for Construction Firms. Or, Contract Law for Real Estate Developers. Now, when someone Googles one of those terms, your dedicated web page is more likely to come up, since there’s little or no competition targeting that sub-specialty.
Bonus tip: Add a location term, such as Zoning Attorney for Developers in Atlanta. And of course as a ‘multi-specialist’, you can have as many of these highly- targeted web pages as you want.
7 Tell a Meaningful ‘Origin’ Story
A website ‘About Us’ page could show how the founding partner(s) turned a noble quest into a law practice.
In every good story, the hero succeeds in righting some wrong. Your narrative may begin with recognizing how law clients weren’t being treated fairly by the system, or other firms. So you established your practice to advocate for those good people in difficult circumstances. Now, your expert guidance helps them become the hero of their own story.
Showing shared values, that approach acts as a ‘humanizing’ complement to the professional credentials and standard bios also found on the About Us page.
8 Watch What You Say and How You Say It
Since no law firm can control all the aspects of a case, you naturally can’t promise website readers a particular result.
You can’t even promise that you’ll take their case. Even implying success requires a certain finesse in the wording. However you can talk about how hard, or even aggressively, you will pursue the case on behalf of clients that you represent. Relate to many clients’ sense of victimhood by approach¬ing their case as a partnership on a mission of achieving fairness.
You can support your firm’s claims of dedication with brief case studies for each practice area. For, say, personal injury, mention recovered dollar amounts as an achievement for the client, not just the firm.
9 Make It Easy For People to Respond
Prospects are more likely to initiate contact if they know what’s going to happen next.
When a website covers the simplified steps of ‘how it works,’ that knowledge helps prospec¬tive clients feel more confident about initiating contact.
Also, knowing the name of who they should ask for makes callers more comfortable when they call. That name may be different for each practice area. Finally, on your web Contact Form, you may want to include a field for texting as well as phone and email, since that’s many people’s preferred communica¬tion option these days.
If you see any wisdom in these approaches, it could be time to step up to a fresh website, built with solid strategic advantages over other firms. Call 404-606-2715 to talk it over with web writer Tom Tortorici, and see what else you might learn.
Tom Tortorici Inc. | Tom@TomTortorici.com | 770-934-7861 | 3101 Rockaway Rd | Atlanta GA 30341