In today’s ever-changing digital landscape, having an informative, aesthetically pleasing, responsive, and professionally designed website is an absolute must. For lawyers and law firms, having a website that educates potential clients about the services they offer is particularly important.
At Soulpepper Legal Marketing, our expertise in supporting law firms of all sizes across North America lends itself to knowing when your firm needs to revamp its website. We want to make sure you can draw in more leads and clients by offering them the best user experience on the market. Understanding when to update your law firm’s website is vital, so to help, we’ve put together a list of practical tips for any legal team that wants to figure out if their website needs an upgrade.
Review your web design at least once a year
Slow, dull, unresponsive and outdated websites will not entice visitors to stick around, let alone retain your services. Setting aside time at least once a year, maybe even twice, to carefully and objectively review your website’s design and functionality should be on your to-do list.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, updating your website does not necessarily mean you need a complete redesign, but rather discrete tweaks to your layout, style or even adding features that will appeal to a broad range of clients.
Not too confident about how your website looks? Our expert team of web designers can give it a once-over with you and offer advice about the features and functions you need to create an innovative site that clients will enjoy using.
Pro tip: Even if everything is looking good, run a site speed test to make sure that things are working well under the surface too. There are several free online tools available – start with Google’s Page Speed Insights. If you’re loading speed comes back as slow (on desktop or mobile devices), it’s time to consider an update.
Don’t forget about updating content
Style, layout, and technological solutions used on your website all play an important role in grasping – and retaining – your visitors’ attention. But let’s not forget that website content is just as important.
When performing your periodical check-ups, make sure to take a look at the content on your website. Is your legal services section up to date? Are your staff descriptions overdue for an update? Perhaps most importantly, has your contact information or hours of operation changed? Remember that the most important function your website should perform is helping potential clients get in touch with your firm – make sure you’re making that as easy as possible for them.
See what your competitors are up to
This is only for research purposes! Whether you’re considering updating your website or simply wanting to add new features, checking out what your competitors in the industry are doing to entice clients using their website can be a source of inspiration.
Spend a little time here combing over websites that speak to you, but more importantly, will convert leads to quality clients. Pay attention to layouts, designs, content, and tech solutions. If you notice that the majority of your competitors are using chatbots or automated consultation scheduling, you might want to test similar solutions on your website – chances are you are missing out on a solid way to accelerate your client acquisition processes.
Lean on your staff for feedback
Talk to your team about your website and any issues they may have with it in its current state. These issues could include any feedback they may have received from clients in the past.
Having this discussion could unlock some really great ideas they may have to boost your web appeal, and in turn, inform your decision to tweak your website right away.
Insider suggestion: consider adding this topic to your monthly or quarterly staff meetings and share any ideas or suggestions on improving your website.
Don’t be shy to ask your clients for feedback either
Who knows what’s good for you more than yourself? In the same vein, your clients know what type of website and its many features grabs their attention – and makes them stay.
Don’t be afraid to ask them for honest reviews of your website and any changes that can be made to improve it. Consider offering a feedback form to clients after you’ve completed a case, or even linking a questionnaire on your social media channel back to your website for that feedback.
When you do receive feedback, remember to be as objective as possible and take on any criticism or suggestions to improve your site as positives. This is especially important if you notice a trend in the reviews about the same issue. Take this as a sign that maybe that one feature does need to be addressed in order to provide a more seamless user experience going forward.
Work with an expert team of web designers
Creating positive and lasting first impressions is what we do here at Soulpepper. Our team is well versed in designing professional websites for law firms of all sizes (and budgets) that will ensure you stand out from the crowd and stamp your authority at the same time.
When you leave your website in the hands of capable web designers who know and understand the legal market, you can be guaranteed that your website will look great, behave correctly, and draw in leads every time.
Soulpepper boasts of a technically-savvy team that can identify and diagnose any issues your website may be having – issues that may be affecting your ability to draw in visitors and in turn impacting your bounce rates and conversion rates. Our team works closely with a number of law firms, so we know what your clients are expecting and can deliver it.
Does your digital marketing strategy need a makeover?
While your website and its performance form an essential part of your online presence, you need to make sure that other parts of your digital marketing strategy aren’t holding you back in generating the leads you deserve. Being active on social media, interacting with your audience regularly on multiple platforms, as well as creating and curating content for your site all contribute to your online visibility and search engine rankings. Having a robust, multi-channel digital marketing strategy that enables you to easily be found online while delivering a punch once visitors see your website is the name of the game. Are you playing it, or is it playing you? Think about that for a sec.
For more information on digital marketing and website design, check out our blog for the latest articles. Alternatively, you can also get in touch with our team if you’re ready to improve your website or find out more about our range of tailored services. At Soulpepper Law Firm Marketing, we craft custom digital marketing strategies that range from web design to search engine optimization and online advertising. Give us a call today!