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If you’re a regular reader, you know how we feel about content; we love it! We encourage law firms to add as much content to their websites, as often as possible, to create an effective online presence. Our love does have some limits though. Sometimes, there really is just too much content on one page. We often find this on the home page. Firms attempt to combine a firm profile, information on multiple practice areas and contact information all on one page—very often the first page that a visitor sees when they land on the site. And while this information is pertinent, guess what happens when visitors see so much information? Their eyes glaze over and they become overwhelmed. It might cause some to leave your website immediately (check on your bounce rate to determine if this is an issue) and others might, in a state of confusion, wind up on the wrong page within your site.
So how do you create a webpage that conveys all of the information that you want to share in a concise message that won’t overwhelm visitors? The solution generally involves strategic formatting and targeted questions which leads visitors to the best page to engage them.
Formatting
Since you only have a few seconds to connect with a website visitor, the way you organize information can make or break engagement. Bulleted lists are a great way to have key information highlighted and allow the site visitor to read everything with minimal effort. Likewise, graphic buttons (like the ones seen on http://tannerortega.com) can efficiently guide visitors to a more targeted page within the site.
You should also have descriptive headers and sub-headers to create short sections which help to organize content. Consider bolding the information that you really want to make stand out so site visitors can easily pick out the take away information in a few seconds.
Targeted Questions
Everyone coming to your site is not looking for the same information. And while the search engines have become really great at leading clients to pages directly related to their search inquiry, they are not perfect by any stretch.
Having a few short targeted questions, with links to specified pages, on the home page of your site can help eliminate the need to post a great deal of general content to ensure you don’t leave out any target demographics, and instead take visitors to content which actually answers their questions. If you’re an estate planning attorney, you might consider include a short paragraph with an overview of your experience followed by several questions which will resonate with visitors like “Do you want to make sure that your loved ones and your assets are protected upon your death?” or “Who will make decisions for you if you’re unable to do so?”
Less really can be more when it comes to captivating a site visitor. Generally, we’d recommend no more than 4 short paragraphs on the main pages within your website (home page, firm profile, general practice area overview, etc). If you’re unsure as to the best arrangement of content, contact our experienced team of web developers.