Attorney Website Design Blog

April showers bring…great new attorney websites!

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks our schedule has been jam-packed; we’ve been hard at work forming new partnerships with various organizations throughout the legal community, have held two successful webinars for the legal community on SEO and Google Analytics, and our development team has been working on dozens of new websites for firms across the country. Here are just a few of the great sites that we’ve launched in the month of April:

Katz and Matz, PC - New York City Real Estate Attorneys

Hutton & Hutton Law Firm, LLC - Wichita, Kansas Personal Injury Law Firm

The Legal Center for Immigration and Naturalization Services, Inc - Coral Springs, FL Immigration Attorneys

Law Offices of Patricia A. Gainer Gaddis - Ft. Lauderdale Family Law Attorney

We have no plans of slowing down in the weeks ahead so stay tuned for more announcements. For the most up-to-date news on what’s happening in and around the Amicus Creative offices, please follow us on Twitter (@amicuscreative).

Exact Match Domains: How important is one for your SEO strategy?

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The law firms we work with often get notices from domain vendors offering to sell them highly coveted domain names for a small fortune. These attorneys generally call us to ask if the desirable domain name which is supposed to be top-notch for SEO is worth the investment. For many years, having a domain name that was an exact match to the search query essentially guaranteed top placement in the search engine result pages (SERPs). With this great SEO benefit, exact match domain for highly competitive searches like “Chicago Bankruptcy Lawyer” (chicagobankruptcylawyer.com) could easily be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Over the past few years, in an effort to ensure only quality sites with relevant copy (not just relevant domain names), rank well in the SERPs, Google has started to give much less weight to those sites with exact match domains. If your firm is considering purchasing a new domain name to get one of those “exact matches,” realize that this won’t be your golden ticket to a top spot.

It’s also important to note that these exact matches aren’t always optimal for the visitor and can easily be mistyped. Suppose you purchase chicagolivingwillslawyer.com and run an advertisement with this information. A prospective client makes a mental note to check out your website but when they sit down later, they’ve forgotten the exact thread and instead type in chicagolivingwillsattorney.com. Instead of your site, they come to one of a competitor. In many cases, use of the firm’s name or initials is more easily remembered and less likely to be confused with a local competitor’s site.

The best way to optimize your site is through a dynamic content strategy. Spend less time worrying about “simple fixes” like changing your meta descriptions and purchasing exact match domain names, and instead devote more time to making your site a valuable resource for visitors. This will yield better results and allow you to avoid too much turbulence in your organic search ranking.

Another Great Partner in the Legal Community

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

We’re thrilled to announce that Amicus Creative has been named an Affinity Partner of the Rhode Island Bar Association! All members of the Bar are now eligible to receive a great discount on the design fee for a custom website. This new member benefit will help over six thousand attorneys throughout the state build comprehensive websites at a fraction of the cost. Read the full press release.

NJSBA Fourth Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference!

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow, our CEO Fred Cohen will be speaking to over 300 New Jersey attorneys at the Fourth Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference which will be held in Morristown. Fred will be joining 5 other legal marketing experts in a program entitled "The Ethics of Marketing Boot Camp". During this session they'll explore ideas and proven techniques for solo practitioners and small firms to effectively promote their practices.

We'll also have representatives on hand in the exhibit hall to discuss ways in which a comprehensive website can help you propel your practice to new heights. If you're in attendance, please stop by booth five to say hello and learn more about how you can save big through our affinity partnership with the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Developing a New Website for Your Firm? 5 steps you should take to make sure you are following all of the rules

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

All attorneys are subject to strict rules when it comes to communication with prospective clients and advertising. If you’re in the process of developing a new website for your law practice or outsourcing the project to a web designer, it’s absolutely essential that you take the 5 actions outlined below to make sure you’re in compliance with all state bar requirements.

Read through the Rules of Professional Conduct for the state in which you will be actively practicing. If your office has multiple locations in different states, review the rules for all states to ensure compliance. These rules can be found by visiting your state bar’s website.
Do your research and review all ethics opinions and Supreme Court decisions which pertain to attorney advertising and provide clarification on the Rules of Professional Conduct. These usually can also be found through your state bar’s website.
Determine whether or not you need approval from your state’s rule-making body before going live with your firm’s website. A handful of state bars require you to submit a copy of this form of advertising before it is made available to the public. If you don’t submit the site for review and it is found to violate professional rules, you may face disciplinary action.
All states require you to maintain a copy of all advertising materials for a set length of time following publication. With a dynamic website that is subject to frequent change, this can be a bit challenging. Before you publish your website, make sure that you have a strategy in place where each page, and every change going forward, is recorded and stored for safe keeping should you have to present it to the bar down the road.
Consult an expert. It may be tempting to save a few dollars and outsource your website project to a younger cousin majoring in graphic design but there is absolutely no substitute for experience when it comes to dealing with the strict requirements of legal marketing. In the Matter of Ty Hyderally, the Supreme Court of New Jersey tackled this very matter and is a good example of why you should consult a seasoned professional experienced in working with law firms. At the end of the day, regardless of who designed your site, you’re fully responsible for all material published by your firm. When you outsource your website development to a developer with limited knowledge of ethics and professional requirements, you’re taking a big gamble with your reputation and your law license.

Event Management on Your Website

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It’s not at all uncommon to see law firms include a list of upcoming events on their websites. After all, it’s a great way to showcase your expertise, demonstrate an active presence in the community and inform clients and colleagues about these events so they can attend or spread the word. Unfortunately, far too many attorneys let this powerful resource fall to the wayside—allowing it to become outdated, stagnant or fail to implement tools which will make the listing of events a true resource for site visitors. If your law firm is considering future events and making these a part of your website, be sure to utilize an integrated event management system which features the following tools:

A Registration Feature: It’s not enough for site visitors to be able to view upcoming events on your site; they also need to be able to sign up for these events online. While your firm may prefer having individuals call in to RSVP, the moment you ask visitors to take one extra step (like pick up a phone), you may lose the opportunity to get in front of them. Make it possible for visitors to sign up by completing a simple form. If there is a fee to attend, make sure registrants can include payment information right up front to save time.

Automatic Notifications: As soon as a site visitor signs up, both your firm and the new registrant should receive email notifications. For the registrant, this message should include the event details so he has a copy of the information in his inbox. The firm, on the other hand, should simply receive a notification alerting them of the sign up so they can follow-up if necessary.

Automatic Updating: There are few things that look more unprofessional than having an outdated website featuring events that have already passed. Rather than have to set a reminder to update your “Upcoming Seminars” page each time an event is over, your email management system should do it for you automatically. This feature will ensure that your website stays up to date with no action needed on your end.

A Prospects Form: There will likely come a time in the year when you have no events scheduled for the immediate future. During those periods, many firms make the mistake of having an empty page informing site visitors to check back soon. The problem with this, of course, is that most visitors will not return in a few weeks to see if you’ve posted something which is why you have to be more proactive in your approach to converting visitors into registrants. Instead of having an empty page when you don’t have anything scheduled, you should instead include a note detailing the types of events you hold and a form where interested parties can submit their contact details. This allows you to maintain a database of prospective registrants who can be reached once you do plan your next events. Comprehensive event management systems, like that of Amicus Creative, automatically detect when your last seminar is held and will post a prospect form immediately so you never have an empty, ineffective page.

A Database of Past Events: If your firm holds multiple seminars each year, it can be burdensome on your support staff to maintain a database of all past attendees and events. A good event management system can do this for you, keeping track of past attendees and all event-related information such as description, venue, dates, etc.

At Amicus Creative Media, we’re all about tools that help you save time while effectively marketing your services. Our industry-leading Seminar Management Tool is seamlessly integrated into our user-friendly Site Manager and combines all of the great features above, allowing you to promote upcoming events and generate interest even when your calendar is clear. Contact us today to learn more about this great tool!

New Office Location. Same Great Service.

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Amicus Creative team has moved to a new headquarters in Port Washington, NY. Over the past few years, due in large part to the tremendous support of our clients, we’ve seen great growth and our team has expanded. The new office space will allow us to continue to grow and offer even more great features to the law firms we serve. Please note that our new address is 10 Harbor Park Drive, First Floor, Port Washington, NY 11050. Our phone number will remain the same.

Web Developer Pro-Tip: What images can I use on my firm website?

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Although you may be able to find a good photo in a Google search, chances are you can’t use the image on your law firm’s website without purchasing the license or, at the least, without having written permission from the photographer. Far too often, we hear from attorneys who have received a large bill from an image provider because they did not have the proper license to use the photo. While purchasing the original image may have only cost the firm seventy five dollars, the bill for damages and licenses can wind up costing the practice thousands of dollars. To avoid this common mistake, follow the tips below:

Purchase your photos from reputable stock photography sites. Some popular ones include istockphoto.com, bigstockphoto.com and shutterstock.com. These sites have millions of images available for purchase. Depending on the license and photo, the price for an image can vary dramatically.
Utilize free stock photo sites like everystockphoto.com and Stock.XCHNG which allow you to download images for free. But be careful and review the license of each photo prior to uploading it to your site; some may be included in marketing pieces while others cannot. Read the fine print to ensure you’re not infringing on someone else’s intellectual property.
For photos of landmarks or landscapes, local photographers are often the way to go. If you find a photo in an online gallery or on another company’s site, be sure to contact the photographer directly to purchase the rights to the image. Keep documentation of all transactions to prove that you hold license should a dispute arise down the line.
If you can’t find a photo on a stock or local photographer’s site, you might consider turning to Flickr to see what’s online. Flickr is an online storage system where individuals can post and share photos. Just as with all other online photos, you shouldn’t use the image on your website without permission, so be sure to contact the owner directly (the site has a messaging function) to ask if the photo may be used. Many of the account holders are amateur photographers or just folks who take photos for fun and many will grant permission provided that you give them credit for the work on your site.
Very often, firms have their legal assistants, law clerks and summer interns work on the firms’ websites. Unfortunately, these individuals may not be familiar with intellectual property law and wrongfully use photos without an understanding of the ramifications. If you are delegating your website development or upkeep projects to other members on your team, it’s essential that you discuss the guidelines and set strict rules on where images, and copy, may be obtained for the site. To cover all of your bases, you may even consider having your staff send you the photos, along with proper documentation, for approval before they are ever uploaded to your site.

It’s important to note that buying a photo for your website does not necessarily mean that it can be used across all of your marketing pieces (a brochure, sign, commercial, etc). Be certain to identify exactly how an image will be used and then make sure you purchase the correct license which covers all marketing collateral. If a photo is critical to your brand, you may consider buying exclusive rights to it. This can far more expensive but keeps others from using the image.

At Amicus Creative, we’re pleased to offer all of our clients unlimited stock images through our extensive photo library. Contact us today to learn more.

The First Gems of 2013

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

With the New Year upon us, there is a renewed sense of excitement around the office. We’re working on really great projects, helping dozens of new firms develop sites that will propel their practices in the coming months. Only four weeks into 2013 and we’ve already launched a few great new sites. Check out these gems below:

Backer Law Firm, P.A. - Boca Raton Community Association Lawyers

C. Mark Murrah, Attorney at Law - Houston Industrial Business & General Counsel Attorney

Devero Taus LLC - NY/NJ Employment Law, Bankruptcy and Family Law Attorneys

Law Office of Justin A. Zeller - New York Unpaid Wages and Overtime Employment Lawyer

Rosenberg Calica & Birney LLP - Garden City, NY Transactional & Litigation Law Firm

HTML5 & the Next Generation of Animation

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

For years, Adobe Flash has been the leading technology used by web developers to incorporate movement into the graphics of a website. Despite its popularity, Flash animation has been widely criticized. Many argue that it should be avoided for two main reasons: 1) when not properly implemented, Flash animation can be detrimental to SEO and 2) Apple does not allow Flash to run on iOS, the operating system which runs on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple TV.

As we all know, technology and the World Wide Web is far from stagnant and over the past few months, HTML5 has emerged as the new standard for site development. This new language for website development provides for an animation method that does not rely on Flash. HTML5 compliant animation can be viewed across all modern, and future, browsers and devices, including Apple phones and tablets, which has never been more important as the number of adults surfing the web on their mobile devices continues to increase at record rates.

If you’re considering animation on your firm’s website, we strongly recommend that HTML5 be utilized. At Amicus Creative, we’re pleased to be one of the first legal marketing companies employing this technology to ensure that all of the websites we develop remain cutting edge.