Attorney Website Design

Not just an annoyance but a downright security threat

Most law practices build websites to be found by prospective clients and generate new leads. With these firms, the main objective is to encourage site visitors to make contact (and come in for a consultation) so naturally they take great efforts to bold the telephone number and prominently display a contact form. We are often asked whether attorneys should also include their email addresses on their respective websites, after all, isn’t that the ultimate sign of accessibility? Our stance has always been no, but in the wake of increased malware email campaigns, our response to that question is a resounding NO.

Here’s why your email address should NOT be included on your firm’s website:

Many attorneys invest thousands of dollars in search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns in an attempt to improve their ranking in the search engine results and increase their firms’ visibility on the web. On several occasions, we’ve written about black hat techniques that are often employed by SEO consultants; while these strategies may produce quick results, once they are discovered by the search engines, the consequences can be devastating to a firm’s online presence resulting in the ultimate penalty – having your website deindexed.

Last year, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced nearly 1,300 new Top Level Domains that are being released throughout 2014.  In the world of online marketing, there has been much discussion surrounding these new internet properties and how they will impact websites and SEO.

For seven consecutive years, Virgin America has topped the list for the best domestic airline in the United States. The company is often applauded by leisure and business travelers alike for superior customer service, industry-leading in-flight entertainment and sleek cabin design. Branson’s team can now add another skill to its already impressive resume – killer website design.

Several weeks ago, Virgin America unveiled a completely revamped website designed to help customers book flights faster, regardless of whether the user was doing so from his office desktop or from a mobile device on his way to the airport. While attorneys aren’t in the business of selling airline tickets, there are some key takeaways from the redesign that can be applied to all web design, even that of legal professionals.

We often hear from attorneys who have a significant number of visitors to their websites but fail to get a steady number of contact inquiries through the site each month. If you’re one of these attorneys, you may painstakingly analyze your Analytics data, carefully re-read each page to ensure there are no offensive typos and even contemplate whether your attorney profile photo is scaring them away. One important component that is often overlooked by law firms during this review, however, is the contact forms throughout the website.

This year, the World Wide Web turns 25 years old! In the quarter of a century since its launch, it has become a staple in households and businesses across the country, and web users are more sophisticated than ever. Despite these advances, far too many website administrators continue to employ “click here” as the anchor text for their links. If you’re one of the many attorneys who do this, it’s time to reconsider your linking strategy. Here’s why:  visitors to your website understand that hyperlinked text (indicated by blue underlined text and cursor that changes to a hand when hovered over) is to be clicked on; don’t insult their intelligence by stating the obvious.

Consider the following:

In his most recent work, Michael Smith explores the complex structure of the Isochedra Virus.

vs.

In his most recent work, Michael Smith explores the complex structure of the Isochedra Virus. Click here to read this publication.

Would you know to click on the link in the first sentence? So do your visitors.

As much of the Northeast and Midwest thawed out from a VERY long winter, the Amicus Creative team was hard at work launching new sites for over 40 law firms! The development process of a new site is always an amazing experience – we have the opportunity to learn more about a firm and work as a team to bring their vision to life. The most exciting time, however, comes on the day we launch a new site knowing that the firm has unlimited potential to build a powerful web presence and the ultimate vehicle to drive this campaign.

Below you’ll find a few of the great new websites that we developed, and launched, this spring:

Cohen Family Law in Phoenix, AZ: CohenFamilyLaw.com

NYC Attorney Michael J. Redenburg: MJRLaw-NY.com

Child Safety Law, A Division of Sawicki & Lauten, L.L.P : ChildSafetyLaw.com 

Little Rock Estate Planning Firm Hyden, Miron & Foster, PLLC.: HMFLaw.net 

The Duffey Law Firm in Boca Raton, FL: TheDuffeyLawFirm.com

Can’t get enough? Check out more masterpieces on our portfolio page.

Over the past decade, there have been thousands of articles written on what makes an effective attorney website. These articles stress the importance of a professional design, well-written attorney profiles and high quality pages detailing your areas of practice; what they often fail to highlight, however, are the minor details which can make a world of difference to prospective clients. If you’re developing a new site or looking to improve your current one, consider the following:

Office Accessibility
If you’re in a big city, things like parking and proximity to public transportation can be a deal breaker for some prospective clients; be sure to include these details. You may also want to highlight whether your office is fully wheelchair accessible and include photos of your space.

With major advances in technology, marketers have more resources and data at their fingertips than ever before. Google Analytics is one of the great tools allowing webmasters to better understand visitor behavior and improve their websites to increase traffic and shift behavior patterns.

As we develop websites for attorneys, we are often asked what exactly visitors are looking for when coming to a legal site. While this differs greatly by practice area and even by geographic location, Analytics data has allowed us to identify a number of pages which almost always top the most visited list. If you are looking to strengthen your practice’s web presence, take time to carefully develop graphics and messaging for the following heavily visited pages on your site:

Many law firms have a number of forms on their websites. These forms may be for new contact inquiries, to request a free white paper, register for an upcoming seminar or schedule an initial consultation. Whatever the reason for the forms, the main goal is to have visitors engage with your firm by completing them. Below, we’ve included some expert tips on maximizing the number of online submissions you receive each month:

Developing a new website for your law firm is no easy feat. When it’s launched, you’ll likely head into celebratory mode, relishing in the fact that the writing, meetings with your website developer and revision reviews are now a thing of the past. But don’t kick up your feet too fast; the launch of a new website is just the beginning of a successful online marketing campaign. If you’re on the verge of launching a new website or have recently introduced a new site to the World Wide Web, review the following checklist to make sure you’re setting your site up for success.