A law firm can set itself apart from its competition and help itself convert more new cases with great website design. In this day and age, finding ways to beat the competition online is crucial. As the market becomes more competitive, the more creative we have to be when it comes to our digital marketing strategies. Just having a website is not good enough- it not only has to be dynamic but to get conversions it has to offer outstanding user experience (UX). Speed People are no longer willing to wait. They now expect to find the answers to legal questions as fast as possible. This is why website speed is so important. When a law firm’s website is too slow to load, all the indications are that the majority of users click the “back” button and head to another firm. Indeed, Google’s algorithm updates are aimed at enhancing UX, and mobile UX is becoming increasingly important. Google warns that pages that deliver a slow experience for users will be penalised. This means that everything from hosting, through image compression, to the responsiveness of javascript are brought up to Google’s recommended best practices. Responsiveness Law firm websites that offer the best UX benefit from Google support whatever devices visitors use. Visual appeal is not good enough on its own. These days, users expect to be able to access websites that resize and display properly on mobile devices, desktop computers, and tablets. This is why investment in the latest responsive design elements will be necessary to maximize Returns on Investment (R.O.I.). Regular Updates Speed and responsiveness are by no means all that it takes to deliver quality UX. Website content has to evolve with the business if search engines are to reward the websites. They need to be updated regularly to fit in with the search engines looking at this aspect as an indicator a firm is up to date and fresh. Not continually updating a website with new SEO optimized content is bound to be punished. Custom Content Content is still king, but people want unique and comprehensive content that is geared towards answering their questions. This means that the overall look of a website is not good enough on its own. There needs to be a wealth of content that is educational and informational. Once visitors have arrived at the website it’s important to be able to comprehend how they interact with what you have to offer and this is key to determining whether you are getting a good R.O.I. Comprehensive reporting and tracking enable website owners to harness this type of crucial analytics to help better understand visitors so their UX can be enhanced and so make sure the marketing program is actually profitable. Website code Website code known as Structured Data or Schema helps give context and provide important details to Google like a business’s location, its service areas, phone number, etc. Attorneys don’t need to experts but they should always know the structured data is correctly marked up and properly optimized. Conversions The ultimate goal of a website is to the journeys of potential clients as easy as possible so they can make contact when they need what you have to offer. Because law firms aren’t staffed 24/7 your website needs to be built with conversion optimization in mind. Things like 24/7 chat services make sure your website works while you’re away. Phone numbers need to be easily accessible. Easily accessible contact forms are necessary to give visitors routes to Integration with social media is today a crucial element to give a law firm exposure so it can stay in the minds of potential clients. Another essential part of a law firm’s UX marketing strategy is known as email nurturing. This focuses on providing information about a law firm and what it offers. The way email nurturing campaigns work is by enabling visitors to the website ways of opting into your content, whether this is in the form of eBooks, or Videos in return for them providing their email addresses. Armed with an email address, you are able to communicate personalized information in the form of your choosing, whether this is educational guides, blog posts, videos. It’s possible to schedule emails so they are automatically sent out over a period of time. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows a law firm to be ranked online so it can easily be found if people are looking for the sort of services you offer. The key to this is the creation of a stream of high-quality content combined with educational information that gives visitors a valuable experience. This is essential, not least because we are living in an age of instant gratification because your potential clients want to get answers to their questions as fast as possible and if it’s not available they are bound to find answers elsewhere. Because people increasingly like to be given options, it’s important that your valuable information is available in a variety of easy-to-access formats. So as well as text-based content, it’s important to consider videos, blogs and eBooks as well. One Google Consumer Survey found that as many as 96% of people who seek legal advice are using one or other of the search engines to answer their questions. Now that so many of us have smartphones and tablets it’s crucial for a law firm to appear in local searches. Websites must be optimized with the keywords that are most relevant to a firm and the practice areas it supports. Optimizing a website so that it picks up common questions people ask about the services that relate to each of a firm’s practice areas is equally important. Indeed, they are probably the most important questions because they are being asked during a potential client’s “awareness phase” when information is being sought to help them understand their rights and who to retain to assist them. Connecting with visitors at this stage to help them understand whatever legal issue they are tackling, gives a firm a much better chance of the visitor being converted into a client. The reason why first impressions count for so much is that surveys show that 72% of people who seek legal advice only ever contact one attorney. This means that having a lot of useful information and a wealth of helpful resources on the website is bound to assist your firm gain the visibility and associated traffic from the search engines. It’s important to assist potential clients to find your firm early when they are searching for the practise areas your firm supports. When it comes to UX, video marketing is a powerful component. It is among the most effective ways of communicating and connecting with clients. A large proportion of people would prefer to watch a video than read any articles about the legal issue they are facing. With educational videos, it’s possible to showcase your firm’s expertise, and brand the business as having expertise in specific fields. The research indicates that 72% of people like videos over reading about legal matters. Indeed, US adults admit to watching an average one hour and 16 minutes of video each day and YouTube – the world’s largest video sharing platform – has over four billion video views on a single day. Google employs more than 200 factors to rank a website in terms of quality. The algorithms they use to monitor and remember the interactions of the people who use its search engine. For Google, how long someone spends on one of your pages is deemed to be a good indicator of content relevance and user intent. In terms of UX educational videos will encourage engagement of your website visitors and convince Google that your website is packed with interesting, relevant and useful information. By keeping visitors on your site for longer than your competitors, Google is bound to adjust things in favor of your website. By employing some if not all of the UX upgrades described here you are bound to better maximize the R.O.I. from your Law Firm’s SEO investment. To get more insights visit www.lawyerseo.com.
