Whether you’re a large or small law firm, marketing tasks can easily fall to the bottom of the to-do list. With so many active cases requiring your attention, it can feel impossible to devote your time to non-billable tasks without an immediate impact on your revenue.
But marketing tasks are a primary way firms source new leads and convert them to clients, and neglecting them can have serious long-term consequences for your law firm.
If you’re looking for the biggest bang for your buck, optimizing your law firm website is a great place to start. Research shows that 33% of people start their attorney search online, and 96% of people seeking legal advice turn to the internet first.
The good news is that an intuitive and responsive website can build your firm’s legal authority and help you show off your expertise to prospective clients. When paired with a legal client relationship management software, or legal CRM, your website can gather valuable information that can be used to automatically follow up with leads and funnel them through the sales pipeline.
The even better news? You don’t need to be a digital marketing expert to make your website start working for you. Try these five simple tips to make the most out of your biggest marketing asset: your website.
1. Add new content regularly
When a prospective lead searches for the “best law firm in Atlanta,” how can you ensure your firm will show up at the top of the results instead of on the fourth or fifth page?
Search engines use a complex process to rank website pages, but in essence, they try to determine which websites are most relevant and trustworthy—and those websites are the ones that get rewarded with the highest rankings. One simple way to boost your credibility in the eyes of search engines—and your clients—is to add new content to your site regularly.
Adding new content like blogs, case studies, or video testimonials shows search engines you’re an active business. Additionally, the more content you have on your site, the more potential keywords you have that someone could search for. For instance, if you have blogs like “How To Choose A Lawyer,” “What To Do If You Get Sued,” and “Things To Keep In Mind When Getting Divorced,” you’re expanding the possibility that your website will come up when leads type in questions about divorce, lawsuits, or hiring a lawyer.
High-quality site content also shows off your competency to prospective clients.
If you infrequently update your website, it can make your firm appear dated—or, worse, incompetent. Consistently publishing relevant content can establish your knowledge and experience in your legal practice area. Blogs or videos also give a sense of your firm’s personality to prospective clients, which can go a long way towards beginning to build a relationship with them.
2. End each page with a call-to-action
In an ideal world, every visitor to your website would immediately contact your office afterward and sign on as a new client. While no website can guarantee all leads will convert to clients, you can make it more likely by providing a clear call-to-action (CTA) on every web page.
A call-to-action invites website visitors to take the next step towards becoming your client. There are several approaches to CTAs. For instance, you could provide a contact form at the end of each blog, or a button link that directs leads to a live chat with a firm representative. Some CTAs may be in the form of a subscription to the firm’s newsletter or a calendar link to assist leads in scheduling a consultation.
Think of it this way: without a CTA, you’re risking that leads who gain valuable information from your website will then call another firm for support. CTAs give leads a clear path forward and prevent interested leads from unknowingly slipping through the cracks.
3. Make it easy to navigate
HubSpot reports that the average user spends 54 seconds on a webpage before leaving.
Leads need to be able to find the information they came to your site for. If they can’t find it immediately, they’ll move on. It’s as simple as that. If you only have a lead’s attention for 54 seconds, what information are you going to prioritize?
Showcase your legal practice areas and the geographic areas your firm serves on the homepage of your website as well as an easy way to get in contact with you. You can always give more detailed information, like a dedicated description of your firm’s practice areas, a relevant, engaging blog, and an “About Us” section highlighting your firm’s vision and values, in clear tabs located on your homepage.
It’s important for visitors to your site to immediately understand how to get the answer to their search query—you can engage them with your competence, glowing reviews, and case studies once you’ve earned their attention.
4. Show off your successes
Hiring a law firm can be an intimidating process for first-time clients—that’s why most clients choose a law firm based on referrals, according to Above the Law.
While referrals from friends and family may be the most comfortable way to choose a law firm, online reviews can act as a kind of anonymous referral. By bolstering your website with strong, thoughtful reviews from current and former clients, you’ll boost your reputation and win more clients.
If you’re posting reviews or client testimonials on your website, it’s important to request permission first. Ask select clients whom you’ve developed a strong working relationship with to provide your key reviews. If possible, add a section highlighting important case results to further showcase your firm’s experience and give leads a glimpse of what to expect when working with your firm.
5. Improve security
The importance of security for your website can’t be understated. Legal clients share confidential and personal information with their legal team. If your website doesn’t highlight your commitment to cybersecurity, it tells clients their personal information might be vulnerable when working with your firm.
There are a few simple ways to improve the security standards on your law firm’s website. One is to install an SSL certificate, which enables your website to send and receive encrypted information. If your firm uses online chat or contact forms, having a valid SSL certificate is essential to securing leads’ sensitive information.
Another way to secure your site is to implement a CAPTCHA solution on all forms that request personal information. You’re probably familiar with CAPTCHA solutions, even if you don’t know them by that name—they’re the tests that require you to select images showing particular items, like cars, bikes, or buildings, before filling out online forms. CAPTCHA protects websites from spam or hacking by preventing bots from completing site forms and accessing site information.
Legal CRM makes marketing easy
You don’t have to have a dedicated marketing team to gain new business. The key to effective marketing is working smarter, not harder, with the software solutions you already use in your daily practice. That’s why CosmoLex created our own legal-specific CRM software, chock full of marketing automation tools that integrate directly with our legal practice management solution.
With legal and trust accounting, billing and payment capabilities, practice management solutions, and legal CRM, CosmoLex’s suite of law firm management features makes running your firm easier than ever. To see how working with CosmoLex can improve your day-to-day business, schedule a demo or register for a free trial.