I’m sure we’ve all been to those sites that take so long to load or confuse you at the first hurdle with poor signposting, or simply don’t look great. Usually, it means, you click off the page and end up on a competitor’s website, regardless of whether they have something good to offer.
Good user experience is a given so your website should look great on any device, be quick to load, be easy to navigate and let you find what you are looking for. These factors lead to a client that feels like they can trust your firm and will be more likely to submit an enquiry.
So, what are the top tips that your firm should consider when creating a user-friendly website?
1. Make sure your client’s first impression is a good one
How can a law firm do this?
Keep it authentic
Make sure your website reflects who you truly are as a law firm. Your brand is more than your logo, and the way you do things should be reflected in your website, from tone of voice to clarity of what you do and how you do it.
Focus on good signposting
Keep your website navigation simple. You should know your audience and understand what they want from your website. The site should be intuitive for them to find the information they are looking for. Make sure there are good calls to action throughout i.e., open forms and clear ways to get in touch with you. A positive experience reflects well on you and ultimately gets you more clicks and can help increase your ranking on search engines.
Show some personality
Don’t be afraid to be different. It doesn’t have to be wild and wacky, but letting people see the real ‘you’ can be very engaging, it shows honesty and can help build brand trust and loyalty over other firms.
2. Speed counts
Optimise for speed
You have seconds to engage your audience so if your website loads slowly, you have lost an opportunity. Google now considers load time important when ranking websites in search results — both on mobile and desktops, so a slow website directly affects your search engine optimisation (SEO).
Here are a few elements you can check to improve your site speed:
- Run a site speed diagnosis
- Reduce and compress your images
- Delete unused plugins
- Clean up your database
- Reduce Total Redirects
- Limit HTTP Requests
- Combine JavaScript and CSS Files
- Minify JavaScript and CSS files
The faster your website loads, the fewer bounces you will have and hopefully that will lead to more conversions. It won’t happen immediately but will certainly set you on the right path.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of SEO
Make search engine optimisation (SEO) for your law firm’s website a priority
It’s all very well having a beautiful engaging website, but your potential clients need to be able to find it! Search engine optimisation is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic. Good SEO optimises your visibility online. It helps you understand your audience by targeting the right keywords. If your content uses keywords and phrases regularly used by your clients, you will increase your visibility online.
We’ve got a dedicated SEO blog where you can read all about how to create copy that converts, how to use keywords and Google Analytics updates that you should know about.
4. Content. Content. Content.
Content creation
Well-written content is key to building trust, and authority and in turn promotes brand loyalty. It tells your client who you are and what you offer. Well-written, relevant legal content shows you are an expert in your field and can cover anything from blogs, social media posts and newsletters to website text and profiles. They should all be written in your brand's tone of voice and should be consistent, informative, up-to-date, and true. But remember, you are writing for a consumer, not another lawyer.
Once you’ve written the content, make sure it’s easy to find in your website navigation, signpost to other relevant articles, blogs and service pages in your content and don’t forget about SEO when you’re writing your firm’s website content.
A great user experience is the culmination of all your hard work in getting a website that not only looks good but performs well. It is also a very pleasant place to visit…and hopefully, keep coming back to.
Does your firm need support in creating a user-friendly website?
Well, we’d love to help. With over 19 years of experience in creating websites in the legal sector, we know a thing or two about what looks great and performs well, whilst incorporating the values and personality of your firm.
Give us a call on 0117 325 0200 or email us at sales@conscious.co.uk.