We can simplify with two acronyms. SEO and SEM.
Let’s start from the beginning. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and SEM for Search Engine Marketing. Both using search engines, mainly Google. Google is the first place to go when something related to law is required and there is where your law firm should be listed. Google can rank your social media and your website, but it’s proven that social media is not the best sales channel for a law firm. Let’s dive in.
Almost 65% of large firms, 50% of medium, and 25% of small firms today have a website presence. All objectives ranging from recruitment to public service are carried out through websites. These numbers can represent a big presence and also a big opportunity. There are still many law firms without a website in the digital age.
Reasons why a law firm must have a website
The fundamental reason that a law firm must have a website is to showcase its expertise and professionalism. In the days of yore, the chances are high that a client visits google before visiting you in person, and the client has every information who is the best and whom to consult. We all can agree that law is a serious niche that relies on credibility, and everything that you can do to improve your brand authority, your reliability, your credibility, how clients see you as an expert, it’s positive.
Clients find it easy to reach a particular law firm through a web search
Even when people know that your firm exists. Still, they prefer to look up on google before visiting you in person. This is pretty much self-explanatory. People usually don’t have time to come across a law firm’s tv commercial, memorize it and finally recall it when they need it. That’s too much to ask.
“According to the National Law Review, 74% of consumers visit a law firm’s website to take action. That’s nearly three-quarters of people.”
Calls are NOT anymore the most efficient way to converts leads into intakes
When marketers analyze law firm website conversions, the majority of them are contacting the firms through web tools, such as advanced forms, online chat, email, or simultaneously with other channels like Facebook, Youtube, or LinkedIn. Yes, of course, they still call sometimes, but this is not the majority of customers anymore. Growing Law Firms are following the digital trends and new generations. Calls are less and less common.
Blogging (content)
Whenever people face any legal issue, the first thing they do is to go on google and type the problem. Here you may see the advantage of consistent blogging. When you frequently appear in the top search, the users automatically start to trust the information you provide. Resultantly, your firm emerges as credible. Now you have the advantage to promote your services using blogs, which others don’t have.
According to a recent study, blogging constitutes more than 1/3 of an average law firm’s budget. Consistent blogging integrating relevant keywords would increase the chances to rank on google by 400%. Blog generates content, content is SEO, SEO is great ROI. If you didn’t yet, search for law firm competitors and you will see, the best-ranked websites have a blog with plenty of content given for free.
Pairing with Search Engine Marketing(SEM)
SEM is a paid marketing that either takes place on search engines or different websites. Nowadays, SEM is taking the top spot in terms of the most prudent way to gain clients where you are paying to be in the top position. Think as a shortcut. We do have billions of websites on the internet, so if you are starting now or never did any search engine optimization, chances are that you are not well ranked and hard to be found. Paying to be in the top position of Google is a way to get traffic and also improve how Google sees your website. More traffic is equal to more relevance to Google, more relevance can mean a better ranking if everything is made well.
Law Firms are definitely using this strategy to grow their revenue, with a high average service price, the cost of acquisition of a new customer is pretty affordable. Let’s say that they pay $3,000 per month with the whole advertising, but they get $400,000 in sales per year, sounds good, right? Moreover, it requires a specialist to set and manage campaigns that can get very complex. A suitable SEM strategy would help your business to grow at an exponential pace. But patience is the key: initially, small firms require time and effort to establish their credibility and exposure. Although SEM helps to gain the attention of clients yet it requires persistence and commitment at the start.
A way to gain trust and credibility
The simple fact that you have a website can actually mean a lot. Not having a website these days is automatically associated with an amateur. And this is definitely what a law firm should NOT look like. But do it right. As Google itself says, if you have an awful website, hard to use, poor layout, it’s better not to have one. Because this is also can damage your company’s brand, and instead of being associated as an amateur, the company would be associated with a company not reliable.
Whenever people face any legal issue. The first thing they do is to go on google and type the problem. Here you may see the advantage of consistent blogging. When you frequently appear in the top search, the users automatically start to trust the information you provide. Resultantly, your firm emerges as credible. Now you have the advantage to promote your services using blogs, which others don’t have.
The perception of a great design
By comparing two restaurant lobbies, one is McDonald’s in your neighborhood and the other is Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, a very fancy and awarded restaurant. Two cellphones, one it’s not even a smartphone and the other is the new iPhone. You can definitely tell they have a very different price, services/features, and quality.
Law firms that look premium can, not only get more leads but can also charge more by just simply looking better.
A great design is not only about charging more, it’s about communicating right with your customer. There are different prices for different services and niches. You may have different values from a personal injury law firm and an immigration law firm.
Developing a personal brand
A study by LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell indicates that almost 86% of law firms get the most traffic at lawyer’s bio page. At the end of the day, every company is also a person behind it. Law firms definitely have this stronger than other business segments. The reason being a client is more interested in a lawyer’s credential than a firm as a whole. It gives competent lawyers a chance to develop a personal brand. It provides opportunities for individuals to grow, and the firm also gets more traffic and conversions. Social media marketing does count here, and that’s what they were made for, social networking, dissemination of relevant content.
But wait, this doesn’t mean that the rest is not important. If you check the lawyer’s bio, it looks good, but then you see a poor company structure, amateur process, no reviews, and so on, you may not get as many leads as you should get.
Way forward
Definitely, setting up a website for a law firm is not a one-and-done strategy. It is a step in generating a long-term online presence. Blogging, paid advertisement, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email marketing are all critical components of an online presence. The only challenge a law firm may face is protecting the sensitive information and privacy of clients. For that, every law firm must hire an internet consultant.
You could go on and on with the reasons why your law firm needs a professionally designed website, but these are just a few. If you operate a law firm and don’t have a website yet, we hope this article convinces you otherwise. Create an attractive, sales-focused, and professional website for your company’s online marketing expansion. You are welcome to contact Webegin, an awarded agency and listed as one of the Top Law Firm Web Design Companies. If you have any questions or wish to speak with a free consultant regarding your current circumstances.