These days, no law firm can hope to get off the ground without some kind of online presence. Just as how the e-commerce revolution has seen the traditional business go so forthrightly online that there are now more purchases made on websites than in stores, those seeking legal consultation or services first turn to the internet when they begin their search.
Therefore, it naturally follows that a successful law firm is one that gets website design right. Attorney website design company Peak Design says that its very existence shows that web design for law firms is very much its own discipline. And the place to begin, as with e-commerce, is to consider the individual looking on the internet for legal services.
Physical Space to Online Space
Furthermore, this idea of businesses moving online is important to keep in mind when designing your legal website. Just as there are physical stores and online equivalents, there are legal offices and their online equivalent. Of course, websites are not physical locations, but their design is dependent in some way on how the physical space is, or was, created.
For example, an online organic produce website will take many of its aesthetic choices from the aesthetics of a traditional farmer’s market. Thinking about such a site, it is easy to see how a webpage background that resembles the wood paneling of a farmer’s stall makes great sense.
In that same vein, a legal website should resemble a professional lawyer’s office in some way. Legal offices prioritize modernity, a certain restrained luxury, and smart interiors that suit well the besuited professionals that work in them. Accordingly, a legal firm’s website will rarely resemble a loud splash of color and content. It will instead be sleek, making use of block color in muted tones and text that is easily legible, smart, and professional looking.
Innovation and creativity go a long way too, of course, and you should not simply follow a template. Nevertheless, there is a certain way that legal firm websites look, and you should endeavor to conform to that to at least some extent.
Web Design Tips for Law Firms
Optimize for SEO
This tip should be included in every web design guide, as a good website is one that is optimized for SEO. For law firm websites, this means researching the keywords that are best for precisely the services you are offering. You need to get detailed, and tailor SEO to also account for what makes your website unique.
Make Contact Information Prominent
Anyone seeking legal services is usually looking for something pretty specific, and something that they themselves do not understand terribly well (that is why the law is a serious profession requiring years of study to practice). You cannot instantly give all the necessary information (it is too much, and it is too specific). Accordingly, customers will normally need to contact you directly. Therefore, your contact information is the information you should prioritize on the site. It should be on the homepage.
Consider the Essential Pages
What are the essential pages of a law firm’s website? That is actually something that does not vary too much. Accordingly, be sure to include an About page, a Contact page, and a Testimonials page. A blog is also a very good idea, as it can convey your professionalism and your attention to the ever-changing realities of the legal world.
These tips should provide you with the essentials of a law firm website. Combine this with a sleek professional aesthetic, and you have already covered the main bases. After that, it’s time to stand out.
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