Website Design for Lawyers: Tips & Example Sites

Perhaps you are just starting up a boutique, small-scale law practice, or you might be a large, well-established firm. In either case, you may be wondering how you can scale up your business and bring in new clients in the digital marketplace. All industries can reap the benefits of digital marketing, but in the legal field, the advantages of establishing yourself online can be invaluable.

The question is no longer whether your law firm should have a digital presence; it is how you can optimally share your brand across different devices and platforms, getting the attention of potential clients who may be interested in your services. Establishing social media accounts and creating a basic webpage for your firm can be simple enough, but if you don’t establish and maintain them correctly, you won’t be adding any value to your firm.

RizeUp Media has years of experience in website design, especially for law firms. Because our tried and tested methods have been proven to work for our clients, and our strategies constantly evolve to match the changing digital world, we can be an invaluable resource to maximize your exposure.

Why Website Design Is Important for Law Firms

Word of mouth used to be a marketing strategy that law firms could rely on to attract business. However, in today’s digital world, interested clients are relying more on well-established digital branding, portfolios, and customer reviews to choose their legal representatives. To connect people with your services, they need to know that you exist. Unfortunately, if you don’t show up in their Google search, you will probably miss out on that client.

In addition to showing up in Google searches by optimizing your SEO strategy, your law firm needs to be represented professionally with a well-designed website that looks clean and has optimized content for your market. If your website is not useful and straightforward for the interested user, you can drive away a potential client. By using your website to show those interested how your firm is unique compared to competitors, and the different services you have to offer, you can impress and win new clients.

First Impressions Matter

When designing a website for your law firm, your site should impress from the beginning of the user experience. In a Google search, you want to have a strong description for your site that will make the user click on it. Once they land on your main webpage, the user should be encouraged to read more and be able to easily link to the information they are looking for.

Scientific studies have consistently shown that individuals decide whether your brand and website resonate with them in less than a second. This means that the first impression of your firm’s website can potentially decide whether you land a new client. Therefore, it is critical to have a well-structured, clean, and organized website. That, combined with powerful branding, can quickly convince potential customers to contact you and trust your services for their legal issues.

Branding and Professionalism

Establishing a brand is an effective strategy to make your firm recognizable. It can be used as a tool to quickly help interested clients understand what your firm stands for. Strong branding can also more easily facilitate the referral and recommendation process. When you transfer your brand to the digital space, it can make your websites and applications blend together seamlessly. The cohesiveness that digital branding can bring to your website helps your customers better understand your law firm’s values and priorities.

With any strong brand should come professionalism. For technical legal issues, clients want to know that they can count on you to represent them. If your website is not well put together, with clear and informative messaging, then potential clients will likely feel as if they cannot rely on your firm for more complex legal matters.

You can establish professionalism by putting faces to the name of your law firm. Include high-quality photos of your lawyers and legal staff, and give information about each person. This will humanize your law firm and increase your chances of landing an initial consultation. Furthermore, you will want to establish your credibility by clearly linking to:

• Previous cases you have won
• Any certifications and awards your team has
• In-depth testimonials from previous clients

When building up your brand, you will want to be sure that you have the right color scheme, fonts, textual organization, logo, stock photos, and more. The impression of your brand is expressed both through what the user can see on your page and the emotions and knowledge they gain from consuming your content. Getting your firm’s web page branding right is a long and iterative process. Therefore, it’s recommended to have professionals in digital marketing help you.

Website Design Best Practices for Law Firms

When designing a strong and resonating website for your law firm, it is critical to keep some best practices in mind. These can guide you in both the design and editing processes and help you set clear goals for the website’s look and quality. Some no-brainers for website design include:

• Having a website that facilitates easy navigation between pages
• Having a website that is compatible with multiple different devices
• Using the same branding icons and strategies across your website
• Keeping the content professional

Furthermore, your website should provide value for the user. When navigating through your website, the user can learn more about:

• Your firm’s services and past accomplishments
• The legal information they are interested in
• What they can expect in the upcoming legal processes they will be experiencing

A well-designed website can ensure that these client needs are met, and following these best practices in detail can help your website meet these expectations.

Mobile-Friendly Design

As of now, mobile websites are more often visited than their desktop counterparts. This means that law firms need to prioritize the mobile look and feel of their website design to match the needs of interested clients. The website’s mobile version should have:

• Easy-to-read text
• Logical scrolling patterns
• Pictures and text that are balanced in size and scale

It should be easy to simultaneously read and interact with content on one webpage while being able to access a toolbar or navigation bar to easily reach another page. In addition to having a website that is easy to use on smaller screens, it should be able to load optimally.

Fast Load Times

Your law firm’s website should be easy to load, no matter what browser you are on or what device you are designing for. Large content, such as videos and high-resolution photos, should be load tested, and if the loading time is slow, then the files should be optimally compressed. On the backend, your website can have faster load times by having concise and efficient code. Overall, it’s important to keep in mind that a website that is slow or difficult to use can cause frustration and, ultimately, a loss of website traffic.

Clear and Concise Information

When interested clients come to your webpage, they are not just looking to browse. The users on a law firm’s website, or any type of informative legal web page, are looking for specific information. If your firm’s website has convoluted or fluffy text, or content that is not clearly organized, the user will not be able to find what they are looking for.

Therefore, your website should have information that is detailed and informative while also being easy to digest and locate. Whether the user wants to learn more about your staff, certain law topics, or how to contact you, they should be able to intuitively navigate the site to find the information they need.

Compelling Content

Not only should the information on your law firm’s website be easy to find, straightforward, and digestible, but it should also be unique and compelling. Examples of content that can capture and keep more users on your website include:

• Informative blogs
• Well-written articles about local court cases or legal issues
• The community involvement of your law firm

By keeping your content original, attention-grabbing, and useful for readers, you can build credibility and trust, landing you more clients.

High-Quality Images

High-quality images can go a long way on a website. Pixelated images or tacky stock photos can quickly decrease the appeal of a website, which ultimately reflects on the professionalism of your brand. Use well-lit photos that help users get to know your firm more personally, such as:

• The building you are located in
• Current staff
• Previous clients
• Photos of the city or community you are located in

Client Testimonials

It is helpful to provide information about your services along with knowledge regarding legal topics and concerns. However, if your firm cannot prove its previous success in the legal field, prospective clients will have less confidence that you can achieve optimal results for their case.

To build trust, your website should have testimonials from previous clients. It’s important to have snippets of these testimonials located on the homepage so that interested users will see them right away. You should have a dedicated testimonials page and include further examples in the biographies of the lawyers and staff. You should strive to provide the name of the previous client along with detailed quotes.

Website Services for Lawyers

Building a website for your law firm can be more easily understood by exploring the different services that are offered by website design and marketing firms. By understanding which web services can specifically benefit law firms, you can more easily tackle problems related to building and revising your firm’s website.

Attorney Website Hosting

Attorney website hosting involves tailoring website hosting needs to those specific to a law firm. This would include:

• Making sure that the hosted website meets legal and ethical requirements.
• The data collected on the website is encrypted and protected.
• The website is backed up in case of a malfunction or crash.

Website Content for Lawyers

Optimizing website content for your law firm’s web page is critical to drawing new clients to your page and keeping them there. By optimizing your content with keywords that are relevant to user needs, you can attract the right kind of traffic to your webpage. Having content that links to other useful pages is a key strategy that keeps potential clients reading your content, ultimately driving them to reach out to you for more information or a consultation. A digital marketing firm that has experience curating original content for law firms can help you make your website meaningful and relevant as regulations, interests, and trends in law change over time.

Law Firm Website Development

Website development can be an extremely technical process, as it can require building a website from the ground up. This requires both back-end and front-end coders, along with skilled UI and UX designers. It can also entail revamping an existing website to better reflect the brand and values of your law firm. An experienced and talented website design agency should be skilled in:

• Using website building tools
• Optimizing layouts and page navigation
• Customized website features
• The integration of other tools, such as chat features

Mobile Website Design

Mobile website design, a key focus during the modern website design process, has become so crucial that it is now its own trade. If your firm has an established desktop website, but needs to establish more credibility on mobile platforms, a website design firm can help you translate your messaging and branding seamlessly to a mobile website. That way, interested clients can discover your firm’s services on the go.

Website Optimization for Lawyers

Having a well-designed website with recent, relevant, and enticing content is key to establishing your law firm as trustworthy and professional. However, the content must be optimized to get interested clients to your website in the first place. A website design firm accomplished in website optimization can help you strategize to match your legal content to high-impact search words and phrases. This also includes effective backlinks to help your firm land at the top of search engines.

Blog Website Design

Having a blog can be an effective marketing strategy that provides useful information to interested customers. For example, if an individual has recently been arrested for a DUI, and they are anxious and unsure about what their next steps will be, your blog could be an extremely useful tool for them. Not only could they potentially find your DUI attorney services on your website, but they could also learn more about:

• The potential consequences of a DUI
• Common defense strategies
• How to navigate certain DUI-related legal procedures

By having a blog, you are already establishing a strong relationship with the client before they have even contacted your firm directly. A website design firm that can help you flesh out your blog is an invaluable asset.

Best Lawyer Website Design Examples

When designing an effective and compelling website, it’s important to have inspiration to help guide you along the way. This can help you brainstorm about what you would like to see on your website and set goals for how you would like the website to function overall.

RizeUp Media designed a clean and impactful website for The Law Offices of Robert Tsigler, PLLC. The website uses a cool color scheme to reflect a serious and professional tone and high-quality photos of New York City to reflect the prestige and scale of the firm’s accomplishments. The website is easy to navigate and features clear pictures and biographies of Robert Tsigler and his legal staff to add a personal touch. Awards and distinctions are clearly visible on most of the web pages, and there is always a possibility to reach out to the team directly.

Another effective and original website that RizeUp Media designed is that of The Law Offices of Catherine A. Schwartz. This website has a warm and personal feel in that the focus of the homepage is three trustworthy law professionals from the office. On this site, there are clear examples with high-quality photos pointing to the firm’s engagement in the local Riverside community. The detailed overview of practice areas, split into three major areas, and display of awards show off the breadth and depth of knowledge that the professionals in this firm have.

Lawyer Website FAQ

Why Do Law Firms Need a Website?

There are many reasons why a law firm needs a website, but the foremost reason is to establish credibility as a firm. Even if a client is referred to your firm by word of mouth, they will likely still check your website to look at:

• The services you offer
• Successful cases you have had in the past
• The most efficient way to contact the firm

Having this online presence can also:

• Bring in new potential clients.
• Serve as a portfolio that can show all the accomplishments your firm has garnered.
• Display the ways it has given back to the community.

What Makes a Good Lawyer Website?

A website for lawyers should strive to be excellent. It can do so by:

• Having straightforward and informative content
• Being easy to use and scroll through
• Having clear messaging and branding
• Incorporating third-party tools when necessary
• Being optimized for search engines
• Having an agile and easily adaptable architecture
• Linking to methods of contact and social media

Overall, an attorney can establish their branding and priorities with a quality website.

How Much Do New Law Firm Websites Cost?

If a law firm is building a website from scratch, the costs can vary. A more complex website, with different third-party tools and custom functionalities, as well as constant website monitoring, will cost more than a simpler website with a more straightforward architecture. Overall, the costs of websites for law firms can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the needs of the firm.

What’s the Best Lawyer Web Design to Get Clients?

To land clients, you will need to optimize your attorney website based on your specific services, locations, and priorities. For example, if you are a more local firm focused on a niche area of law, then you want to make sure you are optimizing SEO for your specific location and law practice so that specific clients can learn more about your services. You will also want to highlight local involvement and the history of your staff in the community. If you are a larger firm with many offices, you might target broader keywords and phrases to reach a larger audience.

Should I Keep My Current Law Firm Website or Start a New One?

Deciding whether to keep your website or design and build a new one from the ground up, can be an overwhelming and complex decision to make. Generally, the answer will depend on the size and content of your existing website and how much that current infrastructure reflects the branding, goals, and services of your law firm.

While many attorneys interested in renovating their old sites are keen to do so, thinking that they will save money, this is often not the case. Building a new site can sometimes be less expensive, especially if the existing site:

• Is outdated
• Doesn’t have functionality on other devices
• Does not reflect the contemporary evolution of the firm

Grow Your Business With a New Attorney Website

If your firm is ready to establish its brand in the digital space, RizeUp Media can help you design the optimal website to fit the services, scale, and goals of your law firm. Our website design team can help your firm establish a strong and professional online presence while bringing in new clients. We have experience showing off our clients’ achievements and chief areas of practice online to establish trust with new clients. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build a website that can expand your firm’s reach and presence.