Websites are an expected part of any lawyer or law firm marketing plan. Gone are the days of having a website that looks like the firm’s brochure. Legal websites are dynamic tools that play a crucial role in creating conversations. Websites come in all shapes and sizes, with varying levels of sophistication. The cost of the site isn’t the indicator of its success. Rather, websites must be compelling. They also must be easy to find on search engines, and simple to use and navigate. Here are just a few components that even the most modest website should have:

• Responsive design. People go to the internet as a first stop when looking for information.  And, they are increasingly using their phones and tablets to conduct research and business. Today’s websites need to provide a solid user experience across all mobile devices in addition to desktops and laptops. Responsive design is an automated feature that scales the website for easy use on mobile and tablet devices. It should include simple functionalities, such as tapping a phone number to make a call. Remember, that mobile devices are typically fairly small. So, make sure your responsive design elements scale to the most important info on the full site. Finally, make sure it is fast and compatible with the most frequently used systems.
• Relevant and content rich. Search engines are driven by content relevancy and freshness. In our ‘instant gratification’ driven world, it is important that trending information is at the most forefront of your site. The most successful websites provide frequent, relevant and useful information. It also should be engaging for the visitor. Consider content such as blog posts, brief articles, video and graphics. Adding visitor-relevant content as often as possible will help your site be found by search engines more easily.
• Scannable content. While we are on the topic of content… remember that you have just a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. Use white space, bullet points, ‘regular’ words and brevity. People scan website content, it’s a fact!
• Use social media. Social media outlets are phenomenal tools for driving traffic to your website. Use social media to amplify your content, draw visitors to your site and build your reputation in the marketplace. Make sure your website integrates with all the social media tools you are using so that folks may easily share your content.
• Easy navigation through a clear brand. This is by no means news, but it bears repeating. It is absolutely crucial that it is easy for visitors to find what they want and quickly.  A consistent, branded design that clearly speaks to a targeted audience is the cost of admission.

Websites are incredible tools for law firms and lawyers. They provide a repository of knowledge that tells a story and invites a conversation. There are many components to creating a website that works towards achieving your goals. Using the above tips will help get you started on any website redesign or enhancement project.