Today, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can create a law firm website design. And if they can’t, your nephew twice-removed or your neighbor’s daughter can probably help you out. That said, not all law firm websites are created equal. Now, without going into a long dissertation about what a web surfer is looking for, here are a the top 3 questions that your attorney website must answer (easily and quickly):

  1. What do you do (at a glance)? Within the first 3 seconds of finding your website, I need to know what your law firm does and where you are located. If I have to scroll down the page, you have lost me. Make it as easy on me (and other potential clients) as humanly possible. That can include creating a very, very basic slogan, such as “Dallas Injury Lawyers” or “Helping Immigrants in California”. 
  2. How do I contact you? I need to see your phone number at the top of the page in big, bold, bright numbers. No, it is not sufficient for the number to be at the bottom of the page or on the contact page. Again, make this as easy as possible for me – I shouldn’t have to scroll down the page or go to another page to be able to talk to you. And, if your phone number has letters (such as 1-800-Lawyers), you should show the numeric equivalent. Again, this is to make it as easy as possible for someone to call you.
  3. Is there a fee to call you? Now, this is not applicable to all practice areas; however, if there is no fee to call you (such as with personal injury attorneys), or, if you offer a free initial consultation, put that up in big, bold, bright letters right next to the phone number. If you want to spur someone to action (the action being calling the firm), what is better than letting them know that the call is free? Yes, you may get a few looky-lous who want free legal advice, but a few great cases will make up for that.

There are a myriad of other tips on how to make your lawyer website more effective (get rid of flash or make it just an element of the site, get rid of generic photos of gavels and columns that make you look like every other law firm, etc). But, if your law firm website can answer these three questions, you are well on your way to making the internet work for you.