6 Steps to Get Your Law Firm to Stand Out Online
Monday, September 22, 2014

It wasn’t that long ago that a law firm could stand out online just for the sole reason that it had a website. 

Stand out onlineToday, law firm websites are ubiquitous, so they are no longer a differentiating factor.  You’re going to have to dig a little deeper to set yourself apart online, especially since the majority of people looking for lawyers are doing the early part of their searches on the Web.

Here are six steps to differentiating your law firm online:

1.  Pinpoint your ideal target market.  Try to be as specific as possible in narrowing your target market down by demographics and personal profiles.  This is key to your success in any kind of marketing, because if you fail to do this, nothing else you do will matter.  You don’t want to waste time marketing to everyone, because no one is looking for a generalist these days.  People have specific problems (to them) and want a specialist to help solve them.

2.  Create a landing page for different practice areas.  This is especially critical for consumer attorneys (personal injury, family law, criminal defense, etc.) since you want to focus on the specific things people are searching for online.  Someone in a car accident is more likely to search for “car accident attorney” than “personal injury attorney”.  The most successful PI attorneys we know have separate landing pages for car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, brain injuries, etc.

3.  Give something away.  People love to get something for free, and it doesn’t have to cost you a dime.  You want people to provide you with their email address and name and in return, you provide them with something of value.  Think about the top 10 questions you get from clients and create a free download with the answers.

4.  Create relevant, interesting content.  No one is going to remain on your website, or visit you more than once, if they find boring content that is heavy on the legalese.  You must write simply and concisely, using laymen’s language.  And you need to keep adding relevant content to your site to keep readers coming back.

5.   Create a blog.  A blog on your website is one of the best tools in your online marketing arsenal to keep and attract readers.  Plus, since you are always adding fresh content, a blog helps your site rank better in search.  A blog also allows you to humanize your law firm so prospects get a good idea of what it would be like to do business with you.

6.  Optimize for mobile.  More people are using smart phones and tablets to view websites than they use a desktop or laptop these days, so your website must absolutely be optimized for mobile viewing.  Even though the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen, people are still not going to want to try to manipulate your site on their screens to get the information they need.  Get a mobile website, or better yet, use responsive web design on your main site so it is seen in its best light no matter what device people are using.

 

NLR Logo

We collaborate with the world's leading lawyers to deliver news tailored for you. Sign Up to receive our free e-Newsbulletins

 

Sign Up for e-NewsBulletins