Most lawyers I know have a pretty healthy ego and let me state for the record that there’s nothing wrong with that.  Successful business people have healthy egos or they wouldn’t be as successful as they are.

But there is one place where your ego can get in the way of your lead generation efforts, and that is on your website.

For many law firms, a website is a vanity project.  They want a big, glossy photo of their attorneys (preferably in an imposing board room), and their firm name and their awards or recognitions prominently displayed on the home page.

That means a lot to you.

That means bupkus to your prospective clients.

Here’s what they want to know when they visit your website home page:

You practice the kind of law I need.  Whatever type of law you practice should be spelled out clearly and be one of the first things a visitor to your website sees. 

You understand my problem.  Get all the lawyer words off your site and speak to your prospect in their language so that they understand that you understand.  This builds trust.  And if they don’t trust you, they won’t do business with you.

You have the knowledge I need to solve my problem.  Lots of law firm websites have information that clients want to know hidden under a “Reference” or “Resources” tab.  This is important stuff to prospects; don’t make them hunt for it.

I understand the benefits and value I will receive if I work with you.  This is a tough one for most lawyers because they don’t really understand the benefits of working with their firm, so you have to spend some time really giving this some thought.  Look at the testimonials you have gathered and glean from those what really means something to your clients. Using terms like, “We care” is both trite and commonplace.  Get to the meat of the matter.

If you are wondering if your ego has gotten in the way of having a website that can really generate leads for your firm, ask a friend (NOT another lawyer) or two to look at it and tell you exactly what they see.  Do not give them any of your input; just ask them what their first impressions are of your site. Then make the necessary changes to ensure your website speaks to your prospects, not to your ego.