Legal Internet Marketing Blog
DO’S:
Build your site around a theme that’s neither too broad, nor too narrow.
Be sure this theme meshes with the mission statement of your law practice. If, for instance, you’re a personal injury lawyer who specializes in serious injury and wrongful death suits, focus your content writing and SEO efforts on that niche of personal injury. This sounds intuitive. But you’d be surprised by how many legal websites fail to settle on a consistent, optimized theme.
Update your site regularly
Your web site is an organic, fluid object. Optimizing today doesn’t mean that it will rank well next week. Search engine algorithms change frequently and your SEO must keep current. Search engines reward sites that are updated regularly.
Keep your site simple and easy to navigate
Structure your site in an intuitive way, so that visitors aren’t bombarded with pop-up windows, banner ads, and other frustrating pathways. Use the KISS methodology, keeping in mind what your user may be looking for when they get there.
Get specific
Include details about you, your firm, location, fees, hours, statistics, and testimonials from prior clients.
Check your State Bar Rules on Advertising
This is the step that many law firms forget. Your State Bar DOES have rules on advertising and what you can and can’t put on your web site. Make sure you aren’t violating those rules when designing your site.
DON’Ts
Publish sensitive materials on your web site.
You might be handling the most exciting high-profile case ever. But if you violate a confidentiality agreement – even by “innocently” publishing material on the Web, you can face penalties, including disbarment.
Outsourcing all web duties to third parties
Internet consultants can design and build your web site, as well as market and optimize it. But be involved and know what your website says and check to make sure the images your web designer uses on your site are paid for and legal to use.
Copy content from another site
This is another area where many lawyers get in trouble. There are copyright rules with web site content. If you see information on another legal web site that you think is good, use it as a guideline but don’t copy and paste into your site to cut corners.
For more information and guidelines for building and or marketing a professional legal web site, visit us at www.slsconsulting.com.