Do Lawyers Really Need User-Friendly Websites?

Potential clients are looking for the services you offer, but the problem is getting them to find you. In order to make that attorney-client connection, you need to let Google and the other search engines know that you have something valuable to offer.

How Do Lawyers Reach Potential Clients Online?

There are millions of law-related searches each month, and it’s been that way for the last decade. By knowing what your potential clients want, you can target your pages toward answering their questions – and that all starts with in-depth keyword research.

However, more important than keyword research (and keyword implementation) is website usability.

Do Lawyers Really Need User-Friendly Websites?

Having a user-friendly website serves two purposes: it’s better for your rankings and it’s better for your users.

How many times have you visited a website that’s tough to navigate, slow, or features bright, flashing text (or worse, music that auto-plays as soon as the page loads)?

How long did you stay?

Usability is incredibly important, and that’s particularly true for lawyers. That’s because your clients don’t come to your site to browse; they don’t come to choose between your services.

Your readers come to your site because they need something very specific, and you have between 3 and 5 seconds to make a good impression.

Part of making a good impression includes having a clean, usable and lightning-fast website that’s designed specifically for your firm.

What Does Your Firm Need to Have a User-Friendly Site?

Your firm’s website needs to be fast, because page loading speed has a huge impact on your bottom line. If it takes your website a long time to load, users will click away and visit your competitors.

Statistics show that a 1-second delay in the time it takes your page to load leads to a 7 percent loss in conversions, an 11 percent decline in page views and a 16 percent decrease in customer satisfaction.

That ultra-fast site needs to have clear, usable navigation and – you guessed it – plenty of user-friendly content. Your website needs to convey the fact that you’re a subject-matter expert in your field so that people develop an almost immediate sense of trust, knowing that they’ll be in good hands if they choose to retain your firm’s services.

Questions? Let us know in the comments below.