7 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT LAW FIRM WEBSITES

7 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT LAW FIRM WEBSITES
BY: MATTHEW SAMP
many website design firms have courted the legal
market to create website for law firms. the
PROBLEM IS, MOST DESIGNERS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE
unique needs of a lawyer, how the firms operate
and how to create a website that makes money for
THE LAWYER.

following are seven common misconceptions about
LAW FIRM WEBSITES.

misconception #1: i can create my own website.

if you're happy with a website that gives
visitors basic information about you, then
YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE A WEBSITE
that works.

HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT A WEBSITE THAT WILL
consistently bring in cases, it has to be
different from the websites of other lawyers in
YOUR AREA.

further, it has to give the visitor a reason to
CONTACT YOU. SIMPLY OFFERING A FREE CONSULTATION
or free report is not enough. you have to have a
"sticky" website, one that has lots of
INFORMATION THAT PEOPLE FIND USEFUL, ONE THAT
they come back to for reference and a website
that develops a relationship with the visitor.

misconception #2: if i put my website on the
INTERNET, PEOPLE WILL AUTOMATICALLY FIND ME.

they old saying, "build it and they will come,"
COULDN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. JUST BECAUSE
you have a site on the web, doesn't mean people
can find it.

today, seos (search engine optimizers) are
getting big money (two to five thousand a month)
TO GET WEBSITES LISTED IN THE TOP OF THE SEARCH
engines.

ONCE YOU HAVE A WEBSITE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A
systematic way to drive traffic to your site.
there are many ways to drive traffic, but just
PUTTING THE SITE UP IS THE FIRST STEP IN HAVING
a website.

misconception #3: if i put my website on the
internet, people will automatically hire me.

usually not. most law firm websites are nothing
more than a few "fluffy" paragraphs about the
LAW FIRM. IF YOUR WEBSITE SAYS:

"at smith law office, we believe putting the
NEEDS OF THE CLIENT COMES FIRST. WITH THE USE OF
technology and competent legal research, our
attorneys are able to advise our clients, giving
THE CLIENT AN ADVANTAGE IN EACH MATTER."

or something similar, no doubt your message is
IGNORED BY THE VISITOR.

the fact is, consumers are smart today, than
EVER BEFORE. WITH THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION
available to people and those lawyers willing to
give it out in mass quantities, people expect
MORE THAN LOP SERVICE. THEY WANT SOLID
information in a format that's easily
accessible.

the visitor has to be compelled to contact the
firm, or they won't turn into a client.

misconception #4: law firm websites don't make
REAL MONEY.

this is actually true of nearly all law firm
SITES. HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.

the fact is, there are solutions available to
LAWYERS TODAY, THAT CAN REPLACE PART OR ALL OF A
marketing program. in fact, several of my
lawyers have massively reduced the amount of
YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING DUE TO THE RESULTS AND
income they get from their website.

SINCE WEBSITES ARE CHEAPER THAN YELLOW PAGE ADS,
it makes sense to work to get clients from a
lower cost solution.

misconception #5: putting up my areas of
PRACTICE, CONTACT INFORMATION AND MISSION
statement is a good website.

NOT TRUE. OFTEN TIMES, A LAWYER'S WEBSITE IS SO
poorly done, that it actually causes people to
look for another attorney.

and, those attorneys who pay big bucks for
snazzy flash presentations, and lots of bells
AND WHISTLES END UP LOOKING TOO POLISHED. PEOPLE
want a lawyer that's a person, not a lawyer that
hides behind his law firm name.

a site with all sorts of clever plugins is
usually a waste of money. it makes the lawyer
FEEL GOOD ABOUT HIS OR HER WEBSITE, BUT IT
doesn't actually make money.

SHOULD AN ATTORNEY SPEND FIVE OR SIX THOUSAND
dollars on a website that looks great but
doesn't make money? that's not an asset. it's a
WASTE.

MISCONCEPTION #6: WEBSITES CREATED BY WEB
designers are usually "good" websites.

JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE KNOWS HOW TO CODE A
website, doesn't mean they know what will make a
person pick up the phone and call you.

look at it like this: a paralegal can draft a
demur, but what kind of success would they have
GOING INTO COURT TO ARGUE THAT DEMUR?

MISCONCEPTION #7: BUYING A WEBSITE FROM I LAWYER
directory is a safe and easy way to get my firm
a website.

not true. a website that has
lawdomain.com/smithlaw is a website that will
RARELY BE LOOKED AT. SURE, THERE ARE SOME BIG
companies around selling these sites to lawyers
who know they have to have a website to look
"OFFICIAL" YET, ALL THE SITES ARE BASES OFF OF A
brochure type idea.

AGAIN, PUTTING UP YOUR "MISSION STATEMENT," A
few areas of practice and your bio doesn't mean
you have a website that will make you money.

the most likely scenario is that very few people
will actually find your site if it's created by
ONE OF THESE COMPANIES.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
matthew samp is a law firm marketing consultant.
information about his turnkey websites can be
FOUND AT WWW.LAWFIRMMARKETINGWEBSITES.COM [2]OR
by calling 402-292-3400.

circulated by article emporium [3]
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