6 Best Steps for Your Law Firm Website Design to Achieve the Best Impression

Your law firm website design is sort of usually the very first impression you create on a possible client. If you're not creating a good initial impression on customers who realize your website online, I can guarantee you that, you’re simply losing cases to your competitors because they have a proper impression with their website. A solid and skilled website presence is as common and necessary like having a fax machine, or a telephone.

 Here are some steps and considerations to assist get you on your means:

Register A Domain Name

Let me tell you the basics first, that is to get a registered domain name, if you haven’t registered then it’s time for you to start. There are various choices for domain names, depending upon the costs, registering agents, etc. the only thing is that the rules applicable are the same. Having a unique domain name to call your own is crucial. Make certain you "own" your name, as against sharing somebody else's (i.e.getlegalpratice.notyourdomainname.com).

Other considerations:

• Make sure it's "dot-com", individuals rarely recall different suffixes, such as .org, .net, TV, etc. If the dot-com you were hoping for is gone, there's a good reason -- that's the well-liked name.
• Most people own and use multiple domain names to require you to an equivalent website. In developing your own website, you'll begin with a "primary" domain --www.getlegalpracticebuilder.com something like that.

While there's no limit to the quantity of domain names used or owned several large corporations own dozens of names, to keep up management over them, I in person assume using dozens isn't essentially needed. Some web developers can handle the domain name registration method for you as a part of the online site program and make certain to use your name for customized e-mail.

Determining A Budget

After you have registered your domain name, it’s time for you think about the cost i.e. how much would you want to spend on your website project. To be true it actually depends upon on your practice areas, type of clients you deal with, and the time factor for your project. Website developing is a continuous process, it does not have any end it has to be updated, improvised regularly.

Consider the following:

• Be sure to keep in mind that you just ought to have a budget for first-year development, and in progress costs, several corporations fail to require into consideration that there'll be a necessity for added design, content and search engine optimization work once your initial website is free on the net.
• A website while not a long-range set up for achievement is maybe simply an online booklet, that you finish up re-creating and paying for from scratch any time you would like a brand new one.
• The most substantial start-up prices are typically the planning and development, a template style, wherever you just choose from a pre-selected list of colors and looks can be as little as a number of hundred bucks. Within the $10k-plus vary for hiring true, unique web design.
• Keep in mind that you just have to be compelled to have your website hosted on a server that you know is secure, maintained 24x7, and with a corporation you trust will be around tomorrow. As hosting fees vary from a number of bucks per month to a number of hundred bucks, many of us are burned by having sites hosted wherever a corporation merely goes out of business long, leaving you without a host, and sometimes access to your website and files.
• Search Engine Optimization is another cost-factor to keep in mind, you would like a website that's well optimized, with re-registration, correct hand registration for major sites (that don't settle for submissions from machine-controlled computer code or spammers), and possibly includes paid registration with major traffic players.

Determining Your Audience (Your "End-User")

You should have a clear idea about whom you want to be your expected visitors.

You can consider these as targeting audience:

• Current Clients- Make certain that the site provides "added-value" to your current firm business. It has updated changes that need to be enlightened to the current clients and also about the changes with the firm and/or the areas of law you target.

• Prospective Clients- Show them your experience, through solid biographies, elaborated apply space descriptions, shopper references, and related-content (published works, newsletters, seminars, speaking engagements, citing cases).
• Referrals/Lawyer-to-Lawyer- Whether or not a neighbor has referred somebody, or a professional in another town or another application is trying to refer social service, you wish to back-up somebody else's recommendation of your work the aforesaid showing of experience.
• Public Relations/Marketing- Journalists use the online to analysis stories, within which your experience or your involvement during a case would possibly bring them to your website. The positioning conjointly ought to supplement all ancient suggests that of firm promoting.

Selecting a Feature-Set

Many sites developed these days currently use database-driven technologies instead of developing sites using static HTML pages. Whereas you'll be able to even ask them to use DB-driven sites to most because it permits for the fastest and best ability to update and maintain. The better the change, the additional possible you may do it more often.

You may select from a range of design functions, such as:

• Date show
• Scrolling marquee
• Popup menus
• Mouseovers
• Design using flash, sound
• Items to provide the developer for inclusion in style process
• Firm color scheme, logos, brochures, fonts, artwork, photos
• Make sure you have got addressed IP rights for anything forwarded to be used

Review existing sites of competitors and easily sites you enjoy for:

• Similar branding, target cluster
• Color theme, look and feel user interface, and layout
• Publishing model (i.e. HTML, database-driven)
• Quality of content
• Quality of graphics style
• Functionality (page layout, navigation bar)

Must-Have Components:

• Firm summary
• Detailed practice area Descriptions
• Detailed lawyer Biographies
• Office information (locations, phone, fax, e-mail, online form)
• Newsletters/Articles
• Representative clients
• Maps/Directions
• Calendar of Events/Seminars

Long-Range Plans

For your website to achieve success, you would like to believe however the site will be updated post-release -- not simply technologically, but however, you'll be pro-active in obtaining along content from within the firm it wholly relies on your observations and goals for the site.

See however your site rates in these categories:

• Design- Does it send the proper message?
• Navigation- However straightforward is it to seek out your approach through the site, and notice what you're probing for, is it content-substantial, informative and ever-changing?
• Interactive communication- Do you build it simple for somebody to contact you through the site?
• Freshness- Is it clear the site is updated or seems to be a static, non-changing brochure?
• Uniqueness- Is there one thing regarding you, your practice or your website that's completely different from everybody else in an exceedingly similar practice?
• Search Engine Optimization- Will individuals notice you online through search engines, sensible meta-tags, a website optimized for the folks you look to draw in.