Probably the single most common online mistake lawyers (and businesses in general) make is building a poorly optimized website and then simply forgetting about it. It becomes a dated online brochure that, in many cases, does more harm to your brand than good. Whether you specialize in Social Security Disability, Workers Compensation or Personal Injury, a great, modern website is actually a lead generation machine that should funnel new client prospects directly to your intake system.
Many attorneys spend too much time fussing about their office space, conference room, fancy furniture and impressive address when it is far more likely that the first interaction your next potential client has with your firm is on your website instead of in your waiting room.
Websites have come a long way over the past several years and the look, feel and age of your website will say a lot about your firm before anyone ever calls you (or doesn’t call you as the case may be). It is easy to become complacent—ignorant of the fact that you are losing dozens or even hundreds of potential new clients because they simply did not like what they came across online. Having too little content or too few blog posts that are months old will make your practice look stale, behind the times and send a subliminal message to consumers that you may not be the right lawyer for their important matter. Your website is a fundamental extension of your physical practice and it deserves a high level of attention and focus. Consumers have too many choices and have proven that they like to be in control of how they connect with all kinds of products and services on their own terms. Increasingly, the purchase decision process starts online and if you do not have an optimized online presence then you will miss many opportunities. It’s as simple as that.
It is important to take a total systems lead generation approach to your online presence starting with an audit of your current website and focusing in on the key areas of your practice that will attract the most interest and highest ROI.
Next, improve your ability to be found by major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Create relevant, natural and frequently updated articles, blog posts, video and other forms of quality content. Look into stagnant areas of your site to find ways to breathe life into sub-optimal areas with great design and photos.
At JurisLead, we like to call the process “Building Your Law Office in the Cloud” because we know that is where the majority of your future business will be attracted, converted and ultimately retained.