When it comes to your law firm’s website, you only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s why it is so important to avoid falling victim to common myths about law firm websites. Here’s a look at some of the most pervasive website marketing myths and the truth about them.
- Myth: I Don’t Need to Hire a Web Designer
Truth: While this statement is technically true, because you can create your own website using a template program, this myth typically winds up costing attorneys and law firms far more than hiring a professional would. Building a website is a poor use of an attorney’s time. That time is better spent networking, attending continuing education programs or taking a client out for coffee.
- Myth: I Only Really Need to Focus on My Homepage
Truth: Yes, the homepage will be the first thing visitors see when they type in your website’s address, so it needs to set your message across immediately. However, when prospects are searching for specific terms, the results that show up are often from a page within the site, rather than the homepage, which means that all pages need to have strong content and be user-friendly functionality. Every page should be engaging and prompt visitors to want to learn more and click through to other areas of your site.
- Myth: The More Keywords, the Better My Law Firm Will Rank
Truth: The adage “the only thing constant in life is change” rings true when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. It is true that in years past, stuffing your website full of keywords might have given your law firm a bit of boost, but rest assured, times have changed. Today, search engines focus on the effectiveness of keyword use rather than the frequency. This is done specifically to prevent websites that merely repeat the same phrase over and over again from dominating search results. Indeed, overuse of the same keywords will backfire, effectively getting your site “flagged” by search engines and automatically lowering your ranking.
- Myth: We Invested in SEO and Now We’re All Set
Truth: Search engines rank law firms based on algorithms that constantly change. If you’ve spent time online over the past several decades, you can see the evidence for yourself. Websites that once had dozens and dozens of links evolved into websites with seemingly nothing but videos, which evolved into websites with minimal text and plenty of images. These changes are a direct result of the way search engines index and rank sites. SEO needs to be an ongoing process and your law firm needs to create new content regularly. A one-time investment in SEO won’t suffice for long-term ranking.
- Myth: Website Traffic Is the Ticket to Success
Truth: Driving traffic to your law firm’s website is a reasonable marketing objective, but it’s only the first step. After all, millions of visits are useless if none of them lead to conversions. The traffic driven to your site should be optimized to encourage conversions, to capture information and to make visitors stay on your site as long as possible. If you post a blog, be sure to link to the related practice area and blogs on similar topics to keep visitors on the site longer and learn more about your firm. Make your content visually appealing and easily digestible. If a visitor clicks through to your website and finds your homepage confusing or downright boring, it will be a mere second before they move on to another site—and it may be your competitor.
