5 Reasons Small Law Firms Should Consider Improving their Website

5 Reasons Small Law Firms Should Consider Improving their Online Marketing & Website Strategy

Boost your law firm’s lead generation efforts with these online marketing tips.

Gone are the days when small law firms and solo practitioners could simply practice law and expect to attract a steady stream of clients through referrals and Yellow Page ads. In addition to a lower demand for services, small law firms face increased competition and a changing marketing landscape. Search engines, social media, and mobile technology have essentially rebooted online marketing for lawyers as we know it. Below are 5 reasons why small law firms and solo practitioners need to step up their marketing game.

1. The Yellow Pages are dead:
   OK, they’re not quite dead yet, but they’re on the verge to extinction. You may even be able to get new clients from a well-placed ad in the Yellow Pages, but it would be career suicide to rely solely on print phone books for business. According to a report by the ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, only 8% of adults polled said that they would use the Yellow Pages to find a lawyer.

2. More consumers are using the Internet to find lawyers:
   3 out of 4 consumers seeking an attorney use online resources at some point in the process, which means that your website is the first impression that many prospective clients will have of your law firm. If your website isn’t up to par, prospective clients may click away and visit one of your competitors’ websites instead. What’s more, if your law firm’s website isn’t optimized for search engines, prospective clients may never find it in the first place because it won’t appear prominently in search engine results.

3. Content builds trust and credibility:
   When potential clients look at your law firm’s website, they must be convinced of two things: 1. You are legitimate and trustworthy and 2. You are an expert in your field. In order to build trust with your online audience, you need to publish content demonstrating your skills, knowledge, and expertise on a regular basis. Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on blasting sales messages, online marketing is more about publishing content that aligns with the needs and interests of potential clients. Law firm websites that are little more than static, online brochures simply don’t cut it in the age of content marketing.

4. Many people search for lawyers on their smartphones:
   Your website must be mobile-friendly because a growing number of prospective clients are using their smartphones to find legal services. Therefore, getting your law firm listed on local directories like Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local, Yelp, and Bing Places is essential. Mobile marketing isn’t just a fad. According to Microsoft Tag, mobile Internet usage is set to take over desktop Internet usage by 2014.

5. A larger professional network means more opportunities:
   Social media remains uncharted territory for many lawyers, as most attorneys tend to err on the traditional side when it comes to marketing. However, building a social presence is extremely beneficial for lawyers because it allows them to grow their professional networks and keep up with legal and industry news.

One of the best ways to build a reputation as a thought leader and create a foundation for your presence on the social web is blogging. According to Hubspot, 79% of companies that have a blog report a positive ROI for inbound marketing this year. As an attorney, the goal of blogging and social media isn’t to accumulate followers in hopes that they’ll one day contact you about your legal services. Blogging and social media allow you to connect with other thought leaders in your industry so that when they know of someone who needs your services, they can refer you as a credible resource. Social media activity is also one of the ranking factors weighed by search engines.

A successful law firm’s website portrays a professional, credible image, differentiates it from the competition, and ranks well in search engine results.

Today’s small law firms and solo practitioners absolutely need to build an online presence to survive and thrive. The law firm web design and online marketing experts at efelle in Seattle, WA can catapult you into the conversation online with a client-friendly, search engine-optimized website that has a strong social and mobile presence. Contact us today to discuss your online marketing needs!