So you’ve decided that your firm needs a website. Good call.
I’m going to be honest with you – that decision is one of the few easy ones when it comes to building your internet presence. There are a lot of options and everyone you know has opinions about what works best. This is where people get lost. Things get overwhelming and the decision is made to deal with the internet “later.”
Your audience is already online. Go get them.
It’s time to do this – the right way. My colleagues and I are determined to lessen the number of website development horror stories out there. We hear them every day….tens of thousands of dollars wasted, shady SEO strategies ruining rankings, missed opportunities, bad advice, etc.
It ends here.
This Series Will Serve As Your Guide
Whether you’re a Do-It-Yourselfer or plan to hire some help, you need to know the important components so you can invest your time and money wisely.
Today we’ll cover the first three steps of the Planning Phase – keyword planning, checking out the competition & imagery.
Planning Your New Website
You’ve heard the saying, “Measure twice, cut once” right? Building your website is a big undertaking – so advance planning is vital to keeping the costs low. Each of the things below need to be carefully considered. Let’s get started:
Get Organized
You’re going to be compiling a lot of information over the next few weeks. Do yourself a favor and ditch the legal pad for this part. I’ve created a Google Sheet to help you keep the information you need handy.
You’re welcome.
#1 Keyword Planning
Keywords are words that describe your practice. They’re the words that your potential clients search on Google to find a lawyer. There are a few categories to think about:
- Practice area (ex. Personal Injury, Bankruptcy, Divorce, etc.)
- Geographical (ex. New York, Manhattan, West Side, etc.)
- Differentiators (ex. Free Consultation, Habla Espanol, etc.)
ACTION ITEM: I trust you have the Google Sheet open in another tab – so take a few minutes to brain-dump on the “Keyword Planning” tab. You’ll find some helpful prompts to get you started.
__________________________________________
#2 Competitor Review
Now that you’ve been thinking about the way people search for lawyers online, lets check out the competition. I’m sure you already have an idea of the prominent firms in your area. But the online world doesn’t always reflect what we feel is true offline.
How much do you need to invest in your website?
More than your competition.
ACTION ITEM: Go ahead and Google some of the keywords in your spreadsheet and see what the search returns look like. Identify who is ranking at & near the top of the page for the keywords you are targeting and make a note of them in the Competitors tab.
Take a few minutes to review each website and make notes about the size, features, etc. Are there lots of pages? Are they long or short? Do they blog? If so, how often? Think if terms of how to beat them. If you’re up against 3 firms with small websites you can get away with less work than someone who’s competing with a huge website featuring consistently published content.
__________________________________________
#3 Pictures
Great professional photos can dramatically enhance your website and substantially impact your client conversion rate. Photography will significantly impact the design of your website, so call a photographer and schedule a photo shoot before even thinking about the design.
No excuses.
Don’t have an office you want to show off? Take photos by a door or even outside. Freeze up in front of a camera? Have the photographer take some candid shots of you talking to someone. Trust me – you may not enjoy the process, but this is an investment worth making.
ACTION ITEM: Call a photographer. Don’t know one? Start here. (Press “Enter” when the new page opens.)
You Made It! Great Planning Session.
Next up, we’ll go over the details you need ranging from domain names, email addresses and website service providers in Part 2 of our Building a Website series.
I’m loving @SEO_Legal’s Building a Website for Your Law Firm series. The free planning spreadsheet ROCKS!
Tweet this
