What Makes a Law Firm Website Convert Visitors Into Clients?

Anyone who has ever tried fishing knows that getting the fish to take a bite of the bait is only the first step in the process of catching a fish. Lawyer web marketing has a clear parallel that often goes unnoticed. Getting a potential client to land on your page is only the first step in acquiring a client. SEO, paid advertising, referrals, and social media can all generate traffic, but traffic does not automatically produce clients any more than nibbles on the bait generate fish in the boat. 

Legal consumers are often evaluating several attorneys while dealing with a stressful, usually unfamiliar problem. Once a visitor arrives, the legal website’s job changes. It has to convince the right people to take the next step. At PaperStreet, we’ve helped law firms convert clicks to cases for three decades. Over this time, we have learned that conversion happens when a website answers three basic questions: 

• Can this lawyer help me? 
• Can I trust this lawyer? 
• What do I do next?

If a legal website does not answer all three of these questions in under a minute, chances are the visitor will be the client that got away. 

Visitors Need to Know Immediately That They Are in the Right Place 

Ever try going fishing with an unbaited hook? Okay, on rare occasions when the tide is just right and the fish are really hungry, it can work, but it’s usually not a good strategy. Potential clients are unlikely to take the next step if they can’t quickly confirm they are in the right place. If your website doesn’t quickly show that your firm provides the services the client needs, where they need them, the client will move on to the next firm.

Visitors should not have to dig through your website to determine what services you provide. If they have to search for this information, they will likely move on. Your website should clearly and immediately communicate: 

• Primary practice areas
• Geographic markets served
• Types of clients represented
• What distinguishes the firm

The first step in persuading someone to hire you is to convince them you can solve their problem. Your content should prioritize the client’s needs, not generic statements about your firm. Focus on what you do and where you do it. Your navigation should make major practice areas easy to locate and include geographic information about where you practice. Avoid cluttered homepages that try to communicate everything at once. Focus on creating a logical structure that’s easy to follow. 

Trust Has to Be Established Before You Ask for the Call 

The internet has changed how we shop for everything from paper towels to autos and professional services. Decisions are made from the privacy of a personal computer or mobile device. Additionally, people make decisions quickly, in real time, based on intuition. Intuition is often based on “trust signals.” Trust signals are the details on a website that give potential clients concrete reasons to believe the site is credible, capable, and worthy of their confidence. The opposite are “trust killers.” Trust killers are the details, omissions, or website problems that make potential clients question credibility and think twice before committing.

As consumers, we have refined our instincts about when to trust websites and when something looks off or sketchy. It doesn’t take much for us to raise a red flag and move on. Trust signals are why we are likely to buy something from a third-party vendor on Amazon but often wouldn’t buy the exact same thing on eBay, which is far more buyer-beware. Hiring an attorney requires considerably more trust than making an ordinary online purchase. Potential clients want evidence that the attorneys know what they are doing.

Trust signals can include:

• Detailed attorney biographies: Give potential clients enough information through attorney biographies about your attorneys to understand who they are, what they do, and why they are qualified to handle the client’s legal problem. 
• Relevant experience: Highlight experience that actually matters to the types of clients and cases your firm wants to attract. 
• Reviews and testimonials: Let past clients provide independent evidence that your firm delivers the service and experience it promises. 
• Case results where appropriate: Past results can provide concrete evidence of experience handling similar matters, provided they are presented in accordance with applicable ethical rules. 
• Awards and professional recognition: Meaningful recognition from reputable organizations provides third-party validation of an attorney’s experience and standing in the profession. 
• Substantive legal content: Useful, accurate content gives attorneys a chance to show what they know rather than simply telling visitors they know it. 
• Professional photography: High-quality, authentic photographs put real faces to the firm and help potential clients picture the people they may soon be trusting with their legal problem. 

Accuracy and professionalism matter. Anything short sends signals that kill trust. Broken links, outdated information, errors, and inconsistent information can quickly undermine trust. Avoid vague claims such as “experienced,” “aggressive,” or “dedicated” without giving visitors something concrete to back them up. Relevant, useful content lets attorneys demonstrate knowledge rather than simply claim it. This is one of the best ways to build trust.

Give Potential Clients the Information They Need to Make a Decision

Don’t make the mistake of treating your website like a digital yellow-page listing. A potential client who lands on your law firm website is usually looking for something more than just your phone number. The issue that has created the need for an attorney has also generated questions.  A website that converts addresses common questions before visitors even ask:

• Does the firm handle this type of case?
• What happens next?
• How does the legal process work?
• Does the firm offer consultations?
• How are fees handled, where appropriate?
• Who will handle the matter?

Practice-area pages, FAQs, attorney bios, case results, and blog content can work together to answer these questions. Well-drafted content reduces uncertainty. It assures visitors they are in the right place and that the law firm behind the website can help. Do not overwhelm visitors with unnecessary legal detail. Give them enough information to understand their options and recognize when it is time to speak with an attorney.

Make It Ridiculously Easy to Contact the Firm

Another point that many law firms overlook is the close. It should go without saying; however, it is shocking how many firms make it difficult for potential clients to get in touch. When firms focus on creating amazing content, they can overlook this important element. Once someone decides to reach out, nothing on the website should get in the way. 

• Make phone numbers and contact options easy to find from every important page.
• Consider multiple contact methods because different clients have different preferences:
  • Phone
  • Email/contact form
  • Live chat
  • Online consultation scheduling, where appropriate
• Keep forms short. Initial intake doesn’t need to collect the entire case history.
• Design for mobile users as well as desktop visitors.
• Make the next step clear with specific calls to action.

Don’t make visitors search for contact information or navigate several pages before reaching the firm. The website has done its job when the potential client knows exactly what to do next and doing it requires very little effort. Additionally, for a website to convert, it has to work. Slow-loading pages give visitors an easy reason to leave. Mobile usability is especially important when someone searches for an attorney on a phone. Pay attention to:

• Page speed
• Readable font sizes
• Clear navigation
• Scannable content
• Mobile-friendly buttons and forms
• Accessibility
• Unobtrusive pop-ups and chat tools

Avoid visual clutter and unnecessary design elements that compete with the information visitors actually need. On a good law firm website, every design feature should guide users toward the information and actions that matter.

The Three Questions

It all comes back to the original three questions that your website has to answer:

• Can you help me?
• Can I trust you?
• What should I do next?

A high-converting law firm website answers all three quickly and convincingly. Traffic matters, but increasing traffic without improving conversion can simply mean sending more people to a website that doesn’t persuade anyone to act. At PaperStreet, we know that conversion requires content, credibility, usability, and clear opportunities for contact to work together. It isn’t just about putting your hook in the water; it’s about everything that comes after. If you are ready to level up your game, contact us today.