Six ways to set your firm apart in 2017

Six ways to set your firm apart in 2017

The beginning of the year provides time for both reflection and renewal. The season invites us to look inward and consider our goals for our personal and professional lives.

Here is a new year's resolution for attorneys to add to your lists: “In January, I will read all the practice area copy on my website and on the sites of at least 5 of my closest competitors.”

While this resolution may sound about as fun as trying a...

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What clients and visitors expect in a modern law firm website

What clients and visitors expect in a modern law firm website

Your firm's website must play many roles. At its core, your website works as a marketing tool and 24-hour brand ambassador for your firm. However, technology has advanced to such an extent that static sales pages no longer suffice — either for visitors or search engines.

“In the future, the winners in the legal world may succeed by dint of survival of the most responsive.”

–Richard Susskind, The End of Lawyers (2008)

Attorney websites are evolving to become client relations...

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Ten things search engines are looking for in a law firm webpage

Ten things search engines are looking for in a law firm webpage

Looking forward into 2016, one prediction is certain: Google will continue to update its algorithm, sometimes to the pleasure and sometimes to the dismay of website owners. And, when major shifts occur, as always, search marketing strategies will have to adapt.

Today, however, your firm is competing for elusive, difficult to obtain and extremely valuable placement in the first page of search results. According to an Advanced Web Ranking study, the average click through rate for page one...

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9 characteristics of a good attorney website

9 characteristics of a good attorney website

The qualities of a good attorney website have changed considerably over the past several years. Infrequently updated, brochure style websites no longer meet the needs of firms that wish to pursue an integrated on- and offline marketing strategy. Websites must be designed to keep visitors interested. They should contain current, relevant content and give users plenty of opportunity to take actions that generate leads for the firm.

Having a website is the bare minimum. A thoughtfully developed website that...

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How to gain and maintain trust in your firm's website

How to gain and maintain trust in your firm’s website

Errors and content inaccuracies are the top reasons people list as causes to mistrust a website. According to a report from Neustar and the Ponemon Institute, 91 percent of consumers claim they do not trust a website that contains mistakes.

Respondents cited frequent downtime as their second biggest concern, with 88 percent saying that they do not trust a website that is unavailable. Load time can also be a negative trust factor, with 67 percent of respondents saying...

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7 Ways to reduce web page bounce rates

7 Ways to reduce web page bounce rates

A high bounce rate may be an indication that a web page is not functioning optimally. Bounce rates can be discouraging, and they can be deceptive. While there are multiple reasons a visitor could bounce — not all of them bad — it is generally a good idea to work toward lowering bounce rates.

What is bounce rate?

Bounce rate is usually described as the percentage of single-page sessions. Specifically, the number of times, as a percentage of...

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How to transform your unique selling proposition into effective web content

How to transform your unique selling proposition into effective web content

Good website content is not easy to write. Web content has to hold the interest of visitors, who have notoriously limited attention spans, and in that short time it must offer enough value to convince readers they have found the right firm. On top of this challenge, the process of writing web content can seem tedious and repetitive, making it easy to start taking shortcuts or using platitudes.

Firms must overcome these difficulties to develop web content that works...

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How your firm can benefit from an online newsroom

How your firm can benefit from an online newsroom

A good website should support a firm's standing as an experienced authority while convincing visitors to take action in the form of a call or consultation request. Sales and marketing are primary functions of an attorney website, and as such website content tends to be mainly consumer-focused.

Some law firm websites also have sections that are intended to speak to colleagues. Firms that do personal injury consulting or appellate work, for example, may be able to offer...

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Trending: 5 web design practices that have outlived their usefulness

Trending: 5 web design practices that have outlived their usefulness

Many web design trends catch on for good reason. Innovations allow developers to create visually appealing layouts that serve the best purposes of the site owner and visitors. Beautiful design and function can coexist.

However, trends have a habit of becoming ubiquitous. When industry group-think starts to drive design decisions, it is time to reconsider which trends are actually helping to enhance the user experience. Here are five trends that have outlived their usefulness:

1. Slideshows
Large header...

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6 common attorney website mistakes – and how to fix them

6 common attorney website mistakes – and how to fix them

A website speaks for the firm it represents at all times, day and night. It must be professional, informative and easy to navigate, and it must accurately exemplify the firm's work and values.

Increase your website's performance and enhance your position in the eyes of your visitors by building a site that stands out. Give the people who visit your site a reason to follow through and contact you. Start by avoiding these common attorney website pitfalls....

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