Creating elements to guide and inform prospective clients
How can we organize information on your FirmSite so that prospective clients can quickly find the information they need and contact your law firm? In designing thousands of FirmSites, we have learned that certain elements are essential for a successful site.
The schematic you see here has the basic elements. Your designer will configure those elements and put in images that that are specific to your law firm, always assuring that the site attracts the clients you want, is easy to use, and represents your firm's brand or personality.
Logo/Firm Name
We typically place the logo or firm name in the top left corner of the Web page. Why? The visitor's eye starts there and then proceeds in a "Z" shape down the page. If you have an existing logo, we will use it. If you do not have a logo, FindLaw will create a word mark for you. (A logo typically includes elements other than type, such as pictures and icons. A word mark only uses type.)
Call to Action/Firm Features
A call to action tells the prospective client how to take the next step toward contacting your law firm. It often uses an imperative verb - for example, "call" or "contact." By clicking on the call to action, the reader is usually taken to a contact form. Firm features might include "We are available 24 hours a day" or "We will return your call within 12 hours."
Phone Number
The phone number is usually placed close to the call to action, giving the reader another means to contact you. The phone number should be easy to find, so we place it at the top of the page or above the fold (the lowest part of the page that can be seen without scrolling.)
Navigation
The navigation buttons across the top or down the side of your site help prospective clients intuitively find their way to the information they need. The reader will also find underlined navigation links in the text. It's important to keep the navigation links as intuitive and obvious as possible, making it easier to explore your FirmSite.
Design Opportunity/Images/Marketing Message
Your firm has its own unique brand or personality. This space is used to reinforce that brand so that your target audience (your prospective clients) will understand the meaning and value your brand offers them as clients. In this space, your designer will use a slogan or tagline that describes your firm's value to clients. Along with the words, we usually include images that support your marketing message.
Practice Areas
Prominently listing the practice areas on every page provides prospective clients with a consistent reminder of your law firm's full practice. The practice area listing also strengthens your reach to search engines.
Short Form
A short contact form is optional. It is especially effective on personal injury FirmSites, offering prospective clients a quick way to contact your law firm. The short form usually asks for the prospective client's name, phone number, e-mail address, and a short description of why they are contacting your firm.
Contact Information
Your address and phone number should be on every page. This is helpful to the reader (who does not have to hunt through pages for your address) and it also provides additional geographic information to the search engines.
Content
Your FindLaw content writer will provide 250-400 words of content. Research indicates that you should have a minimum of 250 words for effective search engine optimization.
Bottom Navigation
Your site navigation is repeated in a bar across the bottom of the Web page. If a reader wants to go to another page, the bottom navigation tool may be more convenient than scrolling back to the top. The bottom navigation links also aid search engine optimization.
Copyright and Disclaimer
The disclaimer links to a page that contains important legal information.
Print, E-mail, and Bookmark buttons
These are often displayed as easily understood icons. The print button opens a new page that displays only content items so that the page can be printed without adjusting printer settings. The e-mail button allows the reader to forward the page to someone else. The bookmark button lets the reader save the page to a list of favorites.
