A website for your legal practice should be the first step in your lead generation strategy. By taking a more strategic approach it will fill up your client pipeline and drive growth. Optimizing your site properly for lead generation requires looking at each component and making sure that it contributes to your ultimate goal of getting more clients. Using these tactics to build an online foundation is one of your most valuable marketing tools.
Create Lead Magnets
People with urgent legal problems are going to want to get in touch with you right away, but what about those who are simply researching their options? You want to keep the second group remembering your practice when they do need your services. Lead magnets are one way to nurture these leads and build a relationship before they’re ready to hire you.
A lead magnet is a resource that your website visitors access by providing their email address. This content can take many forms, from an e-book covering your category of legal services to infographics presenting the most common cases you work with.
Once your visitors opt-in to your email list for the lead magnet, you have the opportunity to send occasional messages. The brand awareness and trust you build from consistently emailing your list useful resources and information pay off when the leads or their social circles need recommendations.
Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
Search engines are the primary research tool for many people looking for legal services. Is your website optimized for better search engine rankings, or do you find yourself on page 2 or more on Google?
Search engine optimization is a complex process, as Google uses many factors to determine where it positions the sites in its index. Here are a few ways to address common SEO issues:
- Focus on local keywords, rather than those that put you up against national brands. You don’t need leads from people across the country if you don’t operate in that area.
- Make sure your website’s backend and design are search engine friendly. Your URLs for individual pages should have your local keywords in them, and your code should put your content near the top for better visibility.
- Ensure that every part of your site loads quickly and works properly. Google doesn’t want to send users to a poorly performing site. It’s important to fix broken links and ensure that your server has the right capacity to host your website.
- Add internal links to other areas of your website. For example, when you reference topics with resource guides, make sure you link to those pages.
Provide a Quality User Experience
Put yourself in the shoes of your typical legal clients. What are they looking for when they load your web page? Are they accessing your site on their smartphone, tablet or PC? Do they have a lot of technical experience, or are they relatively tech-unsavvy?
All of these factors play a role in the user experience of your legal practice’s site. Your navigation needs a logical structure that limits how many clicks it takes to get to important information. Consider the requirements for mobile users and how they’re different from people on their computers. For example, mobile users can use click-to-call features to get in touch with you easily.
Use Calls to Action
Don’t cross your fingers and hope that visitors will turn into leads. Tell them exactly what you want them to do as part of their next steps on your site. For example, at the end of your blog posts, you can tell them to sign up to your newsletter for more information on that topic. On your homepage, make a prominent CTA to encourage people to sign up for a lead magnet or contact you for a consultation.
Experiment with the placement, size, shape, color, and text for your CTAs. Track your lead conversion data, and tweak elements over time to find the right combination that appeals to your target audience.
Include Testimonials
Potential clients use many sources to research whether you offer the legal services they require. By including testimonials on your site, you give them another data point to work with. Since you’re the one hosting this feedback, many people will consider it with a grain of salt. However, when you have testimonials that get specific with the ways you helped a client and the results you achieved, you can reinforce other research channels.
Build Around a Goal
Your ultimate goal is bringing in more clients and growing your legal practice, but what are the steps you need to take to achieve it? Focus on these areas when you’re optimizing your website. For example, if you want to improve your brand awareness and bring in an increased number of qualified leads, focus on creating valuable content that answers many pre-consultation questions.
Are you trying to reach an audience that’s experiencing a major life difficulty? Offer multiple channels of communication with your calls to action. Go beyond a phone number by providing social media profiles, email addresses, live chat and other communication options.
Your lead generation strategy requires more than a solid marketing and advertising plan. Your website needs to operate like a fine-tuned client-attracting machine so you can scale your legal practice’s success.