Robert Davis
Websites are at the center of a law firm’s legal marketing strategy, so it’s important to know when it’s time to update a law firm website. Understanding the website’s effectiveness is one way to know if it’s time to redesign. Often, a website update results from changes to the law firm’s priorities, strategic plan, or branding.
A law firm website update doesn’t necessarily mean a whole new website. Redesigns can focus on just the home page, a section of the website, or the entire site. Websites can also be refreshed, where some design or content gets changed to reflect anything from a new branding color scheme or imagery to fresh practice descriptions or video.
Asking a few key questions and doing a little research can help determine if a law firm website needs a redesign and, if so, to what scale.
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Five Questions to Ask to Know if it’s Time to Redesign
- Is the website reaching its target audience? A law firm legal marketing strategy identifies the people who should know about a law firm and its services. Reviewing website analytics can help determine if the right people are finding the website and interacting with it. Changes to the Search Engine Optimization or content marketing strategies could move the analytics needle. Sometimes, though, technological issues, like website speed, not being compatible for mobile devices, or website age, could keep a law firm from meeting its audience goals.
- What’s changed since the law firm’s website was built? Anything from a new logo and branding scheme to a new strategic plan can impact what a law firm website should look like and say. In addition, many law firms are now emphasizing diversity and inclusion, so changing websites to spotlight activities, efforts, services and accolades in these areas could be necessary.
- Is the law firm website on par with competitors’ websites? Looking at websites for law firms that provide the same or similar services can help to identify areas for opportunity or improvement. Scrutinizing competitor websites’ layouts, imagery, and content tone will make it clear how a law firm website measures up.
- Does the website adequately reflect current community issues? Recent years have brought the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice awareness. Issues like these are likely to impact just about every U.S. law firm, its services, and its clients. Law firm websites should be updated to highlight trends that are priorities and relevant.
- Is the website following all applicable laws? Beyond the professional rules and responsibilities that must be followed in legal marketing, there may be other website requirements. Consumer privacy and data protections under the California Consumer Protection Act, General Data Protection Regulation (best known as GDPR), and various other laws apply to some law firm websites. While there is currently no requirement that U.S. websites comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, such regulations are expected to come and are already required in most of Europe and other countries.
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Most law firms redesign their websites every five to 10 years, but smaller redesigns or refreshes can extend a website’s shelf life. A law firm website serves many necessary functions so it’s important to keep it updated and relevant. Scorpion’s website design team is here to provide custom design services to keep your law firm website a valuable tool in your legal marketing toolbox.
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