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Is WIX Good For Your Law Firm’s Website? Should You Hire a Branding Expert?

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The Question

I have a branding specialist who is redoing my website. Currently, my website is WordPress and she is using WIX. So, they’re switching over from WordPress to Wix. Any concerns with WIX and SEO?

My Answer

This question got a lot of attention in the Lawyer Marketing Facebook group and there are actually two parts that got attention. The first part is the concept of having a branding specialist and the second part is WIX versus WordPress for SEO. 

WIX Versus WordPress

Now, I personally do not like WIX. I like WordPress for SEO and there are a couple of reasons. The first reason is the same reason why I absolutely cannot stand FindLaw. I cannot stress enough: do not use FindLaw to do your internet marketing. 

It’s a proprietary platform, so if you ever decide to leave, then you have to start over with a new website. You can’t take your website from WIX to WordPress. You have to build a new one. 

So, for that reason alone, I don’t like it. WordPress is probably the most popular type of website. It’s definitely the easiest to use, so that’s an advantage right there. 

Do You Need A Branding Specialist?

Now, let’s talk about the branding specialist because everybody asked, “Why do you need a branding specialist? Fire your branding specialist. What do you need a branding specialist for?” 

And I have mixed opinions on this because what I do for myself and what I teach lawyers and what I coach lawyers on is essentially branding, but branding can be done in a lot of different ways. 

Coca-Cola brands itself every single day by running ads that just say “Coke” and putting billboards up that just say “Coke.” 

And every major company in the world does this. Unless you have a budget that is just astronomical for your law firm, that will not be an effective method. So, if it’s just running ads like awareness ads about your law firm, and that’s what the branding specialist wants to do, then I would agree. Fire the branding specialist. It’s a waste of money.

A Branding Strategy That Works

If their branding strategy is providing content, basically taking the same approach that I do where you’re building a brand for yourself by creating value and helping other people solve problems, then that’s a good branding strategy to have. And that’s what I teach lawyers to do. 

What I teach lawyers to do is really branding because in my masterclass, where I coach lawyers, we use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, we use all that stuff but none of the strategies is dependent on Facebook. If Facebook went away tomorrow, I would be fine because I don’t use Facebook. 

I brand myself to where you see me on YouTube and Facebook and you get my emails. And you also see me on LinkedIn and Instagram, in all these different places, and I’ve got a podcast too.

The Easiest Way To Brand Yourself

The easiest way to brand when you don’t have Coca-Cola money or John Morgan For The People money is by providing value. Do all those things where you’re just solving problems for people and people will start to know you. They’ll start to know your brand and they will absolutely start to trust you, and you’ll start making a name for yourself. 

That’s pretty much what I’ve done. And it doesn’t take a long time either, especially if you know your audience if you know what they want if you know what they’re afraid of and you can provide value by giving them solutions to their problems. 

Getting Quick Results

It will happen very quickly, trust me. I am blown away by what’s happened in the last year in terms of how my business has changed. And that’s just because I get on camera and I talk about SEO, social media and how to get reviews for your law firm. 

And it’s all a brand, it’s all branding, and it’s all SocialFirestarter. That’s my company, or Andrew Stickel, which is my name. It’s all branding. But that’s the way to do branding. Provide value, associate your brand with providing value, and it’ll work really well. So, hopefully, that’s what the branding specialist is doing. They’re probably not, but hopefully, they are.

Graphic Design Terms For Internet Marketing

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You want your website to look professional, but you may not be trained in graphic design. It’s not that hard to have a great-looking site; don’t hesitate to hire a webmaster or a social media marketing company to help you. But even if you hire a pro, you’ll still want input into what your site looks like. Learning some basics about graphic design will help. Here are some basic terms and definitions:

Tear sheet or swipe file: A swipe file, also called a tear sheet, is a collection of clippings and images that you like. A website designer can pull examples to create a mood board, a collage of visuals that conveys the look you want for your site. Creating a mood board for yourself can give you a sense of the look and style you want.

Proof: A proof, proof sheet, or paste-up is a copy of what your pages will look like. Website designers might call this a “wireframe” or a “mockup” instead. With a digital wireframe, you might see only a line drawing that outlines where key elements will go but does not show the final actual elements. Don’t fret if the colors, graphics, and words aren’t all in place. Your webmaster or page designer is saving you money by not completing the page until you’ve both approved where everything goes.

Alignment: Centered text is hard to read but is typically used for headlines. You can left- or right-align your text. You can also have justified text, spread evenly to both margins, but a ragged right edge is usually easier to read.

Negative space: Negative space is the blank space around the words and text. Sometimes you’ll also see a “knockout” or “runaround” that doesn’t have an image yet and uses white space as a placeholder.

Copyfitting: Copyfitting is determining how much space an amount of text will take on a page. “Kerning” brings letters closer together. “Leading” is the amount of space between lines of text. Website designers use “lorem ipsum” or other sample text to show you how the final product will appear.

Serif: Serif and “sans” (without) serif fonts convey different feelings. Serif fonts have a line crossing the ending of a stroke. Serif fonts like Times New Roman are time-honored standard fonts that convey seriousness and formality. Sans serif fonts like Calibri and Helvetica do not have the extra line and convey a more dynamic, contemporary feel to your text.

Time For An Update

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Your website needs to be updated, probably now. In fact, it might need a complete overhaul. If it’s been two or three years (or more) since you’ve updated the site, it probably even looks old. It takes a lot of energy, time, and thought, and it’s something that easily gets set aside to do “later.” The only consolation is that you’re not alone.

If you’re an attorney (and this holds true for other professions as well), you probably already know that the internet is by far the top place consumers go when they seek legal help. In the 21st century, your website is analogous to your law office’s front door and lobby. It must be attractive, up-to-date, and meet the expectations of 21st-century consumers. Here are several strong indications that it’s time to have the website brought up to speed:

1. Does your website look like a museum piece from the 1990s? A page counter or a blinking .gif is a sure giveaway. But even if you’re clearly in your own century, if it’s been more than a year, update. Your clients will be appreciative.

2. Did you start a blog and never pursue it? Scores of legal websites have a page that says something like “Welcome to our new blog” with a 2009 or 2011 date and no actual blog entries (or several outdated ones). Get that blog working for you; a freelance writer or a social media marketing firm can help you create regularly updated blog content and eliminate that embarrassment on your website.

3. Website navigation should be user-friendly, and information on the site should be thorough and accurate. Organize the site logically, and make sure it appears properly on mobile devices.

4. Do your website’s attorney bios sound like they were written by a criminal defense attorney? If you’re an attorney, you already know that potential clients are more interested in your last ten years than in what you did in 1973 or which state Supreme Court justice you worked with in the 1980s. Will you return calls? What kind of cases are you really good at winning? What do your former clients say about you? And watch it with the adjectives and adverbs; after three or four paragraphs about being “exceptionally skilled” and “extremely knowledgeable,” you sound like you’re trying too hard.

5. Consumers expect social media integration. Make it easy for visitors to find you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other sites. A social media marketing firm can help you create and coordinate your marketing across the web.