We’ve worked with a lot of law firms over the years – we work with about fifty right now – and as we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, we’ve actually started to perfect the ideal law firm landing page.
If you visit our clients’ websites, you’ll see that we use a similar format for almost all of our lawyer clients because these landing page elements work.
Maybe you can use these elements for your own landing page – we’re an internet marketing agency that is happy to offer these suggestions freely.
Please contact us with your questions or to share with us the landing page ideas that have – or haven’t – worked for you.
When we create a law firm landing page, it includes these seven key elements: benefits, features, proof, trust, image, offer, and form.
But first – and this is vital – something you should never do on your firm’s landing page is use a “slider.” Never. It’s a popular webpage element.
A typical slider starts with a dynamic photo across the top of the landing page and a phrase like “Fighting for Justice Since 2002.”
Then another picture “slides” in, and it’s you, working at your desk, and a phrase like “Over $30 Million in Verdicts for Clients” (or something appropriate to your own practice).
Why avoid sliders? Attention spans are short, so apart from the fact that sliders don’t convert well on mobile devices, the main problem is that sliders split a visitor’s attention – the eye is automatically drawn to moving text and moving pictures, so the slider actually functions as a distraction from your message.
When we’ve replaced a slider with a static image, almost instantly, the incoming phone calls double. Sites with abundant traffic – but few conversions – suddenly start producing conversions when a slider is replaced with a static image and a strong call-to-action.
BENEFITS
Benefits are the first and most important element on your landing page. How will your prospective client benefit by hiring you?
A personal injury attorney usually highlights compensation for medical bills and wages, while a criminal defense attorney might focus on keeping a client out of jail.
Why are benefits such a key element? Benefits put the focus on the prospective client. Our natural tendency is to focus on ourselves.
What first grabs a visitor’s attention on too many law firm landing pages is the dollar amount of verdicts won or the number of years defending the rights of the injured or the accused.
That comes next, but what a prospective client wants to know first is, “What will you do for me?” Benefits might include:
1. “You and your case will receive an attorney’s direct personal attention.”
2. “You’ll work directly with an attorney, not a case worker or a paralegal.”
3. “You’ll pay us nothing unless we win compensation for you.”
4. “Call now to arrange a free, initial legal consultation with no obligation.”
This is the most important part of the page because you’re offering precisely what prospective clients seek.
We’ve also found that using numbers with a short list is more effective than checkboxes or bullet points. A short, numbered list of benefits works best.
FEATURES
Next, we highlight features. After prospective clients see what you can do for them, they want to know that you’re qualified.
You may highlight your years of experience, the number or dollar amount of the verdicts you’ve won, or you can say any number of things about yourself.
The key is to balance features against benefits so that prospective clients feel like they are being put first.
PROOF
“Proof” is social proof: awards, testimonials, professional groups you belong to, or a five-star Google ranking. We often use the logos of bar associations and professional groups.
Don’t crowd too much proof onto your landing page. Three logos – maybe your state’s bar association and two professional groups – is the perfect amount of proof.
If you include a testimonial, keep it short – just one or two lines – and don’t use it if you also use logos. Sometimes, we insert a sidebar for a testimonial.
The key is placing just enough proof strategically on the landing page without “coming off” as boastful – or desperate.
TRUST
The little picture of a padlock below a contact form – a simple graphic – can actually double the number of conversions.
Prospective clients who feel exposed and vulnerable may be reassured if they are offered a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
If you don’t offer a free consultation, come up with something tangible that increases trust – perhaps a Better Business Bureau endorsement.
IMAGE
If you’re the lawyer, you’re the product, so your picture should be near the top. We find that a black-and-white picture works better, but most clients prefer color photos of themselves.
Every landing page we create seeks to balance what our clients like with what their website visitors like and with what the Google search algorithms like.
OFFER
A personal touch helps, so instead of merely the words “Free Consultation,” you might say, “Call me as soon as possible about my free consultation.”
Don’t hide the phone number or contact form near the bottom of the page and force your visitor to scroll – make it easy for your offer to be accepted.
Again, if you don’t provide free consultations, you still must offer a precise reason why a visitor should contact you.
FORM
Prominently feature a phone number, contact form, and/or chat box.
We typically include a phone number in the header, a right-sidebar contact form, and a chat box in the bottom right corner.
Anything you can do to make these prominent – contrasting colors, for example – will help.
That’s it, the perfect landing page. If you have questions or comments, or if you’d like to discuss your landing page and website, email us at Social Firestarter – info@socialfirestarter.com – or call us at 619-607-4300.
