7 Seconds. That’s all it takes to make a first impression.
Remember back before you’d ever gone to an interview and you were told to look smart and dress smart because those first few seconds of your interview were critically important. Regardless of which school you went to or how impressive your qualifications were – you know if you failed to make those first 7 seconds count, you’d be at a disadvantage.
The same goes for your website.
Your website can be a truly powerful lead generation tool.
The problem? Not everyone who comes to your website is going to convert.
Many law firms understand this, and assume that as long as the prospect is interested in the services the firm has to offer, that they will come back at a later stage. But unless you have a solid remarketing strategy in place to reconnect with people who didn’t leave their details or get in touch the first time, chances are that it will also be their last and you’ll lose them forever.
It’s Now or Never
Studies have shown that 84 percent of website visitors that are going to convert do so on the first visit.
This means that if a visitor goes away after their initial exposure to your law firm website, chances are very slim that they will ever become your client.
Why is this so?
Reasons why the percentage of first-visit conversions is so high compared to second or third visits includes:
- Complexity of legal issues
Legal issues can be very personal and complex. Your website alone will may not be enough to convince visitors that your law firm will be able to handle their legal needs. They may need to open a dialogue with you first, meaning if they are interested, they are more likely to contact the firm right away. - Pricing factors
While legal fees definitely are an important consideration to clients, most legal services are not a commodity. Visitors are likely more interested in whether they can be helped than finding the best price fit. This means visitors may not feel as strong of a need for comparison shopping on multiple websites as they would when researching the purchase of a car or TV. The fact that law firm websites also rarely display pricing information also leads people to focus less on pricing and contact the first firm that appears to be most suitable. - Relationship factors
Legal services are very much relationship-driven, with a significant number of leads often coming from referrals. These leads tend to have a significantly higher first-time visitor conversion rate.
How to improve first-time impressions
and boost conversions
Two foundational components of a successful online marketing strategy are a good law firm web design and good page structure.
If you are investing in generating leads though your online presence and Internet marketing, you cannot afford any deficiencies in your website design. Your site needs to operate like a well-oiled, lead generating machine to maximize your marketing ROI.
3 Key Design Points for Law Firm Websites
When looking to improve online conversions, consider these three key points for your Law Firm Website:
- Credibility elements – Successful client relationships are built around trust, and you want to establish this immediately. In a law firm, persuasive credibility elements may include client reviews, statistics demonstrating successful cases, and resumes of partners and associates.
- A personal dimension – As mentioned earlier, legal services are relationship-driven. A dry, lifeless, corporate website will not give visitors a sense of the real people within the firm who are ready, willing, and able to help them achieve their desired outcomes.
- Prominent and persuasive calls to action – Subtlety generally doesn’t work well on websites; sometimes you really have to get up in their faces and lead them to take action. Many law firms are highly polished and professional in their culture, so this last statement may go against the grain. Nevertheless, if visitors don’t see a phone number and easy-to-complete contact form on any given web page, they are not going to take the time to hunt for it. Meaning many wasted opportunities.
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