VI. CREATING THE WEBSITE
A. CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
Designing your site by press release starts you thinking about the audience and a compelling story, but the actual conceptual design consists of much more. First define your strengths. Are you a firm that only handles large international financings? Do you provide better service than your competitors? Are you more cost effective, more innovative?
1. Focusing on your strengths
Every firm has certain strengths and a viewer should know what your strengths are after spending some time on your website. Most law firms and lawyers handle a variety of matters; resist the temptation to try to enumerate every matter that anyone in the firm has ever handled. The more areas covered by your website, the less likely a viewer will remember any one area. Don't muddle your message with minor matters.
Also don't try to reinvent yourself for your website. It is surprising how many firms try to expand or create a new area of expertise on their websites, before defining their strengths. A website can be a very effective way to expand a firm's practice area, but it is usually better to walk before you run. Promote your strengths first, then think about what areas could be expanded.
2. Designing the site
a. Get their attention immediately
A website is no place for the subtle building of an argument. Websites are non-linear and unless you get your viewer's attention immediately, you are likely to lose the viewer. Tell the viewer what you are about; e.g. "Smith & Jones - NY Commercial Litigators". If you can think up something catchy so much the better, but be direct.
There is no better way to get someone's attention than with a good graphic image. A graphic is worth a thousand words and usually takes longer to download, therefore keep your graphic file size small (Small file size does not necessarily mean a small graphic.) The biggest failing of law firm websites is improper use of graphics, either the unfriendly, but professional "brass name plaque" opening graphic or an attractive graphic that is inconsistent with the website's message. To see if your graphics say what you want them to say, have three different people write down twenty words that come to mind about each of the main graphics.
b.K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple for the surfers
Try to make navigating the site as easy as possible. The home page should set forth information about what is on the site. Each link off the home page should give the complete summary for that section. The top of each page should have the name of the firm and that page's topic. The bottom of each page should have a navigation bar that links to each major part of the website. As the site grows and becomes more complicated, use maps of the site and search engines to help people find what they want.
B. CONSTRUCTION OF THE WEBSITE
If you have fully completed your conceptual design and layout, the construction of the site should be relatively simple. Having said this, sites will take longer to construct than you planned, especially, if you have limited or no experience writing HTML code. Some unforeseeable problems will have to be resolved before completion, so plan for such contingencies.
Carefully consider whether the site will be constructed in-house or by third parties. Give due consideration not only to learning the techniques necessary to construct a site, but also to who will maintain the site. If maintenance time is limited, design the site to be low maintenance. The technology for constructing sites is rapidly changing. For many firms, website execution should be left to experts, but make sure that the "experts" do not design a site that is so complex that it cannot be easily modified by your firm's personnel.
I. INTRODUCTION
II. OVERVIEW
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOP LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES FOR LAW FIRMS
IV. WHY CREATE A LAW FIRM WEBSITE
V. DEVELOPING A WEBSITE DESIGN STRATEGY
VIII. DISINTERMEDIATING AND RE-ENGINEERING THE LEGAL PROCESS
IX. A BRIEF REVIEW OF LEGAL ETHICS AND WEBSITES
For information on how Web Counsel can help you develop your own website see our Web Counsel Services page OR send e-mail to mark@webcounsel.com, phone us at (203)-637-4352, FAX us at (203) 698-1052 or mail us at our Greenwich office address - Web Counsel, LLC, 17 Wilmot Lane, Riverside, CT 06878.
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