Your law firm’s website shouldn’t be a drawn-out, expensive headache. Focus on creating a professional, clean site that clearly shows what makes your firm stand out.
A website is a key part of your law firm’s digital presence. It should be polished, mobile-responsive, easy to navigate, and clearly reflect your firm’s personality, approach, and expertise.
What it doesn’t need to be is flashy, overengineered, or cost as much as a new associate’s salary.
And that’s if you even get a fancy website. More often than not, you’ll end up with a perfectly average-looking site that could’ve been built for a fraction of what you’ve paid.
Don’t let slick agencies convince you that you need a cinematic homepage or some convoluted custom build. You don’t.
The fact is, most law firm clients aren’t looking for animation-heavy pages, custom transitions, or bells-and-whistles functionality. Yet many law firms get sucked in by big promises and vague timelines of web agencies. Worse still, some agencies build sites in ways that make it impossible for anyone else to update them, which means you get locked into expensive monthly contracts just to change a phone number or add a new partner bio every now and then.
So as you look into redesigning your site or launching one for your newly established firm, keep these four things in mind:
- Get moving. A clean, well-structured site that captures your firm’s point of view and strong positioning can go live in weeks. There’s no need to wait around for months, going through endless revisions or developing complicated features that don’t add real value.
- Don’t overpay. Seriously, you’re not building the next Facebook. You’re creating a professional platform for your legal services. The price should reflect that.
- Stay in control. No matter what the development agency says, avoid proprietary systems. You’ll get locked in a contract that will hold your digital presence hostage.
- Cut through the jargon. Agencies love to throw around technical terms to make things sound more complicated than they are. Don’t fall for it. When you hire, ask them to walk you through the process, explain what the back-end looks like, and show you how you’ll be able to make changes yourself.
At the end of the day, remember that a good website is a tool to connect with prospective and existing clients. It shouldn’t be a soul-sucking project that drains your time and budget. Choose wisely, ask the right questions, and don’t let anyone overcomplicate what should be straightforward.
By Saida Ayupova, Founder, Five-o-eight
