5 Website Tips For Law Firms

5 Website Tips

I am a law geek, we all know that, so it is fair to say I spend a lot of time on law firm websites. I am also a bit of a website, blogging, social media geek, with a particular focus on the legal sector. So that is why I created this 5 Website Tips blog post, and I will be sharing more tips over the coming weeks.

I am often on law firm websites checking out their blog posts and general content for work but also just because I like doing so. I also check them out for case analysis and legal application, seminars, webinars and much more.

So, very often I find myself getting extremely frustrated over basic things which law firms either are or aren’t doing. Here are just 5 things I notice regularly when I go onto a website!

5 Website Tips

Some websites just aren’t mobile friendly! Whilst I do most of my work on my MacBook Pro, I regularly check sites on my iPhone 7 and some of them just don’t load. Failing that, you can’t always see content, or drop down menus. Google stats show that more people access information on their phones and tablets so it is essential that your website is mobile friendly! Why not run a quick test here to see how friendly it really is. It will also tell you what to do to improve, and it is free!
Various links don’t work. So often I am clicking around on a website (usually when I am conducting a website review) and certain links won’t work. It looks unprofessional for clients and prospective clients, and these things are always super easy to fix. It is particularly bad if you are directing people from one page and the link fails. Sometimes links just fail for no reason, but try and fix them as soon as you are aware of a problem. I have set a monthly reminder to check all of my major links just to make sure they work.
Directing people to in-active social media accounts. This is a huge problem and really grates on me. I am a massive advocate for law firms being on social media. However, I am not an advocate for law firms directing clients/potential clients to social media accounts which are inactive. It is awful when you click a social media link on the site or by a blog post and it says “this page doesn’t exist”. Sometimes you click on a link and realise that no one has bothered for months, even years. It really doesn’t take long to keep your social media up to date, so please try and keep them updated. Social media that hasn’t been updated for months, looks like you can’t be bothered… is that the impression you want to give?
A million and one headings/drop-downs! No word of a lie, I went onto a law firm website the other day and they had 30 headings, please don’t do that! Have a handful of headings, and then split those up even more. It looks neat and tidy, it look professional, and it also looks like you care. It is also good practice not to have lots of primary headings anyways!
No blog or news page. So of course I was going to mention a lack of a blog or news page. It is so frustrating when I don’t see a blog, but even more frustrating when there is one but the last post was back in 2013. Personally, I would rather see no blog, than an out of date, can’t be bothered blog! It really doesn’t have to take long to write posts and create some form of blog and content strategy! I have helped lots of law firms create their strategy, and it really is important that your website has a blog/news page.

Have you found this useful?

If you have found it useful, please share the link with friends and colleagues.

I will be sharing more website tips over the coming weeks.

Don’t forget that I do offer website and social media reviews. This is where I spend time on your website/social media and provide suggestions for improvement. I also share some top tips and strategies!

Contact me via my email address or contact page for more info. Find out more about my other services here.

Rebecca x

Why do lawyers need to have an online presence?

Lawyers need an online presence. Why?

Quite simply it acts as a huge marketing potential. Your online presence includes everything from your social media platforms, legal articles you have written, blog posts for websites etc. As with any company or business, your online presence is now more important than ever (and law is no exception).

Everyone has an online presence, that means companies, individuals, groups, organisations, charities etc. It also means your clients have an online presence as well, and therefore lawyers need to be aware of this, and ensure that their online presence is consistent, informative, beneficial and drives enquiries.

Statistics show that potential clients and buyers spend significantly more time than they have done on websites, reading around subjects, company reviews and individuals before buying anything, the same applies to lawyers.

So with clients checking out social media accounts, website blogs and news pages – these need to be up to date, current, informative and a benefit to them. You don’t need to be constantly selling your services on these channels, but you do need to be consistent with updating these platforms, and having a consistent message, and ensuring that your brand shines through.

Your “list of services” page is no longer enough. You need to show clients you are engaged, up to date and sharing legal news, updates and information which makes you the best law firm and the one they need to use. So what do you need?

A strong profile
Social media links on your website
A strong brand which is reflected on your social media accounts
Content which includes blog posts and news articles as well as social media content!
Active social media presence
Sharing links to any news articles you have written

So what are you waiting for?

Is it time you updated your LinkedIn profile, or as a law firm you start tweeting a little bit more?

I don’t really need to touch on this as you are all aware of the need to be safe online in terms of what you post and share, always have in the back of your mind what impact sharing certain things may have on your own career or that of your company. We have all seen legal horror stories which have arisen from people sharing stupid tweets and these have had a detrimental impact on their own career, brought the legal profession into disrepute as well as reflecting badly on the law firm involved.

What can you do next?

I have a series of blog posts coming soon which will assist you on improving your online presence. Therefore make sure you check out the following as soon as they go live:

Ways you can build upon and develop your online presence
What social media platforms should you be on?
My top tips for having a great social media presence
How to make the most of your company LinkedIn page
I don’t know what to share online
What are the things you shouldn’t be doing online!
Is it possible to build a rapport with clients and potential clients online – yes!
Why do you need to have a good response time and how can you work on this
Examples of how you can aximise social media outreach without losing hours of your day
How to handle bad or negative situations online in an appropriate way.

Sadly, just having a social media account isn’t good enough anymore, if your last tweet dates back to 2014 you need to put some ground work in and change that up! Start small if you need to, share an update on Twitter and LinkedIn each morning, and start seeing the benefits.

For a quick look at how lawyers can benefit and maximise their outreach on twitter, check out my first YouTube video in the ‘Twitter Tips For Lawyers’ series here.

How can I help you?

If you, or your law firm think you could benefit from a social media overhaul, or perhaps a training session, get in touch and we can discuss this. I run training sessions on specific areas of client engagement, social media, blogging, or just a general session. I also write reports for law firms on any of the areas mentioned above, and these highlight areas you could improve, how to drive more engagement and some of my top tips! It is a great way to start working on your social media platforms and really engaging with people. Feel free to send me an email via my contact form.

Rebecca x

Why should lawyers work on their online profile and presence?

Why do you need an online profile?

Your online profile is everything. Everyone knows that prospective clients check out companies online before making any sort of purchase, even if they have been given a recommendation. This applies to people considering what sofa to buy, or what laptop to purchase, just as much as it does to those seeking some sort of legal advice.

A survey commissioned by Peppermint Technology showed that 97% of consumers researched a lawyer before instructing one (even if they had been given a recommendation, so the statistics really do speak for themselves.

As I keep mentioning on twitter, YouTube and on here, your own profile (and that of your law firm) needs to be informative, useful, engaging and digestible to the lay person.

5 Tips To Improve Your Online Profile

5 simple ways to improve your online profile and presence

Be engaging on platforms such as Twitter, share your thoughts and opinions on news stories, share your own articles, engage in legal topics and debates.
Share a link to an article you have written for your law firm on LinkedIn.
Make sure that as a law firm you have tweets going up every day, even if they are scheduled! (Try and get people back on to your website).
Spend 20-30 minutes writing a brief article that can be uploaded to the website (and shared on social media) on a topical issue.
Every couple of months make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date. Ensure that you have everything filled out (and in detail), and if you would like a 1-1 review on the best way to market yourself on LinkedIn get in touch.

There are lots more ways you can improve your online presence and I do run 1-1 sessions, and group training on social media, writing blog posts, business development, social media strategies and client engagement. If you would like to get booked in do contact me via my email rebecca@lawyerinthemaking.co.uk to get more information and costs. These sessions are a great way to learn a little bit more, ask lots of questions and leave feeling better equipped at engaging with people online!

Rebecca x

5 Twitter Tips For Lawyers – Video

So as my own Twitter account has grown organically over the last few years I regularly get asked what lawyers and law firms can do to help grow their accounts.

Instead of typing you out a full blog post, I decided to film a series of “Twitter Tips For Lawyers” videos to upload to YouTube. This means that I can explain a little bit more about why Twitter is important for lawyers and law firms, as well as give a little bit of reasoning and background behind some of these tips.

why is twitter important?

Twitter is extremely important, whether you are a lawyer, law student or having an account as a law firm. As much as I do genuinely hate the word ‘networking’, Twitter is great for that. It is also great for legal news, sharing thoughts and ideas, discussing points, and also making great contacts.

As people that need to market themselves, this platform is great for that. It is your online profile which clients and prospective clients see, and they do go looking for it. So make sure your profiles (if they are work related!) are informative, engaging and most importantly consistent. Post regularly, share blog posts you have written, share useful information, share links to your areas of expertise, and show people that you are the lawyer they need to instruct.

Twitter Tips For Lawyers | Video 1

Here it is, the link to my first ‘Twitter Tips For Lawyers‘ Video. I hope you find it useful, and as the weeks and months go on I hope my video skills, confidence and video editing improve.

If you do find it useful, please share with your friends in the legal sector, or anyone else who might find it useful. These tips aren’t just for the legal sector, they can be applied in essence to anyone.

Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button on YouTube, so that you never miss a video, and I would love it if you gave it a thumbs up too!

Rebecca x

2015 highlights!

So what have been some of my 2015 highlights?

It seemed like an appropriate time to sum up on some of the amazing things that have happened, and also the opportunities I have had this last year (which for a fair few of them has been a result of this blog).

In no particular order (and I am sure I am accidentally going to miss some things off the list):

Passing the BCAT (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-cn)
Being accepted to study the BPTC at BPP (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-cX)
My solo-holiday to America and massively stepping out of my comfort zone! (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-eU)
Visiting Alcatraz and meeting a former inmate (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-jz)
Being a guest at the Pursuit of Justice Law Awards organised by The California Women’s Law Centre in Los Angeles in June (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-jW) (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-jW)
Going on the radio to talk about my blog (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-lO)
Graduating from my law degree (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-n2)(http://wp.me/p4pPCf-ez)
Getting you all a discount on CLT paralegal courses and other short courses (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-nu)
Starting the BPTC at BPP (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-n2)
Writing my #LITMqanda series (http://wp.me/s4pPCf-litmqa)
Becoming a member of Middle Temple and attending Qualifying Sessions (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-kq)
Helping at the ATC Training Sessions
Going on the Middle Temple Advocacy Weekend (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-sJ) (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-sF)
Having amazing conversations off the back of my #diaryofaptbptcstudent blog entries (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-nc)
Having various meetings in London with companies and legal providers, as well as Middle Temple (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-lf)(http://wp.me/p4pPCf-mb)
My blog and twitter following growing which means I get to meet and chat to so many more of you
Just writing more on my blog in general and for other websites such as Young Lawyer (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-mK)
Seeing how far The Penalty film is coming along and meeting with them, and receiving goodies (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-c3) (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-lw)
Being shortlisted at the UK Blog Awards 2015 (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-ag)
Turning Lawyer In The Making into a company (http://wp.me/s4pPCf-limited) (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-iZ)
Writing a post for the Bar Council on The Annual Bar Conference (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-sV)
Attending various conferences including Think Digital (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-fG) and the Annual Bar Conference (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-nX)
Being more involved with Big Voice London and their projects (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-kx) (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-rS)
Going to Blogstock (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-mV)and also Social Media London Conference and them sharing my 2016 Social Media Prediction (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-mV)
Going on The Schools Consent Project training (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-or) and I have my first session I will be running in a school in February
Encouraging people to use Wildy Book Stores (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-eo)
Creating my new weekly email system (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-o9)
Going to the Old Bailey (http://wp.me/p4pPCf-fr)

Plus I have made a lot of new friends, enjoyed spending lots of time with friends and family and also growing in confidence!

2015 you were amazing, and I really can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store!

I would love to know what have been your highlights of 2015? They can be law related or life related? Let me know on social media.

Rebecca x

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