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