I recently searched online for a criminal law attorney—no, not for myself, but for a friend of mine who was looking to get his license back in California. A lot of the websites seemed over the top, too slick, almost Vegas-like in their flashiness, tales of success, and satisfaction-guaranteed promises. I gave those sites a cursory review and almost immediately determined that the firm/lawyer was not who I had in mind to represent my friend. Why did I dismiss those firms/attorneys who may have had successful practices with top-rated attorneys? The websites made me feel like they were all show and no substance—but was it just the flashy sites or the content? Maybe both.
A flashy website is not the best way to deliver content, says M. Emily McCutcheon, a professional webmaster and graphic designer in Toronto who specializes in small-practice firms. “The biggest and most frequent mistake made in website design is the failure to keep it simple. Simple and fast access to your information is the key to website success.” Conversely, websites that are too dark, too crowded, and too flashy cause eyestrain and tire the user because they take a long time to load or are difficult to navigate—making your potential customer do just what I did when searching for that criminal defense lawyer: move on to another firm’s site.
The content on your website also has to appeal to your core customer. Think about the average person visiting your site. What is the education level of this person? Is this person male or female? What content is important to this customer—is it testimonials, past success in your type of case, or the education of the lawyer? At the end of the day, your content should flow from what would inspire confidence
in your customer: professionalism, accomplishments, and results.