We’d like to make the case for why your law firm website needs some (visual) appeal.
If you’re looking to grow your law firm, a solid marketing strategy is vital: one that includes a well-defined brand and visual identity, and a demand generation website to increase your leads. If you’re looking to stand out from your competition, a cookie-cutter Squarespace template isn’t going to cut it. A visually appealing identity and custom law firm website (one that is optimized for search) are must-haves.
For a space that traditionally has a very cliché look, it’s even more important to really hone and identify the offerings specific to that firm. From there, the brand and narrative will work together harmoniously to tell the story.
Bruce Viemeister Head of Design, Studio Simpatico At Studio Simpatico, we help law firms across the country define brand identities and build websites that represent their unique attributes and take their businesses to the next level. In this post, we’d love to share our highly collaborative, end-to-end approach: how we work with clients to create memorable visual identities and craft custom law firm websites. It all starts with discovery—we dive into who you are, who you’re serving, and most importantly, the why behind it all.
First things first: An immersive discovery process to identify what makes your firm unique
Our discovery process kicks off with digesting as much as we can about your firm, business objectives, and target clients. We’ll often begin the process with a deep dive kickoff. Learning as much as we can (as early as we can) is vital to ensuring that we create a visual language and tone that accurately reflects you and resonates with your target audience.
For example: during our discovery sessions with HSD Law, we learned that prospective clients often feel overwhelmed by their situation (the medical bills they are facing, the stress of hiring an attorney, the worry of how they will afford it all, etc.). To help alleviate some of this stress and provide useful information, we included an FAQ section and glossary of legal terms. An interactive ‘step by step’ module (featured on the homepage and practice area pages) demystifies potentially intimidated first time clients. These resources help put potential customers at ease.
Helping your customers find you: The importance of ensuring your site is optimized for search
Where do you hide a dead body? The second page of search results.
But in all seriousness: if you’re not prioritizing search engine optimization as part of your website initiatives, you’re making a big mistake. You need to be where your customers are looking for you. Thanks to their new search engine optimized website, the partners at HSD Law Firm are enjoying more leads than they can manage due to their enviable placement on the first page of Google search results.
We're now showing up in organic search results on Google. We’ve received lots of compliments on the website from clients and friends.
Sara Stieben Partner, HSD Law Firm In a similar vein, our client Ellenoff, Grossman, & Schole is also enjoying their presence on the first page Google results for “SPAC” related keywords. (SPAC stands for special purpose acquisition companies, a specialty of the firm.)
Creating a visual language that represents your unique attributes
We create a distinct visual identity that reflects the unique attributes and personality of your firm. We typically design a few directions, and then iterate on the chosen direction based on your feedback.
New York City firm Ellenoff Grossman & Scholle came to us looking to create a polished, high-end design to reflect the caliber of their offerings. We chose to reflect the high-end finishes one might see in an office setting as part of our website: a dark and sleek color palette, incorporating marble texture throughout the website, and using sophisticated typography.
Conversely, HSD Law (a personal injury firm based in Fort Collins, Colorado) is focused on accessibility and the affability of the partners. Partner Bill Doutt told us that they “often bump into their clients at the grocery store.” Their marketing dollars are largely spent sponsoring community events. They were seeking a site that would not only bring in new business, but also communicate the local, caring, boutique qualities of their firm.
Building beautiful, responsive custom WordPress websites that are easy to maintain and update
Our designers and developers are constantly working together to make sure that the final website matches the approved design mockups. We leverage WordPress as a content management system to make it easier for you to upload and edit content on your own. Our development team not only builds your website, they build tools for the longevity of the website as well. For our client, Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C., we worked on developing a responsive website and WordPress integration so they could better manage their website.
Our developers are a powerhouse of both design and development skills, ensuring that all of our website builds are responsive across many platforms and devices. Our small team works together at all stages, but we keep responsive web design top-of-mind when building your website to ensure your customers enjoy a beautiful experience, regardless of browser or device. Learning as much as we can about how a customer will encounter and interact with your website informs a lot of our development process.
A rigorous QA process to squash bugs
Quality assurance is not to be overlooked in the website design and development process! Our comprehensive QA process ensures that there are no problems or bugs with your website. Both our design and development teams work together at this stage to ensure the website is running smoothly. It’s also during this phase that we conduct trainings with our clients on how to use WordPress to manage their website moving forward. We are “on call” for you during the transition phase and can fix any issues you may encounter as you use your new website.
Ongoing relationships to help drive your firm forward
After your custom law firm website goes live, Simpatico offers design and development retainers. Maintenance plans not only offer peace of mind for making sure all is running smoothly, it guarantees our team is available for ongoing marketing campaigns and any design collateral you might need.
Recently, HSD Law Firm returned to us to design and develop a custom landing page in conjunction with a creative campaign idea for National Bike to Work Day. All three partners at HSD Law are bike enthusiasts (from motorcycles to bicycles!), and had the inspired idea to design a landing page celebrating National Bike to Work Day that would be accessible through a QR code on water bottles to be handed out in Fort Collins, CO. We designed the page to include bicycling resources (trail maps, safety tips, etc.), a list of local bike shops and organizations, and information on what to do if you find yourself in a cycling accident.
Feeling like you might be simpatico with our approach? Get in touch with us here to learn how we can help you take your business to the next level.
