Your Firm Website Is It For You Or Your Clients

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Your Firm Website: Is it for You or Your Clients? When I spoke at firm retreats, I frequently showed excerpts from the “About” page of the firm for whom I was speaking and two competitors. I then asked the lawyers to identify which website was theirs. Routinely, only about 50% of the lawyers in the audience know which website is their own. Why? While I believe law firm websites are improving every year. Many law firm websites are alike and are focused more on selling the firm than helping the firm’s clients. Look at the “About” page on your law firm website. Does any of the above look familiar? Does your firm “About” page also talk about your firm’s history? How many hits are you getting on that page? I doubt many because your potential clients really do not care about your firm’s history. Does your webpage focus on what your lawyers do? If that is the main focus you are not reaching your potential clients because, for the most part, they do not care about your firm’s services. They care about themselves and their problems, opportunities, and changes and will only pay attention if the services you provide specifically address those issues. David Meerman Scott  wrote a book titled: The New Rules of Marketing and PR. I read the book years ago and the rules are no longer new. But, it’s a great book you should consider reading. One of his new (now old) rules is the importance of focusing on your customer (client) persona and creating content on your webpage that addresses their needs. Scott frequently blogs and does presentations about this rule and provides real-life examples. The good news is that since the new rules became old rules, many law firms have changed their websites.  Instead of claiming to be innovative or creative, those firms demonstrate it on their website. There is an expression I like: “Sell by doing, not by telling.” Law firms with great websites create content their clients and potential clients will find valuable and they make it as easy as possible to get it and easy to share it. Suppose for a moment that a one person in-house general counsel for a family owned business comes to your website. What would he or she find valuable there? What would give him or her an idea about what it will be like working with your lawyers? I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.