A law firm’s home page could well be the most important page of your entire website. There is no single page which is more crucial to your success and which must make a strong first impression on visitors to your site. Rather than simply displaying tons of text, the homepage must present an overall snapshot of all the information contained in the other pages of your website. The goal of the home page is to entice your readers to explore further and make it easier for returning visitors to quickly find exactly what they are looking for. Make no mistake, combining all of these things into a single page can be extremely challenging, and tough decisions will need to be made. So, what should your homepage contain?
Who Are You and What Can You Offer?
First of all, your homepage needs to tell who your firm is. A tagline near the top of your homepage within easy and immediate view which immediately tells your visitors what they will gain by a visit to your website is crucial. Such a concise tagline also helps establish credibility with visitors. Vagueness and marketing talk do not belong in this prime real estate area. Because your home page is a starting point for your entire website, it should always contain clear, easy-to-locate links to the other areas of your website, particularly the most popular areas. A link to your blog page is needed as are links to other important pages. You want to strike the perfect balance on your home page between providing enough information and not over-informing so that visitors will continue to delve into other parts of your website.
Grabbing Your Visitor’s Attention
Keywords in the link text are extremely important on your homepage; web readers scan information rather than reading word for word so your links should be written in such a way that they become visual indicators of what the information the link will provide. Homepages should never be longer than three screen lengths with all the most critical information and strategic links above the fold. Your legal home page will have enough content to act as a powerful “teaser,” compelling readers to click on internal links to other pages on your site. When writing content for your home page remember that less is more. You must grab your reader’s attention immediately and avoid rambling or you will lose your audience in a mere heartbeat. Engage your visitors and provide them with something of value in your content—but only enough to intrigue them and make them want more.
Other Important Factors
Aside from the content, the design, layout, graphics, images and animations are all pieces of the puzzle which must be persuaded to fit perfectly in order to have a highly optimized home page. Your home page should reflect the site’s overall theme and should reiterate your firm’s brand throughout. Update your home page often so it will never appear dated. You want your returning users to see something new whenever they log on, no matter how small. We are experts in lawyer website design, lawyer website marketing tips, law firm SEO and high-quality law firm content for websites. Call (800) 877-2776 to speak with an expert in website design specifically tailored to the legal profession. When you call, you will be given free advice and strategies from highly experienced consultants – not sales representatives.
