What to write on every page of your law firm website

Design gets the attention, but words do the persuading. A beautifully designed page with vague, self focused copy will lose to a plain page that speaks clearly to a worried person. Here is what to write on each page, and what to cut.

The rule that governs everything

Write for the client, not for the court and not for other attorneys. Your visitor is usually frightened, uncertain, and not trained in law. They are scanning for one thing: evidence that you understand their problem and can fix it. Every sentence should be built for that reader.

If a sentence would sound normal in a first consultation, it belongs on the website. If it would only appear in a brief, it does not.

The homepage

Open with the client's situation, not your firm's history. State what you do and where you do it in one line that a stranger understands instantly. Follow with a short paragraph of reassurance, three or four proof points, and one obvious call to action. Resist the urge to say everything here. The homepage exists to orient people and send them to the right page.

Practice area pages

Structure each one the same way. Name the problem in the headline. Acknowledge what the client is going through. Explain specifically what you handle within that area. Describe what happens when they contact you, in plain steps. Add proof. Answer the three or four questions clients always ask. Close with one clear action. That sequence works because it mirrors the order the questions arrive in the reader's head.

The attorney bio

This is the most under written page on most law firm sites, and one of the most visited. Include your admissions and credentials, but lead with something human. Why this area of law. What clients can expect from working with you. A real photograph, not a stock image. People are deciding whether to trust you with something difficult, and a list of credentials alone does not answer that question.

The contact page

Say how to reach you, when you are available, and what happens next. "We respond to every inquiry within one business day" removes more hesitation than another paragraph about your commitment to excellence. Keep any form short, and make the phone number tappable.

The words to cut

Certain phrases appear on nearly every law firm website and carry no meaning, because every competitor says them too:

• "Aggressive representation"
• "We fight for you"
• "Dedicated, experienced, trusted"
• "Committed to excellence"
• "Full service law firm"

Replace each with something specific. "We handle catastrophic injury claims across three counties and take every case on contingency" says more than all five combined.

Write in plain English

Say "car accident" rather than "motor vehicle collision." Say "we will call you back today" rather than "prompt communication is a hallmark of our practice." Short sentences. Ordinary words. Plain language is not unprofessional, it is a courtesy to someone who is already overwhelmed.

A simple test

Read any page aloud and ask two questions. Would a client who is not a lawyer understand every sentence? Could a competing firm put their name on this page without changing a word? If the answer to the second is yes, the page is not doing its job, and rewriting it is usually the cheapest improvement available to you.