Nowadays, if you want your business to be taken seriously, you need to have a website. This has become common knowledge for nearly the last two decades. But simply having a web presence doesn't mean visitors will automatically trust you.
We can all relate to times we've opened a website only to take one horrified look before clicking the back button. In fact, this is something that SEO expert Rand Fishkin mentioned in his appearance on Personal Injury Mastermind (PIM).
In internet marketing terms, that action is referred to as a “bounce.” The bounce rate is an important metric as it measures how many people leave your site immediately after arriving. You want that number to be as low as possible, meaning more people stick around to check out what you have to offer.
Spot the Difference: Identifying Red Flags of Illegitimate Websites
While the presence of any of these "red flags" doesn't automatically mean a website is fake, the net outcome can be the same: the user clicks away. Here are some common indicators of unsafe sites:
Lack of Security
Visiting a website that lacks security features can expose site visitors to risks like phishing scams and downloading malware. Not only that, but it could put your law firm at risk of exposing sensitive information.
Poor Web Design and Navigation
Fake websites often have haphazard layouts, multiple pop-up ads, poorly designed interfaces, and even links that lead to other fake websites. These factors can make it difficult to find information, indicating a lack of professionalism and credibility.
Absence of Contact Information
Legitimate websites typically offer multiple ways for customers to reach out, including a physical address, email, and phone number. If these contact details are missing or appear to be fake, it's a strong indication that the site may not be legitimate.
Misleading or Non-Existent Social Media Presence
While a company's social media presence can add credibility, the reverse is true for businesses without one. Icons of social media sites on the website that lead nowhere (or to another fake site) can be a huge red flag.
Poorly Written Content
Typos, poor grammar, and amateurish writing can be indicative of an illegitimate site. Legitimate businesses generally prioritize high-quality, error-free content.
Doubtful online reviews
Many potential clients will look at reviews first to check if a website is legit. While most businesses strive to maintain overwhelmingly positive testimonials, the presence of vague or identical reviews on different sites is a potential red flag.
How to Build Trust With a Legitimate Website for Your Practice
As a practiced legal professional, the last thing you want is for a potential client to click on your law firm's homepage and click away just as quickly. Even worse, you'd shudder at the thought that a visitor might think your domain is a scam site.
Integrating good practices effectively can have a significant impact on how potential clients perceive your firm. A well-designed, user-friendly, and credible website that presents valuable content can convince visitors of your law firm's legitimacy and can play a key role in building trust and turning a visitor into a new client.
What Makes a Legitimate Website?
So, what do you need to consider when creating your site to make it welcoming and confidence-inspiring? Well, whether you're making it yourself or hiring someone else to build your attorney website for you, follow along our credibility checklist for trustworthy websites.
1. Domain name: Is Your Website's Address Spammy?
Your domain name is one of the main ways potential clients will find you. It is the address people use to access your website, for example, www.rankings.io. Sometimes, domain suffixes can be a good indicator of reliable websites, as well. For example, .gov or .edu indicates that a government agency or educational institutions own the website and is thus likely to be safe from threats. However, as a lawyer, you'll most likely use .com.
A good practice is to keep these relatively short – 2-3 words – and around 20 characters. They should ideally be (or closely resemble) your practice name and shouldn't include confusing numbers or special characters. For example, you should never put your company's phone number in the website's URL. Not only does this smack of scam website techniques, but it might deter potential clients from using your site's contact page to get in touch.
2. SSL Certificate: Keep Your Site Visitors Safe from Threats
When it comes to protecting personal information and ensuring a safe browsing experience, making sure the website's protocol is secure is non-negotiable for law firms. Potential clients are unlikely to share sensitive information or trust a site that does not guarantee their safety. As of just a few years ago, hundreds of thousands of the world's most popular websites were not encrypted. Now, Google reports that the majority of Chrome traffic uses secure protocols. However, 14% of Google's web traffic still doesn't use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encryption.
To ensure a secure online presence in a world rife with phishing scams and data breaches, make sure your web address is encrypted with HTTPS. You can do this by obtaining an SSL certificate for your site. The 'S' in HTTPS stands for 'secure,' indicating that it's safe to enter personal and financial data on your website.
SSL certificates basically protect personal information by encrypting it. Any data they hand over (like contact information on a web form) can't be viewed by anyone eavesdropping.
A valid SSL certificate is an important checkbox for all legitimate websites as well as good lawyer technical SEO. Sites without an SSL have trouble ranking in Google Search and other search engines. Without an SSL certificate, most modern browsers will flag your site as 'not secure' — a major red flag that can direct traffic away from your site. In contrast, a secure protocol keeps your client's account information protected and reinforces your website's credibility.
You'll know if a website has an SSL certificate if it has an ‘s' in the URL after 'HTTP.' For example, https://rankings.io/. This protocol will also show up as a closed padlock icon in the browser's address bar or in a dropdown underneath it. You're usually able to purchase an SSL certificate alongside your domain name for a few dollars per month.
3. Clean and Professional Design: Let Your Experience Shine
As an attorney, your website should reflect the same level of professionalism, expertise, and precision that your clients expect to receive during a legal consultation.
Design elements that are aesthetically appealing, easy to navigate, and functionally effective not only add perceived credibility but also enhance the convenience of users, making them feel at ease while shopping online for legal assistance. It is crucial to remember not to overload your pages with stock photos, flashy graphics, or dense texts, as excessive visuals may make your site look like a potential scam website.
A website has to be more than just a digital brochure for your law firm. Think of it as an online store, where each of your services is a product. Just as online stores have clear descriptions, user reviews, and pricing for each product, your law firm's website should clearly outline all the legal services you offer and their benefits for the most optimized user experience.
For potential clients glancing at your website's address in the address bar, a clean design assures them they are not landing on unsafe sites or some fake website but a legitimate company providing legal services. It goes without saying that your design should be mobile-friendly as well, considering most users today access sites through their smartphones.
This is where you can start getting more creative with your site. However, you need to be mindful of making a good first impression. According to bluecorona.com,
“48% of people cited a website's design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business.”
That's a staggering number. Things to look out for regarding design include:
- Text – is the font appropriate? Does it exceed any borders or margins?
- Logo – is the resolution high enough, or does it look pixelated?
- Header – does it contain clear links and menus to make the site easily navigable?
- Footer – does it display the additional content that might not be present in the header? For example, contact information, social media links, copyright information, etc.
- Menu – if there is one, does it easily let you find the information you want?
You will also consider color schemes and branding. But these will depend on what you've already established at your firm, so try to keep your images in the same vein as these precedents.
When building your website, we recommend using WordPress CMS rather than a law firm website builder.
4. Reviews and Testimonials: Showcase Authentic Feedback
You can post feedback you've received on your website, or you can link to a review site like Trustpilot. The idea here is to show that other people – real people – have used your services before.
This makes the new visitor feel like they're not stepping into unknown territory or taking a gamble on your firm. As many of you will know, some of your best salespeople are your previous clients – so show them off!
Additionally, displaying trust seals, badges, and certifications is an effective way to increase the credibility of your law firm's website. These visual depictions instantly communicate that reputable organizations recognize and trust your firm.
Trust seals can range from a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation, a security certificate (like VeriSign or McAfee SECURE), or industry-specific accolades and awards. Displaying certifications from the state bar association, awards for being among the top legal services providers, or even your lawyers' educational merits can significantly enhance your website's legitimacy.
In addition, consider listing any memberships or partnerships with community programs, industry organizations, or pro-bono work networks. This shows clients that your firm is recognized and involved in wider legal and local communities.
You can also link to your social channels. Here, visitors can find even more reviews and see your interaction with followers, which will further validate your site.
5. Clean Copy: Hire a Copywriter or Proofreader
There's nothing more suspicious than copy that's full of errors. It's the first thing that tips you off to a phishing scam when you get those emails from “your bank.”
So, don't let grammar errors creep into your website. The occasional typos are bound to occur — so double-check and check again.
If you're not too confident in your ability, you could hire a copywriter, or you could even hire a freelance proofreader to check over your work. Just don't let a rogue apostrophe sabotage your credibility.
6. Use Credible Sources
In addition, make sure that all your website content is factually correct and up-to-date. Unreliable sources can tarnish your reputation as a legal authority and, even worse, expose visitors to spam and viruses. Ensure your external links direct readers to credible sources and steer clear of outdated information. Using Google Scholar or legal research tools can help with this.
7. Limit Ad Content
Most illegitimate sites will be heavily stamped with ad content. While ads are typical for many businesses, It's unlikely you'll host any ads on your law firm's website. But if, for some reason, you do have any (maybe you're an auto injury lawyer who has a partnership with a vehicle recovery service), keep the number of ads to a minimum.
Maybe you could place a small ad on a border or, even better, opt for an advertorial instead. Advertorial content is basically an ad disguised as copy. So rather than being paid to host a garish banner, you could instead write some thoughtful and flattering blog posts about your amazing relationship with your preferred vehicle recovery service and their low, low prices. And whatever you do – never host a pop-up ad.
8. Active Social Media Presence
Having an active social media presence is non-negotiable for law firms aiming to establish credibility and build relationships with potential clients. Your website might be the hub of your online presence, but your social media channels are where the real conversations happen.
When visitors peruse your website, they might check your law firm’s social media platforms to get a sense of who you are and how you engage. A robust social media presence showcases your firm as not just knowledgeable experts in law but as approachable, relatable individuals who genuinely care about their clients. It gives people a glimpse into your firm’s culture, values, and successes, all while reinforcing your credibility.
9. Most Importantly, Be Human
If you have the money, splashing out on graphics, animations, illustrations, and chatbots can be tempting. While these have their place, too much of them will sterilize your site and tarnish your content quality.
You need to put visitors at ease and show them that there is a person (or people) behind the website. Include a team photo in the ‘about us' section and add portraits to your attorney profiles. Reassure your visitors that when they get in touch, a human being will answer their queries.
