Why Your Law Firm May Not Need A Website (a counterintuitive case study of law firms being lied to)

You’re about to hear from two attorneys. Each of them has a website.

They all generate hundreds, if not thousands, of leads every year from the internet (see screenshots below).

Not a single one of the online leads shown in the images above, came from their websites.

If their websites disappeared tomorrow, neither of them would even notice a drop in the number of cases coming in.

After running 5,000 marketing tests with hundreds of local law firms in America, here is the big lie we uncovered about websites – and what to do instead.

You’ve been lied to by “law firm” web design companies

I’m going to keep this brief.

Firstly, law firms are not the same as other businesses.

An eCommerce store may sell hundreds of different kinds of shoes, clothes, watches, bikes, TVs, laptops, etc.

These are all things people desire to have. People want options.

Law firms are different.

You don’t sell to people’s desires; you sell to people’s problems.

Prospects who come to you always have a very specific problem and they need an attorney to solve it.

Here’s what no web designer will ever tell you.

The more specific the problem, the less ‘website’ you actually need.

eCommerce stores spend the vast majority of their advertising budget sending people to incredibly specific landing pages.

These pages deliberately have less information and are lazer focused on one thing – making a sale.

Why would they do this?

Why would they create hundreds, if not thousands, of additional pages to sell their stuff?

Because specificity sells.

As an attorney, you don’t have this problem.

You only sell one thing – legal services. People come to you with a very specific problem, and you help them solve that problem with your legal services.

Therefore, you can easily sell one of your services on a single webpage.

The One-Page Website For Attorneys That Converts Visitors Into Leads (start with this before getting a website)

Imagine a visitor lands on a webpage and the only logical option is for them to pick up the phone and give you a call? That is the aim of the page I’m about to share with you.

Below is an illustration of the different sections.

By far the most important section is the Problem focused headline.

Why?

Because it is above the fold. People don’t have to scroll on their phone or computer to see it. 80-90% of your visitors won’t scroll. Therefore, this section is crucial to get right.

This headline needs to do two things. It needs to identify the problem your prospect is facing and present you as the solution to that problem.

Here is an actual example of a designed page.

The first thing you’ll read is this: “Did you have an injury at work?”.

This calls out the target market. Anyone who answers “yes” to this question is someone you could potentially get as a client.

The next section is all about presenting yourself as the solution. You become the solution to their problem.

“Find out whether you have a case from one of Boston’s top workers comp attorneys for free”

Here is a quick checklist for you.

1. Problem-focused headline: This is the headline that tells the prospect that they are in the right place. Notice that it immediate talks about the specific problem they have.

2. Elaborate on the solution to the problem: This goes directly below the headline. It talks about the solution to their big problem. In every instance, the solution to their problem is YOU, the attorney.

3. Instantly know what to do to solve their problem: The phone number is right at the top and quickly visible. To solve their problem, they either pick up the phone to call you, or complete the online form. So by quickly skimming the page they’ll know exactly what action to take next.

4. Scarcity: This helps people to take action faster. It lets the visitor know that there is only one surefire way to get the best possible outcome. And that is to act quickly and be prepared. The quicker they act the more likely they are to come out on top.

5. Social proof or ‘other services’: This section adds credibility in the form of testimonials and case studies. It reassures the visitor that you can indeed solve their problem. If you don’t have any testimonials, then you will list the other services you provide here.

6. Final solution section: This section tells the visitor that the quickest and easiest way to solve their specific problem is to get in touch with you. It is the final call to action and plays on their desire to get things under control again.

7. Double call to action: This gives the visitor two choices. Either they can call, or they should fill out the online form. Both of them go straight to your office so that you can take on a new case.

Can you see how much attention to detail has been put into this layout? You can’t simply ‘guess’ what’s going to work and what you need to say.

You have to follow a specific formula that urges the visitor to take action. People are natural procrastinators. This page layout breaks through that natural instinct and generates a high-quality lead who is urgently looking for a lawyer like you.

These work too.

Richard Fitzpatrick (the attorney from Boston) has received 189 inbound calls from prospects.

Jon Roeder (from Phoenix) has received 1,365 calls from webpages like this.

Dan Hill (from Las Vegas) has received 1,056 calls.

These single web pages are much cheaper than a full website

Not only are they cheaper, but they work with cold advertising.

If you want new leads calling your office every month, start out with one of these templates and use Google PPC advertising.

My team and I are happy to set this up for you if you don’t have the time.

However, a full website will give you a lot of benefits when it comes to search engine optimization for your law firm.

Once these single web pages are up and running, you’re going to want a website that looks stunning and converts visitors into phone calls. However, your website isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to your online presence.

If you would like my team and I to set up lead generation pages for you that convert, then call 480-525-7361 or schedule an appointment online here.