As people continue to search for (and find) everything they need on the internet, a well-designed site is as important as ever. Since you aren’t able to sell your services in person to everyone who finds you online, your site acts as a surrogate, making your pitch in your place. And if you have a website that isn’t up to par, that is what people will assume about you and your practice.
We Read from Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Why is that important? Because your logo is one of the first things people will see in the header of your site. A logo that should convey your personality and aspirations. If you don’t have a logo, or your logo is something that you got off of Fiverr, you’re essentially meeting the client wearing the equivalent of your pajamas. You need a logo that matches your professionalism. A good logo should convey a sense of achievement or style while still being simple enough to read well at small sizes. Working with a professional designer to capture your style and turn that into the digital face of your business will immediately separate you from the pack.
Speaking of the First Things People See…
The human brain is wired to distinguish faces from everything else. If you use photography of yourself on your site, make sure it’s high-resolution professional photography. There are lots of good tips and tricks to getting the most out of your photoshoot here. Even if you don’t have many images of yourself on your site, the other images still need to work alongside the messaging to both accompany the message and to ensure that the message is readable. Busy photographs will make it hard to read any text that appears on them unless they are lightened or darkened to contrast the text color.
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Let’s Talk About Text
Like many people, you may like symmetry. But if your site features entire paragraphs of text either center-aligned or right-aligned, nobody will read it. Any block of text that spans more than two lines should be left-aligned to give the viewer a consistent place to return to when they finish a line of text. There’s no need to make the viewer strain to read the content you’re providing them. Speaking of strain, it’s unfair to ask site visitors to read entire paragraphs of text rendered in bright colors. Paragraphs of text should be rendered in black or grey on light backgrounds, and white on dark backgrounds. Also, make sure to proofread your website copy. If it has mistakes, people will assume that is a direct reflection of you and your firm, even if you didn’t personally write it.
It Looks Great on My Computer, What’s the Problem?
More than half of all web traffic is on mobile devices. If your site isn’t responsive, you’re missing a huge potential audience. Some sites look great on a desktop but fall apart on mobile because the lines of text are wider than a phone screen. And people will more likely go to another website than scroll back and forth with every line of text. Working with a professional web designer to ensure that your website works across all devices, from large desktop monitors and laptops to tablets and mobile phones is the best way to ensure you aren’t alienating a large chunk of your audience before they’ve even read your message.
To recap, ensuring that your site looks professional across all devices is the best way to inspire trust in your law firm. You wouldn’t show up to court in a dirty t-shirt, so don’t show up to the court of public opinion in a sloppy website.
