Building Trust with Visuals: Web Design for Law Firms
Nowadays, people turn to the Internet for answers to virtually any problem — including legal ones. According to a 2021 Justice Needs and Satisfaction nationwide report, two-thirds of Americans have encountered one or more legal issues in the last four years. Among the respondents, 73% used a search engine, while 62% accessed a website. Only 10% used social media as a source of legal information, despite its seeming prevalence in everyday life.
Websites, therefore, can still be considered the primary hub of a law firm’s online presence. And in an era when the virtual experiences of people are becoming as crucial as the information itself, the importance of good law firm web design cannot be understated.
Why Visuals Matter in Law Firm Web Design
Visuals play a large role in communicating with audiences. A PR News study says that content with quality visuals receives 94% more views than text-only content. They speak volumes without words, representing a law firm’s personality and capturing emotions clients can relate to.
Making Good First Impressions
As the saying goes, “First impressions last.” High-quality headshots, graphics, and icons work together in law website design to convey competency. How a website “feels” at the get-go — whether serious, intimidating, or friendly — is determined by the overall selection of visual elements.
Color is one element lawyers can use to influence user perception and behavior. Cool hues like blue and teal are great for lawyers since these are associated with calm, stability, and confidence. Brown and maroon, evoking tradition, are also commonly used.
This is not to say law firm visuals should only use these colors — it depends on the impression they want to make. When paired with black, which conveys confidence and power, a blue shade can convey a different impression. Law firms with younger lawyers can even go for an unconventional, energetic tone like orange.
Quickly Building Trust
Communicating credibility to website visitors should be one of a law firm’s design goals. The quality of the visuals is key. High-quality visuals make a firm look professional, trustworthy, and encourage people to stay on the website.
Visuals can also be intentionally crafted to signal reliability. For example, banners can display an attorney’s credentials and victories. A photo of a lawyer working with a client can help create an emotional connection with future clients, making them feel they are in the right place.
Improving User Experience
Web design contributes not only to one’s experience on the website but also to their overall journey upon conversion into clients. Visuals improve this experience by allowing the eyes to rest between blocks of text.
This “rest” does not need to be passive. Law firms can use visualizations, for example, to present information in another manner. Individuals with low literacy, disabilities, or high stress levels may better appreciate visuals that break down complex data into easily digestible details.
Choosing the Right Visuals for Law Firm Websites
Here are a few factors to consider when curating website visuals.
Clarity
The sharpness of images and graphics adds visual appeal. Grain and blur, unless used for specific purposes, may come across as distracting and amateurish.
Clarity will also affect readability. Text on photos, when rendered in the wrong format or resolution, will be hard to understand. This will impact the messaging aspect of visuals, making it more difficult for users to find what they are looking for.
In more complex visuals, clarity can be achieved through:
White space: Avoid overcrowded layouts. Leave some breathing space for the design elements (and the reader).
Simplicity: Colors, textures, and fonts spice up a design. But using a lot of them all at once can be overwhelming. Remove unnecessary borders and merge pieces of information.
Contrast: Visuals with a clear focal point communicate better than ones where nothing stands out. To increase contrast, the elements must follow a hierarchy of information.
Relevance
For visuals to work, attorneys must know their target audience. Law firms must select ones that reflect the characteristics and needs of website visitors. For instance, a firm aiming to reach an older demographic may choose visuals with inclusive design in mind. These usually have high-contrast colors, highly readable text, and a centered layout.
Contextual relevance is also important. Visuals should be chosen on purpose, not just for the sake of including non-text elements in a website for lawyers. For example, it would not make sense to put photos of families on a page about business law. Also, an attorney headshot might be distracting in an article telling readers how to file for divorce. Such images are better suited to the “About” section or the homepage.
Tip: Relevant (and high-quality) images earn extra search engine optimization (SEO) points, helping websites reach more people on search engines.
Consistency
Maintaining a similar “look and feel” throughout the website makes it seem clean and professional. It helps users have a seamless experience. Consistency in the following is important in web design for law firms:
Types of Visuals for Law Firm Websites
Law firms can utilize visuals for different purposes.
Hero Images
True to its name, a hero image is huge, catchy, and hard to miss. It is the first thing that draws the eye. This visual usually occupies the top half of the screen and features a key message.
Hero images incorporate a mix of graphic elements. They can be as simple as a tagline splashed across a still photo or as complex as a clickable carousel with banners showing off a law firm’s winning qualities.
Stock Photos
Stock photos are professionally taken images made available for free or for a one-time fee. These often come with a commercial license (to be safe, better check the terms of use).
Stock photos can quickly add visual flair to practice area pages and blog entries on a lawyer website. But while convenient, they tend to be generic and harder to get on-brand.
The following tips may help in finding and selecting better stock photos:
Use other search methods or filters: Sites like iStock and Unsplash allow users to search by color or image. Shutterstock has a “Similar” button per search result, which turns up related photos.
Avoid cliche imagery: Photos of gavels and courthouse steps are relevant to the legal practice but are also boring — not to mention overused in attorney web design.
Look at collections: Check if the website or its users have compiled sets of law-related pictures.
Narrow search terms: Type descriptive keywords into the search bar. Lawyer meeting a client is more specific than lawyer and could yield better results.
Team Photos
Photos of the legal team add a human face to the firm, giving prospective clients a peek at the people they will be working with. They are crucial in connecting with visitors.
Tip: Team photos don't need to show every person in the law firm. Faces may end up unrecognizable in pictures with over 10 people, especially on mobile devices. Taking a team photo with just the partners is a good option for larger firms.
Infographics and Data Visualizations
Visual representations such as tables, flowcharts, and timelines serve an educational purpose: they help readers understand legal terms, processes, and statistics. If an infographic is engaging enough, people will stay on a law firm's website. They may even share what they learned with their friends or followers on social media, which is a bonus from an online marketing perspective.
Good infographics should be visually interesting and relay information relevant to potential audiences. They must also be supported by short amounts of text that provide context and insight into the data presented.
Client Testimonials
Testimonials are a “show, don’t tell” way of gaining people’s trust. They work similarly to referrals, in which past clients who already trust a lawyer share their positive experiences. The difference is in the wider audience scope: referrals are shared with friends or acquaintances, while testimonials are on public display. Testimonials are social proof, making prospects confident about a law firm’s reputation.
There are a couple of ways to showcase testimonials:
Review cards can quote positive statements, whether in part or in full.
Video testimonials effectively pack details and emotions from clients’ stories.
Additional Considerations for Law Website Design
A 2023 Good Firms survey revealed that crowded web design is the most common error small and medium businesses make when constructing their websites. A cluttered mix of visuals and text might turn off visitors.
Moreover, 88.5% of the survey participants pointed to slow loading times as the top reason for someone to leave a website. Nowadays, people expect to get the information they need in the shortest possible time.
Here are more law firm website design tips that can help capture visitors' attention and increase the chances of them booking an appointment.
Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile phones have outnumbered the global population as of April 2023, the World Economic Forum reports. Since potential clients are likely to carry a smartphone wherever they go, taking the time to make attorney websites responsive only makes sense.
Mobile-friendly sites reap the benefits of enhanced user experiences, faster loading times, and higher SEO rankings. Content optimized for phones is prioritized by Google and other search engines. On the other hand, unresponsive websites may lead to difficult navigation, hard-to-read text, and odd layouts, causing clients to look elsewhere.
Clear Navigation
Visitors should easily find what they need on a well-designed website. The navigation bar below the site’s header must comprise sections reflecting the type of information a client usually seeks. The typical menu includes Practice Areas, Services, and About the Law Firm, but do not be afraid to customize it.
Digestible Content
Someone with a short attention span who has never encountered a legal problem may find a website unhelpful if it is riddled with jargon. To make content more accessible for the average person, attorney websites can:
Break up thick paragraphs into shorter chunks of text.
Use subheads, lists, indentations, grids, and bullet points to add rhythm.
Explain legalese in simple terms.
Make keywords and important points pop using text attributes like italics, highlights, and color. Adjusting the font size and weight (from regular to medium, semibold, bold, or black) can also help.
Call to Action
Effective law firm websites include clear calls to action, like 'Book an Appointment' buttons, contact forms, or links to download ebooks. A call to action is essential because it leads visitors to take the next step to connect with a law firm. In some cases, it provides information about user behavior, which in turn can be used to improve conversion practices.
Effective CTAs utilize action-driven, striking, and straightforward language. They must be strategically positioned and visually catchy: a high-contrast “Call us today” button can encourage more clicks if it appears once valuable information is provided. It is also helpful to use different CTA types and personalize them to individual visitor needs.
Real Examples of Well-Designed Attorney Websites
Cordoba Legal Group
Its hero image is the cornerstone of Cordoba Legal Group’s website design. Instead of a photo, the firm opted for an engaging video background layered with the firm’s mission statement, a CTA button, and a review carousel. The video goes all the way up to the header and navigation bar, making for a seamless layout.
The background is a well-chosen stock video — it has enough character and action to make the design work.
Counsel for Creators
This law firm built the website around its target audience: creative professionals. There is ample use of white space, as well as friendly, jargon-free language. Scrolling down, the services are organized into four categories. This nicely mirrors the four-step process summarized in the succeeding section.
Prospects will likely appreciate the thought and effort Counsel for Creators put into the design, which makes its key message all the more believable: “We Help Creators Build Strong Businesses.”
Hipskind & McAninch LLC
The layout of Hipskind & McAninch is a classic law firm website design inspiration. It uses the space above the fold wisely. Rather than listing all its lawyers’ credentials, it provides three reasons why personal injury plaintiffs should work with them. These reasons are fleshed out in the rest of the homepage, reducing the number of clicks (and time) it would take for someone to make a decision and click one of the numerous CTA buttons splashed across the page.
Like Cordoba Legal Group, it uses a video background but takes it one step further by weaving different shots into a complete narrative. Within seconds, the video shows what working with the firm’s lawyers is like.
When to Consult Web Design Experts
A DIY website is an option for law firms whose staff has a good “eye” for design. Now more than ever, there are a lot of beginner-friendly site builders to choose from, such as Wix and Hostinger, as well as premium ones like Squarespace. The Legal Design Lab at Stanford Law School also provides resources for visually communicating legal information.
That said, lawyers who find the array of aesthetic choices overwhelming may want to consult a website designer. While DIY sites are convenient, they often lack uniqueness. Design professionals build websites that stand out from the competition.
FAQs on Law Firm Web Design
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