2020 has forced lawyers to embrace a more digital world. With hearings held via Zoom and a newfound dependence on lawyer apps and case management software, attorneys have adjusted to changing requirements and found ways to continue running their law firms – but may also want to add updating their digital marketing strategy to their to-do list.

Potential clients are using the internet to find legal assistance more than ever, and the most successful law firms will be the ones with a strong digital presence. If you haven’t yet created a website for your law firm, or if your existing website is failing to drive the results you’d hoped for, there are simple things you can do to reinforce your web presence.

Creating a website can often sound intimidating to digital newbies, but there’s never been a better time to be a DIY web designer. We’ll break the process down into three manageable steps – purchasing a domain name, selecting a website builder and hosting, and developing content – and discuss the basics of using search engines to ensure your website can be found by the right people.

Purchasing a domain name

What’s a domain name, and why do you need one?

A domain name is the URL or address of your site, for example www.smokeball.com. This is the information that allows visitors to find your website. Most law firms will want to use either their name or a phrase related to their business as their domain name. Domain names are usually quite affordable and can be purchased from what’s called a domain registrar. Examples of domain registrars include Namecheap, GoDaddy, and Google Domains. Once you have purchased (or “registered”) your domain name, you will be able to use it on your website.

Select a website builder and hosting

Hosting is the like plot of land you build your house (or in this case, website) upon. You can often purchase hosting through your domain registrar, or you can purchase it separately from sites like SiteGround or HostGator. Depending on what platform you use to build your website, hosting may be included.

If you want to build a basic website quickly with no coding knowledge necessary, a drag and drop website builder like Squarespace or Wix is a great option. Most of these builders will charge a monthly fee and supply hosting for your site.

Another popular choice is WordPress. WordPress offers increased customizability when compared to the above drag and drop builders and is preferred by those who want to build more complex websites. With WordPress, you will need to purchase your own hosting.

Develop content

Now that you’ve got the tools to build your website, it’s time to create some content. Common sections on lawyer websites include details about practice areas and services, attorney and staff profiles, and contact information. You may also consider including a blog. When regularly updated with articles relevant to your desired audience, a blog can be a great way to drive traffic to your site (check out this post  for a list of blog ideas if you’re not sure where to get started.)

But above all else, your main goal in setting up your website should be to make sure visitors know who you are, what you do, and why you are the best choice for their legal issue.

Gaining exposure on search engines

Once your law firm website is up, your next task is to make sure your potential clients can find it – and that’s where search engines come into play.

A Google search for “personal injury lawyer” or similar is often the first step taken by an individual seeking legal services; and the higher your law firm website ranks in those searches, the more likely it is to be clicked on and considered. The process of maximizing your exposure on search engines is often called search engine optimization, or SEO.

While SEO has become an entire industry in recent years (a search for “SEO agency” will result in pages upon pages of results) there are simple steps you can take on your own to increase your website’s chances of being found by the right people at the right time.

Customizing content

First and foremost, make sure that the content on your website aligns with what your potential clients might be searching for. If you are hoping to appear in results for “Chicago real estate law” for example, but Chicago real estate law is only cursorily mentioned on your site, you will not rank as well as you might like.

Driving traffic

A cruel paradox of the internet is that search engines tend to favor sites that are already popular. The search engine’s goal is to provide a satisfactory answer to the search query, and a website with thousands of visitors a week will be judged as more of an authority than one with only a handful of visitors a week.

When you’re starting out, you may need to get creative with ways to get the word out about your site – consider sharing on social media, writing articles that others may share with their friend and colleagues, or even writing a guest blog post for another website in exchange for a backlink to your own website.

Keep it up to date

Once your site is complete, it can be tempting to check that task off your to-do list forever; but search engines recognize when a site hasn’t been updated in a significant amount of time. Your search rankings will drop as your site is viewed as less relevant and up to date. Consider making website updates a priority just like you might schedule a dental appointment or monthly networking event.

As you continue to modernize your law firm – whether through calendar software, a new practice management system, or even changing the way you track billable hours – don’t forget that your marketing strategy will need to evolve as well. If you’re interested in learning more about launching a sustainable marketing strategy, we’ve recently released a free on-demand webcast, “Attract and keep clients: Everything you need to know about digital marketing for your law firm,” that will help you get started with simple, actionable steps.

Your law firm website is a valuable tool for marketing your firm and connecting with potential clients, and is worth spending time on. Your next client might be just a click away.

Dana Morrison is a marketer and writer at Smokeball, a legal software company providing practice management solutions for law firms. You can connect with Dana via LinkedIn.