Business Strategy & Development, Digital Marketing, Web Design
“If you build it, they will come.”
That saying may have worked for Kevin Costner’s character in Field of Dreams, but it is hardly a given when building a new website for your firm. Just like when you first hung out your shingle, when you build a website, you can’t just expect people to wander by and see it. You have to put the effort into getting your website seen.
Building a website is more than putting up a virtual front. Your law firm website should be central to your brand and business. When you invest in marketing, much of that effort should lead back to your website.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. You may find that you’ve put a significant amount of money into your site, but you aren’t getting the results you hoped to see. That’s one reason it’s so important to set up a website correctly the first time.
If you’re not getting a good return on the investment you’ve made into your website, the lack of results may be due to poor search engine optimization tactics and a misguided content strategy. In some cases, those kinds of mistakes might result in such poor rankings that there’s no clear path to fix the problem.
If that is happening to you, it may be time to ask yourself: “Would I be better off with a new website?”
It’s always hard to admit that your old website is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. There are only two options to consider if that has happened:
- Improve Your Existing Website – Do you have confusing navigation so difficult to browse that viewers leave the page before they can figure out how to use it? Is the content on it regularly updated? Updating your blog or expanding pages on your website is a great way to boost your SEO, but it is not the only factor. It’s important to make sure your site is still in good-standing with search engine guidelines like Google and Yahoo.
- Start Over – Perhaps the time is right to get a new website and be granted a fresh start (after learning from mistakes the last time). It’s a difficult choice to make considering you may have already invested tens of thousands into your existing site over the past years. Perhaps you still want to give your website a chance. There is always a chance your search ranking will improve. However, if you’ve been dinged by Google for having an “untrustworthy” site and your site has been demoted, then this task may be more difficult than it needs to be. Sometimes rather than improve an unstable site, it is better to learn from your old mistakes and start anew.
When is it worth considering starting over with a new website?
If you have one of the following problems, it may be worth the effort to start over:
- You have an SEO problem. The internet is over-saturated with websites. You want to be easily found when a potential client is trying to seek your help using specific search terms. However, if your search ranking is low then your new, incoming client base may be stagnant. At Postali, SEO is the building block behind every website that is created. It shows in our clients’ results. We consistently monitor the site to maintain that high-search ranking.
- The design is poor. Your website should stand out from the crowd when compared to other legal websites. The large production websites Postali handles for our clients often include a multi-day photo and video shoot using a professional crew. In addition, a website should be easy-to-navigate and expertly designed to make sure that you are getting the most out of every lead.
- The content is lacking. It is unlikely your site will do well unless you produce content on a regular basis. This includes videos, photos, articles, website pages, infographics and ebooks. Blogging is a consistent and easy method to yield returns on your website. At Postali, we will develop a content calendar that matches your business and site’s needs in order to develop and maintain a high-quality audience.
Our team has years of experience improving and adjusting websites and determining what does or doesn’t work. We stay informed of the latest industry news and implement best practices when approaching new projects.
Today we create award-winning websites that rank highly in search engines and provide quality information about legal services. We help lawyers in multiple aspects of their practice, including call tracking & voice services, full-scale photo & video production, press & media relations, content marketing, and SEO and paid search marketing.
If you’re interested in learning more about our legal marketing services, feel free to reach out at hello@postali.com to start the conversation.