Your law firm’s homepage is the face it presents to the world at large and for most visitors is the starting point. Although users may land on other pages in your site, most often the homepage is your first opportunity to make that critical first impression, hook your reader and convince them to keep reading. Anything which improves the usability of your homepage adds to the overall value of your website, making it definitely worth the investment. When you consider your site’s homepage, think of it as a piece of extremely valuable real estate. This prime real estate allows your potential clients to carefully consider the benefits of doing business with your firm as compared to another law firm. Homepages typically garner more page views than any other part of your website therefore it only makes sense to ensure that homepage is imminently usable and enhances the overall value of your firm’s website. You may be unsure of the quickest way to improve your prime real estate, so here are a few tips:
- Use Your Graphics Wisely—Rather than simply “decorating” your site with stock images you’ve found in all the really cool places on the Internet, remember that your images have the ability to convey a powerful message when they accurately portray scenes that mesh with your content and are of interest to your users, but when those images appear irrelevant in any way, your readers can become disillusioned quickly. If you can’t provide graphics which are extremely honest and relevant to your copy, it might be better to skip them altogether.
- Don’t Go Crazy With the Visual Design Elements—The goal of your homepage is to offer simplicity and extreme usability. The addition of elaborate illustrations and colors can cause your users to dismiss your design elements as ads, sending their eyes to parts of your page which truly offer the help they are seeking.
- Have a Clearly State Purpose for Your Site—Your homepage is your first opportunity to explain clearly who you are, what you do and how you can help your user. You can do this quickly by starting your homepage with a tagline which effectively summarizes what your company can do to help your user. If your marketing slogan is less than stellar, your tagline is even more important.
- Place Your Firm’s Information in a Specific and Distinct Area—While this may not be the most pressing need of your users, should your high-quality content result in a reader who wants to fill out a contact form, send your firm and e-mail or give you a call, the details of your company should be readily accessible, easy to find, and should support your overall credibility. Having an “About Our Firm,” section can be a great way to link your users to further in-depth information than will comfortably fit on your homepage.
- 5. Make it Easy to Find Exactly What Your Users are Looking For—Clear navigation on your homepage can give your users a clear starting point. Websites which offer a search box for their website can give users concise directions for finding what they need in the quickest manner possible. Remember also that when you move certain articles or promotions off your homepage into the site former users may come to your site, remember the prior articles and wonder where to find them. To help your users, keep a short list or recently featured items on the homepage or link to a permanent archive.
All in all, if you simply remember how important first impressions are when designing your homepage, you will hit a home-run and reach the level of conversions you desire.
Tags: Lawyer Website Design
