Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

How Users Really Read Your Site

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

You’ve probably heard about how users read on the web—they skim, they scan, they notice headlines, etc. In truth, what users do on the web cannot really even be considered reading, since only 16 percent of web users actually read content word-for-word. The vast majority of web readers pick out individual words and sentences, rarely reading even an entire paragraph.

What is “Scannable Text?”

This is why “scannable text” has become one of the latest buzzwords surrounding search engine optimization and rules about the best way to write compelling, readable copy. This type of text is basically comprised of highlighted keywords, attention-grabbing headlines, sub-headlines which are rich in meaning, bulleted or numbered lists, one idea per paragraph, and at least half the word count of conventional writing.

How Much Do Readers Read?

The average web page reader reads a maximum of 28% of the actual words on your page, probably even less.  The possible flaw in this equation comes from the fact that in order to come up with this particular statistic, the users in the studies tended to all possess above-average intelligence, and some might say that the typical reader of above-average intelligence might tend to scan most of what they read, whether it’s online or a book in their hands. Interestingly, the studies which found how much people scan on the web also determined that the “back” button is the third most-used feature on the web, and that most users consider it a lifeline which rescues them from content that turns out to be neither helpful nor interesting to them.

Nearly 20% of all page views last less than 4 seconds, meaning the user bounced out almost immediately after a quick scan of the page. Users tended to spend more time on pages with more information, meaning the website owner must not only grab the reader’s attention almost immediately, but must also provide the highest quality, most interesting information around in order to hold the reader’s attention.

Keep Your Intro Short and Sweet

Because much of the introductory text on web pages tends to be extremely long, users simply skip it. If you want your readers to actually read your intro, keep it short, informative, and make sure it increases the overall usability of your site by telling your reader about the purpose of the rest of your content. Many users will simply skip the introductory paragraph, jumping immediately to any actionable content on the page. This type of content could consist of the specific features of your products, bulleted lists, a short explanation of your business services, or hypertext links. Forget rolling out the welcome mat, and simply get to the heart of the matter, and you will stand a better chance of hanging on to your reader.

Use the Same Technique with Your Content

Your content must take note of the same issues as your intro. Once you’ve written your content, go back and slash mercilessly, leaving only the very most pertinent, interesting, exciting information behind. As noted, web articles should be approximately half as long as a comparable hard copy if you want your readers to read to the end, so learn to edit. Pepper your article with lots of subheads, which break up blocks of copy and allow those who are scanning to get the idea simply by looking at the subheads. Bullets and numbered lists immediately draw your reader’s attention, especially those who like reading lists. Use your white space judiciously rather than trying to fill every single space on your page with text. White space gives the eyes a break, making the overall article much more scannable. Complex sentences are not web-friendly, neither are long paragraphs. Finally, if you want to make your most important words stand out, use different colored text, bold or italics–but use them judiciously. Use photographs to show your reader exactly what you are talking about, and make sure you use an easy-on-the-eyes font. It’s important to understand how your web readers operate in order to reach them and keep them reading.

Findlaw Competitor LawyerSuccess Discusses Making The Move.

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Findlaw is the largest custom law firm website design company in the United States.  This fact is both a benefit and a detriment.  In my opinion Findlaw’s custom websites are very attractive and offer your traditional web design features and functionality.  Findlaw also claims to host and maintain the largest number of law firm websites currently on the Web.  In my opinion, I believe that to be true as well.

Does being the biggest mean you are the best?

The problem with being the largest or the biggest at anything is that your core service becomes watered down.  The average customer usually ends up lost in the mix of 1,000s of higher paying customers.  The Internet and search engines like Google are constantly changing meaning the technology on your website must be updated in order to achieve top rankings and increased traffic.

If Google and other search engines now prefer websites with newer technology and rank websites according to their authority, regular content refreshes and SEO revisions – you have to take a hard look at your website and what is being done to your website to accommodate this. In other words, static websites are no longer perceived as valuable sources of information.

Canceling a Findlaw Website Checklist

If you are dissatisfied with Findlaw and want to switch to a competitor here are some things to consider because this is a tricky process.

1. Make sure that you read your contract.   In many cases you will have to give advanced notice.

2. Contact a law firm website design company experienced in Findlaw website transfers for assistance. You local web company will not be able to throughly do this and your site will likely be indexed with an inexperienced web designer.

3. Purchase the Website files or end user license

4. Pay Findlaw what you owe them and follow the terms in your agreement completely.

5. Respond to all of their corespondences in a timely basis

6. Request the transfer of your domain to your account or a separate PeopleDomain.com account.

7. Contract with a new provider and start the process during the cancellation process to ensure your email and websites are not down.

We believe Findlaw is a quality company and that they perform a valuable service.  But we understand how important it is for an attorney and their website developer to be closely involved in website search engine rankings and marketing.  Some attorneys just prefer to work with a smaller firm that can give them more personalized attention and care.  That is what Lawyer Success, Inc. brings to the table.  We have a decade of experience in lawyer website design and search engine rankings but limit our client to ensure their success.

For free advice concerning the process of making the switch from Findlaw to another website developer such as your local design firm or our company or any other Findlaw competitor, please call (769) 218-6099 for free advice.

WordPress iPad Application Review For Lawyer Blogging on the Go.

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Custom iPad capable blogs

Today we downloaded the free WordPress iPad app (application) and here is our take on lawyer blogging using mobile computing devices like the iPad. This application is a must download if you want to be able to access and blog using your iPad since Apple’s Safari browser will not allow you to use the WordPress web based program.

For starters the iPad WordPress app is extremely simple and pared down to the most important festers such as managing posts, pages and comments, etc. Also included is the ability to add photos directly from the iPad’s photo library. This feature is very time efficient and simple. In fact there are only 3 icons on the main blog writing page.

One icon is for setting your blog post status, date and auto picture resizing which is a really nice feature. The second icon feature the picture selection menu. Again, very pared down to only the very essential and basic features.

The third icon on the write page on WordPress for iPad is the preview page option. This allows you to view the layout of the blog post prior to posting it on the website or blog.

When the user is on the write a page or post page, the options available are title, tags, categories, status, and the body text area.

This WordPress iPad application is perfect for getting new content on your lawyer blog while you are at the local coffee shop or waiting for a table at your favorite restaurant. Again the features are limited to only the essential features like comment management and creating, editing or posting blog posts and pages.

What we liked about the WordPress app for the Apple iPad is the ability to quickly get in and start blogging. Unlike the WordPress on your PC or Mac this application is very fast and is almost instantaneous which really supported our need to be able to launch blog copy while on-the-go.

We also loved that your could easily add multiple WordPress blog accounts in to the application. it also saves your passwords which again supports the need for speed and convenience for professional legal bloggers.

The one real sticking point though is the lack of some of the more commonly used features that would make this application perfect. The lack of being able to make text links without having to code is an issue for novice bloggers. However you are able to drop in HTML code while typing out your content with is pretty helpful for more advanced bloggers.

Another fairly burdensome functionality issue is the lack of the ability to go from one app back to WordPress without having to close out the application. When you leave WordPress, it closes and then reloads when you return. In other words, if you wanted to copy and paste something from another app or the Internet, WordPress closes out and then you have to go back in to the post you were editing all over again.

Also you can forget about this app if you want to create or launch a WordPress blog. This app lacks all of the Plugin, Settings, and other programming features that are in the full version WordPress program you typically run on your PC, laptop or Mac.

Again, this app just focuses on allowing you to access, create and edit your content at the very basic level. Does that have value? Yes. For those who just want to be able to quickly get their ideas out to their potential clients and want to turn spare time in to lead generation productivity this is your answer and it is better than nothing at all.

The best alternative is to be able to access the full version via Safari or to download a different browser to your iPad to access the online version of WordPress.

This blog post is the first post in which we used the iPad solely for blog content creation. Total elapsed time for this blog post – under 10 minutes. In fact it took less than 45 seconds to learn where all the features were and how to use them.

This is ideal for the lawyer who wants a fast, portable and convenient way to publish new information on his or her blog while on the go. If you travel by commute or by mass transportation this the city, you will be able to turn that spare time in to lead generation time.

Call LawyerSuccess.com if you are interested in designing a blog for your law firm. blogs are extremely effective for creating new leads from the search engines. Call (769) 218-6099 for free attorney blogging tips, ideas and advice or to have one of our designers create your custom blog.

Lawyers.com Review – Fair and critical evaluation of Lawyers.com

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Lawyers.com has been around since 1998. Lawyers.com has under gone several face lifts over the years as the site tries to improve the users experience. Once upon a time Lawyers.com was only an attorney directory with hundreds of thousands of attorney profiles. However, Lawyers.com has turned itself into a website that offers several types of services to legal consumers.


Lawyers.com claims to have over 1 million attorney profiles on their website. Claim to be the leading destination for legal content and attorney marketing solutions.

Contact Details:
Lexis Nexis Martindale-Hubbell
121 Chanlon Road
New Providence, NJ 07974
(800) 526-4902
Email: [email protected]

In my opinion, this greatly diminishes the value of the site to lawyers. That coupled with the fact that they completely oversell the number of attorneys that they list per city and per practice area. Many of my clients have elected to move forward with a Lawyers.com listing and profile even though it is obvious that they won’t receive much business.

Likes:
The amount of attorney profiles they list for consumers to choose from. Great for the consumer.
That they offer legal forms, legal questions answered (forum).
Legal information
Web traffic

Dislikes:
The design of the home page, too many links, too busy.
Oversold listings, not a good value for attorneys
Price, way too expensive and risky

Rating:
2 out of 5 stars

Lawyers.com review