Overview
Client: Grahams Lawyers
Website: https://www.grahamslaw.com.au/
Services: Law Firm Website Design
Google Review
Brendan has recently completed our law firm website. I was impressed with Brendan’s suggestions, input and the end result was very modern, professional and effective- all at a reasonable price. I can highly recommend his services.
Keith Graham (Principal of Grahams Lawyers)
Getting Started
Keith Graham from Grahams Lawyers (GL) contacted us after being referred by Rob Knowsley from Knowsley Management Services.
Rob Knowsley helps law firms maximise their profitability. He’s been doing it for over 30 years has a highly engaged audience.
We scheduled a free strategy session with Keith. It was clear from the first 30 seconds that it would be a blast working with him.
The main takeaways from our chat were:
- Keith was very interested in optimising his law firm’s website for lead generation
- He wanted to work with an agency that would provide advice, coaching and copywriting.
- Trust was a big factor. Since Rob had recommended us, Keith felt confident that we would look after him
After the strategy session, we had a clear vision for Keith’s website. It was time to get the ball rolling.
We sent a proposal with our prices and received the 50% deposit shortly after.
Time to get moving.
Extreme Website Makeover
Want to see the transformation? Well, here it is.
Old Landing Page (not designed by us):
New Website by Legalsites:
It’s best to view it yourself. Here’s the link.
How We Did It
Here’s a list of key steps (in no particular order).
We’ve condensed and simplified it. That’s because some of the more technical computer stuff might put you to sleep!
Getting Found On Google
It amazes us how many web designers neglect SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). What’s the point of a website if it can’t be found? Seriously, about 25% of our clients come to us with a website that doesn’t even have a submitted sitemap. This is like ordering an Uber without providing an address.
So yes, once Keith’s new website was ready for launch, we submitted his sitemap to Google for indexing. But, in the meantime, we had to understand how people would find his website once it launched. How did we do this?
Keyword research.
This is a process where we figure out what words people are searching for on Google to find businesses like Grahams Lawyers. We organised the data and ensured that it would be incorporated into his website (e.g. copywriting, URL structure, headings, meta descriptions and title tags).
More Than Just Web Developers
Did we say how important SEO is? Well, it is. You know what else is important to us? Time management. That’s why we started optimising GL’s presence on Google Maps (‘Google My Business’ or GMB). Basically, we knew this could be achieved while the website was under construction. So why wait?
Ever notice that the top three listings on Google Maps (i.e. ‘Google Map Pack’) are usually the first thing (after paid ads) to show up in search? Well, this doesn’t happen by mistake. The fact is, you’ve got to optimise your listing.
Here’s how we improved GL’s Local SEO while building their website:
- We removed a duplicate listing. This is bad. If you have one, get rid of it
- We generated a link that would easily direct people to leave a Google review for Grahams Lawyers (GL). We emailed the link to Keith and asked him to contact clients that were likely to leave a review. We explained why this was important. The reviews started flooding in.
- Various other adjustments were made, such as geo-tagging photos, filling out the ‘info’ section with keyword-dense copywriting, adding all relevant locations, and including the most profitable service categories based off search volume.
Suggestions, Coaching, Guidance and Advice (from a law graduate turned marketing specialist)
Our clients come to us for expertise. Part of this includes coaching. The thing is, they usually don’t know exactly what they need and how to get it. That’s why they’re paying us. In other words, they want an agency that’s invested in the success of their business.
It was crucial that we obtain a deeper understanding of GL. So, we crafted a series of emails that were designed to sift out the most essential pieces of data.
The emails were structured like this:
- Here’s what we need
- This is why it’s important
- And here’s how we would do it
The topics/requests included:
- FAQ (including suggested questions and answers)
- Copywriting
- Getting more client reviews on Google and adding these to the website. It’s more authentic if the reviews are from a reputable online source (e.g. Google or Facebook). Testimonials don’t carry much weight unless they can be verified.
- Pricing page
- Client profiling (i.e. finding out who their typical clients are)
- Primary call to action button
- Colour scheme
- ‘What to Expect’ (i.e. the client journey)
- Syncing up with Leap software
GL replied to our emails and provided the requested information. As the data came in, their website took shape. It was looking good. REAL good. But, everyone knows that a great website needs to be visually pleasing. That’s why we invested in specific and targeted photography.
Australian Premium Stock Photography
Did you notice a lack of generic (usually American) and overused stock photography on the new GL website?
That’s because we invested in premium Australian stock photography.
Why?
First, high-quality photos can increase website traffic and conversions. How? Essentially, people are more inclined to engage with a website if they can ‘see themselves’ in the photos. This is why we’re a big fan of the ‘happy customer photo’. And we’re less fond of a stock photo that shows the back of someone’s head while they’re typing on a laptop. Or a body shot of two people pointing at documents. Come on. It’s not 2005 anymore. (Yes, we use these types of photos on our own website and occasionally on others. There’s a time and place for everything).
So, we curated Australian photos of people who fitted Grahams Lawyers’ target demographic (e.g. tradesmen, families, retirees and first-home buyers). The key to this was finding photos of people in regional towns. After all, Grahams Lawyers is based in Lismore, so it made sense to ‘go country’!
Then we uploaded the photos to our Google drive, sent the link to Keith, and asked him to remove any that he didn’t like. Fortunately, he kept most of them.
You might be asking, ‘What about photos of team members? Don’t people want to see these?’
The answer is, yes. But, only in the right place.
Research shows that team photos are great on the team/about us page. But, premium ‘happy customer’ photos are more persuasive in the hero image and throughout most of the website. That’s why we generally advise against using your team photos in the ‘hero’ image.
The first thing someone should see when they visit your site should be the ‘result’ that you’re asking them to pay for. For example, a photo of a young family standing out the front of their new home would be ideal for a law firm that provides property law and conveyancing services.
Finishing Up
It was time to go through our pre-launch checklist. What’s it include?
- Ensuring the website was migrated successfully by our web developer
- Submitting sitemap
- Syncing with Google Analytics
- Checking all buttons, forms, pages, headers, footers, design consistency and other relevant parts.
- Optimising Yoast SEO plugin
- Fill out all title tags, meta and URL structure
- Run site audit using our SEO tool
- And more. We don’t want to bore you with super technical computer mumbo jumbo.
Client Review
Why We Like This Website
Here are a few things that we’re quite proud of:
- There’s a tonne of valuable information about their practice areas. The copywriting was developed by us after consulting with GL
- It feels authentic and aligns with their values. The photos play a big part here.
- The website has a clean, simple and visually-pleasing design
- It’s very easy for website users to take action and become a client
Need help with your law firm marketing and website?
We’d love to help! Book an appointment now.
Legalsites provides law firm marketing and websites to Australia and New Zealand.