Contents
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Getting Started
Congrats on getting your unrestricted practising certificate!
It feels good, right?
Exciting times are ahead.
You’re probably figuring out your law firm startup costs.
Let’s dive into the world of law firm marketing.
How much do law firms spend on marketing?
The price varies for small to medium law firms in Australia and New Zealand.
But it generally starts at $1000 per month.
Reaching upwards of $8000 per month.
Depending on budget, goals and the law firm size.
We suggest a monthly spend of around $1000 per month for most law firm startups.
Related: How much should a law firm spend on marketing?
What marketing services are best for startup law firms?
We suggest a mix of SEO and Google Ads.
This should be a monthly campaign.
But, ensure you’ve got a professional law firm website.
Otherwise your return on investment will suffer.
Learn more about law firm marketing for startup law firms
Law firm SEO services by Legalsites
Google Adwords services by Legalsites
What other law firm startup costs should you consider?
Let’s look at your law firm website.
How much should a law firm spend on a website? (startup law firms)
Most small to medium law firms spend $3000 to $8000 on a website.
But a startup law firm can expect to spend $3000 to $4000.
Sure, you can spend much less.
But it probably won’t rank on Google and get clients.
Why?
Problems with budget law firm websites
- Spelling errors
- Sitemap not submitted to Google
- Copywriting by people who don’t understand the legal industry
- Ethical violations
- Google Analytics not synced and setup
- Bad quality images
- Website not submitted to Google for indexing and crawling
- Poor Google ranking
- Insufficient keyword research
- Lack of onsite SEO
- etc…etc…etc…
Learn more about our web design services.
Need help with your startup law firm website?
Is Wix or Squarespace good for law firm websites?
Wix or Squarespace are generally not ideal for law firm websites.
Why?
Many reasons.
Why we don’t recommend Sqaurespace or Wix
- Not as scalable as WordPress. This means you’ll probably need a new website pretty quickly once your law firm grows.
- Expensive
- Restrictive templates
- No access to WordPress plugins
- Buggy
- Etc..etc..etc…
Many of our clients came to us with a Squarespace website.
They weren’t happy because it wasn’t generating leads.
Or ranking on Google.
Want more information on Squarespace and Wix for Lawyers?
It goes into more detail.
What’s the best law firm website builder for startups?
Check out our ‘recommendations‘ page for links and discounts.
This includes our favourite platforms for building law firm website.
e.g. hosting and wordpress site builder
3 reasons why you should consider hiring a professional law firm marketing service
Of course we’re biased.
But here’s 3 reasons that are worth considering.
1) You’ll Save Money
Yes, you read that correctly.
Here’s the thing –
You’ll probably spend MORE if you do it yourself. Why? Well, here’s one big reason that comes to mind.
Wholesale Prices
We buy our law firm marketing products at a wholesale rate. But, you’ll have to pay the retail price.
If you insist on going solo, here’s what you’ll have to buy:
- Website subscription (usually paid yearly and non-refundable) e.g. Squarespace or Wix. A brief note on Wix. They’ll offer you a ‘free’ domain for two years. But, they’ll charge you through the nose if you decide to migrate that domain elsewhere. It’s one of many tricks used by these platforms to keep you locked down.
- Hosting
- Domain
- Logo design
- Copywriting
- SEO tools
- and more
The thing is, once you factor in all the time and energy, is it really worth it? Considering we purchase these products cheaper. And, we already know what we need. On top of that, you’ll receive a startup discounted rate with LegalSites. So, the benefits of going solo are watered down significantly.
Regardless, some firms will try to build their online presence without professional help. That’s understandable. After all, every dollar counts. But, this route doesn’t usually last long.
How do we know? Well, many of our clients tried to do it themselves. After 12 months or so, they came to us and asked for help. Factor in all the wasteful spending and the answer is pretty clear. Yes, you’re usually better off hiring a professional from the start.
Let’s not forget the opportunity cost. What do we mean by that? Well, think about all the time you could spend billing clients. Instead, you’ll spend it building a website, doing SEO, Google Ads, etc, etc, etc.
2) You’ll Save Time
How busy are you? Flat out? I’m not surprised. It’s tough work launching a law firm. Then, you’ll have to run it. So, you’re wearing two hats (at least). That is – the lawyer AND the businessperson.
You only have a finite amount of time and energy. How long will it take you to become a law firm marketing expert? Didn’t it take long enough to hone your skills as a lawyer?
As mentioned previously — think about opportunity cost. Is your time worth more as a lawyer or a law firm marketing expert? This is where billable hours become an issue. Or, if you’re passing the task to a staff member — what else could they be doing?
3) You’ll Grow With Your Law Firm Marketing Agency
Most law firms have similar goals. That is — secure high-quality clients, work smart (not hard) and make a difference.
A day will come when you’ll need to outsource various tasks to reach your goals. One of these will be law firm marketing and website design. You can GROW with your agency from day one. Or, you can find a stranger who has to learn the intricacies of an established law firm.
Unfortunately, too many digital agencies are trying to make a quick buck. Thus, their attention isn’t on their clients. Maybe it’s on their next vacation? Who knows. The thing is — ‘short cuts’ and ‘cheap tricks’ are too common amongst digital agencies.
For example, a client of ours used an SEO agency before coming to us. It turns out that this agency was making ‘fake’ Google reviews for this client. How do we know? Well, some of the Google reviews mentioned practice areas that their client didn’t even do.
This is a terrible idea (for so many reasons). And, the reviews were short and vague. Plus, they were added around the same time. So, it’s unlikely that a reasonable person would be convinced by these reviews.
Seriously though — if you’re in it for the long game — this type of trickery wouldn’t be a reality. Unsurprisingly, this agency didn’t keep their client for long. This client has joined LegalSites and their results have been outstanding.
Need help with your law firm startup costs?
We love working with startup law firms.
And we’re experienced in offering high-value law firm marketing services that get results.
More more leads, more clients, more profit.
Let’s discuss your law firm startup costs and marketing budget.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Bonus: Free PDF Download of this Law Firm Marketing Plan
