User experience (UX) refers to what it’s subjectively like for a person to use a product or a service: how the experience feels, the emotions it evokes, the associations it creates.

It seems glaringly obvious that any product, including a law firm website, designed with the needs of its users in mind will have a more positive user experience. Furthermore, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. 

With so much at stake, why wouldn’t a law firm have user experience as a primary consideration when designing its website? 

How Law Firm Website User Experience is Overlooked

In truth, there are a lot of reasons that law firm website user experience doesn’t get the attention it should. Some lawyers underestimate the impact of their website in attracting clients, relying on their reputation and referrals, with the website as an afterthought. Others may be more focused on the appearance of the site, and overlook functional details that can make the site frustrating for visitors. 

But the most common reason that law firm ux design falls by the wayside might seem surprising at first glance: law firms forget who their website is for. 

It’s surprising because, of course, attorneys understand that prospective clients are usually the primary audience for their websites. It’s just that their focus is often on what they want prospective clients to know about the firm. That’s understandable: a website is one of the most significant expressions of a law firm’s brand—what sets it apart in the marketplace. Unfortunately, many law firms are so focused on conveying their brand and qualifications that they forget to think about what’s important to the website’s audience. 

As Diego Aguirre, Creative Director of The Modern Firm observes, “Your law firm website is about you, but it’s not for you. There’s often a lot of fear and a lot of unknowns when someone is searching a lawyer’s website. Where user experience comes into play is, how many of those fears can you pacify before the person even reaches out to you? A lawyer’s website can do so much of the front work to put someone at ease.”

What Does Good Law Firm User Experience Design Look Like?

Okay, good UX is important—but as a practical matter, what does that mean? Diego offers some insight: “One of the best explanations I ever got about user experience is that it’s about what you can see, and what you can do with what you can see.” In other words, when someone accesses a law firm website, perhaps with no clue about their next steps, the website should help them along without overwhelming, aggressively selling, or frustrating them. That includes:

Clear Navigation

If people can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’re likely to leave a law firm website. Clear navigation, including a homepage that functions as a visual menu of what’s available on the site, helps visitors find what they need. 

Mobile Responsiveness

An increasing number of people search for law firms on phones or tablets, especially for sensitive matters like divorce or bankruptcy. A mobile responsive design that adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes is a must. 

Meaningful Content

Prospective clients come to your law firm website for answers and peace of mind. That reassurance comes in large part from your written content. It should be both substantive and easy to understand. Your prospective clients don’t need a law review article; they just want to understand your services and how you can help them. Not only should you provide content that tells visitors those things, you should present it in a way that’s easy to digest: informative headings, brief paragraphs, and bullet points to help break things up visually.

Straightforward Design

“Straightforward” doesn’t need to mean “plain” or “boring.” But your design should make it clear to the user what they should do next. For instance, Diego suggests, if the clickable buttons on your website are one color, non-clickable elements should not be the same color, to avoid confusion and frustration. Straightforward design also includes easy-to-use forms, calls to action, and other tools to make users’ next steps simple to understand and easy to take.

Fast Load Times

When someone comes to your website, they may have a sense of urgency about their legal concern. While one or two seconds won’t make a real difference in the issue’s resolution, slow page loading can feel frustrating, even agonizing, to a user, leading them to click away from your site. Poor technical SEO, including slow page loading, can also negatively impact your search engine rankings.

Accessible Design

Having an accessible website isn’t just good business: it’s the law. A significant portion of your website users could have disabilities (like visual impairment, hearing impairment, or dexterity issues) that could make it difficult to use some websites. Small measures (like proper color contrast and captions) can help keep your website from turning away potential clients.

Privacy and Security

Nobody wants to use a website that can put their personal information and other sensitive data at risk. That’s especially true when that sensitive information includes legal concerns. Good law firm UX design uses HTTPS encryption, secure contact forms, and clear privacy policies to reassure users that their data is safe. 

Social Proof

“Social proof” is just another way of saying that trustworthy people have vouched for your law firm. Positive client reviews and testimonials, client success stories, awards, and badges from professional associations all say: “this is a law firm you can trust.”

All of this may seem like a lot, but these components of a positive law firm website user experience can (and should) be naturally woven into your firm’s website design.

The Benefits of Good UX Website Design

Diego Aguiirre points out that an effective law firm website must achieve a balancing act. “You want to make sure your website reflects you and your brand, but also that it’s an accessible, effective tool for your audience.” In other words, your website can convey what you want your visitors to know about you and your law firm; but it should always do so through the lens of what matters to your client. 

Taking that approach yields a host of benefits, not only for website users, but for your law firm itself, including:

Better Search Engine Optimization

SEO isn’t just about keywords. Search engines take into account elements like load times, mobile responsiveness, and user-friendly layouts; these can all boost your website’s search engine rankings. Search engines also take note of bounce rates. A good law firm website user experience means that people are more likely to be engaged and stay longer on the site. That signals to search engines that the site is substantive and provides value to users.

Increased Lead Generation

Some people visiting your website aren’t prepared to contact you just yet. Some need a lawyer now and will reach out regardless of what you do. But there’s a sizable group in the middle who might contact your law firm right now…if you make it possible to do so with a minimum of stress. Substantive content, clear calls to action and secure, easy-to-use contact forms can help convert website visitors into clients. 

Improved Trust and Credibility

Everything about your website design has the opportunity to create, and reinforce, an image of your firm as competent, trustworthy, and welcoming. Users may not contact your firm the first time they visit your website. But a positive law firm website user experience increases the likelihood that they will return and see you as a trusted resource. When they are ready to reach out to a law firm, yours will be top of mind. 

Making Sure Your Law Firm User Experience Design is Effective

By now, you’re probably convinced of the importance of creating a good experience for users of your law firm website—but how can you be sure you have done so? One way is to reach out to clients and website visitors and ask for their candid feedback: how is the website working for them? This personal approach can yield valuable perspective. 

Another is to spend some time with your website analytics. Are there certain pages website users linger on? Pages with a higher-than-expected bounce rate? Those provide hints to what your readers value, and what could be a problem for them.

At The Modern Firm, our website design team is attuned not only to what looks good on a site, but how it functions for website users. If you think your law firm website user experience could use an upgrade, or just want fresh eyes on how your website works for the people who use it, let’s talk.