When someone needs a lawyer, they’ll either ask for a recommendation or turn to the internet and search for “legal services” near them. The upshot of this means that having a strong, professional online presence has become a critical factor for law practices to attract and retain clients. Every aspect of a law practice’s online presence, from its website to social media profiles, and everything in between, contributes to its overall reputation and credibility.

So whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your existing online presence, in this article, we’ll explore why a credible online presence is critical, and how you can build one for your practice to succeed in the competitive world of online law.

Develop a professional website

A website is the cornerstone of your online presence as it’s the first impression potential clients will have of your law practice. Therefore, it’s essential to create a professional and well-designed website that accurately reflects your firm and the services you offer. It should also follow best practices for design and navigation, and that means creating a responsive design that works well on all devices, loads quickly, is easy to read, and provides a smooth user experience.

It should also include the following key elements necessary for law practices:

Home Page

Your website’s home page should provide a clear, brief and engaging introduction to your law practice and what you can do for your clients along with an attention-grabbing image or, even better, a video. There should be a clear and compelling call-to-action that invites visitors to schedule a consultation or learn more about your services. And finally, the navigation menu should be well-designed and easy-to-use to make it simple for visitors to find what they are looking for.

About Us

Your About Us page is an opportunity to tell the story of your law practice, its history and the values that guide your work. The page should also include information about the lawyers in your practice, their headshots and bios including their education, experience, expertise and professional achievements. It’s a chance to humanise your firm and connect with potential clients on a personal level.

Services

Clear and concise service descriptions including information about your process, pricing, relevant credentials, and areas of specialisation, will help potential clients decide whether your practice is right for them.

Reviews

90% of consumers read reviews before making a decision about using a service or buying a product, meaning that social proof is critical in building trust with potential clients, and using a tool like Magic makes requesting reviews straightforward. Including positive reviews from your current and past clients can be an effective way to build credibility and showcase your expertise.

Contact Information

Potential clients need to know how to get in touch with you, and this means including clear and prominent contact information on your website, such as your office hours, phone number, email address, and physical address. It could also include a form that lets clients book consultations, or a webchat facility that can answer general queries.

Reputation Management

For any business a good online reputation is essential to ensure success, for a law practice, it’s critical. After all, no one wants to engage a law practice with a bad reputation, do they? Your online reputation can have a significant impact on your ability to attract new clients, build trust with existing clients, and maintain a positive image in the eyes of the public.

Online reviews

Client reviews and testimonials are one of the most powerful tools for improving your online reputation. 

Sharing positive reviews from satisfied clients through reviews sites or directly on your website can help build trust and credibility. Magic Reviews make it easy for law practices to ask for reviews. Law practices can use customizable templates to automatically set up review requests and send them out through email or SMS, which has a 98% open rate. 

Dealing with negative feedback

While positive reviews are great, negative feedback provides an opportunity to respond professionally and address any concerns. This can help turn a negative situation into an opportunity to improve your services and build trust with your clients. 

Monitoring your reputation

Monitoring your online reputation including reviews, social media and online forums is crucial for staying on top of any potential issues and taking steps to address them in a timely manner. With Magic Reviews, you can consolidate all your review platforms from Google, Facebook, Yelp, TrustPilot, and more in one place, which means you can keep track of reviews you receive and respond to them using smart templates.

Get Social

There are billions of active users on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and this makes social media an effective way to connect with potential clients, build brand awareness, and showcase your expertise for your law practice. By sharing helpful information, participating in online discussions, and engaging with your followers, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your field which helps build trust and credibility with your target audience.

However, not all social media platforms are created equal! You should choose the ones that best fit your law practice’s specific goals and target audience. For example, LinkedIn can help build professional connections and showcase your experience and credentials, while Facebook is ideal for connecting with potential clients and sharing more personal and relatable content.

It’s also important that your online presence is consistent and this includes using the same profile picture, header image, brand colours, and writing in a consistent tone of voice across all platforms.

And remember, the clue is in the name, social media, it’s not just about broadcasting your message, it’s also about engaging with your followers and building relationships, including responding to comments and messages, and sharing relevant industry news and insights.

Create engaging content

Content marketing is a cost-effective form of marketing that focuses on creating and distributing informative content to attract an audience, engage them with your brand, nurture their interest, and convert them into loyal customers. 

There are many different types of content you can create such as blog posts, infographics, videos, e-books, and podcasts. The key, as with choosing social media platforms, is to choose the formats that best suit your goals and target audience. For example, blog posts are a great way to share in-depth information about your services and areas of expertise, while videos and infographics can help explain complex concepts in an engaging and easy-to-understand way.

Whether you’re discussing legal news and updates, sharing tips and advice, or offering a behind-the-scenes look at your law firm, your content should address and seek to provide solutions to your target market’s pain points, and fall into one of the four categories of appeal: curiosity, entertainment, empathy, and authority.

Key takeaway

Taking the time to build and maintain a professional and engaging online presence, can help you establish yourself as a credible legal expert and grow your law practice.

Developing a professional website that is regularly updated, establishing a social media presence where you engage with your followers, and utilising content marketing helps create valuable and relevant content for potential clients, while managing your online reputation through review management plays a significant role in building trust with your audience.

About Magic

Magic helps local businesses grow. Thousands of local businesses use Magic to get more online reviews, win new customers, easily manage customer conversations and grow sales. Magic offers these features:

• Reviews: Get more reviews with easy review requests for popular review sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, TrustPilot, and more. Rank high on local search and enhance your visibility on Google. 
• Inbox: Keep track of customer conversations across channels in one inbox, including SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail. Manage conversations better as a team and do more with industry specific templates. 
• Text Marketing: Drive more sales with instant text campaigns and reach your customers at the right moment with automation. Use prebuilt templates to send out text campaigns in minutes. 
• Webchat: Turn website visitors into customers with SMS powered Webchat. Chat to website visitors directly through SMS so you won’t miss a lead, even when they leave your website. 

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