What are the components needed to create a good website? For some, this question might bring to mind Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous line from his opinion in the freedom of speech case Jacobellis v. Ohio.  They may not be able to describe qualities that make for a good website, but they “know it when (they) see it.”  Fortunately, website design and development is not quite so nebulous. Read on for information on the basic components that good legal websites share.

Build your Website with the User in Mind

A website isn’t all about just words and images, or font selection and layout.  A good website is easy to use.  This means its visitors can easily navigate from one page to another, can find what they are looking for, and can to complete their desired action.  Oftentimes, the websites with cleaner, simpler designs are the easiest to use because they don’t confuse the user with too many bells and whistles.  Don’t make the fatal mistake of overdesigning, and failing to consider your user’s experience.

Remember the Basics

It’s shocking how many websites don’t prominently display their phone number. Make it bold and easy to see, preferably in the upper right-hand corner.  Is your site’s contact form so long that nobody will take the time to complete it?  Is it easy to understand? This is vitally important. Do all the links and buttons work?  Do its pages load quickly? These are common mistakes that can be fairly easy to fix. But first you must pay attention to the details.

Mobile Friendly

According to several research studies, Mobile searches account for between 55% and 65% of all online searches. So if your website isn’t mobile friendly, you may have cut your potential audience by half or more, right off the bat! And just because you can see your website on a mobile device doesn’t mean it’s mobile friendly. If you’d like to check, go to https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly. Paste your URL in the window, then click “Analyze”. Google will let you know if your website is accommodating for mobile users.

Use your Resources

Think friends and family; they’re great resources. Have them navigate your website, and then provide honest feedback. If you’ve looked at something long enough, it’s tough to be objective and truly gauge user experience. Hopefully friends and family won’t have the same problem.

If you have questions about your law firm’s website design, contact Accelerate Online Marketing (Accelerate). We’re an award-winning digital marketing firm that focuses on making online law firm marketing easy.