15 Clever Tips for the Best Attorney Website Bio
A firm’s attorney website bio page receives a considerable amount of attention from prospective clients. A study facilitated by LexisNexis even concluded that as much as 85% of law firms see the most traffic on this page which is to be expected if visitors are seriously considering your services. That’s not the only reason, however, to enhance your page. Establishing a credible online presence is also crucial in advancing and growing your law practice.
With so much emphasis placed on this page then how can you ensure it works to your maximum benefit to drive conversions and retention? The recipe for a high-converting attorney website bio page involves a number of crucial ingredients. In this article we’ll take a look at 15 effective tips to spruce up your attorney website bio page.
1. Accentuate Your Areas of Specialty
Your areas of expertise and subpractice areas are likely already mentioned on various parts of your site. However, they still need to be highlighted on your attorney website bio page and supported by your education, past work experience, licenses, and other credentials. Another strategy is to include a sidebar on every page which mentions your practice areas, to ensure prospects are clear.
- Strike a careful balance between clearly stating your points and yet keeping it concise.
- Use specific examples and avoid vague terms that don’t add value to your attorney website bio page.
2. Do Not Copy and Paste Your Resume
Some lawyers think it suffices to just copy and paste their professional resume on the attorney website bio page. That kills two birds with one stone, right? Wrong. That’ll not only overwhelm a prospect and seem overly formal but is wasting valuable space that could otherwise be supporting and expanding your online marketing efforts.
3. Keep Your Language Easily Understandable
Depending on your area of practice you may encounter more or less foreign clients with varying levels of education. It’s a generally good practice to tone down the legal jargon and use language that is easily understandable. That doesn’t mean you need to overly simplify it but an attorney website bio page written very technically can turn off some prospects.
- Keep legalese to a minimum.
- Offer understandable options to all types of clients. If a large portion of your client-base speaks another language, consider offering your bio in multiple languages. For example, in Miami where Spanish speakers are prevalent, many attorneys offer their services in both English and Spanish.
4. Indicate Your Unique Value in your Attorney Website Bio
What sets your firm apart from the others? Why should a prospect specifically retain your firm? Within your attorney website bio, clearly indicate what makes your firm stand out among the competition. You may want to explain how your education and prior experience contributes to your track record. In some instances, you might also consider including one or two testimonials to support your satisfaction claims. Research clearly shows that over 80% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Be aware that some states do require disclaimers to accompany any testimonials so check the regulations first.
5. Review Your Attorney Website Bio for SEO Value
Authenticity is heralded as the number one goal for your attorney website bio but that doesn’t mean you should neglect good SEO practices altogether. Search engines, like Google, will scour your website for keywords and other terms to determine where you fall on the rankings.
6. Include Current Photos of Attorneys and Associates
Photos add value to any attorney website bio page because they help the reader connect with your words. If people can assign a face to black and white text, they’re more likely to cultivate trust and a connection with the attorney. Also, invest in a professional headshot. Your website should exude professionalism in every facet from the design to the copy. A professional photo will not only give your profile a personal touch with clients but also help you put forward your best attorney website bio.
7. Include Links to Your Publications and Social Channels
If you’ve been published on other prominent legal sites, be sure to include links to those resources for clients to see first-hand your competency. In addition to contributions, include links to your social media profiles like Facebook, Google+, in case prospects what to connect with you there.
8. Make Contact Information Easily Accessible
Is your website designed to easily retrieve information including recent articles and contact information? Many law firms lose out on clients for the simple fact of poor navigation. A visitor should be able to quickly find your contact page or contact information as well as other channels of communication. If they’re cant, or it takes them longer than a minute, update your site immediately.
9. Create an Introductory Video
A powerful introductory video can go a long way in establishing credibility and communicating trust compared to regular text. As of 2015, videos account for approximately 80% of online traffic. What’s more, sites that have videos on them, hold audiences an average of 5 times longer.
10. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Nowadays, more individuals than ever do their searching via a mobile device like a cellphone or tablet. Ensure anyone searching for your firm from their mobile device can see it clearly and with ease by designing it to be mobile-friendly. Building a mobile friendly website involves rearranging the structure a bit since the screen dimensions on a laptop are obviously not the same as a cell phone.
11. Avoid Seeming Overly Pushy or Self Promotional
While you may be tempted to infuse your bio with pushy promotional pitches, err on the conservative side. That doesn’t mean you can’t highlight your accomplishments but keep the sales pitch to a minimum. Prospects don’t want to feel like they’re being pressured by a sly lawyer.
12. Let Your Personality Shine Through Your Bio
Allow your personality to shine through your biography. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the hard facts, but if readers can sense a bit of your unique personality it makes them feel more comfortable and sets the grounds to establish a trusting relationship.
13. Write in Active Voice
Here’s a refresher in active versus passive voice and why the former is more compelling in an attorney website bio. Passive-voice sentences are ones which the subject expresses the verb. For example, “the case was successfully won by me.” In active-voice, this sentence would sound more conversational—“I successfully won the case.”
14. Always Uphold the Highest Ethics
This should go without saying but your ethical integrity comes first and foremost. Never lie on your bio page or mislead customers to believe anything but the truth. If clients feel misled, they may have grounds to file a legal malpractice suit.
15. Hire a Professional Writer if All Else Fails
The last bit of advice we’ll share with you is to hire a professional writer if you don’t foresee having the time or commitment to create your bio page. A good copywriter will be able to strike a happy medium between highlighting your strengths while not coming across as overly promotional. In addition to that, a copywriter with SEO experience can also help you optimize your page to drive conversions and maximize leads.
These 15 tips should give you a solid understanding of what components need to be present on your attorney website bio page. Remember to accentuate your areas of expertise, avoid legalese, make contact information easily obtainable, and let your personality shine through your writing!
