I just read a nifty little post by Amanda Neville, founder of Thinkso Marketing Agency, called “Quiz: Is It Time to Update Your Website?”.
I don’t know about you, but I love online quizzes. Maybe because they are a) short, or b) they make me feel smart, or c) I’m just a geek. (I think that the right answer is “c”, but I’m not sure. Maybe I should add “d) all of the above”?).
Anyways, I digress.
So here is my Law Firm version:
- Is posting an item to your web site call for an act from Congress?: Do you have a web content management system or are you relying on your web developer to hand-code your news for you? If you don’t understand a word I just wrote in that last sentence, the answer is probably Yes.
- Can people register online for your events and/or downloads? Or are your web site visitors having to hand copy an e-mail address and open a new window to send, then you have a problem and the answer is Yes.
- Once people are registered for your events, does your secretary have then generate a word document of the attendees? Shame on you. At the least, she should be putting them in an Excel spreadsheet. You are Signori Negatori.
- Is the first piece of navigation on your web site point to the Law Firm’s About Us page? Add five points to your total score. The site visitor does not want to read your 100-year history; he probably just wants your tax attorney’s phone number–after all, it is tax season. You are going down, buster.
- Does your site have a flash introduction page? You need to pull it down now. It bugs everyone and no one is watching it anymore. Besides that, iPads can’t read it. Add another tic mark next to Yes.
- Is your web site home page made up of one big fat image? This is the reason that your site isn’t making it on any search results. For the sake of search engine optimization, get rid of the bulky images. Another big, fat Yes.
If you answer Yes to more than 2 questions, you really do need to update your law firm web site.