Don't make visitors think

The attention span of the average person browsing the web today is much shorter than it used to be. Chances are they'll be shopping around to view your competitors and won't stay on your website for very long before they leave unless you make it absolutely clear what you want them to do. Ensure your calls to action (the messages you present to the visitor to tell them what they should do eg call, email, sign up for an email newsletter etc) are in prominent and obvious positions.

Make your message clear

Ensure that your key messages (your brand's 'value propositions') are clear. Why should they choose your firm above all others? It's amazing how many small law firms (and sometimes the bigger ones) can't answer this question, even when prompted with a branding questionnaire. Sometimes this exercise takes some deeper reflection on your firm's core strengths, but it's worth it to help you distinguish yourself on your website from the many other firms out there.

Publish useful content

As well as making your message clear, you need to provide value to visitors. Publish useful content; educate your website's visitors. The father of modern advertising, David Ogilvy, noted that articles which provide useful free advice will capture 75% more readers than regular articles stuffed with sales messages. Online content marketing wasn't really around in David Ogilvy's time, but the principle of providing great free content is still as relevant as ever. The way we view it is you should be “giving away information snacks to sell knowledge meals."

Build trust

Building trust is crucial if you want your website to convert. Online companies are getting smarter; even US-based companies are creating websites to target the UK legal sector and other professional services sectors. But so too are today's consumers. If you can showcase your own expertise and gain credibility through your site you will have a higher chance of converting visitors into paying clients. You can do this through testimonials, 'trust icons' such as Legal 500 or Chambers logos or logos of your industry memberships, or through publishing relevant case studies explaining how you have helped other clients.

Keep it simple

Simplicity is best for a high converting website; indeed providing a great user experience will improve your position in search engines also (Google favours sites that are easy to use). Is your content easy to read (not hidden behind a Flash plugin or mostly contained within images or pdfs)? Is your navigation easy to use? Does your site work well on mobile? Is it easy to make an enquiry? All relevant considerations. Getting as many pieces of the jigsaw correct as possible will help you succeed with your website design.