The statistics show that more than 1 in 3 people will look for a lawyer online. That means you’re actually doing a disservice to your firm or your practice by not having a website at all. You need to be willing to spend a little money on your firm’s web presence to really grow your firm.
Attorney websites usually cost between $3,000 and $40,000 to be designed by a professional web designer. SEO services to generate more web traffic to your firm’s site may cost you an additional $2,500 to $20,000 a month. Buying content in the form of blog posts will cost between $.02 and $1 a word.
What you pay for your attorney website will vary depending on the professionals you hire, how much content you need, and how much traffic you’re looking to generate. Keep reading to see the cost breakdown for attorney websites.
Designing a website in 2020 is easier than ever. All you need to do is register for a domain on sites like WordPress or Wix. Just add a little content related to your firm, adjust the theme and color to your liking, and get that site launched.
But just because you can do that doesn’t mean that you should.
You should view your attorney website as an investment in your firm and understand that this is the first interaction that future clients will have with you.
So, hire a professional web designer.
A professional website designer will be able to create a website that impresses your clients and generates leads for years to come. Here’s what a web designer can do for you that you can’t:
For a barebones website created by a web designer, you’ll be charged by the hour, by the page, or by the project.
For your own personal attorney website or a smaller firm, you might be charged $3,000 to create it. Larger firms may be spending over $40,000.
Adding more pages and features will undoubtedly cost you even more.
On average, expect to spend about $5,000
Your relationship with your web designer won’t end as soon as your attorney website is officially launched. You’ll want to maintain these connections well after the fact for the purpose of site maintenance.
This relationship will give you insight into how your website is doing.
Site maintenance will ensure that all links and buttons are working properly while getting rid of any bugs that impact the user experience. You’ll also be able to see the pages and posts generating the most traffic to help you tailor your content to what drives traffic best.
Site maintenance will also help lower your bounce rate, which can then help with your ranking on Google.
On average, you might be spending $500 a year if you’re a member of a smaller firm.
Larger firms may be shelling out $500 a month.
Your attorney website is one of the best marketing tools for your firm and practice. Well, that’s as long as the people looking to hire an attorney in your niche and your local area can actually find your website on Google.
That’s made possible with search engine optimization (SEO).
Investing in SEO services allows you to target specific keywords related to what your firm or practice offers. For example, people in Omaha looking for a divorce attorney should be able to find your practice by Googling “divorce attorney in Omaha.”
SEO is an incredibly simple concept, but it’s also a concept that the average person will struggle to implement. Keyword stuffing and coming off as spammy will actually hurt your ranking.
So, you’re going to want to hire an SEO expert.
An SEO professional will be able to find the keywords that people are searching for and optimize your website to help you rank. The goal is to get your site to the front page of a Google search for at least one keyword.
That’s because barely 1 in 4 searchers will ever click to page two of search results. Most importantly, you want that top slot, which is known for getting 33% of clicks.
Since law firms generate a lot of revenue and there’s a lot of competition in your local area, expect SEO services to cost you a pretty penny. Also, be prepared to commit to at least 12 months to see results.
On average, you’ll spend about $2,500 to $20,000 a month on SEO.
This price will increase if you’re attempting to target more keywords or plan to build backlinks from other reputable sources.
Before you decide against SEO for your attorney website, check out this video that reviews the benefits of SEO.
Most web traffic coming from your SEO endeavors will come from copywriting. This is a style of marketing that’s used on your website that’ll bring locals looking to hire within your legal niche to your website in the first place.
Yet, your firm also needs a blog.
A blog will help you to show yourself or your firm as a reputable source of information. You can create blog posts based on what the public truly wants to know about the legal field, such as how to choose a lawyer or how much lawyers will cost.
A blog alone will set your firm apart from most, considering only 30% of firms have a blog at all.
Even though you’re the one who went to law school and has practiced for years, you might not be the best person to write your blog posts. You’re most likely better off subcontracting your blog posts to content creators and freelancers that can optimize your content to be SEO friendly.
Cost-wise, this probably won’t break the bank. What you end up paying will vary based on how experienced your writers are and how much content you need.
On average, blog posts will cost you between $.02 and $1 per word.
Weekly content is recommended.
Fortunately, your domain name is the most affordable and perhaps the most part of your attorney website. Settling for a domain name that ends in “wordpress.com” will come off as tacky and unprofessional for a firm entrusted with a person’s financial future.
A good domain name will include your name, your firm’s name, and/or possibly your location.
In most cases, you’ll be able to claim your domain name for a mere $10 to $20 each year. Just keep in mind that not staying up-to-date on your yearly fees may cause you to lose your domain and will put it up for sale on the free market.
Domain names that are in high-demand or domain names that are currently owned will probably cost you even more to get.
Attorney websites are expensive.
Just to get your attorney website off the ground with the help of a web designer, you’ll be spending at least $3,000.
When you want to add more pages and content that’ll drive even more traffic, you’ll need to invest in SEO services and blog posts. This can cost you an additional $2,500 a month on SEO and at least an extra $200 on 10,000 words in blog posts.
Tack on the fees for domain names and web maintenance for an extra $520 or more a year.
