- September 7, 2021
- Posted by: JPM 4 Marketing
- Categories: Content Strategy, Digital Marketing, Legal Marketing, Marketing ROI
Just about anyone with a website has heard the term “bounce rate” when reviewing their website performance and analytics. The definition of bounce rate is, “the percentage of visitors to a particular website who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page.” Oxford Languages This is one of the reasons your homepage is so important as well as any pages that are featured in your advertising.
Bounce rates are important to monitor because a lower bounce rate generally leads to higher conversion rates. In other words, the longer someone stays on your website, the more likely they will convert to a lead for your law practice. An acceptable bounce rate for a legal website is 40% – 50% and a rate of 25% – 40% is considered ideal. Multiple factors go into creating a website with a low bounce rate including, design, responsiveness, content and meeting audience expectations.
Design refers to the general appearance and layout of your website. The biggest mistake I see with legal websites is the tendency to put too much information on their homepage. This overwhelms audiences who generally have a short attention span. Developing a good design requires a tremendous amount of research and planning. If you are not sure about what you want, spend time on several professional services websites (try Lending sites, CPA sites, Financial Planning sites and other Legal sites). Find a few that you like (visually appealing, easy to navigate, fast loading and easy to find information) and then ask a friend or family member who is NOT an attorney to review the sites you’ve selected and tell you which ones they like the best.
Responsiveness refers to how quickly your website loads on laptops, tablets and mobile devices. It is imperative that you consistently test your website’s responsiveness to remain competitive.
I’ve written several articles about content that you can review, but in a nutshell, content needs to engage your audience. This means it should not be full of legalese and any content should answer your audience’s most important questions. If you are describing your areas of expertise, always remember to ask what the benefit is to your audience, don’t simply describe what your services are and how long you’ve practiced. Always take the next step to explain how your expertise and experience benefit your clients
Meeting audience expectations means making sure you are providing value to them. Think about the most common reasons people look for an attorney in your field. Make sure you are addressing the biggest questions and concerns your typical client has when seeking legal representation. Not only will this lower your bounce rates and increase your leads, it will improve your SEO. Google places a high importance on sites that provide relevant content to their audience.
If you need help creating a successful marketing strategy and improving your results, please feel free to schedule a phone appointment with me.