Most estate planning attorneys assume that their homepage should be the page that comes up in search for every single keyword they want to be found for. The plain reality of the situation, though, is that you can’t do everything with just one page.
This is such a pervasive issue in estate planning marketing. Nearly everyone assumes that all their visitors will come in through the “front door,” or homepage, of their website. Their designers put a load of emphasis on it. They use all their best images, calls to action, content, links, and ideas on it. They do all their “SEO magic” on it.
Meanwhile, every other page on their websites is bland, boring, under-optimized, and under-loved—but that’s where the bulk of their traffic should be coming in!
It’s a huge, missed opportunity because it’s all the other pages of your website that actually create the online “bait” for traffic, conversions, and great cases and clients. And that’s where you should really be spending your time and energy.
Reality Check: Your Homepage Isn’t Necessarily the Most Viewed Page on Your Website
I’ve been creating attorney websites for more than 25 years, and the biggest insight I can give you is this: your homepage is not necessarily the most viewed page on your website.
I’m not saying that your homepage isn’t important; it is very important. But it’s not the metaphorical “front door” you might think it is.
Some potential clients might click on a direct link to your website’s main page or find your homepage by searching for something like, “estate planning law firms near me.” However, it’s more likely that people will first come to your website because they searched for something more like, “who needs an estate plan” or “why not just a will” or “what is probate.”
When your site comes up in those kinds of searches, it’s not your homepage that people see. Instead, they are visiting your site for the first time because their search brought up a blog post, FAQ, article, case result, video, success story, or another “supporting” page on your website.
A lot of those people may never even see your homepage! So, while it’s an important “hub” and “funnel,” your homepage is not the most important page on your site. Every page has to look great and be ready to wow the people that find you!
Use Your Homepage for What It’s Really Meant to Do
Estate planning lawyers are known for their names. For most lawyers, their brand is their name, and that is usually how their law firms are referred to 99% of the time.
Now think about your own practice. Don’t most of your best cases come to you through referrals, either from past clients or other attorneys? Accept and embrace the idea that THIS is what your homepage is really for. It’s what people will see when they search for your name or your practice’s name after a referral or recommendation is given.
So, you need to make sure that your homepage is optimized for that audience and purpose.
It should be focused on your overall brand messaging, your firm name and contact information, and clear pointers to the main sub-sections of your website. This helps referrals understand who you are and what you do, and it allows them to easily self-funnel toward the information that is most relevant to their concerns.
Put More Energy Into the Pages That Actually Drive More Clients and Cases
With your homepage focused on being a hub and referral point, you can then optimize all the other pages on your website to attract new, non-referral clients to you through search. This allows you to cast a wider net with highly specific “bait” for the types of clients and cases you really want.
Each significant area of your practice should get its own landing page. Each content or blog page should look as good as the “main” pages of your site. And, at the very least, you must have a passive “call to action” or contact-us paragraph on every page.
Think of the indirect things that trigger you to complete a contact form on a website, order a product online, or hire a business. Did you get a free book that answered your questions? Did you read a stellar testimonial or review in a sidebar? Did you randomly find a blog post or article that turned you on to a company or service you’d never heard about? Was there a contact form or click-to-call button right in front of you when you were ready to reach out?
Replicate these methods on your own site, and track your performance with those changes in place. You may want to lean on your marketing experts to help you interpret the data and strategize any adjustments, but your traffic and leads should start trending upwards when you put more energy into these pages.
Avoid the Mistakes Other Estate Planning Firms Make With Their Marketing
Focusing on every page of your website—not just one page—is a lot of work. However, there’s a ton of value in doing it right, and it makes a huge difference in how successful your website is for your practice.
And, luckily, this is actually a pretty easy mistake to correct with the right web partner. A fresh design and some skillful optimization can solve it for you pretty painlessly, especially if you’re working with someone who has done the research and understands what you want to accomplish.
Need a hand optimizing the digital strategy for your estate planning practice? Speak with our experts for a complimentary analysis of your current website and marketing, as well as helpful recommendations for moving the needle forward.
RELATED EDUCATION
If you found this article interesting, here are some other educational programs that you might find helpful:
- Generating Business from the Internet: Best Practices for Estate Planning Professionals
- The 6 Ways to Grow Revenue in Any Business
- How to Develop a More Consistent and Steady Stream of Revenue from Your Existing Clients!
- How to Use Online Reviews to Get More Business!
- How to Set Your Fees: For Estate Planning Attorneys with a Living Trust-Centered Practice
- Convert Prospects with Other Attorneys’ Trusts Into Clients!
ABOUT FOSTER WEB MARKETING
Since 1998, Foster Web Marketing has provided boutique website design and digital marketing services to lawyers, doctors, and other professionals across the U.S. and around the world. We use our in-house website design, content writing, search engine optimization, and coaching teams to strategize more effective marketing plans for our clients. We also provide powerful marketing software that supports businesses in attracting their “perfect clients” and achieving consistent success online.
Foster Web Marketing is the current web designer of nationally renowned estate planning attorney and Ultimate Estate Planner’s President, Philip Kavesh’s, law firm’s website. Take a look at www.kaveshlaw.com.
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