Is it Hard to Build a Law Firm Website on WordPress?

As WordPress website professionals, we do our best to provide straightforward answers. But the most concise answer we can provide to this question is: it depends.

But we have some good news for you.

Creating a law firm website on WordPress (WP) is significantly easier than any other website builder. As of this writing, nearly 43.5% of all websites are powered by WordPress. We could tell you a million different reasons for this, but the main reason is versatility.

Since WordPress is open source, you can start with a premade theme and customize it as much (or as little) as you want. At Mophead Media, we specialize in law firm websites and we build just about all of them on WordPress.

In this post, we’re going to tell you why.

Why Use WordPress to Build Your Law Firm Website?

The WordPress dashboard is known for being the most user-friendly site builder on the market, for both novices and professional WordPress developers. We could give you a million different reasons for this, but we’ll stick to the major ones.

It’s the Most Widely-Used Website Platform

There are many different website builder platforms out there: WordPress, Webflow, Duda, Squarespace, to name a few.

Think of WordPress like a Toyota Camry or a Honda Civic.

Any half-decent mechanic knows how to work on these models. If you need a replacement part, chances are there is a junkyard in the area that has it. Moreover, there are millions of other people who own these cars, and all sorts of online support forums, YouTube videos, blog posts, etc., about troubleshooting.

On the other hand, if you have an electric vehicle, you would need to go to a specialized mechanic for certain issues. Sure, there is a fast-growing community of EV owners – but it’s tiny in comparison to the number of people who know their way around a Camry or Civic.

This same logic applies to website builders, 99 out of 100 website designers across the world are well-versed in WordPress. This is not the case with most website builders.

When you’re ready to build your law firm website, there are MILLIONS of WordPress developers and designers out there who can do it.

Giant Selections of WordPress Themes

WordPress’s 20,000+ selection of pre-made themes is one of the standout features – with both free themes and premium themes available. The vast selection of themes can cater to virtually any industry. In terms of WP themes for law firm websites, OceanWP, Astra, and Divi are a few of our favorites.

Now, it’s important to understand that WordPress themes are just layout templates. If you choose a theme and don’t do any customization, you’re going to have a cookie-cutter law firm website.

Think of a WordPress theme as a starting point. You’ll have a defined layout but will need to incorporate branding, photography, user experience elements, and so on.

This is why you hire a WordPress design & development agency to build your business website.

Massive Catalog of Plugins Specifically for Law Firms

There is an endless selection of WordPress plugins, specifically for law firm website designs.

These plugins are designed to help law firm websites by implementing features like 

• Appointment scheduling
• Client communication
• Case management
• Legal document generation
• Social media
• Testimonials

Additionally, some plugins are designed to make sure your law firm website is compliant with legal regulations. When you work with an experienced WordPress developer, one that’s experienced in law firm websites, they will advise you on the best plugins to meet your needs.

Can I Build a WordPress Website Myself?

So you might be asking yourself: why would I pay a web designer if I can just build my own website on WordPress?

The reality is anyone can get a website up and running on WordPress. But you’ll need an expert to properly implement factors like:

• Your law firm’s brand elements
• User experience design
• Conversion rate optimization
• Technical SEO
• Plugin integration

These are just to name a few. Anyone can indeed create a website with WordPress, but building one that drives results takes an expert’s touch.

It’s important to understand that law firms have different website needs than other industries. When you work with a WordPress agency specializing in law firm websites, they will make sure all the right boxes are checked and you start generating results quickly.

Key Considerations for Law Firm Websites

When we start building a WordPress website for a law firm, there are a handful of components we discuss with the attorney.

The Overarching Goal of the Website

First and foremost, we always clarify the main objective of any law firm website: book consultations.

A lot of attorneys think their website is where they need to show off their expertise.

This is true to an extent, but a law firm website needs to be built for potential clients, most of whom may have never dealt with an attorney before. Filling up the website content with a bunch of confusing jargon and aggressive language can easily turn people off.

In essence, the great law firm websites are compassionate and explain the major concepts concisely in layman’s terms. The overarching goal is to build trust with potential clients and get them to reach out.

The website doesn’t need to educate them on the finer details of the law, that’s why they are hiring you!

Compliance with Legal Regulations & Privacy Laws

The American Bar Association lays out strict guidelines for law firm websites. State Bar Associations also have their own sets of rules for how law firm websites present information. For example, some states have certain rules for how client testimonials are presented. There are also varying rules that dictate when disclaimers must be used.

Even the font size used for essential information can be subjected to rules by The Bar.

Non-compliance to these rules can lead to legal penalties and damage to the firm’s reputation, making it essential for law firms to implement appropriate security measures, disclaimers, and privacy policies.

When you build a law firm website on WordPress, you and your developer will need to have these rules spelled out in the very beginning.

Integrating the Proper Features

To reiterate, the best law firm websites make the process of getting key information and interacting with the practice online easy for prospective clients.

To achieve this (at a minimum), you’ll need clear navigation to practice areas, attorney profiles, case studies, and other legal resources. From here, the site should have contact forms, appointment scheduling, and live chat for customer support. 

These are just the basics. The good news is WordPress makes implementing these features super simple.  

You and your WordPress developer will discuss everything you need the site to do, and which plugins/integrations to factor into the site build.

Search Engine Optimization  

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for any law firm website. When people need lawyers these days, they’re not picking up a phonebook, they’re pulling out their phones and Googling. SEO is all about making sure your law firm website shows up on those Google searches.

WordPress is renowned for being one of the most search engine-friendly website builders with an array of SEO tools. A good WordPress design firm knows how to use the WP platform to create your website with SEO best practices.

But this is just the table stakes of building a search presence.

SEO is a never-ending job of proving your expertise to the internet. Many WordPress web design and development agencies offer ongoing SEO services after the site is built. If you want your website to show up on Google searches, ongoing SEO is something you need to consider.

At the end of the day, what good is a website if no one can find it online?

Ongoing Website Maintenance

Many people believe that building a website is a one-and-done deal.

It’s not.

Like a physical store, you need to make upgrades periodically, clean your website files, troubleshoot, update plugins, add new content, etc.

 In terms of a law firm’s website, the purpose of ongoing maintenance is to ensure optimal performance, security, proper web hosting, and compliance with legal regulations. In such a highly competitive field, keeping a website up to date is key to retaining credibility.

Most WordPress web agencies have ongoing website maintenance plans, and it’s highly recommended to factor this into your monthly overhead costs.

What’s The Next Step?

WordPress is the top choice for the best law firm websites, and for good reason.

Creating a polished WordPress site isn’t something that happens overnight, and it’s not something you can just build and leave alone. All law firm websites need consistent maintenance, marketing, and fine-tuning to generate results day after day.

At Mophead Media, we specialize in building high-performing law firm websites on WordPress. Whether you need a completely new website, a website redesign, or just some upgrades, we’ve got you covered. We’ll help you set up a custom domain, choose a WordPress hosting provider, manage your SEO, help you with content creation, and everything in between. 

Schedule a FREE website consultation to get started.