MarketingSherpa publishes great case studies - turns out their very first one - published on May 30, 2000 - offers critical insights into website homepage design that law firms can learn from (subscription required for full access).
In a nutshell, the case study explains that most companies' website home pages are not nearly as effective as they could be because too often the home pages talk about the company, instead of being oriented towards a visitor's point of view.
To illustrate the point, the case study profiles a company called FairMeasures that sells courses, training materials and other resources related to employment law issues. Before their homepage redesign, the home page said this is who we are, this is what we do, we train your managers, we have a newsletter, we sell books and tapes, etc.
As part of the redesign, the company identified their two key target markets: employers and employees. The homepage was then split into two parts to match these markets’ interests. On the employer side it said, ‘Prevent law suits,’ and on the employee side it said, ‘Know Your Rights.’ While the content remained exactly the same underneath these pages, the homepage was repositioned to be about them (i.e., the customers), and not us (i.e., the company) (note: the company's homepage appears to have been redesigned again since 2000, but the principles used in the original redesign still apply).
Result of the redesign? Within the first week of launch of the redesigned site, the company had more sales response than it did in the entire previous year.
The lesson for law firms? Make sure your website homepage speaks to your target clients. Focus on things like links to case studies and testimonials demonstrating successes achieved for different businesses so clients can see what you've done for other companies in their industries. This will resonate more with them than, say, a bland listing of your firm's internal practice areas.
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