5 Elements to Avoid in Attorney Website Design

For the past eight years we have compiled many top ten lists of the most common errors in attorney web design. We will provide links to these lists near the bottom of the web page. The following presents just the highlights of the articles: the worst and most common mistakes seen in attorney and law firm website design.

1. Ineffective search functions.

Some search engines integrated within attorney websites reduce usability in that they are not able to handle plurals, hyphens, typos, and other variances of the original terms. Such attorney web site search engines are particularly detrimental to some users.

A similar problem is when search engines on attorney websites prioritize results solely on the basis of the number of query terms the attorney’s website contains, rather than each website’s importance. It is much better if your web design calls out "most likely results" at the top of the website; especially for important queries on law websites, such as the practice areas for the firm or attorney resources.

The search tool is the visitor’s lifeline when web design menus fail. Even though some advanced search techniques can sometimes help, basic search functions usually work best, and the tool should be presented as a simple box within the website design, since that's what visitors on an attorney’s website are looking for.

2. The Usage of PDF Files

Visitors despise finding a PDF file while browsing an attorney’s website, because it is a distraction. Even simple things within a web design like printing or saving documents are hard because sometimes browser commands won’t work. Web design layouts are often optimized for hard copies (paper), which rarely is the same size of the visitor’s display.

Additionally, a PDF file is unsearchable content within the design of an attorney’s website that's hard to navigate.

PDF format is ideal for printing documents that a lawyer or law firm might need. Restrict its use for this purpose and modify any information that needs to be read online into actual HTML documents within the confines of your website design.

3. Visited Links, Changing Colors

A good grasp of past navigation helps your web visitor understand their location within your website. Having an effective menu within the design also makes it easier to decide where to go next. Links are a key factor in this web design and navigation process. Website users can exclude links that may not have been helpful in previous visits. Alternatively, they may want to revisit menu items that were of help to them on previous visits (i.e. an attorney’s bio or law firm practice areas).

4. Using Big Blocks of Text

A long, drawn out page of text is deadly for a successful website experience. Users most often scan, they do not read long paragraphs of text within your web page. If you are an attorney, for instance, on your bio page, you can denote your associations with asterisks or bullet points, subheads, or even short paragraphs. The successful attorney’s website will contain headings, subheadings, and bulleted lists.

5. Ineffective Font Sizing