Simplicity can be difficult. Simplifying your schedule, your inbox, your wardrobe, your clutter, your to-do list: none of this comes easily. The same is true for design. Many people will say that they want a clean layout with simple navigation and good use of white space, but often they will balk at implementing the resulting design. There is an instinct to fill space – with text, or textures, or gradients,…
Mar 15
New York Times Offers a Preview of its Revamped Website Design
The New York Times has announced it will be rolling out a new website over the coming year. On Tuesday, the Times provided a sneak peek, complete with animated examples of the new home page, sections and comments. The paper claims that the updated layout will give users easier access to areas of their interest and provide a more intuitive reading…
Jan 25
Fifteen Phrases You Can Drop (and not lose any meaning)
Good writing is essential to your ability to communicate with clients, judges, colleagues, and those who read your blogs and social media posts (whom you hope to convert to clients at some point). Whether you are putting together formal articles and briefs or sending a quick email response, your writing can confirm that you are a professional adult… or tell a different story.
Even the best of us…
Read MoreJan 4
Communication counts – avoid clichés and buzzwords like the plague
Poor writing is an instant turnoff. Be it incorrect grammar, overused and tired phrases or a simple failure to proofread adequately, sloppy writing comes across as lazy and unprofessional. For attorneys who must be able to communicate with a range of audiences, from judges to peers to clients and prospective clients, bad writing habits can be costly.
You have read them – sentences that seem to drag on…
Read MoreDec 12
LinkedIn releases list of top overused profile buzzwords
With the new year approaching, LinkedIn has released their list of 2012’s top ten overused profile buzzwords. And they have created a helpful infographic to spread the news. Although the professional network added over 50 million new members this year, “creative” once again topped the list of words most frequently seen in profile descriptions. LinkedIn breaks down profile statistics for the United States and worldwide, and the word…
Dec 7
Lessons learned from a day of competitor research
Researching your competitors is an important aspect of both the website design and marketing process. Keeping an eye on what others in your field (and locality) are doing helps provide important insight as to what works and what doesn’t. It also helps you avoid making the mistake of marketing your firm in a way that is too similar to that of other attorneys in you area. If your website looks…
Dec 5
Do not let outdated advice stand in the way of good website design
Old web design advice is everywhere. You can tell a lot about the age of a list of website design tips is by what is being recommended. This, of course, is not the fault of the original author; screen resolution and browser usage statistics, along with programming languages, are constantly changing. At some point down the road, this post, like others before it, will be obsolete. When sifting through the plethora of…
Oct 12
Use design for inspiration not duplication
Great web design is many things, but above all it is functional. One of the first lessons new designers learn after they have left the cocoon of the classroom is that no matter how pretty their work may be, clients are only happy if it accomplishes certain objectives. In terms of law firm website design, this means turning visitors into prospects and prospects into clients. Attorney websites must convert.
Because of the need…
Read MoreOct 3
Is your firm getting the most out of its Facebook posts?
Facebook has been taking steps over the past several months that show a growing understanding of how businesses and individuals are using its service for marketing purposes. The site now has areas dedicated to building business pages, resources for businesses, success stories, advertising tips and apps that help companies manage their pages. Law firms are better equipped take advantage of the platform to position themselves as leaders and build…
Aug 15
Attorney website content planning
Writing good web content is a distinct skill. The style of web content is very different from that of traditional articles, and it is not something with which most attorneys have a lot of practice. Website copy must be written for a target audience of both clients and search engines. It must be informative and engaging. It must connect with visitors. At the same time,…