lmatech2013: results of the of 2012-2013 amlaw 100 websites foundational best practices survey
DESCRIPTION
Keynote We are pleased to present the findings of the Results of the of 2012-2013 AmLaw 100 Websites Foundational Best Practices Survey conducted by Content Pilot LLC. This year’s report shows the evolving trends in law firm websites and the importance of a firm’s digital marketing strategies. Speaker Deborah McMurray – CEO and Strategy Architect, ContentPilot LLCTRANSCRIPT
2013 Legal Marketing Technology Conference
2013 Websites: Ten Foundational Best
Practices 10 29 13
Deborah McMurray
CEO and Strategy Architect – Content Pilot LLC
1
FBPs Break Down into 3 Major Categories
1. Strategy Communicating your message – strategy, brand and first
impression / who are you and why should I care?
Site optimization and online awareness – site and content optimized/SEO strategy
2. Content Lawyer biographies – relevant, current, SEO and human friendly
Content (other than bios) – visitor/client focused, current and compelling. Multimedia
Site “hygiene” and usability – browser compatibility, visitor page tools, spelling, nothing broken
FBPs Break Down into 3 Major Categories
3. Features and Functionality Graphics and design – bold branding design, strong imagery,
consistency, legibility, HTML5 instead of Flash
Navigation – intuitive, descriptive and one-click
Interactivity and social outreach – dynamic, interactive and Web 2.0, leveraging all Internet content
Site search – relevant, multiple search tools and easy finding
Mobility – specially designed mobile site; intuitive, device-specific user interface, interactive map and location features
Foundational Best Practice #1
Communicating your Message
1. Clear and differentiating positioning strategy – 39.1
2. Practice and industry focus are apparent – 81.2
3. Geographic reach is apparent (1 office or 40) – 98.3
4. Contact information is clear and easy to find - 93
5. Site features or links to foreign language translations – 47.8
Foundational Best Practice #1
AmLaw 100 Average: 72.6 – Barely Good
Wsgr.com – 1 of 7 to Score 100
7 firms scored 100 on Communicating your Message
Foundational Best Practice #2
Graphics and Design
1. Bold, branded layout style, grid and use of white space - 83
2. The site uses CSS@FONT-FACE web fonts to further branding design - 73
3. Strong imagery reinforces the brand and is fresh and unique. It effectively advances the story about what the firm does - 76
4. Site makes good use of HTML5 instead of FLASH - 73
5. Site is optimized for = or > than 1024 pixel screen resolution - 80
Foundational Best Practice #2
AmLaw 100 Average: 77 – Good
Goodwinprocter.com – Winner for FBP 2
Foundational Best Practice #3
Navigation
1. Global and local nav styles are consistent – visitor doesn’t have to relearn new styles throughout the site – 93.8
2. Global nav uses mega-menus/cascading nav that gives visitors 1-click access – 34.6
3. Easy to navigate across multiple devices – smart phones, tablets, desktops – 67.6
4. Cross-linking promotes horizontal travel from one section of the site to the next – 87.7
Foundational Best Practice #3
AmLaw 100 Average: 70.9 – Fair
Kramerlevin.com - #1 in Navigation
Foundational Best Practice #4
Lawyer Bios1. First 150 characters of the bio are current, compelling and relevant for
SEO benefit – 772. Overview paragraph – first 2-3 sentences are descriptive of the work
the lawyer does and the types of clients the lawyer represents – 843. Bio does not use Mr. or Ms. Lastname throughout – it uses the lawyer’s
first or nickname – 354. Current photos that convey personality – 875. Full contact info is easy to find and links to v-card – 996. Bio includes links to social media profiles and pages – 327. Bios list and crosslink to practices/ industries, articles/ news/ events -
848. Bios include detailed experience and matter lists – 749. The page technology supports elegant content organization that
enables visitors to quickly scan and access what they want? (e.g., Ajax, jquery, javascript) – 93
10. Associates have full biographies – 88
Foundational Best Practice #4
AmLaw 100 Average: 75.3 - Good
Jonesday.com Bio Scored 100
Foundational Best Practice #5
Content (Other than Bios)1. Visitor-focused has consistent language use and is specific - 772. Content is organized intuitively, by services and expertise clients buy, not
how the firm is organized - 633. Practices and industries are broken out separately. Geographic regions is a
bonus option - 584. Descriptions include experience specifics, including client names or
descriptions of clients - 685. Video and multimedia content is available, and is relevant and current - 376. News/press pages are current and written for maximum PR benefit - 787. Publications / articles / events are well organized and are easily sorted by
topic and author / speaker - 758. Site has a statement of core values - 559. Site illustrates firm’s commitment to diversity - 9510. Charitable and civic commitment is described and evident - 8111. Pro bono commitment is described in detail, highlighting stories and specific
matters - 91
Foundational Best Practice #5
AmLaw 100 Average: 70.6 – Fair
Sutherland.com “Magazine Style” InfoGraphics
Foundational Best Practice #6
Interactivity and Social Outreach1. Client extranet is offered and accessible - 43
2. RSS feeds throughout the site - 61
3. Alumni center or link to alumni page on LinkedIn or Facebook - 63
4. Newsletter subscribe feature and other info sign-up - 64
5. Links to firm/lawyer blogs on home page, bio, practice and other relevant pages - 51
6. Offers educational Webinars and podcasts - 48
7. The site links to social media sites and has an active and current presence on these sites - 51
8. Share functionality is present throughout the site - 34
Foundational Best Practice #6
AmLaw 100 Average: 52 – Barely Fair
Barnesthornburg.com – Scored 100
Foundational Best Practice #7
Site Search1. Site offers full-site keyword search - 100
2. Advanced search link appears on all pages and enables visitors to narrow or refine the search in multiple ways – 16
3. Search results are clear and well organized: Most relevant categories appear first – 59
4. Utilizes modern search technology features: type-ahead / predictive, “did you mean”, highlighting of search terms in annotated results, exact phrase – 16
5. Site offers multiple searches, including detailed lawyer search, news /publications / articles / events searches, law school alumni search in careers – 82
6. Site offers a separate experience search – 24
Foundational Best Practice #7
AmLaw 100 Average: 49.2 – Poor
Cozen.com – Top Scorer in Search
Foundational Best Practice #8
Site Optimization and Online Awareness1. Online Awareness: backlinks, link popularity and PageRank for landing and
details pages – 72
2. Strong, properly structured HTML content on the home page and interior (H1, H2, H3 etc. for headings and subheadings, doc type, no image-based navigation or other text, etc.) – 67
3. Data feeds from external sources (blogs, social media, videos, etc.) – 28
4. HTML sitemaps are present and include all pages organized hierarchically – 77
5. Smart URLS with appropriate syntax used in all sections - 64
6. Metatags, page titles, keywords and meta-description are correctly used and placed, and utilized throughout site - 38
7. Images have alt tags that provide alternative text when images can’t be displayed – 36
Foundational Best Practice #8
AmLaw 100 Average: 54.5 – Fair
Mofo.com – Ranked “Good” in SEO
Foundational Best Practice #9
Mobility
1. Does the firm have a true mobile site? – 34.5
Foundational Best Practice #9
AmLaw 100 Average: 34.5 – Poor
Quinnemanuel.com – Mobile Scored 100
Foundational Best Practice #10
Site “Hygiene” and Usability1. Site perfectly functions on all modern browsers – IE7 and newer,
Chrome, Safari and Firefox – 88
2. Ability to collect and bind PDFs together – 11
3. No error pages are found on spot check – 99
4. No broken links or images are evident with spot check – 97
5. Pages print and email easily – 81
6. Site offers dynamic print to PDF option on most pages – 53
7. Copy and content have been checked for spelling and grammar – 87
Foundational Best Practice #10
AmLaw 100 Average: 73.7 – Good
Wilsonelser.com – 1 of 5 to Score 100
2013 AmLaw 100 Totals
Based on 99 AmLaw 100 firms
2013 Top 25 Firms
2010 AmLaw 100 Totals
Thank you!
Deborah McMurray
Content Pilot LLC
214.351.9690
Law Firm 4.0 Blog