Membership: Web Design Tips

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Web Design Tips

By Dale Tincher

The Starting Point

Internet transactions are increasing more rapidly than the traditional methods of doing business. The Boston Consulting Group projects that one-fourth of all U.S. business-to-business purchasing ($2.8 trillion in transaction value) will be done online by 2003. Other online 2003 B2B estimates include Gartner Group ($3.9 trillion), Forrester Research ($3.7 trillion) and Merrill Lynch ($2.5 trillion.) Giga Information Group predicts B2B e-purchasing will save the world's companies $1.25 trillion by 2002. It is important that law firms plan their transition to the new methods of doing business.

The Internet is becoming a significant factor in law firm marketing and client service. Most studies show that forty percent of law firms have Web sites. Many of the other sixty percent are considering their Web presence. A high percentage of the firms who have Web sites are considering methods to make their sites more functional and profitable.

Planning a Web site can be intimidating. "Where do I start", is the first thought the usually comes to mind. Do you become an instant Web and programming expert and design the site yourself or do you seek professional assistance?

We suggest seeking professional Web consulting and design assistance. Your users will make quick determinations about the quality of your site. High quality will result in repeat visitors and more traffic. Poor quality will reflect negatively on your firm.

Law firms seldom have the hundreds of hours required to learn the Internet, its ever-changing search engine nuances and Web design requirements. Books on Web design, for example, are virtually outdated upon release.

A good starting strategy is to discuss the objectives, structure and budget for your site.

Choose a project leader who has time to devote to the site.
Set time-lines.
Obtain commitments for articles from attorneys and staff. Review competitive sites.

Other approaches include asking local firms and discussion list members for Web designer recommendations.

Once you find potential Web designers, ask for law firm reference sites. Review competitive sites. Consult with a Web consultant before completing a flow-chart of your Web site. Make sure that the Web consultant knows that he or she is being paid to help with the pre-design phase and is not retained to design the site. Run your ideas by the Web consultant and obtain his/her recommendations. Flow-chart the site in a fashion that allows for changes. Develop your content. Your Web site should provide free resources, foster a sense of community and show value to your visitors. Think about graphics. Decide if you wish to obtain, scan and prepare the graphics, e.g., photos and exhibits, or whether you want a designer's assistance. Determine if you wish to assist in site maintenance or whether you wish the Web design firm to perform maintenance tasks. Once you have prepared your materials, evaluate Web design firms by reviewing their work, conversing with their clients and understanding their pricing. Meet with two or three Web design firms and obtain an understanding of their project plans (for your site), pricing and availability.

The more work your firm has prepared and is willing to do, the less your investment will be. On the other hand, measure your billable time against the designer's pricing. A knowledgeable legal-experienced Web designer can prepare a site with minimal disruption to your firm. A designer with legal experience will have access to area of practice information, template pages into which you can copy and insert maintenance text, disclaimers and links. The legal designer should also have knowledge of legal Web site successes and failures. A reference check of the designer's clients will measure the designer's successes, failures and commitment.

Evaluating Web Designers

Most Web designers say that they are the best. Many say that they know the (fill in the blanks) industry extremely well. A Web site is too important to leave to chance. Recent estimates of Web users worldwide puts the number at 40 million and growing fast. By 2002, most analysts agree that more than half of US households and 32 percent of European households will be online." IDC reports that Internet Commerce Will Rocket to More Than $1 Trillion by 2003.

The Boston Consulting Group projects that one-fourth of all U.S. business-to-business purchasing ($2.8 trillion in transaction value) will be done online by 2003. We recommend asking designers for reference sites, then checking the sites against the following criteria. We also recommend that law firms with existing sites measure their sites against the criteria. You can assign a point scale to the following based upon their importance to your firm.

Evaluation Criteria

Initial Consideration - It is difficult to find a designer with all of the necessary skills. These skills include cosmetic and programming design expertise, business knowledge, and site placement experience. Good aesthetics designers often spend less effort on search engine placement and services promotion.

Location of Designer – Most law firms prefer do deal with a design firm that has state ties. Location is not as important as long as the designer has ties to your industry; however, many firms like the personal contact and the ability to show and tell, rather than scan, send and communicate by e-mail. This is especially true if you are a person who works better face-to-face and prefers hand-holding. Many of our clients benefit by being able to jointly review existing materials and brochures and interview staff members. We do feel that an established legal designer will provide better support. A generalist designer isn't as concerned about your satisfaction as is a legal oriented designer.

Legal Expertise - An industry-oriented designer knows the standard needs of a business or firm. Hours can be saved. The legal-oriented designer will contribute helpful recommendations. You will be able to concentrate on your unique features and desires.

Success - Ask reference accounts if the sites have been successful. Unless they are your competitors, they will proudly share the information. A site that brings in new clients, retains and informs existing clients, reduces administrative burden, serves the community, etc., is a successful site.

Content - You've got them there and they are interested. Do you have something to tell them? This is critical. We have seen poorly designed and poorly indexed (in search engines) sites spread like wildfire through word-of-mouth.

Search engines - Many sites are attractive, but can't be found. Search engine indexing algorithms change constantly. Many techniques can be used to improve search engine rankings. These include "backdoors" which can be used to emphasize secondary area of practice sites. Visitors don't go further than three to four search engine screens once they find a potential firm. Test the ranking of reference sites in major search engines such as Altavista, Hotbot and Yahoo. Try entering target terms such as area of practice or locality words or phrases. Find out, however, if the reference site is performing its own search engine maintenance or whether the Web design firm is assisting. Search Engine Maintenance - Develop your plan for search engine maintenance. Due to the rapid growth of the Internet, search engines are overwhelmed. You should monitor your home page submission every three to four weeks. For more on search engine tweaking, please our Web promotion site (http://www.promoteWebs.com.)

Aesthetics & Layout - The site should be informative, while being compelling. An attractive site interests viewers, making them want to see more. The layout should be designed so the viewer quickly understands the site's mission. Graphics should complement the site's layout and content. The site should be designed for the target market, not to impress other designers or surfers.

Creativity - It is exciting to find a site that has something new and/or dares to be different. The Webmaster should combine style with the content and mission. For example, while tradition dictates that pages be similar, some Webmasters are, for example, using color tabs that link to different colored pages. Prudent use of JavaScript and CGI scripts can add to a site. With the exception of navigation aids, you will see a reduction of the mouseovers and fancy graphics due to their slow-loading time, incompatibilities, and lack of novelty. Sites will move toward classic brochure appearance with the exception of techniques that the Web makes available such as interactivity. Ease of Navigation - The navigational structure must mesh with the content with which it is dealing and the intended audience. The viewer should be able to navigate to a desired location within two or three clicks. Links should be readily available to products, people, feedback and all main sections.

Browser Compatibility - Microsoft editors, such as FrontPage, have some issues with Netscape and other browsers. A site that looks good in Explorer may have problems in Netscape and vice versa. Determine how well has the Webmaster addressed these issues. View the finalist sites on different browsers, different browser versions and old and new computers.

Load Time - Surveyed viewers comment that slow-loading sites are one of their top frustrations. Busy visitors won't wait long. A site should be attractive, while loading quickly. If your business is consumers or your legal area of practice is family, view finalist sites on dial-up 28.8 dial-up modems. If your market is corporate, loading time is important, but not as critical.

Extra Features - A Web site can be enhanced with forms, bulletin boards, search software, maps, links, download/ upload features and much more. A Web site can be a marvelous repository of information. It is also a great place to store and secure information on which you wish to collaborate. A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, for example, can be easily saved in Web page format. Client proposals and updates, when applicable, can be placed in a Web format. These techniques will impress high-tech and corporate clients. You and the client will enjoy the ability to easily communicate without always having to meet.

Price - Shop around. You don't have to pay $10 - 25,000 for a great site. Many designers craft attractive sites for $2,000 - $5,000. To save money, have your content prepared ahead of time.

Ownership - Avoid a "template" design firm that retains ownership. The Internet is explosive. You will have many needs and opportunities in the near future and you want the flexibility to move your site as desired.

Summary - If you plan to design your own site, acquire a few hours of a Web designer's time to discuss your ideas. It is painful to redesign a site due to something of which you weren't aware. If the entire Web design process is intimidating or too time-consuming, have a Web oriented consultant assist you in choosing a designer or at least help narrow the field to two or three. Large businesses and firms should place Request for Proposals for major enhancements rather putting together a quick-study committee to shotgun the effort.

Other considerations include choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP), Web hosting service and connection scheme. We won't deal with those topics in this article. However, you are welcome to visit http://www.consultWebs.com/setup.htm for detail on these items.

Maintaining the Site

A Web site is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing process that can pay big dividends. Some of our clients obtain several thousand dollars per month from Internet leads. This revenue is the result of effective search engine design and registration, as well as a commitment to fresh, meaningful content. Fresh content is critical. A static Web site is like yesterday's newspaper. There is no reason to read it again. There is certainly no reason to return and spend time on a static Web site. If you don't have time to update the site, contract with a Web consultant or Web content provider.

Insure that you have the freedom to make updates if desired. Avoid a situation where a template designer sets you up inexpensively, then requires you to pay them for all updates. You may find it a better use of your time to have your Web design firm to make updates, but it should be your choice. Firms should consider designating at least one individual on the staff learn to basic Web entry and design. Firm members can forward updates and topical information to the in-house person. The in-house person should not invest time in learning the latest programming techniques and tools such as JavaScript rollovers, applets and database systems. You can contract with a designer to provide the rarely implemented technologies and features.

Summary

The Internet is changing the way we do business. It allows creative law firms to reduce expenses and service clients more effectively. An investment of time and effort today, will pay dividends tomorrow.

Dale Tincher is president of ConsultWebs.com, a Raleigh, North Carolina Legal and Web consulting and Web design firm. Dale is a frequent NCBA CLE instructor and is an endorsed NCBA TAP consultant NetSmart, Inc.'s NCBA TAP agreement. He may be reached at 919-272-8052 or dtincher@consultWebs.com. ConsultWebs.com's Web address is http://www.consultWebs.com.