Why Law Firm Websites Should Have an FAQ
I’ve noticed that one feature often missing from law firm websites is the humble FAQ. Despite the benefits of having one to client experience and to law firm employees, its an overlooked feature of a firm’s online strategy.
Below, we’ll look at why having an FAQ is a good idea and the key ingredients for creating a good law firm FAQ page, followed by some examples of great FAQs. I should note that you don’t just need to create a general FAQ for your firm, you can also produce FAQs on for a particular practice area or area of law to guide clients to the right service or for any topic, such as your recruitment pages, that generates a large number of questions.
Importance of FAQ Pages
Building Trust and Credibility
The lawyer-client relationship is built on trust. Not only trust that the lawyer knows what they’re talking about, but also trust that the firm has the processes in place to deliver for the client effectively.
FAQs are a simple way to provide clear and concise answers to common questions about your legal services, showcasing your expertise and instilling confidence in potential clients.
Improving Client Interaction Efficiency
If you find yourself being asked the same questions repeatedly, an FAQ will free up your time so you can focus on more complex issues related to your services. By addressing common questions upfront, you can streamline your communications with clients, reducing your email backlog and saving you time during client meetings.
Enhancing SEO
Google (other search engines are available!) wants to deliver good experience for users by providing the best answers to their questions. FAQs are a great way to help your firm take advantage of this. Incorporating relevant keywords – that is, strings of words that commonly appear in a potential client’s search engine queries – can improve your visibility in search engine rankings.
They also provide you with long-tail keywords, more complex phrases or strings of words that are more specific than generic search words that allow you to reach a better defined demographic of clients.
Best Practices for Creating an Effective FAQ Page
Identify Common Questions
It’s really simple to put together FAQ questions. The best way to begin is to note down questions from your client interactions. What normally comes up? If you’re regularly asked about a particular topic, that’s a good indication that it should go into your FAQ. It also means you can provide more specific answers that cover all the bases clients aren’t sure about.
You might also take a look at your competitors. If they have an FAQ, what are the topics they’re covering? Could you integrate these into your FAQ page?
Finally, it’s worth taking a look at Google Analytics for common search terms related to your area of law or the jurisdiction you’re practicing in. This will give you an idea of the broad questions potential clients you haven’t interacted with yet are looking for answers to.
Organise by Topic
Group questions by relevant categories (e.g., services, pricing, legal processes). This should be a golden rule with all content on your website, but to maximise the readability of your FAQ, make sure the information is formatted logically. Use headings and subheadings for different legal services, procedures or areas of law.
This also helps with navigation. Make sure that readers can find the information they’re looking for!
Provide Clear and Concise Answers
Lawyers are used to writing for other lawyers, demonstrating their devastating prowess. However, when answering client questions, it’s important to use simple, jargon-free writing suitable for a lay audience.
If applicable, include links to detailed articles on your website or relevant service pages for more information. Connectivity is key to making sure your FAQ generates leads and directs your clients to what they’re looking for.
Regular Updates
An FAQ is a rolling process. It should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure accuracy and relevancy. Consider adding new questions and answers to reflect changes in your services or the law – or merely client demand.
Incorporate SEO Best Practices
Make the most of the SEO impact of your FAQ by using relevant keywords and phrases naturally within questions and answers.
Ensure that the page’s metadata aligns with the content so that search engines recognise the meaning of your page, its elements and how users should see it, in a language the search engine can understand.
Other Considerations
Maintaining Brand Consistency
The FAQ, as with all content you put on your website, should align with the overall aesthetic of your site. Make sure the voice is consistent and that the design is in keeping with the rest of your content.
Resource Investment
FAQs do require time an effort to create and maintain. However, this is balanced by the potential benefits in client satisfaction, the time you spend answering repetitive questions and the SEO improvements.
Balance the cost with the potential benefits in client satisfaction and SEO improvement.
Risk of Overgeneralization
The point of an FAQ is that it answers client questions. That means it has to be specific and relevant. Although you don’t want to overload readers with information, you also want to make sure that you provide enough information for clients to leave with what they came for.
Examples of Great FAQ pages
General Law Firm FAQ
London property and commercial firm Bishop & Sewell demonstrates the effectiveness of a simple FAQ page that includes the broad spectrum of questions that clients might want to ask about the firm and the service potential clients can expect from working with the firm. Topics are organised in a logical way and the page is easy to navigate.
The questions here are relatively basic and the page is clearly directed to people unfamiliar with using legal services. That’s exactly the purpose of an FAQ and it will save the firm, at least some time, fielding the simple questions that are listed here.
Practice Area FAQ
Liverpool-based Morecrofts has put together a good example of a practice area explainer. This one is on commercial law and outlines the basics for clients without background knowledge. Having informed clients means the firm can provide a better, more effective, experience to its service users. This type of FAQ is also a way for the firm to showcase its expertise on commercial law, as well as boosting its visibility on search engines such as Google.
FAQ for Recruitment Strategy
US-based international behemoth Cooley shows how FAQ pages can streamline a firm’s recruitment strategy. Not only does it save time for overstretched HR teams, providing useful information to candidates upfront, in a way that’s easy to navigate, might just mean the right candidates will engage with the firm as potential recruits don’t have to spend days emailing back and forth for what they need.
Conclusion
Law Firm FAQ pages are a valuable asset for a law firm’s website. They improve the credibility of your offering – allowing you to show what you know about a particular area of law up front – and instil confidence and trust in potential clients. They free up your time. Instead of answering repetitive questions, they allow you to focus on more complex client issues and streamline your interactions with clients. They can also benefit your visibility on search engines for relevant queries.
To create a great FAQ, start by focusing on what clients are actually asking you, look at what your competitors are doing and check commonly searched for search engine queries on Google Analytics. Organise the questions by topic and provide clear and concise answers – this isn’t for other lawyers, it’s for your potential clients!
Given the time and internal resource constraints of putting together and maintaining your FAQ, reach out to The Marketing Legal. We can help you create, refresh or update your FAQ page so you can reap the benefits.