Conclusion

Your customized professional law firm web site can be completed in roughly two to four weeks. If your law firm needs to be online instantly, you can purchase a template based web site design and be online immediately.

However, in order for your law firm web site design to be a return on investment, your law firm should hire a dedicated web site designer that will develop a custom web site tailored to your firm's needs.

Some key points to remember are:

1. Spend time and money our your web site. Poor web designs actually hurt your firms image.
2. Register your domain names as soon as possible, including alternate domains names, such as your law firm name hyphenated, abbreviated, and relevant practice areas.
3. Find a dedicated law firm web designer, who understands the legal field.
4. Find a web host that has been in business for several years and that has free options, such as web traffic analysis, email, and technical support.
5. Do not use Flash to design the whole site. DO NOT design a Flash intro.
6. Use a database if your law firm has more than 25 attorneys, or if you have a ton of content to update regularly.
7. Write and edit content for the web. Tailor content for your clients and make sure there is a "call to action" and not just firm "puffery".
8. Hire a graphic artist, design firm, or purchase graphics designs/photographs for the web site.
9. Optimize and register your web sites with the major search engines.
10. Reevaluate the web site every six months.