Have you ever tried to set someone up on a blind date? For better or for worse, the parties involved always have certain information they want to know up front before they will commit to being set-up. What does this person do? What have they accomplished? Where do they live? Where did they grow up? What school did they go to? What are their interests? What do they look like? Likewise when a visitor comes to a law firm website, there is certain information they want to know to ensure that this is a firm/website they can trust to help them with their legal issue.
Why you should include an “About Us” Page
Having an “About Us” or “Firm Profile” page is important as it provides the background information that people are looking for when they are first introduced to a business.
In several recent posts we have talked about a “search persona” approach to building a website. In other words, you should create a website that provides the information that potential customers would want to find when they visit. An “About Us” or “Firm Profile” establishes legitimacy which is important especially with legal services and especially in the online arena. With the questions above the person being set-up wants to establish they are not about to go on a date with an ax murderer, likewise the “About Us” page can communicate to clients that they are not about to get involved with a shady or inexperienced firm.
What you should include
Firm history & background. Discuss when your firm was established and by whom. These Boston car accident lawyers included a page in addition to the “About Us” just to profile their founders. If you are a relatively new firm you can mention the collective years of experience of the attorneys. As in “with over 25 years combined experience in the area of medical malpractice our attorneys …”
Practice areas or areas of expertise. Make sure you establish the area or areas of practice in which the firm specializes or has distinguished itself. These California mesothelioma attorneys have taken the opportunity to include the human detail of why they have chosen to specialize in toxic tort cases. They write on their “Firm Overview Page”:
“In 1990, mesothelioma’s devastating impact on friends and family drove our founder to create Environmental Litigation Group to seek justice for them and others across the country who suffer because of asbestos exposure.
A core group of employees have been with ELG since those early years. Many, like our founder, have a special calling to help asbestos victims. Some began work here when they were still in graduate school.”
Testimonials. Just as your endorsement lends credibility to the person you are recommending in our blind date example, other people’s praise for a lawyer can further establish trust. If you have a separate page with testimonials, which is also a good practice, include one or two highlights on the “About Us” page then link to the page dedicated to testimonials.
Landmark cases or wins. Including top settlements and verdicts as well as any cases that may have made headlines is a good way to show your firm is a leader in your field of practice. As with testimonials if you have a dedicated settlements page, call out a few wins on the “About Us” and a link to the full settlements page.
Lawyers & firm employees. As we covered in One More Vote For Usability , the best practice for including employee profiles on a website is to create a unique page for each person. However, you should make the attorney profiles easily accessible from the “About Us page” as these Toyota accident lawsuit attorneys who have included a link to each of their lawyer pages.
Images. It may sound unimportant, but don’t forget to include images on the “About Us” page. Including pictures of your attorneys, staff and offices is another way to establish trust and make visitors feel familiar with your firm.
Contact information & call to action. Make sure you include contact information and your firm location on the “About Us” page or an accessible link to that information. Once you have introduced your firm, encourage visitors to contact you with a strong call to action that includes your phone number and a link to your contact form.
