Your website is losing you cases right now. Not because you’re a bad lawyer, but because it’s making one (or more) of these mistakes that send potential clients straight to your competitors.
I’ve audited hundreds of law firm websites over the past few years. The same problems show up again and again. Some are obvious. Others are subtle but just as damaging.
Here are the 12 most common law firm website mistakes I see, and more importantly, how to fix them.
1. Your Site Takes Forever to Load
If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing half your visitors before they even see your homepage.
Someone just got arrested or served divorce papers. They’re searching on their phone, probably on a mediocre connection. Your site loads… and loads… and loads. They hit back and call the next lawyer on the list.
Google’s data shows 53% of mobile visitors abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. For lawyer websites, that’s not just traffic. That’s actual cases going to your competitors.
How to Fix It:
- Optimize your images (most sites have massive, uncompressed photos)
- Use a quality hosting provider, not the cheapest option
- Minimize plugins and unnecessary code
- Enable caching and compression
- Test your speed on Google PageSpeed Insights
A personal injury attorney in Denver had a site loading in 8 seconds. After optimization, it loaded in 1.9 seconds. His bounce rate dropped from 72% to 31%, and consultation requests doubled within 60 days.
2. Your Site Doesn’t Work on Mobile
54% of people searching for lawyers use mobile devices. If your site doesn’t work perfectly on phones, you’re invisible to half your potential clients.
I see this constantly: sites that look fine on a desktop but are completely unusable on mobile. Tiny text you can’t read. Buttons you can’t tap. Forms that don’t submit. Menus that don’t work.
Someone searching from a hospital parking lot or courthouse doesn’t have patience for broken mobile experiences. They call someone whose site actually works.
How to Fix It:
- Use responsive design that adapts to any screen size
- Make buttons large enough to tap (minimum 44×44 pixels)
- Keep forms simple and mobile-friendly
- Use large, readable fonts (minimum 16px)
- Test on actual phones, not just “mobile view” in your browser
3. Nobody Can Find Your Contact Information
Your phone number should be in the header of every page. Not buried in the footer. Not hidden on a “Contact” page. Right there, visible, click-to-call on mobile.
I’ve seen attorney websites where I had to scroll and hunt to find how to contact them. If I’m struggling (and I’m specifically looking for it), imagine what potential clients are doing.
They’re leaving. And calling someone else.
How to Fix It:
- Put your phone number in the header (click-to-call on mobile)
- Add a prominent “Schedule Consultation” button to every page
- Include simple contact forms in multiple places
- Make it impossible to miss how to reach you
Your contact information should be the easiest thing to find on your site. If it’s not, you’re making people work too hard to give you money.
4. Your Forms Are Too Long and Complicated
Look at your contact form right now. How many fields does it have? If it’s more than 5, you’re losing people.
The goal of a contact form isn’t to conduct an intake interview. It’s to start a conversation. Name, email, phone number, brief description of legal issue. That’s it.
Long forms with 15 fields asking for case details, dates, Social Security numbers, and life stories kill conversions. People abandon them halfway through.
How to Fix It:
- Keep forms to 4-5 fields maximum
- Only ask for essential information (name, contact info, brief issue)
- Save the detailed questions for the actual consultation
- Make forms work properly on mobile devices
A family law firm cut their contact form from 12 fields to 4. Form submissions increased 157% in the first month.
5. You’re Using Generic Stock Photos
Stock photos of gavels, law books, scales of justice, and courtrooms make your site look exactly like every other law firm website design. Generic. Forgettable. Interchangeable.
Potential clients want to see you. Your office. Your team. Real people they might actually hire, not models pretending to be lawyers in a photoshoot.
How to Fix It:
- Invest in professional photography of your actual firm
- Show your team, your office, your personality
- Use photos of your city/community if local focus matters
- Avoid any stock photo that looks like a stock photo
Real photos build trust. Stock photos build nothing.
6. You’re Not Showing Any Results or Testimonials
People need proof before they call you. If your site doesn’t show any evidence that you’ve actually helped clients, why should someone trust you with their legal matter?
Case results (where allowed by your state bar), client testimonials, awards, credentials. These aren’t bragging. They’re proof you deliver.
How to Fix It:
- Display anonymized case results following your state’s bar rules
- Get video testimonials from satisfied clients
- Show your credentials, awards, bar admissions
- Include “Why Choose Us” content backed by actual achievements
Make sure everything complies with your state’s advertising rules. But within those rules, show proof.
7. Your Copy is Boring, Generic, or Written Like a Legal Brief
“We fight for you.” “Justice you deserve.” “Aggressive representation.” “Compassionate service.”
Every lawyer says this. It means nothing. It’s white noise.
Your website copy should sound like you actually talk, not like a corporate brochure written by a committee. And it definitely shouldn’t read like you’re writing a legal brief.
How to Fix It:
- Write like you talk to clients, not like you write motions
- Be specific about what you actually do
- Cut the generic marketing speak
- Focus on what makes you different (and it better be more specific than “we care”)
- Use short paragraphs and simple language
Someone in crisis reading your site on their phone doesn’t want to decode legal jargon or marketing buzzwords. Talk to them like a human.
8. You Don’t Have Individual Practice Area Pages
Don’t just have a generic “Services” page listing everything you do. Create dedicated pages for each practice area: DUI, divorce, personal injury, estate planning, whatever you focus on.
Someone searching for “DUI lawyer [your city]” wants to land on a page specifically about DUI defense. Not a generic services list where DUI is one bullet point.
How to Fix It:
- Create dedicated pages for each practice area
- Optimize each page for specific keywords
- Answer questions specific to that practice area
- Show results and experience relevant to that specialty
These pages rank better in search and convert better because they’re speaking directly to what someone needs.
9. Your Site Looks Like It’s From 2008
Design trends change. A site that looked modern 10 years ago looks dated now. And dated designs make people wonder if your practice is also outdated.
I’m not saying you need to redesign every year. But if your site legitimately looks like it’s from 2008, you’re losing credibility.
How to Fix It:
- Modern, clean design doesn’t have to be expensive
- Remove outdated elements (Flash, old fonts, busy layouts)
- Use plenty of white space
- Stick to simple, professional aesthetics
- Look at recently redesigned law firm sites for current standards
10. You’re Not Optimized for Local Search
Most legal work is local. You need to show up when someone searches “lawyer near me” or “divorce attorney [your city].”
But I see law firm websites that don’t mention their location anywhere prominent, don’t have Google Business profiles set up, and aren’t optimized for local search at all.
How to Fix It:
- Include your city/location in page titles and content
- Create a Google Business Profile
- Get listed in local directories
- Include location-specific content
- Optimize for “[practice area] lawyer [city]” keywords
Local SEO is how you get found by people in your actual service area.
11. No Clear Call-to-Action on Every Page
Every page should tell visitors what to do next. Not subtly. Clearly. Obviously.
“Schedule a Free Consultation” “Call Now to Discuss Your Case”
“Get Help Today”
I see sites where you read a page about DUI defense, get to the bottom, and… nothing. No button. No next step. Just dead end.
How to Fix It:
- Add prominent CTAs to every page
- Make buttons stand out visually
- Use action-oriented language
- Multiple CTAs per page is fine (header, middle, footer)
- Test different button text to see what converts
Don’t make people hunt for how to contact you. Tell them clearly on every single page.
12. You Have No Content Strategy
Your site shouldn’t be static. Regular content (blog posts, FAQs, guides) helps you rank for more keywords, positions you as an expert, and gives people reasons to visit beyond just your service pages.
Most lawyer websites launch and then never add new content. That’s a missed opportunity.
How to Fix It:
- Start a blog answering common legal questions
- Write about topics potential clients actually search for
- Update content regularly (monthly minimum)
- Answer specific questions for each practice area
- Make it genuinely helpful, not thinly-veiled marketing
The Cost of These Mistakes
These aren’t just minor annoyances. Each mistake directly costs you cases.
A slow site loses half your traffic. Poor mobile experience loses another huge chunk. No clear CTAs mean people who do stick around don’t know how to reach you. No proof means they don’t trust you enough to call.
Stack enough of these mistakes together, and you’ve got a site actively working against you instead of for you.
How to Fix Your Law Firm Website
Start with the biggest issues:
Week 1: Test your site speed and mobile responsiveness. Fix those first.
Week 2: Audit your contact options and CTAs. Make sure they’re prominent and working.
Week 3: Review your content. Cut the generic fluff. Add real proof and results.
Week 4: Check your local SEO setup. Get your Google Business Profile in order.
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Prioritize the issues costing you the most clients.
If you need help figuring out what’s wrong with your current site, we offer free website audits. We’ll show you exactly what’s holding you back and how to fix it.
The Bottom Line
Your website should generate cases, not lose them. Every one of these law firm website mistakes is fixable. Most don’t even require a complete redesign.
Start with the low-hanging fruit: speed, mobile, contact options. Those alone can dramatically improve your results.
Then move on to the bigger issues: content, design, local SEO. Chip away at them systematically.
Your competitors aren’t waiting. Every day your site has these problems is another day they’re winning cases that should have been yours.
Need help fixing your law firm website? Schedule a free consultation and we’ll show you exactly what needs to change.
