Website Profiles – Do’s & Don’ts

When reviewing the analytics of our client’s websites, it is very often the case that the ‘Meet the Team,’ or the ‘Our People’ pages will be the second most visited part of the site. This highlights the importance of these pages on a professional services website, and yet very often we see firms and individuals that do not make the most of this opportunity. In this article we highlight some of Do’s and Don’ts when creating professional website profiles.

Do’s 

• Always include an up-to-date picture.   A picture is one of the best ways to help build a connection with a potential client and can be useful pre-appointment.  Very often clients will visit your website prior to an appointment, simply to check what the person they are meeting looks like.  If the picture is out of date this can lead to potential confusion.
• Consider your photography style.  Does is match your firm’s ethos?    Many law firms are leaning to more natural relaxed photography styles, but this may not be appropriate for a barrister’s chambers.
• Have a plan to photograph new starters.  We know that it is very difficult to have a 100% of your website profiles complete with a picture, but having a process in place for the timely photos of any new starters is beneficial so that the photo gaps aren’t there for too long.  If your team are not office based, then you could provide guidance for them to take a photo using their phone.
• Include relevant qualifications and memberships. This helps to demonstrate to that you and have the right level of skills to help.
• Outline any relevant experience that you have, highlighting specific areas of expertise that you think a client may be looking for and mention any specific notable cases that may be relevant.  
• Include any legal directory rankings and/or any panel memberships that you have as these are a great way to emphasise the expertise that you have stated. If you are featured on another panel member website, you can also add hyperlink which helps with SEO.
• Add any testimonials from clients as these are probably the best way to show that you can help a client.
• Review your website profile regularly and update it where required.  It can also be helpful to ask someone else to review your profile for you, asking them to answer a simple question- would you instruct me?
• If you are managing the profiles on your firm’s website, then you need to consider whether the profiles are giving the visitors the information that they need.    If they don’t then ask the team to review their profiles and maybe provide them with a template to assist.

Don’ts

• Only give information on your career background if it is relevant to the client.   Does a client really need to know where you went to junior school as an example?
• Don’t go into too much detail, keep it simple and concise where you can.
• Only include information about your hobbies and interests outside of work if you feel this helps to outline your personality.   Some firms believe this adds personality, but it can also look unprofessional, so it very much depends on the values of the firm.

You may have heard the phrase that ‘People buy from people they know, like and trust’ and a strong website profile can go a long way towards this.   

If you need help to draft a professional website profile or maybe you have some profiles that you would like to be reviewed, the team at Scala are here to help.    

To learn more about our copywriting services, click here or contact us today at office@scala.uk.com.