The Complete Guide to Photos for Lawyers
Shamil Shamilov
Husband, Father & Founder at dNOVO Group | Passionate About Growing Legal, Medical & Home Services Businesses
You could have done everything right: your website loads fast and is full of helpful legal content. The website is easy to navigate, and your leads can contact you seamlessly. However, potential clients are still not contacting you the way you would like them to. You might be surprised to learn that the photos on your law firm's website could be to blame. It is time to rethink your visual appeal and content marketing if you pay little to no attention to the photos you put on your website. Gone are the days when you could just rip some photos straight from Google and stock photos and use them on your law firm's website.
Studies reveal that around 67% of your web visitors choose you based on the quality of the photos on your website. Clients and potential clients can process the photos on your website easily and faster than walls of text. The right photos will:
If your photos are of poor quality, your web visitors will not hesitate to exit your website and look elsewhere.
Why Photos for Law Firm Websites Matter
When potential clients find your website, they will likely use their emotions and experiences to determine whether you are the right fit for them. They can easily engage with and process photos better than text. In addition, your web content receives up to 94% more web visitors when you have quality photos and videos.
As a lawyer, it is crucial to create this trust and engagement. After all, you handle high-profile cases and sensitive information. When looking for a lawyer, most people are embarrassed and unsure of how to proceed. You need to assure the web visitors that they can depend on you.
With the proper photos for law firm websites, you will:
Below is how one of our clients, Frenkel Tobin's law website, uses human faces.
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When choosing a lawyer, clients are not only interested in the lawyer's knowledge but also in the lawyer's personality. It is easier to convey your personality through imagery than through text.
You'd be surprised to learn that web visitors only read around 20-28% of the text on your website. They mainly focus on visuals.
When making an investment or purchase decision, up to 67% of customers consider image quality to be crucial.
With relevant and well-chosen images, you can improve your SEO. You only need to upload the images correctly and ensure they load properly on mobile devices. You can tap into local SEO strategies by using local images. Images can help you create or break your brand's image in the legal industry.
Whether to Work with Stock Images or Custom Photography
You are better off with custom photography than stock images. Your law firm will not reap much value from stock images, especially if the images are stuffy, forced, and blatantly staged.
Around 69% of digital marketers use free stock photos, 62% use custom shots, and 52% invest in paid stock photography. You can choose to combine stock images with custom photography: they serve different purposes.
Consider this professional shot for our client, Wagners:
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Compare it with this stock image:
Although the stock images look polished and professional, they are just promotional since they don't present the real lawyers.
Potential clients are 35% more likely to contact you when they see real people who work at your law firm.
You can use stock images on certain areas of your website, but you should avoid using them on:
Because these pages receive immense traffic, you should use custom photos for law firm websites. You can reserve the stock images for the blogs and practice area pages.
See how our client, Yegendorf Rashid, a personal injury law firm, uses an emotive stock image for a blog post:
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Where You Can Use Custom Photography
Unlike stock images, you can use custom photography everywhere. Custom photos are suitable for the home page, About Us, and Bio sections. There is no harm in using them on blog posts too.
See how custom photography has been used in the bio section of our client, Costa Law Firm.
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A custom photo of genuine lawyers sets you apart from other law firms, helping you create differentiation in the competitive legal industry.
Tips for Custom Photography
Now that you understand the crucial role of custom photos for law firm websites, you must understand how to use them to benefit your law firm.
1. Choose the Proper Style and Tone
Before you even bring in a professional, consider how you want to appear. When you already have your brand and preferred style in mind, your photographer will have an easy time.
The photo style for a law firm that deals with sensitive matters may differ from a law firm that aggressively defends criminal charges.
Our client, GDH Family Lawyers, adopts a gentle approach since it deals with sensitive family law issues.
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2. Be Careful When Choosing a Photographer
Your custom photos can only be as good as the photographer you choose to work with. You should not go with a photographer just because they are affordable.
Closely examine a photographer's portfolio before choosing their services. Request examples to see if the photographer meets your expectations.
3. Choose the Right Background
While custom images mainly focus on people, you must also be careful when choosing the background. You don't have to be inside the office; you can make the photos more appealing by stepping outside.
Below is a shot of our client, Stacey R. Ball, taken outside the office:?
If you want a peaceful and calming feel, you can choose an evergreen background. If your office has a beautiful view of the city, you can capture it to give your photos a dynamic yet professional look.
Use landmarks, too, if you like. Here's an example from one of our clients, GLG LLP, a business law firm:
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4. Take multiple shots
Take as many photos as possible, and then choose the best. Take many photos first, and then peruse them later.
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5. Be active
Ensure that you don't appear as if you are posing for a portrait. You can request the photographer to take photos when your team is involved in discussions to capture moments of humanity and passion.
Action shots are easier to work out than static ones.
The photo above depicts that:
1. ? Your team enjoys working together
2. ? The lawyers are passionate about what they do
3. ? They are at ease in the workplace
6. Keep it simple
Keep the photo simple and ensure that it is not cluttered. Focus more on people than objects. Clients want to see who you are; they aren't going to hire you based on how neat your office looks.
See this example from our client, GLG LLP:
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7. Don't Use the flash
Keep the camera's flashlight off to ensure the photos for your law firm’s website are natural and unfiltered. Using the flash can create unwanted shadows and make you look unnatural.
8. Dress Appropriately
Your team members can dress in bold colors or light shades. However, avoid patterns by all means since they distract your audience.
See our client, Wagners:
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Discuss the dress code with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page.?
This client, Boland Romaine, gets it right:?
Adding Photos to Law Firm Websites
In addition to taking proper photos, you must also ensure that you add them to your website appropriately.
1. Only Use high-quality photos
Only use the highest quality photos to make the right first impression of your law firm. High-quality shows that you are bold and honest. Use the colors well, too.??
See how our client, Damien Frost & Associates, uses a photo to introduce the team.
2. Ensure that the Photos are Relevant
Photos are excellent legal marketing tools for lawyers. Use custom photos for law firm websites to prepare readers by creating an emotional context.?
Here is a relevant image for our client, Derek Wilson.
3. Your Images Must Be SEO-friendly
All the images you employ must enhance and support the user experience.
They must make sense and add value.?
4. Don’t Put too Many Imagesnbsp;
Using too many images makes you look cluttered and unprofessional. Give your audience a space to breathe.?
See how our client, Yegendorf Rashid, places photos:
5. Don’t Violate The Law
Ensure you understand the advertising laws for lawyers in your area to avoid violating them.?
6. Don’t Focus Solely on the Photosnbsp;
There is more to a good website than the photos. Focus on other aspects of your website, including the content, navigation, loading speed, keywords, and fonts. Know how to use internal and external links.?
Damien Frost, another one of our clients, has a balanced website.?
7. Ensure that the Message is Clear
While adding photos to your website, ensure that there is brand consistency. Clients love brand harmony.?
8. Be Personal
Clients want to know that your lawyers are real and that they can connect with them. Your law firm’s website photos should bring out a sense of personality.?
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Our digital marketing experts at dNOVO are here for you if you need help from professional law firm web designers.