Attorneys Margaret Heiser and Ashley Crowler from Robinson & Fulton Law contacted me to discuss their need for a new website.
Their existing website was static (in other words, it was more of an ‘online brochure’ that didn’t lend itself to adding articles, images and new information)
This, of course, is what WordPress does best! The owner of the site can, with just a little instruction, add or subtract content as they wish.
Here are the biggest challenges in building a site:
- Understanding the focus. Keeping it simple is essential
- Ensuring the ‘user experience’ is easy and pleasant
- Can the visitor get the information they want in just a couple of clicks?
- Make sure if they click on something they know where it will take them
It was very important to both Margaret and Ashley that the focus was on ‘special needs law’, but that they also have other complementary areas of their practice. The key here is to how it is written:
- Write in a language that your users can understand
- Use a tone that will make them feel you are speaking directly to them
- Be succinct. Use as few words as you can to convey your ideas. When people are on line they move quickly and will not read lengthy paragraphs or technical language.
- Use conventions in the navigation, so that users can quickly understand where they are going
Simplicity in design is also important for keeping your visitor on your site longer:
- A ‘non-busy’ uncluttered site will be a pleasant experience
- Color is used as a statement of the company and as a way to move the user through the site. Color has different meanings for all of us but there are conventions of colors too.
- Typography should be easy to read
- A site should have visual hierarchy to show the importance of each subject – think ‘outline’
I consider this a very successful project! Margaret and Ashley are very happy as well. Click here to view site.
I always tell my clients before we start to work on a website together is that the hardest part is gathering the content for their pages. Starting this process early and editing bravely will make it much easier for you.
“Thank you for all of your patience with us and for helping us to get through something that we did not see coming. It had been a lot of fun working with you.” ~ Ashley Crowler
