I read a lengthy online discussion detailing dozens of interview questions to ask a potential website developer.  As expected, the questions focused on Design issues like font and layout, or Technical issues like platform and hosting, or current topics like social media or responsive design.

But no one mentioned the single most-important question:

“How is this new website going to make us MONEY?”

Whenever you’re discussing redesigning, updating, or overhauling your law firm or accounting firm’s website, THAT is the fundamental question you need answered directly and unequivocally.  (Frankly, you need to answer that question regarding EVERY marketing tool or tactic you create or use.)  If your proposed developers start talking about technical issues like their software platform or responsive design capabilities, your website will work nicely but not make you any money.

Marketing’s job is to help generate revenue.  Period.

Law firms have a variety of potentially powerful tools at their disposal to help encourage this, including a website. Most lawyers, however, do not realize that they can use their websites as the platform to seek greatness.

A website overhaul is one of the few opportunities a law firm has to climb out above the competition.

We can use it as the hook to develop market dominance – a powerful winning strategy.  We can’t let the firm squander this rare opportunity by settling for a website that’s just a prettier or more feature-rich implementation of an ineffectual strategy.

For a firm that can’t get consensus around the idea of branding or differentiation, a website is the tool you can use to back into an exciting new strategy or message.  It’s the hook you can use to stand out, to develop new social media tools or a wide array of new marketing tactics.  Don’t waste it by discussing look or layout, font or functionality — or even budget.

Don’t bother discussing budget until you know precisely how you’re going to be able to use the website to generate significant additional revenue.  If your money-making strategy requires a website with e.g. a powerful brand or costly bells and whistles, then it’s worth spending more money developing it because there’s an ROI directly associated with it.

If you just want a slightly prettier version of your non-strategic online-brochure website, showing photos of your smiling lawyers or other lame cliché, then at least hire someone cheap to develop it.  No reason to throw good money after bad.

However, if you’re ready to be great, with the right plan, it can all start with a website…

 Attractive is easy.  Strategic is what makes you money.