Someone needs a lawyer. A lease they do not trust. A dispute that will not settle. A company they are about to register. They search for a lawyer near them, open your site, and decide in a few seconds whether you look clear enough to write to. Soft wood-panel photos and a buried email do not count. They open the next firm that already answers.
A lawyer website is not a crest for people who already know your name. It is the first conversation before they book a consult.
That first screen has to answer:
- Who you help — people, small companies, landlords, employers — in the first sentence.
- Which matters you take: contracts, employment, company law, property, disputes — in plain words, not a wall of Latin.
- How to reach you: a number that works on a phone, a short form, or a clear email — whichever you really answer.
- Where you are, and whether you meet in person, online, or both.
- A little proof you are real — your name, the town, the languages you work in.
You do not need a treatise on every statute. You need a page that lets a worried reader decide without calling three offices.
If your current site still makes them hunt for that, write to hello@merkwell.com. Say what a first enquiry must answer on the first screen. We can put the desk where they can find it.