draw benchmark - law firms 2014 · striking. firms are increasingly willing to embrace change;...

Legal sectorDigital benchmark 2014

The digital performance of thirty of the leading UK-based law firms, evaluated and ranked.

Analysis, scores and commentary reveals online effectiveness among individual firms, and across the sector.

www.drawgroup.com

Content spotlight

Lawyer-finder tools

Graduate recruitment

Conversion

Calls-to-action & more

Loyalty

Long-term engagement activity

Twitter performance

Popular legal content

Introduction

Executive summary

Methodology

Rankings

Technology

A note about content management systems

Mobile & multi-screen optimisation

Awareness

Search engine results compared

SEO technical performance

Engagement

Visual impact

Segmentation

Content marketing

Site search functions

Usability

LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK©

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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11

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34

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3913

15

17

19

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24

26

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: [email protected] • +44 (0)20 7407 7666

"Challenger �rms... achieved average revenue growth of

more than double that of the average rate among the

global 100 �rms."Acritas research

reported by Managing Partner, 2013

"There are some other clear trends... Law is now being

much more actively marketed – this is expected to increase the

overall size of the market to the bene�t of all."

Neil RoseFT Innovative Lawyers 2013

P 2

z

LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK©FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: [email protected]• +44 (0)20 7407 7666

DRAW LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK

Faced with the financial crisis, leading law firms have become more open to

new ways of working. Between restructuring, the Legal Services Act and the

entrance of challenger firms, the transformation of the legal market is

underway.

As the FT recently noted: "There is a greater understanding and awareness of innovation that is

striking. Firms are increasingly willing to embrace change; in-house counsel have come of age;

new players have entered the market and are here to stay."

In this climate, a law firm's website is a key asset. As an important – though perhaps neglected,

tool for marketing, reputation management, recruitment and generating new business – its

performance is increasingly important and deserves thought and attention.

A second study

Building on expertise gained by contributing to L2's digital reports, and by conducting the

well-received 2012 Legal Sector Benchmark, Draw has undertaken a second study to evaluate the

websites of 30 of the largest UK-based law firms. Covering 55 different touchpoints, the findings

are summarised in this document.

For more detailed information about your firm's ranking, please contact:

Chris DoullHead of Professional Services, Draw

[email protected]

P 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


Excellent websites are not just visually attractive, they achieve the objectives set

for them by their firms. They should excel at raising levels of awareness, engage-

ment, conversion and loyalty among potential and existing clients.

However, after examining the websites of 30 leading law firms over a number of months, we are unable

to grade any of the 30 as "excellent" overall. Three sites scraped into the "good" grade; Irwin Mitchell,

King & Wood Mallesons - SJ Berwin and Bird & Bird. Sixteen reside in the "average" category, and we

reluctantly judged the remaining 11 to be "weak".

Too many missed opportunities

Let's begin with how the websites are configured for mobile. According to research by Investis, 20% of all

visits to corporate websites come from mobile devices. Yet of the 30 law firm websites in our study, only

ten are optimising for mobile.

Next, let's consider how law firms use the web to raise awareness of their experience and expertise. As I

type this, across the globe, potential clients are furiously querying Google's search engine for advice and

guidance about business law. Yet of the 30 websites in our study, only four firms reached a "good" grade

in technical SEO. Or, in other words, only four firms appear to be taking the steps needed to prepare their

content for high visibility in search engines. With their focus on personal legal services it's perhaps not

suprising that Irwin Mitchell rank highly on Google for lots of valuable search terms. What is suprising is

the gulf between the value of their first page "organic" search results - $19,808.00 - and the value of the

results of their nearest competitor in our study. Field Fisher Waterhouse is in second place with results

worth $1,669.00.

Law firms are packed with intelligent people. Their websites should engage their visitors, and often they

do - in one way or another. Eight websites reached the "good" grade for visitor engagement, overall.

Recently redesigned sites, such as Bird & Bird's, scored highly for visual impact. Irwin Mitchell won

points for segmenting their website visitors and Dentons received the "good" grade for content

marketing. Dentons' usability efforts are also to be commended. We also liked Holman Fenwick Willan's

site search function, and Pinsent Masons' lawyer finder tool.

And some songs remain the same. As we noted in our 2012 study of the sector, "law firms feel that

'laying out their stall' is a little unseemly", and in 2014 many of the websites are still coy about

converting their website vistors into customers. Only three websites received "good" grades for their

conversion efforts. However, we appreciated BLP's clear calls to action and CMS Cameron McKenna's use

IT’S TIME TOINNOVATE

CLIENT EXPECTATIONS HAVE RISEN,TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED...


of video on their "Expertise" pages.

Using their websites to encourage client loyalty is another area that needs attention, across the sector.

No sites were awarded "excellent" or "good" grades for their long-term engagement activity. Seven firms

reached the "average" grade; Allen & Overy, Bird & Bird, Dentons, DWF, Hogan Lovells, Simmons &

Simmons and Wragge & Co. Common reasons? It's suprisingly difficult to locate and sign up for

newsletters, no personalisation and ineffective use of sector news.

The need for an honest and open dialogue

Summarised as "How B2B companies talk past their customers", recent research by McKinsey &

Company reveals that there's a surprising gap between the brand messages that firms offer to custom-

ers and what their customers really want to know. When McKinsey researched the positioning of

Fortune 500 and DAX 30 companies they found that "Themes such as social responsibility, sustainability,

and global reach, which many B2B companies cast in a leading role for brand imaging, appeared to have

a minimal influence on buyers’ perceptions of brand strength" and that: "Honest and open dialogue,

which customers considered most important, was one of the three themes not emphasized at all by the

90 companies in our sample."

In 2012, we used this column to warn of the "introspection" of law firm websites and their digital

communications. In 2014, as online technology has evolved and user expectations have risen, it's surely

time for more leading firms to turn outwards, to use the web to enter into the dialogue that their clients

crave.

Thanks for reading

Just as a website is essential to a modern law firm's communications strategy, situation analysis is

invaluable to the construction of that strategy. Enhanced knowledge of the digital competence of the

competition reveals insights, that can be turned to a firm's advantage.

We hope that you'll find this report useful,

Ciarán RyanDigital strategist, Draw

Excellent websites are not just visually attractive, they achieve the objectives set

for them by their firms. They should excel at raising levels of awareness, engage-

ment, conversion and loyalty among potential and existing clients.

However, after examining the websites of 30 leading law firms over a number of months, we are unable

to grade any of the 30 as "excellent" overall. Three sites scraped into the "good" grade; Irwin Mitchell,

King & Wood Mallesons - SJ Berwin and Bird & Bird. Sixteen reside in the "average" category, and we

reluctantly judged the remaining 11 to be "weak".

Too many missed opportunities

Let's begin with how the websites are configured for mobile. According to research by Investis, 20% of all

visits to corporate websites come from mobile devices. Yet of the 30 law firm websites in our study, only

ten are optimising for mobile.

Next, let's consider how law firms use the web to raise awareness of their experience and expertise. As I

type this, across the globe, potential clients are furiously querying Google's search engine for advice and

guidance about business law. Yet of the 30 websites in our study, only four firms reached a "good" grade

in technical SEO. Or, in other words, only four firms appear to be taking the steps needed to prepare their

content for high visibility in search engines. With their focus on personal legal services it's perhaps not

suprising that Irwin Mitchell rank highly on Google for lots of valuable search terms. What is suprising is

the gulf between the value of their first page "organic" search results - $19,808.00 - and the value of the

results of their nearest competitor in our study. Field Fisher Waterhouse is in second place with results

worth $1,669.00.

Law firms are packed with intelligent people. Their websites should engage their visitors, and often they

do - in one way or another. Eight websites reached the "good" grade for visitor engagement, overall.

Recently redesigned sites, such as Bird & Bird's, scored highly for visual impact. Irwin Mitchell won

points for segmenting their website visitors and Dentons received the "good" grade for content

marketing. Dentons' usability efforts are also to be commended. We also liked Holman Fenwick Willan's

site search function, and Pinsent Masons' lawyer finder tool.

And some songs remain the same. As we noted in our 2012 study of the sector, "law firms feel that

'laying out their stall' is a little unseemly", and in 2014 many of the websites are still coy about

converting their website vistors into customers. Only three websites received "good" grades for their

conversion efforts. However, we appreciated BLP's clear calls to action and CMS Cameron McKenna's use

of video on their "Expertise" pages.

Using their websites to encourage client loyalty is another area that needs attention, across the sector.

No sites were awarded "excellent" or "good" grades for their long-term engagement activity. Seven firms

reached the "average" grade; Allen & Overy, Bird & Bird, Dentons, DWF, Hogan Lovells, Simmons &

Simmons and Wragge & Co. Common reasons? It's suprisingly difficult to locate and sign up for

newsletters, no personalisation and ineffective use of sector news.

The need for an honest and open dialogue

Summarised as "How B2B companies talk past their customers", recent research by McKinsey &

Company reveals that there's a surprising gap between the brand messages that firms offer to custom-

ers and what their customers really want to know. When McKinsey researched the positioning of

Fortune 500 and DAX 30 companies they found that "Themes such as social responsibility, sustainability,

and global reach, which many B2B companies cast in a leading role for brand imaging, appeared to have

a minimal influence on buyers’ perceptions of brand strength" and that: "Honest and open dialogue,

which customers considered most important, was one of the three themes not emphasized at all by the

90 companies in our sample."

In 2012, we used this column to warn of the "introspection" of law firm websites and their digital

communications. In 2014, as online technology has evolved and user expectations have risen, it's surely

time for more leading firms to turn outwards, to use the web to enter into the dialogue that their clients

crave.

Thanks for reading

Just as a website is essential to a modern law firm's communications strategy, situation analysis is

invaluable to the construction of that strategy. Enhanced knowledge of the digital competence of the

competition reveals insights, that can be turned to a firm's advantage.

We hope that you'll find this report useful,

Ciarán RyanDigital strategist, Draw

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"Build web products that meet audience needs:

anticipate needs not yet fully articulated by audiences, then meet them with products that

set new standards."No 1. of The BBC’s Fifteen Web Principles

"...we remain at the forefront of legal on-line activity. Indeed, our

approach is to look at how we can mirror leading retail online operations rather than the

approach of traditional law �rms."Irwin Mitchell's Ian Powell

interviewed by Kim Tasso

P 4LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK©FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: [email protected] • +44 (0)20 7407 7666

Scoring systemIndependent examination, using 55 questions and touch-points,

of the websites of 30 of the leading, UK based, law firms. Each

touch-point is given a score between 0-5 (5 being excellent),

totals are then converted into percentages.

80%+Excellent

79% - 60%Good

59% - 40%Average

< 40%Weak

P 5LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK©

METHODOLOGY


ConversionWhat steps are the websites taking to convert

visitors into customers? Evaluation of

calls-to-action and use of psychological factors.

TechnologyEvaluation of mobile & multi-screen

optimisation. Clients use tablets and mobile

phones, their research is not confined to

desktop computers.

EngagementHow are firms attempting to engage their

website visitors? Evaluation of visual impact,

segmentation, content marketing, site search

and usability.

AwarenessAre firms preparing their web pages for search

engines? Evaluation of a number of elements;

from evidence of the correct use of title tags, to

the use of Google+.

LoyaltyIs there evidence that firms are using the web to

build long-term engagement with their clients?

Evaluation of the use of habit-forming activity,

from the use of sector insights to personalisation

and the promotion of newsletters.

Updated report structureWishing to produce more than a benchmark of context-less "digital" features, we have re-ordered the criteria around a path-to-purchase structure. Simply; Awareness, engagement,

conversion and loyalty. Although research by Google tells that us that digital is changing clients' habits, that "we're all in a state of constant consideration", the path to purchase model is a

useful conceit. It places the emphasis on customer impact, and highlights the business benefits that digital communications activity can bring.

RANK COMPANY SCORE DESCRIPTION

Overall ranking: 80%+ Excellent, 79% - 60% Good, 59% - 40% Average, <40% Weak

1 63%Good

Irwin Mitchell's website is a friendly, useful resource. Its design

focus on personal legal services benefits the presentation of its

business expertise. The site is easily navigable, optimised for

mobile devices and search engines, and uses clear calls-to-action.

However, it does not do enough to encourage return visits.

2 61%Good

A mobile-optimised, visually "clean" website. The website

contain extensive proof of the firm's expertise, and makes its

easy to connect with the authors of their insights and articles.

The site lost points for its SEO and lack of sector news.

3 60%Good

Bird & Bird's attractive website is also optimised for mobile.

The site displays the firm's engaging Twitter feed on its

clearly-structured pages. Photos are largely absent, which can

make its pages appear text-heavy and less appealing.

4 59%Average

Dentons' website has a polished appearance, but it is not

optimised for mobiles. The site has multiple routes to its

content, which can feel overly complex. One of the few websites

to use video on its pages.

P 6

RANKING

LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK©FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: [email protected] • +44 (0)20 7407 7666


5

6=

6=

8

9=

9=

11=

11=

Norton Rose

Hogan Lovells

Linklaters

Pinsent Masons

Berwin Leighton Paisner

Wragge & Co

Allen & Overy

DWF

55%

Average

52%

Average

52%

Average

51%

Average

50%

Average

50%

Average

49%

Average

49%

Average

A website that's clear and easy to navigate. Good lawyer finder tool, and lawyers are pictured on most pages. Separate mobile site. As sector news is not visible on many pages, the site can appear "static".

Slightly "dated" appearance on desktop computers, but well thought-out mobile site. Text-heavy pages often lack visual hierarchy. Interesting graduate pages.

Pages lack a sense of visual hierarchy - and calls to action are mostly absent.Website does not segment its visitors effectively. Superficial mobile optimisation.

A colourful website, that makes good use of imagery. Good site search function. Website is not optimised for mobile, SEO requires attention.

Good lawyer-finder tool and one of the few websites in our study with clear calls to action. The site is not mobile optimised and its design is beginning to look dated.

Website design looks a little cramped by 2014 standards, but its simple segmentation is appealing. Site is not optimised for mobile devices. Too many navigation menus.

Website not optimised for mobile devices, homepage noted for "bland symbolism". Pages are clearly structured, but compelling calls-to-action are absent.

A clear, "modern" design - but the website is not optimised for mobile devices. Poor internal search function, but at least the structure of the site is easy to comprehend.

13


Holman Fenwick Willan 48%

Average

Mobile-friendly, colourful website. Good internal search function, that uses auto-complete. But SEO requires attention, and there are "slightly dull" graduate pages.


RANKING

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US: [email protected]• +44 (0)20 7407 7666




14

15

16

17

18

19

20=

20=

Simmons & Simmons

CMS Cameron McKenna

Macfarlanes

Herbert Smith

Slaughter & May

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

DLA Piper International

Eversheds

47%

Average

46%

Average

45%

Average

43%

Average

42%

Average

40%

Average

38%

Weak

38%

Weak

Website now has a slightly dated "identikit" appearance, and is not optimised for mobiles. However, its clear structure and segmentation aids usability

Simple site structure, and uses video on pages. Separate mobile site. SEO requires attention, graduate pages are uninspiring, and the lawyer-finder tool is overcomplicated.

A website with a distinctive, dark appearance. Clear segmentation on homepage. The site is not optimised for mobiles, its content is far from compelling.

Good use of imagery, but homepage content is often self-referential. Stylish graduate pages. Website is not mobile-friendly.

Good use of photography on the homepage. Stylish mobile website. However, pages are often poorly presented, clunky search function. SEO requires attention.

Desktop and mobile site design looks dated and unpolished. Slightly dull presentation of their sector pages. Graduate pages are uninspiring too. Good lawyer-finder tool.

No mobile optimisation, poor SEO. Poorly presented pages do not reflect the wealth of expertise at the firm. Useful lawyer-finder tool. Few reasons for return visits.

Website is not optimised for mobile. Many pages are search-engine friendly, but their design is "dated". Uninspiring graduate pages. Little evidence of segmentation.

22 Squire Sanders 37%

Weak

Another website that is not mobile-friendly. Could do better with SEO. Slightly dull, "dated" design. But it is fairly easy to navigate around the website.

RANKING



23

24

25

26

27=

27=

29

Clifford Chance

Clyde & Co

Field Fisher Waterhouse

Ashurst

Addleshaw Goddard

DAC Beachcroft

Taylor Wessing

36%

Weak

35%

Weak

34%

Weak

32%

Weak

29%

Weak

29%

Weak

28%

Weak

Few clear calls-to-action. Few reasons for return visits. No mobile optimisation. Weak SEO. Good search function and usable lawyer-finder tool.

No mobile optimisation, little search engine optimisation. Site has a simple structure, that aids usability. Few attempts at conversion, few reasons to return to the website.

Evidence of search engine optimisation, but no mobile optimisation. "Dated" design and complicated site search function. "Primitive-looking" lawyer-finder tool.

No mobile optimisation, little evidence of SEO. "Bland" design. Pages do not do a great job at explaining the firm's services. "Outdated sector news", few reasons to return.

"Clear single statement" homepage. No mobile optimisation, little evidence of SEO. Too many pdfs, too few photographs. Search function "hides results".

Website has a "stripped down" design. "Confusing navigation" menus can make it difficult to navigate. Not mobile-friendly. Few photos, pages lacking visual hierarchy.

Design looks "out of date". No mobile optimisation. Search function returned out-of-date results. Un-engaging practice pages, few calls-to-action.

30


Withers 27%

Weak

"Big empty space" in the middle of the homepage. Not mobile friendly. Little evidence of SEO. Weak search function. Pages do not reflect the firm's wealth of expertise.

P 9

RANKING


P 10

TECHNOLOGY: A NOTE ABOUT CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS


Of the law firms in our study that use easily identifiable content

management and web management tools, it's noteworthy that a wide

number of products are in use in the sector. iAPPS

Adobe CQ

Alterian Immediacy

Drupal

ExpressionEngine

Interwoven TeamSite

Microsoft CMS

Microsoft SharePoint

Refinery CMS

Sitecore CMS

Siteimprove

Thompson Reuters / Siteimprove

TYPO3 Open Source CMS

Umbraco

Vignette OpenText

CMS Cameron McKenna

Linklaters

Clifford Chance


Ashurst

Clyde & Co

Eversheds

Herbert Smith

Allen & Overy

Withers

Bird & Bird

Irwin Mitchell

Simmons & Simmons

King & Wood Mallesons - SJ Berwin


Squire Sanders

Hogan Lovells

Taylor Wessing

Macfarlanes

Slaughter & May

Wragge & Co

CMS Law firm


P 11

TECHNOLOGY: MOBILE & MULTI-SCREEN OPTIMISATION


"...the number of visits to corporate websites from mobile devices is up a staggering 400%

on August 2011. Mobile visits are now responsible for a �fth of all visits to corporate websites. Yet across 14 indices surveyed this

year, only 23% of companies are o�ering either a dedicated mobile

site or a responsive website."Investis Audience Insight report, 2013

“Today’s marketers face the increasing challenge of a winding ‘path to purchase,’

requiring strategic engagements with customers across multiple channels and

ensuring content is portable across many devices." says Matt Seeley, president of

Experian Marketing Services.

Yet only ten of the 30 law firm websites in our study are optimising their websites for multiple screens.

Four are using responsive design, six are employing seperate mobile websites. It's an improvement on

2012, when only five of the legal firms in our study were optimising for mobile.

Currently, three websites reach the "excellent" grade for their multi-screen optimisation efforts; Hogan

Lovells, Irwin Mitchell and Slaughter & May - all three present their content effectively, and

attractively, on mobile devices.

The ten firms that are optimising their digital content for mobiles, are:

Hogan Lovells

Irwin Mitchell

Slaughter & May

Bird & Bird

CMS Cameron McKenna

Holman Fenwick Willan


Fresh�elds Bruckhaus Deringer

Linklaters

Norton Rose

Multi-screen optimisationexcellence.

Use of responsive design?

Separate mobile site?


P 12

TECHNOLOGY: MOBILE & MULTI-SCREEN OPTIMISATION


Three useful mobile websites

Hogan Lovells Irwin Mitchell Slaughter & May


Choice of business lawyer will always be influenced by personal recommendation and professional reputation, but search engines do have a place in raising awareness of a firm's activities and expertise.

For millions of us, typing queries into Google is a frequent, near-automatic activity, so the legal

websites that appear at the top of Google's listings will find themselves in front of potential

clients. Firms that are not optimising their websites for search engines are not managing their

reputations effectively.

Currently, the firms with the most "organic" results on page one of Google UK are; Irwin Mitchell,

DLA Piper International, Norton Rose, Linklaters and Allen & Overy. It's also of note that if we were

to attempt to purchase "single clicks" of these first page results as Google adverts, Irwin Mitchell is

in the lead (with its personal law focus) and results valued at $19,808. Next in line is Field Fisher

Waterhouse with results valued at $1,669, then it's Allen & Overy - $424, Eversheds $389 and BLP

in fifth place with results valued at $288.

The chart on the next page reveals the firms that are frequently appearing on the front page of

Google.co.uk, and the value of their first page results.

"SEO is very important for B2B businesses as 21% of all

tra�c to B2B sites comes from search engines, with

around 90% of that portion coming from organic search."

Econsultancy, October 2013

P 13

AWARENESS: SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS COMPARED


P 14

AWARENESS: SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS COMPARED


0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550

Irwin Mitchell


Allen & Overy

Eversheds


Norton Rose

Pinsent Masons

Clifford Chance

DWF


Wragge & Co

DAC Beachcroft

Linklaters

Slaughter & May

Ashurst

Taylor Wessing

Addleshaw Goddard

Simmons & Simmons

Bird & Bird


Clyde & Co

Herbert Smith

CMS Cameron McKenna

Withers


Macfarlanes


Squire Sanders LLP

Hogan Lovells

Dentons

$19,808

$1,669

$424

$389

$288

$250

$240

$238

$236

$232

$211

$172

$168

$159

$158

$142

$130

$108

$103

$101

$84

$57

$50

$35

$31

$26

$21

$21

$10

$0.50

42 513/

1 121/

39 269/

24 251/

12 158/

63 310/

6 165/

7 151/

15 127/

54 350/

7 158/

6 46/

51 275/

4 88/

1 104/

10 139/

6 104/

2 45/

2 73/

56 178/

1 48/

25 151/

7 66/

2 18/

5 45/

3 25/

2 15/

2 20/

3 26/

1 17/

Estimated cost to buy thetotal single clicks of their page one terms, as Google adverts

Number of terms on page one (positions 1-10) of Google UK, Dec 2013

Number of terms at position one, page one


P 15

AWARENESS: SEO TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE


"Discussing Google+ as if it were a social network which

needs activity in the way that Facebook and Twitter do misses the point... What

matters to Google is that you're signed in, in order that

it can form its matrix of knowledge about you."

Charles ArthurThe Guardian

A large part of getting found, of increasing your firm’s visibility on Google search engines is "technical SEO excellence" - displaying the trust signals that Google recognises.

Of the 30 websites in our study, only Eversheds, Freshfields Bruckhaus

Deringer, Irwin Mitchell and Linklaters reached a good grade in technical SEO.

We examined 650+ pages, and of the 30 websites, only 11 sites are using title tags correctly, 17

are using H-tags, none are using meta-descriptions correctly and 27 have descriptive terms in

their URLS. Nineteen sites are displaying social share buttons.

Also noteworthy is that only three firms are linking to a Google+ page. Google+ pages appear in

30% of brand Google searches, reports Econsultancy. So Google's social platform may be worth

experimenting with by firms wishing to increase their visibility on Google's search engines.


P 16

AWARENESS: SEO TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE


Eversheds


Irwin Mitchell

Linklaters

Allen & Overy


Bird & Bird

Clyde & Co

CMS Cameron McKenna

DAC Beachcroft

Dentons

DWF

Herbert Smith

Hogan Lovells

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose

Taylor Wessing

Clifford Chance



Pinsent Masons

Simmons & Simmons


Squire Sanders LLP

Wragge & Co

Addleshaw Goddard

Ashurst


Slaughter & May

Withers

weak excellent

SEO technical excellence, scored out of 5


P 17

AWARENESS: VISUAL IMPACT


"The number of objects an average person can hold

in working memory is about seven."

Observation by

George Armitage Millerpsychologist

Visual impact is key when attempting to engage potential and existing clients. Website aesthetics should not be ignored, just because they may be considered subjective or frivolous.

Google/YouTube User Experience Research reveals that:

• Users make snap judgements about whether they'll trust a website, "first impressions can be

formed very quickly, based on whatever information is available within the first 39

milliseconds."

• Familiarity of design is reassuring, "it can be assumed that there may be... a preference for

prototypical websites".

• Simplicity is important too, "websites of high visual complexity lead to a more negative first

impression than websites of medium or low complexity".

Bearing the above in mind, we awarded five websites in our study a "good" grade for visual

impact, they are: Addleshaw Goddard, Bird & Bird, Macfarlanes, King & Wood Mallesons - SJ

Berwin, and Slaughter & May.

Judging by the new websites in the sector, it appears that the design of the prototypical law firm

site is becoming cleaner and less cluttered. Beauty is utility's partner.


P 18

AWARENESS: VISUAL IMPACT


Bird & Bird's stylish new website

Bird & BirdMacfarlanes make an impact with their dark colour scheme

Macfarlanes

Good use of white space


P 19

ENGAGEMENT: SEGMENTATION


"Most companies segment their markets by customer

demographics or product characteristics and di�erentiate

their o�erings by adding features and functions. But the consumer

has a di�erent view of the marketplace. He simply has a job to be done and is seeking to “hire” the

best product or service to do it. Marketers must adopt that

perspective."Clayton M. Christensen

Effectively identifying and dividing up your key target audiences makes it easier for the right people to find the information they need, and it makes it more likely that they'll engage with your firm.

As Steve Jobs put it: "You've got to start with the customer experience and

work back toward the technology - not the other way around."

So, we looked for evidence of segmentation on firms' website homepages and their core Twitter

accounts.

In the first of our legal studies we mentioned the prevalance of "overt introspection" in the sector's

digital communications, and it appears little has changed over the last year. The homepages of

many firms are dominated by self-referential content, rather than identifying, and attempting to

answer, their audience's queries.

Only seven websites received our "good" grade in segmentation; Irwin Mitchell, Macfarlanes,

Norton Rose, Pinsent Masons, Simmons & Simmons, King & Wood Mallesons - SJ Berwin and

Wragge & Co.

Efforts of note, include:

• Irwin Mitchell clearly stating their Business Legal Services on their homepage, and Wragge's

easy-to-understand sector drop-downs.

• On Twitter, Bird & Bird are one of the only firms to use their core account to actually reach out

and attempt to start conversations, rather than broadcast internal news.


P 20

ENGAGEMENT: SEGMENTATION


Irwin Mitchell

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose

Pinsent Masons

Simmons & Simmons


Wragge & Co

Allen & Overy

Ashurst


Bird & Bird

Clifford Chance

Clyde & Co

Dentons


DWF


CMS Cameron McKenna

DAC Beachcroft

Eversheds


Hogan Lovells


Linklaters

Squire Sanders LLP

Taylor Wessing

Addleshaw Goddard

Herbert Smith

Slaughter & May

Withers

weak excellent

Scores for segmentation, out of 5

P 21

ENGAGEMENT: CONTENT MARKETING


"Brands such as Google, Zappos, Amazon, eBay, and

others win because they ask ‘How can I help you?’ instead of

‘What can I sell you?’"Joe McCambley

Harvard Business Review

"Customer service is the killer app of the Web" said Google's Eric Schmidt. Documented expertise, properly presented, can become content marketing - engaging and eventually converting site visitors into clients. When evaluating the sector pages of the 30 firms, we looked for a number of elements, including: use of rich content, meaningful images, page structure and reliance on .pdfs.

Only three websites reached a "good" grade for content; Berwin Leighton

Paisner, Dentons and King & Wood Mallesons - SJ Berwin.

Of the 30 sites, only two are using video in their sector pages (CMS and Dentons), 12 are relying too

heavily on .pdfs, only 16 have clearly structured pages, though 21 are linking to their social media

pages - which can be useful for engagement.

Although there are many millions of words spilled across these 30 websites, they are mostly poorly

presented and difficult to read. "Try visual hierarchy instead of dullness" says UI designer Jakub

Linowski, "... although we might spend a bit more time on the page, the end result should be that

we register more items and characteristics."

Interviewed by The Times about law firm web content, solicitor-author Chrissie Lightfoot, said:

"Many law firms just pump out messages that say 'Aren't we wonderful - we've won this and that

award'... Clients aren't interested in that. It is good to brag every now and then, but do it in a

subtle, indirect way. The main focus of content should be on how the firm can help clients to be

more successful - individual lawyers talking knowledgeably about specific market sectors."


P 22




Dentons


Allen & Overy

Bird & Bird

CMS Cameron McKenna


DWF

Eversheds


Herbert Smith


Irwin Mitchell

Norton Rose

Wragge & Co

DAC Beachcroft


Linklaters

Pinsent Masons

Simmons & Simmons

Slaughter & May

Squire Sanders LLP

Withers

Addleshaw Goddard

Ashurst

Clifford Chance

Hogan Lovells

Macfarlanes

Taylor Wessing

Clyde & Co

weak excellent

Scores for content marketing, out of 5


P 23 P 23



BLP uses clearly structured pages

Berwin Leighton PaisnerDentons use video on their pages

Dentons

Pages link to "Related Insights"

“…everybody expects search to read their minds.”

Martin BelamInformation Architect

An effective site search function is a great opportunity for law firms to build affinity with their visitors.

Clients are becoming accustomed to finding results quickly and accurately

from search engines, and increasingly expect websites to assist them in their

quest for information.

According to Roo Reynolds at the award-winning Gov.uk, a good internal

search engine will:

• Help more people find what they want

• Always return the most relevant results

• Avoid forcing users to understand the internal structure of the site

• Allow users to control their results

• Give results that feel familiar to users and don’t deviate from

established models of what search looks like

By this criteria, we can award no "excellent" grades, with only three websites in our study reaching

the "good grade" for their search functions; Clifford Chance, Holman Fenwick Willan and Pinsent

Masons.

It is also worth noting that in 2012, only the Allen & Overy website was employing an

auto-complete search function. Our 2014 research reveals that the sector is making slow progress -

only four websites in our study are now using auto-complete search functions to assist their

visitors; Allen & Overy, Holman Fenwick Willan, King & Wood Mallesons-SJ Berwin and Linklaters.

Holman Fenwick WillanHFW's website aids the visitor by suggesting

appropriate search queries


ENGAGEMENT: SITE SEARCH FUNCTION

P 25

ENGAGEMENT: SITE SEARCH FUNCTION


Cli�ord Chance


Pinsent Masons

Allen & Overy


Bird & Bird

Dentons



Hogan Lovells

Irwin Mitchell

Linklaters

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose


Squire Sanders LLP

Wragge & Co

Addleshaw Goddard

Ashurst

Clyde & Co

CMS Cameron McKenna

DAC Beachcroft

DWF

Eversheds


Herbert Smith

Simmons & Simmons

Withers

Slaughter & May

Taylor Wessing

weak excellent

Search function score, out of 5

P 26

ENGAGEMENT: USABILITY


"E�ective interfaces are visually apparent and forgiving, instilling

in their users a sense of control. Users quickly see the breadth of

their options, grasp how to achieve their goals, and do their work."

Bruce Tognazzinidesigner

We find that, over time, it's common for a large website to begin to resemble the internal organisational structure of the business that it is representing. It's common for large websites to grow "organically", gradually accumulating additional layers that obscure what the website exists for. To paraphrase computer scientist Melvin Conway, "A system reflects the organisational structure that built it".

When evaluating the usability of law firm websites, we were looking for a clear

conceptual model, persistent navigation, lack of ambiguity and clarity of

purpose.

The only "excellent" grade in usability was awarded to Dentons. Irwin Mitchell, Linklaters and

Squire Sanders received "good" grades.

It's worth noting that Bird & Bird's re-designed website benefits from simplified navigation,

something that is badly needed in the sector. Their announcement about the re-design confirms

that "'practice areas' and 'sectors' are now combined under a new item called 'expertise'."

Also, we could find little evidence of modern usability techniques that aid the "cognitive ease" of

visitors. Only Berwin Leighton Paisner, Dentons and Holman Fenwick Willan are using transitional

animations.

Over to Rory Sutherland, writing in Wired magazine: "the cognitive burden of using any unfamiliar

website is really quite high. A site you have used 20 times in the last year can be used with a degree

of unconscious fluency - whereas a new site requires painful, conscious mental effort, generating

uncertainty and doubt."


Note Bird & Bird's simple website navigation

P 27

ENGAGEMENT: USABILITY


Dentons

Irwin Mitchell

Linklaters

Squire Sanders

Allen & Overy

Ashurst

Bird & Bird

Clyde & Co

CMS Cameron McKenna

DWF

Eversheds

Herbert Smith

Hogan Lovells

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose

Pinsent Masons

Simmons & Simmons


Withers

Addleshaw Goddard


Clifford Chance




Taylor Wessing

Wragge & Co


Slaughter & May

DAC Beachcroft

weak excellent

Usabilty score, out of 5

P 28

CONTENT SPOTLIGHT: LAWYER FINDER TOOL


Irwin Mitchell

Pinsent Masons


DAC Beachcroft

Dentons


DWF


Herbert Smith

Linklaters

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose

Simmons & Simmons

Slaughter & May

Squire Sanders LLP

Taylor Wessing

Withers

Wragge & Co

Addleshaw Goddard

Allen & Overy

Ashurst

Bird & Bird

Clifford Chance

Clyde & Co



CMS Cameron McKenna

Eversheds


Hogan Lovells

weak excellent

Lawyer finder tools are central to firm websites, reflecting the importance of the human connection.

All 30 websites in our study employ a lawyer finder tool, but some, of course, are better than others. Since 2012, our expectations have risen and the number of tools considered to be "excellent" has

dropped from 10 to two. Irwin Mitchell and Pinsent Masons' finder tools reached the "excellent" grade. Sixteen websites reached the "good" grade. All but six finder tools are using search boxes to

make locating a lawyer easier, however only 13 tools employ useful filters after results are shown.

Lawyer finder tools, scores out of 5


P 29

CONTENT SPOTLIGHT: LAWYER FINDER TOOL


IM's tool is friendly, clear and capable

Irwin Mitchell PM's tool makes it easy to search

Pinsent MasonsBLP's tool is colourful and clear, but we'd like to see improved results filtering

Bird & Bird

P 30

CONTENT SPOTLIGHT: GRADUATE RECUITMENT


A&O's stylish introduction to the firm

Allen & OveryHSF's colourful pages Stylish segmentation from Bird & Bird

Herbert Smith Freehills

Competition is fierce for the best trainees, so many law firms fund separate graduate recruitment websites, designed

specifically for students.

Three of our favourite recruitment resources, that received points for style, are:

P 31

CONVERSION: CALLS-TO-ACTION & MORE


"...the heuristics that in�uence and, at times,

determine our actions operate on us at a purely

unconscious level."Rory Sutherland

on behavioural economics, Wired

When researching the steps that the 30 websites in our study are taking to turn visitors into customers, we looked beyond on-page "calls to action", to search for evidence of psychological factors such as the use of reciprocity, social proof and "liking".

As we highlighted in our 2012 legal study, "Some law firms may feel that

’laying out their stall’ is a little unseemly, but surely that's no excuse for not

communicating clearly. Few of the websites we examined excelled at

signposting their sections or ‘calls to action’, for new business and

newsletters."

It's now 2014 and little has changed - only Berwin Leighton Paisner, Pinsent Masons and King &

Wood Mallesons-SJ Berwin receive "good" grades for their website conversion efforts.

Within their "Sector" pages, only Berwin Leighton Paisner's and Irwin Mitchell's websites are

displaying decent calls to action. Although all but five websites make it easy to "get in touch" by

displaying contact links, only 11 sites are supplying sufficient "social proof" - the evidence of

expertise that reassures and engages potential customers.


P 32




Pinsent Masons


Ashurst

Cli�ord Chance

CMS Cameron McKenna

Dentons


DWF



Irwin Mitchell

Macfarlanes

Slaughter & May

Addleshaw Goddard

Allen & Overy

Bird & Bird

Eversheds

Herbert Smith

Hogan Lovells

Linklaters

Norton Rose

Simmons & Simmons

Wragge & Co

Clyde & Co

DAC Beachcroft

Squire Sanders LLP

Withers


Taylor Wessing

weak excellent

Scores for Conversion efforts, out of 5


P 33



BLP display eye-catching calls-to-action

Berwin Leighton PaisnerLots of links to evidence of expertise on Pinsent Masons' website

Pinsent MasonsArticle pages display the photos of their authors on the King & Wood Mallesons website - making it easier for visitors to connect with the firm

"Information is increasingly being distributed and presented in real-time

streams instead of dedicated Web pages... Web companies large and small

are embracing this stream. The stream is winding its way throughout the Web and

organizing it by nowness."Erick Schonfeld

Tech Crunch

"Websites of the past were built around content, but websites of the future will be

built around people. They will be highly tailored, personalised and focused on

your interests and your friends."

Product DesignerAttributed to Paul Adams

As it is cheaper to keep a customer than it is to attract a new one, law firms should be working hard to keep their clients satisfied, to give them reasons to return with an on-going dialogue.

When evaluating law firm online "loyalty" activity, we looked for a variety

of habit-forming elements that encourage return visits and on-going

engagement.

Across the 30 sites in our study, none reached "excellent" or "good" grades for their

long-term engagement activity. Seven firms reached the "average" grade; Allen & Overy,

Bird & Bird, Dentons, DWF, Hogan Lovells, Simmons & Simmons and Wragge & Co.

Though 17 websites are using social media share buttons - which makes spreading the word

a little easier, only six sites are making it easy to sign up for newsletters. None of the 30 are

using automated personalisation to customise the visitor experience. Bird & Bird is the only

website that includes its Twitter stream on its sector pages, which is at least a nod to

"nowness". Sector news is a good reason for clients to return to firm websites, but only eight

sites are presenting sector news effectively, and only four make it easy to learn more about

their client tools.

In the months we've been monitoring these thirty websites no customer surveys have slid

into view asking us to rate the experience. It's almost as if law firms don't care about the

opinions of their website visitors.

P 34

LOYALTY: LONG TERM ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY



Bird & Bird

Dentons

DWF

Hogan Lovells

Simmons & Simmons

Wragge & Co

Allen & Overy


CMS Cameron McKenna

Pinsent Masons

DAC Beachcroft

Eversheds

Herbert Smith


Irwin Mitchell

Norton Rose


Squire Sanders LLP

Taylor Wessing

Addleshaw Goddard

Ashurst

Clifford Chance

Clyde & Co




Linklaters

Macfarlanes

Slaughter & May

Withers

weak excellent

Loyalty activity, scored out of 5


Pinsent Masons


One of the only websites to display their Twitter stream

Bird & BirdMaking it easy to sign up for newsletters

DWF PM's Out-Law encourages long-term engagement


"Social media is like going to a party... Give information, be funny at times, engage,

THEN talk about yourself."

Kristine SchachingerConsultant

"A survey of the UK's top 101 law �rms shows that over half of �rms have won

business as a direct result of social media engagement. However, less than a quarter

of those questioned had fully integrated their social media strategy into their wider

marketing and PR plan, which suggests that there is still much work to do before law

�rms are able to get the most value out of social media engagement"

Byfield ConsultancyOctober 2013

As every firm in our study has signed up for Twitter (although @slaughterandmay doesn't tweet), it's a good place to measure the quality of their conver-sations with potential and existing clients. High numbers of re-tweets and replies indicate that the account's communications are well received and engaging - re-tweets spread the firm's messages and can keep the firm front-of-mind.

DLA Piper International operates the most followed Twitter account, with

14,500 followers. The account tweets around twice a day, and receives

approximately 62 retweets per 100 tweets.

With Irwin Mitchell's focus on personal legal services it's perhaps not suprising that their Twitter

account receives the most number of re-tweets; 252 per 100 tweets.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is in second place for numbers of retweets; 202 per 100 tweets,

despite only having 4,900 followers.

It's also interesting that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's engaging account does not tweet every

day. In contrast, Taylor Wessing tweet, on average, three times per day, the most of any firm in

our study, and receives 46 re-tweets per 100 tweets.

Lawyers have a "kind of auto-censorship", said Stephanie Bonnet, Linklaters' head of online

communications, when interviewed by The Times. "However, I am confident that lawyers are less

likely than most to come off the social media rails. It is more of a problem making lawyers

engaged and more human than the reverse. I tell the firm that there are more opportunities than

risks with social media."

P 37

LOYALTY: TWITTER PERFORMANCE


Comparisons refer to firm’s core Twitter accounts. One account per firm. Data gathered in December 2013.


LOYALTY: TWITTER PERFORMANCE

Irwin M

itchell

Clifford Chance


Norton Rose

Linklaters

Allen & O

very

Bird & Bird

Wragge &

Co

Dentons


Clyde & Co

DW

F

Pinsent Masons

King & W

ood Mallesons - SJ Berw

in

DAC Beachcroft

Herbert Sm

ith

Addleshaw G

oddard


Holm

an Fenwick W

illan

Ashurst

Hogan Lovells

Eversheds

Taylor Wessing

Withers

Slaughter & M

ay

Macfarlanes


Simm

ons & Sim

mons

CMS Cam

eron McKenna

Squire Sanders

250

200

50

100

150

0

Approximate number of re-tweets (per 100 tweets)Approximate number of Twitter followers

Average number of Tweets per day (approximate)

13,700 4,900 14,400 7,200 876 3,500 2,000 1,600 1,200 4,700 1,200 878 4,200 2,300 763 14,500 2,000 8,900 2,000 5,100 3,600 2,000 3,700 2,400 2,700 764462450 665 0

1.6 0.3 0.3 0.2 2 0.2 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.1 0.9 2 0.5 1.9 1.6 3 0.3 1 0.4 1.4 0.5 0.50.10.2 1 0

252

202

191

153

137

123

119

114

111

102

88 88 85

71 71

62

59

51

47 46 45

42

35 34 33 30

13 11 8

0


LOYALTY: POPULAR LEGAL CONTENT

Numbers of external domain web-links are another way to gauge levels of appreciation for a firm's website. It's a blunt metric, but if content is valued, other websites will link to it, indicating that it is a valuable resource, encouraging return visits and a more visible place on search engines.

For all 30 websites in our study, their homepages are the pages that attract the most domain

links (multiple links from the same external website are only counted as one domain link).

DLA Piper International's homepage attracts the most domain links; 1951. Next in line is

Dentons' homepage with 1669 domain links, then Hogan Lovells - 1334.

It's when we look beyond the homepages, for content that isn't about careers or office locations

that this metric become interesting. Although the websites in our study are filled with "content",

very little of it attracts large numbers of links. The exception, of course, is for Irwin Mitchell's

consumer information; 144 domain links for its "Head, Spinal Cord & Other Serious Injury

Claims" page, 120 domain links for its "Work Accident Compensation Claims" page.

But on the other sites there's not much "legal content" that attracts links. If you're looking for

inspiration, there are 37 domain links for Hogan Lovells' page about Christopher Wolf (that

features his latest written articles), 34 domain links for Taylor Wessing's Global IP Index 2013,

and 32 domain links for Field Fisher Waterhouse's personal injury site (now moved). King &

Wood Mallesons' page about Investment funds has attracted 11 domain links, Holman Fenwick

Willan's page about The UNFCCC’s Durban platform has attracted seven domain links.

For the websites of the leading law firms in the UK, there's still an opportunity to create

compelling, useful content that will help to build relationships with their potential and existing

clients.

TW’s Global Intellectual Property Index has attracted links from 34 external domains

Taylor Wessing


LOYALTY: POPULAR LEGAL CONTENT

Addleshaw Goddard

Allen & Overy

Ashurst


Bird & Bird

Clifford Chance

Clyde & Co

CMS Cameron McKenna

DAC Beachcroft

Dentons


DWF

Eversheds



Herbert Smith

Hogan Lovells


Irwin Mitchell


Linklaters

Macfarlanes

Norton Rose

Pinsent Masons

Simmons & Simmons

Slaughter & May

Squire Sanders LLP

Taylor Wessing

Withers

Wragge & Co

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

Home

228

1153

369

385

645

1307

443

284

291

1669

1951

432

709

405

899

632

1334

252

600

296

740

137

1102

709

473

246

404

558

235

274

Page title of 1st most popular page, by

number of external domain backlinks

Approximate number of

domain links

Grad careers

People

Publications

Trainees

About

Careers

Offices adress

Poland office

Scotland office

Careers

UK home

People

European locations

Personal injury site (moved)

German site

Careers

Christopher Wolf...

The UNFCCC’s Durban platform explained

Head, Spinal Cord & Other Serious Injury Claims

About us

Graduate careers

Careers

US homepage

Asia homepage

Graduate careers

Careers

Cleveland Offices Locations

German homepage

Careers

Graduate careers

20

75

36

36

14

29

12

21

10

14

214

17

42

32

60

16

37

7

144

13

37

22

737

8

16

21

6

61

8

11

Page title of 2nd most popular page, by



domain links

Responsibility

Locations

Trainees

Report

Careers

Responsibility

Offices

Bulgaria office

Careers

Canadian homepage

US home

News

Irish office

Cookie advice

Trainees

Justin D'Agostino

German site

Graduate careers

Work Accident Compensation Claims

Investment Funds

German locations

Contact us

US publications

Careers

Contact Us

Michael Rowe

David Whincup

Global IP Index 2013

News

Contact us

5

53

24

8

10

14

11

15

5

13

156

11

30

19

42

15

32

4

120

11

9

3

212

6

4

6

6

34

5

5

Page title of 3rd most popular page, by



domain links

1st Floor, Building 1/2

The Leathermarket

Weston Street

London SE1 3ET

t +44 (0)20 7407 7666

[email protected]

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