Top Mistakes Estate Planning Attorneys Make on Their Website

Trust is the cornerstone of every successful client relationship. For many established estate planning practices, word-of-mouth referrals play a significant role in building that trust. While these types of referrals remain a vital source of business, the modern client’s journey includes a critical next step. 

Even after receiving a glowing recommendation from a friend or a financial advisor, a prospect’s next move is often to search for you online. For these prospects, your website serves as validation of their choice. And for the individuals searching for an attorney without a personal referral, your website is no longer just a validation tool—it is their very first impression of you and your practice. 

Your practice’s website serves as a direct reflection of your credibility, expertise, and professionalism. Yet, amid the daily demands of a busy practice, a website and its content can easily be overlooked, leading to mistakes that deter potential clients from your practice. In this article, we’ll explore the top mistakes estate planning attorneys make with their website and how to take practical next steps to address them. 

1. Neglecting Your Website

After all the heavy lifting required to launch your practice’s website, it’s tempting to fall into a “set it and forget it” mindset. However, this common pitfall is what turns a promising new website into a roadblock to your practice’s growth. 

A website is not a static asset; it is a dynamic tool that should grow and adapt with your practice. Technology changes, and with it, client expectations can shift. A site that looks and feels outdated signals to a potential client that your practice and expertise might be just as stagnant. 

Furthermore, search engines like Google prioritize and reward sites that consistently provide fresh, relevant, and helpful content. This means your neglected website is steadily falling in search results, making it harder for potential clients to find you. 

Your website requires ongoing optimization and a thoughtful strategy to support the success of your practice. It should be a living part of your marketing strategy and a key component in streamlining your client intake process. 

Practical Next Steps

If you have been neglecting your website, here’s how to get it back on track:

• Audit your website. When was the last time you thoroughly reviewed your website? Go to each page and view it from the perspective of a brand-new client, someone completely unfamiliar with your practice. Does your “Meet the Team” page have up-to-date photos and information? Is your contact information and location information accurate? Do any of your pages reference outdated estate tax laws or services? Do all of your contact forms and links work properly? Does each page have a clear call to action to prompt prospects to take the next step? Be vigilant in identifying and resolving issues that are broken or obsolete. 
• Ask for honest feedback. Ask a few peers, friends, family members, or even current clients to spend a few minutes on your website. Ask them questions such as, “What is your first impression?”; “Can you easily navigate the website?”; and “Was it easy to find our contact information?” Their answers can reveal issues you may have overlooked in your audit. 
• Establish clear goals. Once you have identified ways to improve your website, set realistic goals for implementing them. Aim to accomplish a manageable number of updates each week or month. This makes the process more sustainable, helping you avoid burnout while building a habit of consistent optimization. 

2. Inconsistent Content

When was the last time you shared a blog article or educational resource on your website? Maybe it was last quarter, or maybe it was last year. For many practices, the challenge is not only creating content but also maintaining a consistent schedule. It is an understandable oversight. With a heavy workload, adding content creation to an already busy schedule can feel overwhelming. 

However, consistently sharing content can be a powerful tool for building your practice—capable of serving several purposes. For example, a blog article can attract new clients, educate existing clients or prospects, showcase your expertise, deepen relationships with existing clients, and even inform them about services they were not aware you offered.

As mentioned, consistently sharing new, relevant, and helpful content also improves your search engine ranking. This increases the likelihood that search engines will show your practice to potential clients actively searching for an estate planning attorney.

Practical Next Steps

If you are ready to create a consistent and sustainable content process for growth, start with the steps below: 

• Plan ahead and be realistic. The goal is not to publish a high volume of content, but to maintain consistency. Review your calendar to determine a realistic pace. Whether you decide on one piece of content per month or one per quarter, the most important step is to select a schedule you can manage. 
• Schedule dedicated time. For a busy practice, waiting for “free time” to write content is not a viable strategy. The only way to maintain consistency is to schedule it formally. Block this time on your calendar with the same commitment you would give to a client meeting. Whether it is two hours the first Friday of the month or one hour every other week, treat it as a nonnegotiable appointment. 
• Keep track of client questions. Client questions can be a valuable source of content ideas. Documenting these questions is a simple process that ensures you have a list of topics you know are directly relevant to your ideal clients. 

3. Lack of Client Education 

Your website and its content must be created with your target audience as the central focus. It is a natural instinct to focus on your services and accomplishments; however, this approach can inadvertently neglect the client’s perspective. Remember, your potential clients are not legal experts and are looking for clear, accessible information. 

If your website lists services full of legal jargon without any clear explanation or educational resources, it actively undermines your opportunity to build trust. By providing a clear explanation of complex estate planning topics, you establish yourself as a helpful, authoritative advisor.

Practical Next Steps

• Review your services page. Critically review your services page and identify opportunities to clarify legal jargon or concepts with additional information. 
• Add an FAQ section. A simple and highly effective method for adding educational content is to create a dedicated Frequently Asked Questions section or page that answers the most common inquiries you receive about your services.
• Repurpose existing documents. Review your existing client-facing materials to identify what can be repurposed as digital content for your website. 

Building a Website That Builds Trust

This article outlined several common—and fixable—mistakes that can impede an estate planning attorney’s website. The solution is not a complete overhaul, but rather a series of consistent, attainable, and incremental steps. While this strategic approach is sound, the practical implementation can still present a significant challenge for a busy practice. 

If these practical next steps seem daunting or you wish to implement these changes more quickly, you do not have to tackle them alone. Support is available to make the process feel far more manageable. WealthCounsel’s Marketing Source™ subscription provides resources for estate planning attorneys, created by estate planning attorneys, designed to help you build a more successful practice. 

Each month, subscribers receive ready-to-use blog articles, social media posts, newsletters, brandable client handouts, and more. And, for a limited time, when you subscribe to Marketing Source, you will also get a website from LawLytics, the all-in-one law firm website solution, included for one year with your subscription.