Marketing professionals have for years gotten a pretty good laugh over the too often used pictures lawyers have on their web sites (and brochures). That is, courthouses, gavels, scales of justice, law books, etc . Can’t remember if I’ve mentioned before how boring and predictable these images are. What you want to do is be different and stand out from the crowd.

A brief but effective article by Tony Ogden in the most recent issue of LawyersUSA newspaper
(subscription required) grabbed my attention for its simple advice in this regard. I agree that effective visual content is as important as content with some site visitors. And it is not “just decoration,” as the article pointed out, and can “help show your firm’s professionalism,” as well as make visitors feel comfortable.

So, here are the tips Ogden offers:

• Use high-quality images (avoid out of focus, blurry, and poor composition or lighting);
• Focus on Home page – “most websites need one really great image” and avoid the accident scene, etc. in favor of a more professional image (good pictures can be purchased for under $500);
• Ask clients and referral sources to review the site and provide feedback on how they perceive the picture(s)’ impact;
• Review competitor web sites (but for heaven’s sake don’t copy what most of them do); and
• Check out available resources, such as iStockphoto.com, Fotolia.com, Gettyimages.com, and Blendimages.com.

Now be honest, are your web sites pictures effective?