build a law firm website

As a legal expert, you may be looking to build a law firm website to promote your services. ⚖️ However, you might feel a bit discouraged by the costs and work of creating and maintaining a professional site.

Fortunately, WordPress makes it easy to set up a site for your legal practice – no technical knowledge needed. 😎 Plus, the software is free and open source! You’ll just need to pay for hosting and a domain name.

The elements you need to build a site for a law firm

Like any website, your law firm site will need a powerful and professional homepage. However, it should also contain a few other essential elements to help you gain new clients.

For starters, you’ll need a well-designed services page. It should outline your areas of expertise and the specific legal services that you offer:

A Services page on a law firm website
Image credit: LegalExpert

It’s also a good idea to dedicate a section to client testimonials. These reviews can help show visitors that you’re a reputable company with a good track record:

Client testimonials on a law firm website
Image credit: Boyd Law

Another important element to include on your law firm website is a booking or contact form. It will enable visitors to book a consultation or submit a query:

A booking page on a law firm site
Image credit: AP Lawyers

These are just the essentials you’ll need to build a law firm website that helps you get more bookings and queries. Fortunately, WordPress lets you add these important features to your site – and much more!

How to build a law firm website with WordPress (in 5 steps)

Now that you know what you’ll need to build a law firm website, let’s discuss how to create one with WordPress:

Step 1: Sign up for web hosting and a domain name

As mentioned earlier, the WordPress software is free. However, to make your site live, you’ll need to purchase web hosting and a domain name.

Fortunately, many hosting providers offer affordable starter plans for website owners. For example, Bluehost’s shared hosting plans start at just $2.75 per month.

Bluehost homepage

You’ll also need to get a domain name. Many hosting providers like Bluehost include a free domain with their plans.

If you’re looking for domain name ideas for your law business, consider using a tool like DomainWheel. Simply enter a few keywords, and the domain name generator will provide some suggestions:

Domain name suggestions generated by DomainWheel.

Of course, if you already have an established law practice, we recommend using your company’s name as the domain name. It can help you build brand recognition and trust.

Step 2: Install WordPress

Once you’ve purchased web hosting and a domain name, it’s time to get WordPress set up. Fortunately, many web hosts provide automatic WordPress installs, so you won’t need to worry about it.

If you use our recommended provider (Bluehost), they will pre-install WordPress for you as part of the signup process. Then you can easily navigate to the WordPress admin area from your Bluehost dashboard:

Log into WordPress with Bluehost.

Alternatively, you could install WordPress from cPanel in your hosting account:

Installing WordPress from the cPanel.

Select the domain you want to install WordPress on and proceed with the process:

Installing WordPress on your selected domain name through cPanel.

You’ll need to enter basic information, such as your site name and a short description. You’ll also have to create an admin username and password, which you’ll use to log in to your WordPress site:

The WordPress login screen

Once you’ve installed WordPress, you can log in with your credentials to access the dashboard:

The WordPress dashboard

That’s it – you can now start working on your site!

Step 3: Pick a theme

Firstly, you’ll want to select a WordPress theme for your law firm site. It will determine the appearance and general layout of your pages.

Ideally, you’ll want a theme that reflects your brand image. For example, themes with serif fonts and muted colors can exude a sense of authority and professionalism.

Our Neve theme comes with a pre-made starter site for lawyers and law firms:

The Neve starter site for lawyers is a great choice to build a law firm website.

The homepage contains a testimonials section, which you can easily customize to add reviews from your clients:

The testimonials section in the Neve theme is a popular feature to include when you build a law firm website.

It also includes a powerful call to action that encourages visitors to book a consultation:

The booking section on the Neve starter theme for lawyers, which contains a powerful call to action.

Additionally, Neve integrates with some of the most popular page builders on the market, including Elementor and Beaver Builder. These integrations mean you can use these tools to further customize the site to suit your specific needs using a visual, drag-and-drop builder interface.

To select a theme, navigate to Appearance > Themes in your WordPress dashboard and choose Add New. Here, you can browse through the available options and look for a specific theme:

Activating the Neve theme in WordPress

Once you find a theme you like, click on Install Now, followed by Activate. Then, navigate to Appearance > Customize to make some changes to your theme:

Customizing the Neve theme in WordPress as you build a law firm website.

When you’re ready, click on Publish to make your changes live. Remember that you can always install a page builder plugin to customize your site further.

Step 4: Install the right plugins

The next step in how to build a law firm website is to install some essential plugins for your law firm site. These tools add functionality to your website, including anything from booking forms to social media share icons and pricing tables.

To install a plugin to your site, navigate to Plugins > Add New and enter some keywords to look for a particular tool:

Installing plugins in WordPress is an important step to build a law firm website successfully.

When you find a plugin you like, click on Install Now and Activate. As mentioned earlier, we recommend adding booking functionality to your site so that visitors can easily view your availability and make appointments.

Booking Calendar enables you to manage appointments easily from your WordPress dashboard:

Using the Booking Calendar plugin in WordPress.

You’ll also need a section dedicated to your services. This way, visitors will be able to see your areas of expertise and select the service that best suits their needs.

Consider using Otter Blocks to display your legal services in a neat layout:

The Service Block by Otter Blocks is an excellent feature that can help you build a law firm website.

The Service block lets you choose from different designs and add your CTA:

The Service Block by Otter Blocks

The Pricing Block and Section Blocks are other great options from Otter Blocks. They allow you to display your legal services and their associated costs in attractive and readable formats.

You might also want a contact form plugin to create a simple way for people to get in touch (beyond your booking form).

You can add as many plugins as you want to your WordPress site. However, we recommend installing only the tools that you need and will actually use. Too many plugins can slow down your site, which may frustrate visitors and drive them away.

Step 5: Plan out your content

Finally, you can start adding content to your site. For instance, you’ll want to create an informative About page that tells visitors more about your history, mission, and values:

An about page on a law firm website.
Image credit: Hempsons

To create a new page, navigate to Pages > Add New. This will launch the Block Editor, where you can start building your page with blocks:

Creating an About page in WordPress

All you have to do is click on the plus sign (+) and select your preferred block. You’ll find a large selection of options, including headings, images, paragraphs, buttons, lists, and more. Once you’re ready, save your page as a draft or publish it.

You’ll need to have a few other important pages on your law firm site. These include a contact page and a services page.

If you want to add forms to these pages, you can use a plugin like Contact Form 7:

Creating forms with Contact Form 7 is another important step when you build a law firm website.

Once you create your contact form, you can use the generated shortcode to embed it in your pages.

You may also wish to create pages for your testimonials and case studies. Strong Testimonials is another handy plugin that helps you gather, import, and publish customer feedback on your website.

Build a law firm website today 🚀

Building a website for your legal business doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Thanks to WordPress, you can easily set up a professional site with minimal costs. It will contain essential features, such as a services page that outlines your areas of expertise and client testimonials.

📌 In this post, we looked at how to build a law firm website ⚖️ in five easy steps:

  1. Sign up for web hosting with a reputable company, such as Bluehost, and get a domain name.
  2. Get WordPress set up.
  3. Pick a suitable theme, like Neve.
  4. Install essential plugins for your legal practice, such as Otter Blocks and Booking Calendar.
  5. Plan out your content, including client testimonials and a contact page.

Do you have any questions about how to build a law firm website? Let us know in the comments section below!

Free guide

4 Essential Steps to Speed Up
Your WordPress Website

Follow the simple steps in our 4-part mini series
and reduce your loading times by 50-80%. 🚀

Free Access

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Or start the conversation in our Facebook group for WordPress professionals. Find answers, share tips, and get help from other WordPress experts. Join now (it’s free)!