Before I wax philosophical, let me give you a straightforward answer:
If you intend for your law firm’s website to be a lead-generation tool that adds significant value to your business, you should expect it to cost somewhere in the $10,000 to $50,000 range. Where you fall in that range depends on the size of your firm, the amount of content you have, and the number of locations and practice areas your firm covers. Remember though that websites are not a “cost” or an “expense”, a website is an investment and it needs to be treated as such to maximize your return on investment.
There’s the quick and dirty answer. Now let’s get nuanced:
It’s 2023. Technology improvements have made it cheap and easy for anyone to put up a basic website. If all that mattered to you was getting a website up for as little money as possible, you could probably find the budget required in your couch cushions.
This is precisely why how much should a law firm’s website cost? is not the right question for you to be asking. The right question is:
What outcomes do I expect my law firm website to generate?
If all you need from your website for it to be a place where people who already know about you can go to read your bio, get your contact information, and find links to your social profiles, then you really don’t need to spend much at all. We’re talking less than $1,000 with services like Wix and Squarespace.
On the flip side, if your website is the centerpiece of your law firm’s marketing and lead generation efforts, you’re necessarily going to have to invest more in order to achieve that outcome.
You’ll also need to understand that this outcome won’t be achieved simply by making a one-off investment to upgrade your website. Though that’s certainly a good place to start, effective website marketing requires ongoing investments in content marketing, local marketing, and SEO. Set it and forget it won’t cut it.
So let’s dig into the specifics:
What factors most influence the price of a law firm website?
Functionality requirements
This is the big one. When firms need their website to have any sort of advanced functionality, they can expect to pay more. Examples of advanced functionality include:
- Forums where users can register accounts and have discussions on your website
- Payment gateways where users can submit payments through your site
- Advanced lead qualification forms which adjust dynamically based on conditional responses
- Website integration with third-party customer relationship management systems
Each of these functions requires advanced web development talent, and you can expect to pay for that talent.
Design requirements
Designing and then developing custom web pages requires the time of skilled web designers and developers, and that time will cost you more money.
The more custom you’d like your law firm website design to be the more you can expect to pay.
Content requirements
Without content, there is no website. If you’re starting from scratch with a new website and you intend for the website to function as a marketing and lead generation tool, you will have to invest in content with which to popular your site. This will increase the price you can expect to pay.
Conversely, if you are redesigning a website that has been well established and contains lots of content, this will also affect the price, as the website agency you hire must migrate this content into a new design and fully QA it to ensure that no errors were created during the migration.
Furthermore, if your website has a ton of content but it is especially poorly structured or optimized, the website agency you hire will have to create and execute a strategy for improving it. This requires time and expertise, both of which will impact the cost of your website.
Language Requirements
A firm website that addresses multiple different languages may significantly alter the cost of your website. This is typically due to extra design elements and the cost of translating the content.
READ: Here are the Best Law Firm Website Design Companies Not Named Juris Digital
Just tell me how much my law firm website will cost!
I know what you want. You want to know how much you should pay for your law firm website Here it is, broken down into three different circumstances:
Circumstance 1:
I just need a website so that people who know about me can find me and get my information. I don’t need to generate new cases with it.
If this describes your situation, you can likely get away with spending less than $1,000 to get your website up. Don’t expect any custom design, functionality, or content. If you spend less than 1k, you can expect a templated website containing only the bear essentials.
At this price point, you should not expect to be able to work with the top legal marketing agencies. Rather, you’ll likely be looking at working with a freelancer or a low-cost turnkey solution.
Circumstance 2:
I want my website to make my firm look great and maybe even generate new leads every now and then.
If this describes your situation, you should expect to spend between $6,000 and $10,000. Where you land on this spectrum will depend on how many custom webpage designs you want, how much new content you want, and how much content you already have on your site.
At this price point, the best legal marketing agencies will likely have an offering to meet your needs.
Circumstance 3:
I want my website to blow people away. I want it to be superior to those of my top competitors. I want it to generate significant new cases for my firm.
If this describes your situation, you should expect to spend between $20,000 and $50,000. Where you land on this spectrum will depend on things like whether you require professional photography, how much new content you require, whether you require advanced content formats like videos and interactive graphics, and whether you require advanced functionality like payment gateways or CRM integration.
At this price point, reputable legal marketing agencies will be competing for your business.
[ READ: What Makes a Law Firm Website “The Best”? ]
Wrapping up
The price you pay for your law firm’s website should be determined by your expectations for your website.
There are few truths in life as reliable as you get what you pay for. A reputable law firm website agency will work with you to land on a price that is fair and is based on your goals and the specific requirements for your website.
Last Updated: 06/30/2023
