Attorney Website Development Process
A Proven Process to Build High-Performing Law Firm Websites
At Attorney Website Design Chicago, we believe that building a website for your law firm isn’t just about design—it’s about strategy, structure, and results. Your website is often the first impression a potential client has of your practice. That’s why our attorney website development process is designed to deliver professional, secure, and high-converting websites that reflect your expertise and help your law firm grow.
Whether you’re launching a brand-new site or redesigning an outdated one, our step-by-step development process ensures your website looks professional, works flawlessly across all devices, and ranks well in Google search results. Every stage is tailored specifically for attorneys and law firms, ensuring compliance, local SEO success, and user-friendly design.
Why Process Matters in Law Firm Web Design
Most law firm websites fail to perform because they’re built without a plan. Many are created using generic templates with no thought to search engine optimization, user experience, or conversion. At Attorney Website Design Chicago, we follow a structured development process built specifically for the legal industry—because we understand how attorneys market themselves and what legal clients expect online.
Our process ensures that your website meets modern performance standards, aligns with legal marketing best practices, and is optimized to help your firm appear in searches like “divorce lawyer Lincoln Park” or “personal injury attorney Chicago.”
Our 7-Step Website Development Process for Attorneys
Step 1: Consultation and Discovery
We begin by learning about your firm—your goals, audience, and current challenges. If you already have a website, we’ll evaluate it to determine what’s working and what needs to change. This step helps us create a custom strategy tailored to your practice area and location.
During this stage, we gather details about your services, preferred branding, desired features, and any competitors you admire. It sets the foundation for your website’s design and performance.
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Step 2: Sitemap and Structure Planning
Next, we create the blueprint for your website. This includes planning out the navigation, page structure, and content layout. Typical pages include your homepage, about page, practice area pages, attorney bios, FAQs, and a contact page.
A clear and intuitive site structure helps visitors find what they need and ensures search engines can properly index your site. This step also includes keyword planning for important landing pages.
LSI keywords included: law firm website layout, sitemap planning for lawyers, legal page structure
Step 3: Branding and Visual Design
Once the structure is approved, we move into the visual design phase. This is where we define your brand’s look and feel—selecting your color palette, fonts, logo placement, and layout style.
Your design will reflect your firm’s personality and practice area. A family lawyer may need a warm, approachable tone, while a criminal defense attorney may benefit from a more assertive, bold look.
LSI keywords included: legal branding, attorney website design, law firm color scheme
Step 4: Content Writing and SEO Optimization
Your website content is a key factor in both Google rankings and user trust. We write or optimize all content to be SEO-friendly and client-focused. This includes crafting strong headlines, calls-to-action, and keyword-rich practice area descriptions.
All content is optimized for Chicago-specific legal searches and includes clear messaging that explains what you do, how you help, and why clients should contact you.
LSI keywords included: legal content writing, attorney SEO content, law firm copywriting, local SEO for attorneys
Step 5: Website Development and Coding
With the structure, design, and content in place, we begin development. Your site is built on WordPress—a flexible and reliable platform that allows easy editing and growth.
We build for mobile-first performance, making sure your site looks and functions perfectly across all devices. Speed, accessibility, and security are key priorities during this stage.
Development features include:
Mobile-responsive layout
ADA-compliance options
SSL security integration
Fast-loading optimization
Easy-to-edit WordPress backend
LSI keywords included: WordPress for attorneys, mobile-friendly law firm website, secure legal website development
Step 6: SEO Setup and Technical Optimization
Before launch, we optimize every technical aspect of your website. This includes setting up RankMath SEO, creating meta titles and descriptions, adding alt text to images, setting up your sitemap, and applying local schema markup for Google.
We also test your site across all major browsers and screen sizes to ensure smooth performance. Page speed, broken links, mobile compatibility, and indexing are all reviewed before going live.
LSI keywords included: SEO for law firms, schema for legal websites, RankMath setup for attorneys, website launch SEO checklist
Step 7: Launch and Post-Launch Support
Once everything is tested and approved, we launch your website and make it live to the public. We submit your sitemap to Google Search Console, ensure everything is connected to analytics, and monitor performance during the first few weeks.
You’ll also receive training on how to use your website, and we offer optional maintenance plans to keep your site updated, secure, and optimized over time.
LSI keywords included: law firm website launch, attorney website maintenance, post-launch support
What Makes Our Process Different?
Built specifically for attorneys and legal professionals
Includes branding, SEO, and compliance from day one
Local SEO and practice area targeting included
Mobile-first design with user-focused layout
SEO-optimized structure and content using RankMath
Transparent communication from consultation to launch
Post-launch training and support options available
Our approach combines visual design, strategy, and search visibility into one complete solution for growing law firms in Chicago.
Ready to Build Your New Website?
If you’re serious about growing your legal practice online, you need a law firm website that works as hard as you do. Our attorney website development process is proven, professional, and focused on real results—more visibility, more credibility, and more clients.
Let’s schedule your free consultation. We’ll review your current website (if applicable), answer your questions, and show you how our process can work for your firm.
Your next client is searching online. Let’s make sure they find you.