Fall is here! Along with the new season, I look forward to the leaves changing, sweater weather, and budget season for your law firm! Maybe it’s overwhelming, but it’s also a little exciting to think about what you can accomplish in the next year, and at this point, all you have to do is ask.

OK, maybe it’s more work than just an ask, but I’ll break down the steps and important considerations for budgeting for your law firm website.

The Value of a High-Performing Website

In 2023, we really cannot underestimate the value of, and business need for, a website for any organization. The first thing most people do when answering a question or starting many tasks is look for the answer on the internet. And those answers are found on websites. Even print media, social media, and other channels point back to a website as the communications hub. As a result, it’s imperative that your website puts your law firm’s best “digital” foot forward at all times. 

As budget season approaches, you should be considering how much your 2024 budget should allocate for upgrades and improvements to your website to make sure that your law firm remains visible and competitive in the virtual and real worlds.

Tips for Securing Budget Approval

Serena Tooker, Marketing Director of Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC has managed several website projects for sizeable law firms, and has useful advice to share about getting that crucial website project budget approval:

“Highlight to firm leadership how a big project like a website redesign is important from a financial perspective. Share what processes will be easier and create time efficiencies for staff, what analytics can be generated that will help guide business and client development opportunities, and highlight the features, intel, and benefits that would be important to the firm.   

Selling the tangible benefits of an intangible asset like a law firm website can be a challenge. Put yourself in the shoes of firm leadership, clients, and prospects, then start thinking about the justification from that perspective.”   

Evaluate Your Current Website

The first step in this process is to evaluate your current website to determine whether or not it is time for a fresh look or new functionality and consider what “asks” to include in your website budget proposal. Some issues may be obvious but others may require a more detailed analysis of your website.

Pro tip: Create an ongoing punch list of website improvements and upgrades, so you have a top-of-mind list of pain points and areas for improvement. Also, make note of the people and providers who can execute the punch list, so you can spring into action when the time comes.

Here are some issues with law firm websites that we commonly see:

• Out-of-date – How new is your current website? Is the look and feel stale? Is it time for a full website design/development project?
• Development Updates – Is anything technically not working as expected on your website? Is any new functionality needed? Has any new technology become available that would enhance your website?
• UX Evaluation – Good UX (User Experience) is crucial and can be evaluated and measured. Use heatmaps and other user activity metrics to analyze where changes might be needed.
• Design Updates – Are there any visuals, infographics, or layouts that should be revised or added?
• Writing – Does any evergreen content need updating, like the homepage, about section, practice areas, or bios? Does your site have adequate content and thought leadership to answer client questions and rank highly in internet search results?
• Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.) – Is your website providing valuable information and ranking for relevant keywords and phrases when potential clients turn to the internet for answers? Is that a priority for your law firm?
• Microsite – Would your law firm benefit from a microsite for a focused campaign or marketing effort?
• Hosting – Is your website host meeting your expectations and budget restrictions? Is there any reason to consider changing providers?

Pro tip: Ask the professionals, like our team at LISI or your website company, for recommendations or an audit on what needs to be improved on your website. Rely on our experience and expertise!

How Much Should You Budget?

To understand how much your website updates or redesign will cost, you can start by asking your current website service provider to scope the work requested. It is always advisable to shop around to make sure you are getting the best service at the best rates for your law firm. Contact other professionals, like LISI, for estimates. When comparing prices, be sure that you get up-to-date 2024 prices. Rates may change in January, and you don’t want any surprises. Some providers will give you an hour or cost range if they do not have enough detail to completely scope the project, so it is important to be clear about the specifics of your request. Also, when comparing providers, don’t forget there may be a correlation between cost and quality.

If you are getting estimates from other providers for comparison purposes or because your current provider does not offer the service you need, you’ll need to come up with a list of service providers who can execute your projects. Start by asking your referral network to recommend trusted service providers. Start this process of information gathering early and be clear on your deadlines so that you are equipped to submit an informed and timely budget request.

Pro tip: Understand the budgeting expectations of your individual law firm. Is it better to have extra money in your budget when your project is complete, use up the exact amount, or ask for a little more to complete a project? For example, should you ask for 5-10% more than you think you will need just in case there are surprises or add-on requests? Or does it negatively impact your budget-asking power for future years? Your firm’s culture and head of finance influence that answer, and it’s unique to your firm.

Understand the Budget Process

Each firm will have its own unique process for requesting budget dollars for marketing and other projects. If you have questions, ask them early, so you have time for your due diligence. Here are some questions that you might want to consider, especially if this is your first time asking for website budget dollars:

• What is the timeline for budget requests and approval (both the official one and the optimal one for getting your request approved)? 
• Is there a firm guide with specific questions that you must address?
• Does a request require an internal firm champion (officially or unofficially)?
• How much detail is required to describe the project?
• How much detail is required to support the need for the project?
• Do you have to request the work to be completed in a particular quarter of the year?
• When will you know if your website project budget request was accepted or rejected? Or require modifications?
• If something is rejected, is there still a chance the funds will free up from another budget or project?
• Will there be feedback on what gets accepted or rejected and why?

Budget Approved! Now What?

When your website project is approved and you’re teeing up resources to begin, you can still ask for proposals from other service providers beyond the ones you consulted for budgeting purposes. This can be helpful if you feel another could be a better fit or offer a better price.

If your website project should begin with an R.F.P., that can be another daunting task, but LISI has your back! Use this free R.F.P. Template as a guide to start the process. Unless your firm requires the project to begin with R.F.P.s, you can also just schedule introductory calls with some service providers to describe your needs and better understand what it could be like working with them.

Once you select your service provider and schedule your project kickoff, be mindful of anything in the project that is out of scope and could impact your budget. In fact, you may want to designate some overflow budget for out-of-scope website efforts that arise before, during, or after the website project, so you can roll those onto the project—rather than waiting till the next budget year.

Pro tip: Read as much as you can about new website technology and trends, such as artificial intelligence (A.I.), when you embark on your new website journey, so you are as dialed in as you want to be.

Now, It’s Your Turn

You are informed and ready to start your budget request! By following the basic steps of determining the scope of the website project, defining why your law firm needs a new website or a website project, making a strong case to leadership and the budgeting committee, and following the firm’s budget approval process, you should be in a great position to get the funds you need for your firm’s website updates. If you need a little support or momentum along the way, ask your website service provider—they probably answer many of your law firm’s budget questions in their proposal materials.

I’ll leave you with a closing thought from Serena Tooker: 

“Some of the challenge of getting budget approval for a new law firm website is answering the question, why does the firm need a new website? There may be a lack of understanding of how much information a client, prospect, or referral source can gather through a user-friendly website and how effective it can be as a marketing and business development tool. Showing firm leadership the value of a well-designed, user-friendly, and high performing site is the first step in getting budget approval.”