Transforming a Law Firm Website with Next.js

Summary

The client’s WordPress site was slow, outdated and inefficient at handling new enquiries. Long loading times, spam submissions, poor lead routing, slow response times and intake leakage were all impacting the user experience and the ability of the firm to convert potential clients.

The site was rebuilt using Next.js for a custom multi-step qualification form, automatic lead routing, backend notifications, Clio integration and marketing parameter tracking. That meant loading times from 12 seconds to under 2 seconds, Lighthouse Performance to 99%, 100% scores for SEO, Best Practices, and Accessibility, spam enquiries reduced by 96%, and intake leakage eliminated.

Challenges

The client’s website was a major obstacle to business growth. It had functioned as an online presence, but it couldn’t keep pace with the firm’s growing demand and deliver a seamless experience to potential clients.

The website was built on WordPress, which was becoming harder and harder to maintain and optimize. Additional plugins and features started to impact performance, slowing down the website and making it harder to maintain. Instead of assisting the firm in winning new business, the website was creating unnecessary friction for visitors and staff alike.

One of the chief troubles was speed. The website loading time was around 12 seconds. In a competitive online environment, today’s visitors expect pages to load almost instantly.

Long loading times may also cause users to leave before interacting with the website, decreasing the number of potential clients who complete an inquiry.
Another major challenge was spam submissions. The company’s contact forms were generating a lot of junk enquiries, making it difficult for the staff to identify real leads. Even when valid questions were received, the intake process was inefficient. Leads were not always passed to the right person which caused delays in response. When response times are slow, the odds that a potential client will contact another law firm before they receive help increase.
The firm was also suffering from a lot of intake leakage.

Notifications, routing, follow-up systems were not properly connected, and valuable enquiries were falling through the cracks. Every unanswered question was a missed business opportunity.
The marketing data was another missing piece. GCLID, FBCLID, UTM values which are important for vital tracking were not being captured consistently. Without this information, it was difficult to determine which ad campaigns were generating qualified leads and where marketing dollars were being spent for the best results.

Lastly, the current website did not integrate well with Clio. Information was being transferred manually by the staff which was increasing the firms’ workload. Sometimes the client information would incorrectly be mapped to the CRM which made the intake process very inefficient.

Overall, it was obvious that the website needed a serious re-build that focused on speed and automation mainly.

Solution

To solve these various issues, the website was rebuilt using Next.js to offer a more reliable and scalable platform. Next.js was used specifically because it automatically splits code and optimizes images which helps in cutting down the amount of data site visitors need to download.

A custom multi-step qualification form was built to filter spam and improve the quality of leads. Lead routing was automated, so the leads went to the right people and a dedicated back-end notification system made sure the client and solicitors were notified immediately.

The new website also captured GCLID, FBCLID, and UTM parameters for accurate marketing attribution. Finally, a direct Clio integration automatically mapped submitted information into the CRM, cutting down on manual work and improving data accuracy.

Results

Performance

This made the website much faster for visitors with the loading time going from 12 seconds to under 2 seconds. Technical improvements were also excellent in performance testing:

• 99% Lighthouse Performance

• 100% SEO
• 100% Best Practices
• 100% Accessibility
These improvements offer a more robust foundation for users and search engines.
Lead Intake & Quality
The new multi-step qualification form with custom logic has been a great way to improve the quality of incoming leads. • 96% reduction in spam leads • Overall reduction in spam submissions by a large margin • Intake leakage not allowed
• Faster routing of qualified leads to the right people on your team
This meant that the staff could now spend less time going through unwanted submissions and more time responding to real potential clients.

Improved workflow

The direct integration with Clio automatically mapped submitted information into the CRM, reducing the need for manual data entry and improving accuracy. Lead routing and the new fixed intake system led to less spam inquiries and less churn in clients.

Overall, the new website made the firms online presence into a modern, fast platform that delivers better performance and cleaner lead management.