Many attorneys and law firms get a website simply because it's the right thing to do. Maybe because they watched a business report on television that said that it's a smart business move, maybe because they had a client ask what their website address was, or maybe just because their competition has one.

But what is your website actually accomplishing? What is it DOING FOR YOU?

We've all seen the standard 5-page websites that have the basics: home page, contact us, about our attorneys, etc.

Do you know what readers are doing when they see these websites?

If your legal website doesn't include some sort of content (information, videos, pictures) that BUILDS THE VALUE of your services to the reader, you've wasted a lot of money for nothing. Attorneys ask us all of the time, "why doesn't my website rank well on Google" and "why do people just come to my website and leave right away"?

And the answer is always the same: "You don't have anything that the search engines or visitors want!".

Taking the time to properly develop your website with relevant content can not only help your visitors stay on your website now that they've found some of the information that they were looking for, but it can also help your website rank for more search terms on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and other search engines because the more content that a site has, the more authority that a search engine will give that website.

Here is another question you have to ask yourself: how do you currently add your content?

If you have to e-mail (and pay) a design company every time you want something added or changed on your website, not only are you wasting your money, but you're also not utilizing your time effectively. What is more efficient, having to wait for someone to update your website, or having access to a content management system that allows you to update your website instantly?

And the last question you have to ask yourself about your legal website: what is the end product?

Are you actually capturing leads from your website, or are you just putting information up and hoping the phone will ring?

The most important aspect of a website is it's call to action, and your not building much value with your readers if your only call to action is a "contact us" page that has a link on the very bottom of the home page.

A modern website shouldn't just be a brochure about your law firm or practice. It needs to have engaging and informative content for readers, proper optimization for search engines, and calls to action that actually provides you with some sort of return on investment.

Foster Web Marketing, the leading website design for attorneys solution on the web, has put together a FREE report, The Five Biggest Mistakes that 99% of Lawyers Make with their Websites. To download the FREE report visit http://www.fosterwebmarketing.com/reports/the-5-biggest-mistakes-99-of-lawyers-make-with-their-websites.cfm .