Martin
Founder, strategy and audits
Writes every audit and takes every first call. On your account from day one, running growth for SMEs since 2010.
Web Design for Criminal Defense
Web Design for Criminal Defense Lawyers
Most defense firm websites make a frightened person guess whether the firm handles their charge. We build the site that says it on the first screen, explains what happens next and how you bill, and asks for the charge and the court date.
For small criminal defense firms in the United States whose site needs to speak to the person charged and their family, and record where each inquiry came from.
What the site has to do for a small defense firm
Context from how your customers search, compare and book.
The person reading at midnight after an arrest decides in minutes. The first screen has to say which charges the firm defends and which courts it appears in, the second has to explain what happens at the first appearance, and the third has to explain how the firm bills in USD and who will answer the phone. A site built around attorney bios and a list of practice labels makes that reader do the work, and most of them leave.
Family or employment pages, if the firm keeps them, belong on their own path with their own form and their own tracking. A defense intake form asks for the charge, the court date and the county. A general contact form asks for a message. Mixing the two on one page is how a firm ends up with an inbox full of the wrong reader and no idea which page produced the one good inquiry.
Every page is approved by the owner before it goes live, because the lawyer advertising rules of the firm's state apply to the website, and HeyLead holds no law license and gives no legal advice. The credentials page states only the admissions, certifications and memberships the firm actually holds, no page quotes a success rate, and no page promises a result.
Who this web work suits
groups Customer segments
- person Firms whose homepage does not say which charges they defend
- person Firms whose only contact form is a general one that students and vendors fill in
- person Firms with a federal or DUI practice buried three clicks deep
- person Firms from Houston and Phoenix to Chicago, Atlanta and Miami that need an office page for each county their attorneys appear in
psychology What drives their decision
- check_circle A first screen that names the charges the firm defends and the courts it appears in
- check_circle What happens next, charge, retainer and credentials pages written for the person's question
- check_circle A defense intake form that asks for the charge, the court date and the county
- check_circle Tracking that records which page and search produced each defense inquiry
How we deliver Web Design
A clear, repeatable process built around how criminal defense customers search and decide.
1
Audit and page map
We read the current site as a person charged would, at night on a phone, note where the charges are unclear, where defense and general paths mix and where forms and after-hours calls fail, and agree a page map with the owner.
2
Copy the owner approves
Plain pages for each kind of charge the firm defends, a what happens next page, a retainer page in USD and a credentials page with only what the firm holds. Every page is approved by the owner before design starts.
3
Design for the phone at midnight
A first screen that names the charges and the courts, large tap targets for the phone number and the intake button, compressed images and trimmed scripts so the page loads on a phone on a weak signal.
4
Intake and tracking
A defense form that asks for the charge, the court date and the county, a general form on its own path if the firm wants one, and call and form tracking that records the page and the search behind each inquiry, including calls after hours.
5
Launch and first month review
We launch, test every form and call path including after hours, and review the first month of inquiries by page with the owner to see which pages need clearer answers and which can be added next.
web
What Criminal Defense Web Design includes
Pages that make it easy to understand the offer and take the next step
- check_circle Audit and page map
- check_circle Charge, what happens next, retainer and credentials copy
- check_circle Phone-first design and build
- check_circle Defense intake form and tracking
- check_circle First month review
What you can expect
- verified The first screen names the charges the firm defends and the courts it appears in
- verified The what happens next page answers the first appearance question before the call
- verified The retainer page explains how you bill in USD, with no promised result
- verified Defense and general inquiries arrive on separate lines
- verified Every inquiry is tagged with the page and search behind it
- verified Credentials on the site match what the firm holds
Deliverables you receive
inventory_2 Page map agreed with the owner
inventory_2 Charge, what happens next, retainer and credentials pages approved before design
inventory_2 A phone-first design with the charges the firm defends on the first screen
inventory_2 Defense intake form with general forms kept on their own path
inventory_2 Call and form tracking by page and search
inventory_2 First month review of inquiries by page
Technical approach
The mechanics behind Web Design for criminal defense, explained plainly.
Speed and mobile
Compressed images, trimmed scripts and server caching so the charge page loads quickly on a phone on a weak signal. Forms submit on the first try and the phone number is a tap target on every page.
Structured data
Legal service structured data with the firm's name, address, phone and counties served, kept identical across the site, the Business Profile and directories.
Tracking and privacy
Calls and forms are tracked by page and search without any client detail leaving the firm. General forms, if kept, record to a separate goal. Nothing a person types into the intake form is used for advertising audiences.
What a Criminal Defense website costs
Criminal Defense web design starts at $2,000. Scope depends on how many pages and features you need, and we agree it with you after seeing your current site.
What's included
Key pages and layout
IncludedThe pages customers need to decide, laid out for phones first, with proof and a clear next step.
Forms, calls and tracking
IncludedForms and call buttons that work on every phone, with each request tracked to its source.
Speed and launch checks
IncludedImage, speed and mobile checks before launch, and a short list of fixes afterwards.
Larger builds, such as online shops or booking systems, are scoped after discovery. Talk to us for a fit.
What to expect from a rebuild
A rebuild takes a few weeks to plan, write and build, and the first month after launch shows which pages earn defense inquiries.
Weeks 1 to 2
Audit, page map and copy for the owner to approve. Nothing is designed until the words are right.
Weeks 3 to 6
Design, build, intake forms and tracking. The owner reviews each page on a phone before launch.
Month 2 and beyond
The first month of inquiries by page shows which answers work. We add pages for the kinds of charge that produced inquiries and clarify the ones that did not. We do not promise a number of clients.
Other Criminal Defense marketing services
Our team
The same people on the audit and on the work
Martin writes every audit and takes the first call. The same team stays on the account. 160+ businesses since 2010.
Yoana
Social and app development
Shapes social strategy and builds practical app experiences that turn attention into action.
Mike
SEO
Owns technical, local and content SEO so the right buyers find you when demand is highest.
Robert
Paid media
Plans and manages paid search and social campaigns around qualified leads.
Elmer
Analytics
Connects tracking, attribution and reporting so decisions are based on revenue-quality data.
Dino
Design
Creates clear brand and conversion-focused design across landing pages, campaigns and product experiences.
Certified and experienced
Certified where it matters. Accountable for the outcome.
Verified platform knowledge, 25+ years of hands-on experience, and an operating track record since 2010.
Google AdsCertified
✓Google AnalyticsCertified
✓Google Tag ManagerCertified
✓Operating since 2010Proven experience
✓Frequently Asked Questions
Should the site say which charges we defend? expand_more
Yes, on the first screen. A person who has to guess leaves. A firm that takes defense work and family work can say so, with each side on its own path and its own form.
Should the site show fees? expand_more
A retainer page that explains how the firm bills, whether a flat fee by stage, a flat fee for the whole matter or an hourly rate against a deposit, using the figures the owner sets in USD. It does not need to quote a rate, but it should remove the fear that fees are a secret.
Who approves the copy? expand_more
The owner, before design starts and again before launch. The lawyer advertising rules of the firm's state apply to the website, and HeyLead holds no law license and gives no legal advice.
Can you build on our existing site? expand_more
Often, yes. If the platform is sound we rewrite the pages, fix the intake path and add tracking. If it is slow or locked, we rebuild. The audit tells us which.
How long does a rebuild take? expand_more
A few weeks to plan, write and build, with the owner approving copy and reviewing pages on a phone before launch. The first month after launch shows which pages earn defense inquiries.
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