While law firms need an up-to-date website, most attorneys are not technology experts—and don’t have the time or desire to be. As an attorney, you want to know two things: that your website is updated, secure, and functioning optimally; and that when you do have a problem or need to make a change, you can get the help you need quickly.

At The Modern Firm, our Website Support and Hosting team delivers on both counts. The result is that you can focus on your law practice, confident that your law firm website is supporting your business—not distracting you from it.

What’s Included in Our Website Care Services

When you work with The Modern Firm, the hosting and day-to-day maintenance of your website are on auto-pilot. Proper website maintenance requires several ongoing, essential tasks; we take care of them so you don’t have to think about them.

The following items are included with our monthly website hosting and upkeep service.

Software Updates 

Just as your computer and cell phone have security and feature updates, so does the software that runs your website. The WordPress platform on which our sites are built releases three or four major updates, and eight to twelve security patches, every year. 

These updates need to be installed quickly, but sometimes they can break existing functionality on a website. When The Modern Firm hosts a site, we rapidly test and install these updates, so you receive their benefit without unintended consequences. You don’t have to worry about a thing; we take care of it automatically. 

Continual Improvement 

Behind the scenes, we are always working on improving the coding framework that we use in conjunction with WordPress. If standards change, such as the process for delivering vCards, linking to social media sites, or hiding email addresses from spammers, we test and install these updates automatically. The outward appearance of your site remains consistent (unless you request a change), but under the hood, the engine is always getting better.

Free Content and Website Updates 

We provide training so you can feel comfortable making updates to your website on your own. However, you can always email us at support@themodernfirm.com with requests, no matter how big or small. Our help desk typically turns around requests within a business day. Clients hosting with us receive the first 60 minutes of any support request at no charge, and many requests are easily fulfilled within that time frame.

Speed Optimization

Website speed is critical. Faster sites create better user experience, reduce bounce rates, and can even boost your search engine rankings; Google and other search engines use page speed as a ranking factor. Server caching on our platform helps images load faster and optimizes your site for speed and responsiveness. That helps keep visitors engaged and offers a smoother browsing experience that may ultimately lead to more conversions.

SSL Certificate

All websites we design and host come with an SSL certificate to protect your site and your visitors’ data. Data is encrypted between your site and visitors, which builds trust with your potential clients. Having an SSL certificate also demonstrates to search engines that your site takes security seriously, which is a factor they take into account with search rankings.

Nightly Backup for RPC Compliance 

Backups are essential to protect your website and client data, help you recover from user error, and guard against cyber threats and other technical issues. Equally important, regular backups are required by the Rules of Professional Conduct regarding attorney advertising in each state. States vary in their retention requirements, but to err on the side of caution, we make daily backups and keep them for five years, so you can feel confident about your compliance.

What Kinds of Things Can TMF’s Support Team Help With?

When The Modern Firm builds your website, we give you the training and tools you need to make changes on your own if you want to. That said, there may be times that your energy is better spent on other pursuits, or issues you are unable to address on your own. 

We can assist with a wide variety of needs and requests, including: 

  • Adding or updating content to your site, such as a practice area page or attorney profile for a new team member
  • Third-party integrations, including configuring contact forms, calendars, or legal software tools
  • Technical issues like troubleshooting site errors, downtime, or broken features
  • Improving page load times or server response
  • Updates and maintenance including keeping plugins and themes up to date and secure
  • Security and compliance concerns, including ensuring encrypted connections
  • Restoring sites after accidental deletions or errors
  • Monitoring for threats and resolving security issues
  • Troubleshooting user issues like helping staff members with logins or permissions
  • Guidance regarding strategic improvements and best practices for your site

In short, we ensure that your law firm website is secure, up-to-date, and consistently functioning at its best, so it serves your clients and advances your business goals.

What to Expect From Our Website Hosting and Support Team

Our white-glove support team is always available to help at support@themodernfirm.com, and if there’s an emergent issue that can’t wait, a support specialist can be available by phone to address it even outside of regular business hours. You can expect not only a prompt response but a good turnaround time with all of your support requests. And if you have a question to which we don’t have an immediate answer, you can count on us to find it.

You own the website that we build for you, which means that if you choose, you can move that site to another hosting provider, no questions asked. But not all hosting services are created equal. Some don’t provide help with content updates or perform compatibility checks; they may force updates that cause more problems than they solve. They may also lack a sense of urgency in responding to your requests, causing unnecessary delays in resolving problems.

At The Modern Firm, we work exclusively with small law firms and solo attorneys. We know our clients, their industry, and their individual businesses. We understand how important it is that your law firm website be up to date and performing at its best. That’s our priority, so that running your law firm can be yours. 

To learn more about our website hosting and support or other services for your practice, just reach out to schedule a consultation.