We talked here before about what you should do with your biography on your website. I have strong opinions about what generates business and what doesn’t.

Is it possible that your website picture matters more than your bio?

I’ve visited a number of attorney websites where there wasn’t a picture of the attorneys. That’s a gigantic mistake. Like it or not, prospective clients want to see your picture.

You’ve got to have a picture: it builds trust. Potential clients need to be able to look into your eyes.

The conventional wisdom is that a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree. The picture says more than the words can ever communicate. You need to carefully consider your photographic options. It matters.

What should you do with your picture? There are as many options as there are lawyers.

There’s only one thing I’m sure we shouldn’t do. I’m certain that we shouldn’t have our pictures taken so that we look like every other lawyer in the world. My picture on my website doesn’t really add anything to the mix. It’s boring, and it does little to separate me from the competition. I’d like to come up with something interesting and different, but I haven’t figured it out yet. It’s a work in progress.

Recently, I made an effort to have the pictures redone. We hired a photographer, and she came to the office. We asked for something different, and she took the pictures. Unfortunately, I think the photographer was so stuck in her mind about what an attorney photo should look like that she gave us something terrible. Our pictures look like most other lawyer pictures (except that most other lawyers have hair). We’re going back to the drawing board.

A picture is truly worth 1,000 words. A picture won’t say much, however, if it’s a standard headshot of a lawyer in a coat and tie. You’ve got to find a way to break out of the mold. You’ve got to find a way to be different from everyone else. You’ve got to find a way to put some of those 1,000 words to work for your practice.