Transforming a Legacy Legal Website into a Scalable, High-Performance Digital Platform

Global Exposure partnered with Franklins Solicitors to deliver a full-scale digital transformation — restructuring a complex 500+ page website into a streamlined, high-performance platform built for SEO, usability, and long-term growth. By combining strategic sitemap consolidation, conversion-led design, and SEO-led content migration, the new website now reflects the scale of the firm while supporting ongoing marketing activity and improved user experience.

Project Overview

Franklins Solicitors is a well-established, multi-disciplinary law firm operating across a wide range of personal and commercial legal services.

As the firm expanded, their digital presence no longer reflected:

  • The scale of the business
  • The breadth of services offered
  • Or the expectations of modern users

Global Exposure was appointed to deliver a full-scale digital transformation, encompassing:

  • Website restructure and rebuild
  • SEO consolidation and strategy
  • UX and conversion optimisation
  • Content migration
  • Accessibility compliance
  • Photography and brand enhancement
  • Staff training and internal enablement
  • Ongoing support and development

This became one of the most comprehensive projects delivered by Global Exposure to date.

Before

After

The Challenge

This was not a redesign.

It was a complete overhaul of a complex, legacy system.

1. Overgrown Website Architecture

The existing site contained:

  • 500+ URLs
  • Duplicate and outdated content
  • Poorly structured service pages

Result: Users struggled to navigate the site, and key services were difficult to find.

2. Underutilised SEO Potential

Despite a strong domain history, the site lacked:

  • Clear keyword targeting

  • Logical page hierarchy

  • Optimised landing pages

Result: Significant missed opportunity for organic growth.

3. Disjointed User Experience

  • Inconsistent layouts
  • Weak calls to action
  • No clear user journey

Result: Users were not being guided towards enquiry or contact.

4. Limited Internal Flexibility

The internal team:

  • Relied heavily on external support
  • Lacked confidence in updating the site
  • Faced delays in implementing changes

Result: Marketing activity was slowed down.

5. Brand & Visual Limitations

  • Outdated imagery
  • Lack of consistency across the site
  • No strong visual identity online

Result: The website did not reflect the professionalism of the firm.

6. Accessibility Requirements

As a legal firm, compliance and accessibility were critical.

The existing site did not fully meet modern accessibility expectations.

Our Approach at Global Exposure

We approached this as a multi-phase transformation project, focusing on structure, performance, and long-term usability.

1. Strategic Sitemap Restructure

We reduced and refined the site from:

500+ pages → ~130 structured, high-value pages

This included:

  • Consolidating duplicate content
  • Removing outdated pages
  • Restructuring services into clear categories

Outcome: A streamlined, scalable architecture aligned with both users and search engines.

2. SEO-Led Content Migration

Rather than starting from scratch, we:

  • Analysed existing performance data
  • Identified high-value pages
  • Prioritised:
  • Top 100 recent blogs
  • Top 10 organic performers
  • Top 10 key landing pages

Outcome: SEO equity was preserved while improving clarity and structure.

3. UX & Conversion Optimisation

The new site was designed to:

  • Guide users clearly through services
  • Improve navigation across departments
  • Increase enquiry intent

We implemented:

  • Consistent page layouts
  • Stronger calls to action
  • Clearer service messaging

Every page answers:

What does the user need?

What should they do next?

4. Professional Photography Integration

To elevate the brand, we delivered:

  • Multiple on-site photoshoots
  • Team and office imagery
  • Consistent visual assets across the website

Outcome: A more authentic, professional and trustworthy digital presence.

5. Accessibility & Compliance Integration

We implemented accessibility improvements to align with best practices, including:

  • Improved readability and contrast
  • Structured content for screen readers
  • Enhanced usability across devices

Outcome: A more inclusive website aligned with modern accessibility standards.

6. Staff Training & Internal Enablement

A key part of the project was empowering the Franklins team.

We provided:

  • Hands-on training sessions
  • Guidance on editing and updating content
  • Support on managing pages internally

Outcome: Reduced reliance on external support and faster internal execution.

7. Scalable Website Build

The new website was built to support:

  • Ongoing SEO activity
  • Marketing campaigns
  • Future expansion

With:

  • Flexible page templates
  • Improved backend usability
  • Structured content management

8. Ongoing Support & Iteration

Post-launch, we continue to support Franklins with:

  • Website amendments
  • Campaign landing pages
  • Feedback forms and integrations
  • Technical troubleshooting

The website continues to evolve with the business.

Key Deliverables

  • Full website rebuild (WordPress)
  • Sitemap consolidation (500+ → 130 pages)
  • SEO migration strategy
  • UX and conversion improvements
  • Professional photography
  • Accessibility enhancements
  • Staff training sessions
  • Ongoing support and development

The Outcome

The new Franklins website now operates as:

  • A clear and structured digital platform
  • Aligned with user intent and SEO performance
  • Flexible enough to support ongoing marketing activity

It has transformed from:

A complex, outdated site, into a scalable, high-performing business asset

Collaboration & Delivery

This project involved close collaboration with:

  • Marketing team
  • Internal stakeholders
  • Multiple departments

It required:

  • Structured communication
  • Iterative feedback loops
  • Continuous refinement

Key Members Who Helped

Reece Hussain

Managing Director at Global Exposure

Rosanna Stimson

Head of Marketing & Associate Partner at Franklin’s Solicitors

Bethany Govier

Marketing Assistant at Franklin’s Solicitors

Simon Bannister

Head of IT & Associate Partner at Franklin’s Solicitors

Matthew Jackson

Website Developer at Global Exposure

Key Takeaways

As businesses grow, their websites often fall behind.

Franklins had already built:

  • A strong reputation
  • A wide service offering
  • Consistent demand

The website simply needed to catch up.

Looking Ahead

With the new platform in place, Franklins is now positioned to:

  • Expand organic visibility
  • Launch targeted campaigns
  • Improve conversion rates
  • Adapt quickly to business needs

Final Thought

At Global Exposure, we don’t just build websites.

We build systems that:

  • Support marketing
  • Improve performance
  • And scale with the business

The Franklins project is a clear example of what that looks like when delivered properly.

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Written by Reece Hussain

Reece is the founder of Global Exposure, a digital agency specialising in Web Design, SEO, PPC, and lead generation for commercial businesses. Reece began coding at 10 years old, and has extensive knowledge in website development and revenue-focused digital marketing strategy.