Like all businesses, your notary office needs an online presence to grow more easily and be discovered. Being visible on Google is essential when you know that over 90% of internet searches are carried out on that search engine.
The website creation has become mandatory for most businesses and professionals. It's difficult to do without a digital presence in an increasingly connected world.
However, notary websites are subject to specific regulations set by the Notaries' Order. Here’s how to comply with them while creating an effective and relevant website for a notary.
Website for a notary office: what is the benefit?
Today, every business must have an online presence to gain visibility, especially on Google, and to grow. Creating a website for your notary office therefore allows you to become visible online and to promote your activity.
If you are not allowed to advertise your office, you can still publish the real estate listings you are responsible for and share news about your profession to create dialogue with your clients.
A large part of a notary's work is advising clients: why not provide information that will help the people you meet get an idea of the possible outcome to their issue?
Your notary website can therefore offer your clients a contact form secured by an SSL certificate, allowing personal information to be communicated with confidence.
However, the Notaries' Order prohibits you from providing personalized written advice via this contact form. This means your clients can make appointments online but cannot discuss a situation that concerns them through the form.
If you feel you need a platform to exchange messages and documents with your clients, you will need a specific tool that secures exchanges and is directly linked to your notary office's website.
To implement it, you will need a web developer who is an expert in this area and able to advise you effectively.
What are the specific features of a notary office website?
Unlike the majority of professions, a notary office's website is subject to a code of ethics established by the Notaries' Order.
The strict regulations that must be applied require hiring a provider with experience in this field, or at least access to the necessary resources to deliver quality, appropriate work.
First, the domain name of your practice is mandated and must take the following form: notaryname.firstnameinitial.department.notaries.fr.
To be simple, you must register your names in full, which can also be grouped under the mention nomdunassocié-et-associes-nom de la commune.notaires.fr if several professionals practice within the same office.
Notaries do not have the right to advertise for their notarial office. This considerably reduces the possibilities for SEO and dissemination of your site. However, with appropriate support from an experienced professional web developer, it is possible to achieve decent visibility for your site.
Your web developer will need to assist you in choosing to mention your affiliation to a notarial network to improve the visibility of your practice and to present your office in a way that brings you as close as possible to your prospects. Presenting your team and including photos of your colleagues on the site can be useful. Again, storytelling techniques can help you grow your network and the impact of your notarial practice.
According to the Order of Notaries, you are authorized to to publish news related to your activity and your area of practiceThis is excellent news and a valuable tool because renewing your website allows you to update its SEO and therefore make it more visible on search engines. Be careful, however, about the information you choose to publish because your professional liability is at stake in case of a problem.
To put your notary website online, you must obtain authorization from the Order of Notaries, which issues you an approval number.
For this, you must be able to provide the following information:
- a temporary URL,
- a permanent URL,
- the hosting arrangements for your website
- and the contact details of the web agency or freelancer who created your website.
Obtaining the approval number from the Order of Notaries is mandatory, and it can be helpful to get assistance with these procedures for greater ease and peace of mind.
6 specialized providers for creating a notary website
Finding a provider you can trust is essential to obtain a website that meets your expectations.
Here are some providers with proven expertise and a solid understanding of the regulations that apply to notarial office websites.
Codeur.com
Codeur.com is a free professional/freelancer matchmaking platform. The principle is simple: you post a project for free by filling in a detailed form on the site, and your request is forwarded to freelance web developers willing to carry out your project.
They are the ones who will then send you a detailed quote specifying the requested budget and the time required to complete your project. It’s up to you to choose by comparing the quotes as well as the freelancers’ profiles.
You also have access to the ratings given to the web developers by previous clients, which gives you a fairly accurate idea of the quality of each person’s work.
Codeur.com costs you nothing: posting a project and connecting with a freelancer are completely free.
Paid options are, however, offered by the site to highlight your project and obtain quotes more quickly, for example. It is a particularly affordable solution.
Agence-nota.com
Specializing in website creation for notaries, Nota is well acquainted with the rules you must comply with. You will get a high-performing, responsive website that integrates the tools you actually need.
Nota also offers to assist you with the procedures required to obtain your approval number, which is mandatory for publishing your website. Prices are available on request.
romain-soulier.fr
This professional has expertise and specialization in creating websites for notaries. They offer a complete build and a responsive, well-optimized site at a reasonable price, and you will also gain access to training to efficiently manage your website.
The average price is stated at 1,580 euros. The professional also offers technical support included in the price for two months.
Fiducial.fr
Fiducial is a well-known company in the office services sector and also offers website creation services. It brings together professionals chosen for their specialized skills by field: you will therefore have the pleasure of working with a web developer who specializes in creating websites for notaries.
To get started, the company offers a free 30-minute appointment to discuss your needs and prepare a quote.
WebiPro.fr
Webipro also offers the use of web developers specialized in creating websites for notaries. The company's operation is based on communication in order to produce a website that is as close as possible to your expectations.
You will also have access to a detailed schedule that will allow you to know the turnaround times for your website, as well as support with the steps to obtain your accreditation number.
Webgazelle.net
Webgazelle offers a monthly subscription plan for creating your website and hosting. For an average of €99.90 per month, you get a well-ranked site adapted to your needs.
Be careful, however, because the all-inclusive plan that includes your site's SEO and content writing can cost up to €299.90 per month. This is therefore a rather costly solution.
Be wary of the prices sometimes charged by specialized platforms; remember to compare the prices for creating your website.
Our tip for creating a notary website
Codeur.com is a free platform that connects freelancers with clients. Using Codeur.com also gives you access to thousands of freelancers specialized in other areas, such as visual identities or storytelling content, who can help build your notary website and produce content that is appropriate and relevant, in line with the rules set by the Notaries' Order.
Feel free to submit a project for free on Codeur.com and compare the quotes offered directly by the freelancers themselves.
