Remember the Yellow Pages? In addition to word of mouth, they were once a vital tool that consumers used to find and connect with tradespeople and service providers, such as attorneys and doctors. With the rise of social media and search engines, prospective clients now turn to Google in order to research, find, and then choose an attorney or law firm.
Google and other search engines are now the primary avenue that people use to find information online, with Google dominating the research stage. In order to be successful at generating new clients for your practice, you need to be found in a Google search.
Continually updating your website with relevant articles should be one of your priorities. Not only does this help to keep visitors to your website informed and up-to-date on various legal topics, but articles enable you to increase website traffic that results from organic search.
Some topics that will bring more traffic to your website, and, therefore, more prospective clients include:
- “How to” guides
- Answering questions
- Top 5 lists
- Case studies or analyses
What makes up good written content for law firms?
What are the attributes of a good legal article? First and foremost, it should be professional, but with user-friendly language. A client reading your article is really looking for one thing: whether you can help with their legal problem. They’re not interested in reading a long legal discourse.
The title of the article should be captivating to both search engines and readers. You want to be able to grab the reader’s interest with the title; for example, does it offer to answer a question or does it offer unique information?
Use subheadings and short blocks of text to capture and hold the interest of the reader. Long blocks of text turn off readers who are used to scanning social media and news feeds. Keywords used in the article should reflect what your clients are searching for. They should be well-distributed throughout the article and should not interfere with its readability.
Writing for websites vs. legal journals
Writing articles for a website isn’t the same as legal writing which is why many attorneys struggle when it comes to writing informative yet more “informal” articles for their websites. But the good news is that you don’t have to be an attorney to write a good article about a legal topic. You can hire a legal content marketing writer to do the job for you.
A good SEO writer has the knowledge and the experience needed to write content that people want to read. They have a firm understanding of spelling, grammar, and structure, and understand their target audience. They know how to to come up with “click worthy” headlines and how to avoid stuffing the article with keywords. And, finally, a good writer knows how to work with your SEO expert to ensure that your goals are in step with their content.
Operating a legal practice and taking care of clients is a full time job. And, chances are you’re not skilled in marketing techniques. So hire an experienced writer who can provide you with well-researched legal articles that will steer new clients to your practice.
