The Importance of Content for Your Law Firm’s Website

Date: July 5, 2022

It is now a given that in the age of the Internet, most potential clients are scouring the web for their needs, from medical professionals to lawyers. This, of course, indicates how vital your law firm’s website is to your business; without a strong website, you’re less likely to snare new clients. But the strength of your website can only get you so far – first, your website needs to be seen. 

One of the most significant ways to boost your website’s standings on SERPs, or search engine results pages like Google, is by regularly creating web content using an SEO strategy. Using fresh content that has been optimized for visibility, your content will draw notice from both the internet algorithms and prospective clients. 

What Is Web Content?

Web content can be defined as any creative or informational element on your website. This can include images and videos, but here, we will focus on textual content. Textual content on your website can and should include elements such as service pages, “About” pages for your law firm and partners, and original content like blog posts and case studies. Your content creation should all relate back to your areas of practice, demonstrating your strength of knowledge while providing search engines like Google more opportunities to latch onto your website. Consider your target audience – how do you want to be seen? What are the questions that most need answering?

Both the words you use and the layout you employ on your law firm’s website impact the success of your content. Be sure to notice not only the quality of your writing, but also your navigational elements like menus and “breadcrumbs,” which are trails that you leave on your site from page to page so users can find their way back. Your content should also feature “keywords,” which are the terms which your target audience is most searching for. Consider the main questions your clients ask you or the words that most often come up in conversation with them – they may not be the technical terms that you would use considering your depth of knowledge, but they are the words that your prospective clients associate with the work you do in layperson’s terms. Your search engine optimization team knows how to best identify and incorporate these keywords, and can help you take your content to a level that will catch the eye of the SERPs. 

What Should My Legal Website Include?

There are certain elements that every legal website needs to include. These are necessary because not only do they provide important information to your potential clients, but they also give search engines more opportunities to find your website and show it to your target audience. The more strong, original, optimized content you create, the more likely it is that your website will appear at the top of the SERPs and be seen by those looking to hire you which will, naturally, lead to the best possible return on investment. 

Practice Area Pages

Your firm should invest a good amount of time and effort into your legal website’s practice area pages. These are the pages that explain in layman’s terms what your law firm does to the public. You should be as specific as possible with these practice area pages; for example, if your firm focuses on divorce, you can have a page on the general divorce aspects of your practice, but you can also break it down into further service pages featuring specific areas of law like uncontested divorces, annulments, and separations. Each practice area page can feature an explanation of what the service is, and can go on to include a more in-depth breakdown of how it works, or testimonials from satisfied clients. Your tone should reflect the nature of your work – make sure that in detailing what you do, you are also speaking to the human appeal of your potential clients. In breaking down your practice into consumable practice area pages, not only will you inform your prospective clients on the depth of your knowledge and abilities, but you will also be generating relevant, high-quality content for your website. 

Informational Pages

One of the most important features of your law firm’s website is your “About Us” section, however that may be structured to best fit your practice. Like your practice area pages, these informational pages can be broken down into more specific, focused content. Some examples of possible quality pages under “About Us” include your firm’s history, your mission, and a “Who We Are” page introducing each attorney at your firm. Further, each attorney should also have their own, more in-depth biography page that details their focus, their experience, and how to contact them. This content is vital to the success of your website – while it may feel like you’re doing “too much,” breaking down this information into multiple detailed pieces will provide your target audience with the information they need, while also filling your website with the type of web content that the SERPs are seeking.

Blog Posts

Have you ever wondered why so many businesses’ websites feature blogs, whether or not their profession necessitates having one? Regularly generating blog posts relevant to your company is the best, most consistent way to get your website noticed. For your law firm’s website, this content creation can mean blogs by or about your attorneys, and should demonstrate the depth of your knowledge about your area of law. These blog posts can cover a myriad of topics, including the absolute basic building blocks of your practice’s focus, the most unique or interesting legal issue you’ve encountered, and guides to help the public handle the problems in which your firm specializes. It’s virtually impossible to run out of ideas for blog posts – there is always a new angle, a new issue, or a new detail to learn.   

What Goes Into High Quality Content? 

The content for your law firm’s website should be consistent with what you want your target audience to know about your business. Stay focused on what you and your practice do best to ensure that your website will find prospective clients who are looking for exactly what you offer. 

Another important aspect of creating high quality content is optimization with the help of your SEO team. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of molding your content to best catch the attention of the SERPs. A major piece of the optimization of your content is researching and including keywords. It is vital to include keywords in your content without overloading it or diminishing its readability, or you can risk flagging by the SERPs for spam. The right balance of keywords will raise your legal website’s profile and help it reach your target audience. 

Your blog posts should always end with a CTA, or “call to action.” This reminds the reader where they are – not only are they reading an interesting article, but they are on a law firm’s website where they can find an experienced attorney to assist them with whatever problem led them to the blog in the first place. Your call to action should always link back to your law firm’s “Contact” page to make it as easy as possible for prospective clients to start the process with you.

Should My Web Content All Be Original?

The algorithms that govern the internet’s SERPs are astonishingly intelligent, and are incredibly skilled at identifying content that has been stolen or generated by AI. If you post content that is spammy or reposted, your law firm’s website is at risk of losing visibility to the public or even removal from the search pages. Best practice is always to generate unique content that is specific to your firm. While it takes more time and effort to do so, the dividends are significantly greater to ensure your success. 

Do You Have a Trusted SEO Team to Aid in Your Content Creation?

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of creating content for your law firm, you’ve come to the right place. At 9Sail, we specialize in helping attorneys like you with their SEO marketing and content creation. We know how to optimize your blog so it’s seen by potential clients. 

We encourage you to set up a free consultation with our team of experts to start the content creation process. You can make your appointment by calling or submitting your contact information through our online form. We look forward to hearing from you!