If you have a law firm website that you’d like to use to acquire new clients and grow your firm’s business, then you’re probably wondering what you can do from a content perspective to accomplish these goals. After all, for those unfamiliar with digital marketing for lawyers, the strategic landscape of internet content may seem opaque at best. Keyword research is a foundational step in content strategy for law firms, helping to validate content ideas, align topics with legal services, and identify low-competition keywords that can effectively drive organic traffic. So, if you’re making content for law firm website, what should you do?

Today, let’s explore some of these content basics. We’ll cover some of the fundamentals so that you can better understand what type of content should be on your law firm’s website, and why.

Understanding the Importance of Content on Law Firm Websites

Content is the backbone of a law firm’s online presence. A well-crafted content strategy can help law firms establish their authority, build trust with potential clients, and drive more conversions. In today’s digital age, prospective clients often turn to the internet to find legal services, making it crucial for law firms to have a robust online presence. High-quality content not only attracts visitors but also engages them, encouraging them to take the next step, whether it’s contacting the firm or scheduling a consultation.

To create content that resonates with your target audience, it’s essential to understand their needs and concerns. This involves conducting thorough research and using clear, concise language that is easy to understand. By addressing common legal questions and providing valuable insights, law firms can position themselves as trusted authorities in their field. Additionally, incorporating relevant keywords and optimizing content for search engines can improve visibility and attract more organic traffic.

The Role of Relevance and Quality in Law Firm Website Content

Relevance and quality are two essential factors that determine the success of a law firm’s website content. Relevant content addresses the specific needs and concerns of your target audience, ensuring that the information provided is useful and timely. High-quality content, on the other hand, establishes your firm’s credibility and expertise, making it more likely that potential clients will trust and choose your services.

To create relevant and high-quality content, law firms should focus on understanding their target audience. This involves identifying the common legal issues they face and the questions they frequently ask. Conducting thorough research and staying updated on the latest legal trends can also help in creating content that is both informative and current. Using clear and concise language is crucial, as it ensures that the content is easily understandable, even for those without a legal background.

Why Good Content Matters for Lawyer Websites

Good content matters for lawyer websites because it helps establish trust and credibility with potential clients. When visitors find valuable and reliable information on your site, they are more likely to view your firm as a trustworthy and knowledgeable authority in the legal industry. This trust can translate into higher conversion rates, as potential clients feel more confident in reaching out for your services.

Moreover, a well-crafted content strategy can significantly improve a law firm’s search engine rankings. Search engines prioritize websites that offer valuable, relevant, and high-quality content, making it easier for potential clients to find your firm online. Good content also increases brand awareness, helping your firm stand out in a crowded market. By differentiating yourself from competitors through unique and insightful content, you can establish your authority and attract more clients.

Find content opportunities by filtering through various niches, subcategories, and geographic limiters

Many law firms — when conceiving content to target potential clients — don’t realize just how saturated the digital marketing space is when it comes to legal article content.  If your content is too general, it can be a significant challenge to rank the webpage vis-a-vis those of competitor brands with years of targeted legal content already having been uploaded to their website.

The key to early success is therefore in finding low-hanging fruit — identifying opportunities based on filtering past general topics, and into various niches, subcategories, and geographic limiters.  For example, while it may be extremely challenging for you to rank an article about car accident settlements if you localize your article so that it’s about car accident settlements in Los Angeles, then you stand a better chance of ranking against local competitors.

A personal injury law firm, for instance, might face significant challenges when competing against larger firms. Focusing on niche markets through localized SEO strategies can effectively enhance visibility and client acquisition.

Content opportunities can be difficult to identify, so we recommend working with digital marketing experts who understand the legal space and how to implement winning content strategies for law firms.

Don’t be afraid to hype your firm up

Though lawyers do have restrictions on what sort of language (and visuals) they can use to advertise their legal services — and you should keep apprised of your state bar’s marketing restrictions — it is worth talking extensively about your firm’s successes, reputation, and experience to enhance your law firm’s credibility. In other words, make sure to “hype” your firm up to the audience.

Even if you believe that talking about your firm’s wins isn’t aligned with your brand, bear in mind that the default expectation for users online is that law firms will communicate their past successes. If you fail to do so, users will simply assume that you do not have a history of success in communicating.

Anonymized case breakdowns, testimonials, past wins (including the compensation payout) — all of these are fair game and are worth exploring as content pillars for your law firm website so that users are aware of your successes. Don’t be shy! This is simply how law firms advertise in the digital age — better not to fall behind.

Content consumption has changed considerably over the years, so be aware of how most users engage with websites

Content consumption has changed significantly — in 2024, the ways in which users engage with websites are much different than it was a decade ago. Though these consumption patterns might seem obvious, it’s worth affirming so that you can implement a more targeted, audience-friendly content strategy for your law firm’s website:

• Video is more important than ever. Embedded video content is a key aspect of search engine optimization in today’s digital marketing landscape. Further, users are so accustomed to video-first social media platforms (i.e., YouTube, Instagram, TikTok) that their internet consumption habits are predisposed to favor video-oriented content — if you have a repository of video content, make sure to embed those videos on pages with related written content.
• User engagement matters. Increasingly, search engines are favoring indicators of social response and engagement — shares on a legal article featured on your website can indicate genuine audience interest, signaling to search engines that the article should be ranked higher. To improve your engagement metrics, go beyond just writing more informative, clear, entertaining, and controversial content — jumpstart your engagement metrics by re-sharing the content on social media platforms.
• Individual blog-style websites no longer draw return users as much. In the 1990s and 2000s, blog-style websites used to draw in regular communities of users to the extent that one could create content for returning users. Internet use patterns have changed in such a way, however, that most web content is consumed via being featured on aggregator websites (like Reddit) or on social media platforms. Fewer users than ever before set bookmarks and return to small websites, like law firm websites. So each piece of content operates more independently — try to maximize the reach of each piece, without as much focus on what a returning user would like to see.

Essential Content Pages for Law Firm Websites

A law firm’s website should have several essential content pages that provide valuable information to potential clients. These pages not only help in building trust and credibility but also improve the overall user experience, making it easier for visitors to find the information they need. Here are the most important content pages that every law firm website should have:

Homepage

The homepage is the most critical page on a law firm’s website. It serves as the first impression for many visitors and should provide a clear and concise introduction to the firm, its services, and its values. A well-designed homepage should include a clear call to action, encouraging visitors to take the next step, whether it’s contacting the firm or scheduling a consultation.

Additionally, the homepage should prominently display the firm’s contact information, making it easy for potential clients to get in touch. Showcasing social proof, such as client testimonials and case results, can also help build trust and credibility. To create an effective homepage, law firms should focus on using clear and concise language, incorporating relevant keywords, and using visuals and multimedia to enhance the user experience.

Blog Pages

Frequently posted blog pages — or articles — are an excellent way for a law firm website to target prospective clients who may have specific questions about the law due to having been involved in a legal dispute (i.e., a car accident, an employment-related conflict, etc.). These prospective clients may search for answers on search engines like Google. By targeting relevant keyword phrases in your blog content with proper search engine optimization, you can ensure that these prospective clients find your law firm website content and are “primed” to convert into actual clients by reading through your legal content writing and being convinced that they should get engage legal representation by contacting your firm.

To that end, make sure that your blog content creation process is based around your law firm’s practice areas — you don’t want to waste resources on legal content marketing just to draw website visitors who are looking for help with practice areas that are not actually relevant to your law firm.

Law blogging considerations

Blogging about various legal issues has been a powerful tool for acquiring new clients and enhancing law firm web content since the 1990s when search engine use became ubiquitous for accessing information online. Over the years, law firm content strategies have had to change to stay competitive given algorithm updates and new internet trends.

In 2024, the landscape of law blogging is more competitive than ever before. So here are some important considerations as you explore this side of law firm marketing:

How often should a law firm blog?

How often a law firm should upload a post depends on its overall content strategy, the competitive landscape in its niche, and various other factors — there is no one-size-fits-all frequency. We encourage you to consult experts (such as our content marketing experts here at Walker Advertising) for guidance that is particular to your law firm’s online presence and overall content goals. A consistent blogging schedule contributes to a successful law firm website by keeping content fresh and engaging for visitors.

How long should a legal blog post be?

How long a legal blog post should be depends entirely on what the SEO analysis for the page requires. Length may depend on a number of factors, such as the primary and secondary keywords (and the competitiveness of those keywords), the ranking and details of competitor posts, and the expected length for the content format. That being said, in today’s digital marketing landscape, very short blog posts are often poor performers, and digital marketers are increasingly finding that minimum word counts of 800 (or more) are necessary to be competitive. Understanding the target audience and creating in-depth content is crucial for a successful law firm, as they enhance credibility and client engagement.

How do you format a legal article?

The formatting of a legal article can vary in accordance with the subject matter at hand and how best you want to clearly communicate the relevant information to your audience — for a relatively less-educated or more general audience, for example, you may want to include copious amounts of subheadings and bullet point lists so as to simplify the delivery of detailed legal information.

That being said, among the most important data signals (for helping to rank your law firm website content) is user retention — or ‘time on page.’  The longer that a user spends on a webpage, the more likely it is that search engines will rank the page higher in relevant, related searches.  To improve a user’s time on the page, you should bear in mind what sort of information they’re looking for and offer them “previews” of what they’re likely to learn as they move through the page.  Further, you should provide adjacent, important information in various other subheadings on the page so that they will continue to explore the content even after they have already received answers to their initial search queries.

Be careful with AI content for a law firm website

AI content has become increasingly pervasive, but relying too heavily on it can undermine a law firm’s credibility. While AI “assisted” content is likely fine, and your copywriters should start to implement AI tools to improve their productivity, the truth is that content written primarily by AI is likely to perform poorly – this is especially true moving forward, as online content stakeholders develop better AI content detection systems and punish websites for incorporating primarily AI-written content.

Contact Walker Advertising for Professional Assistance in Growing Your Firm’s Client Base

Whether you’re a solo lawyer or are part of a larger firm, it’s important to grow your client base in order to hit your revenue goals.  Here at Walker Advertising, we can help.  We operate a number of popular legal networks — including our Los Defensores and 1-800-THE-LAW2 brands — through which attorneys and firms are able to access leads for various legal claims.  

These leads have been pre-qualified by our team so that you aren’t hassled by a flood of leads that are simply not relevant or actionable for your purposes.  By accessing quality leads, you’ll be well-equipped to select the best ones to grow your firm business.

Contact Walker Advertising today to connect to a member of our team who can explain how our legal networks can help your firm business thrive in this ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

We look forward to assisting you.