Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Increase Your Rankings With New Law Firm Content – Refreshing Your Website

Websites need frequent maintenance to remain effective, especially concerning new law firm content. Continuously adding fresh, new information is essential for search engine optimization (SEO) and business credibility. However, old content can drag your website down the rankings.

At Blue Seven Content, we understand the importance of having the best law firm content. Marketing trends change, and search engines regularly adjust their algorithms. Outdated content can work against your new content, adversely affecting the quality of your website. 

Why You Need the Best Law Firm Content Possible

Competition is high in the legal world. Talent is increasingly difficult to find and retain. The legal services market is projected to grow 2.6% over the next six years, further driving competition. Law firms will need to differentiate themselves in new and innovative ways. 

While touting responsiveness has been a key stand-out factor for legal practices in the past, the global pandemic has pushed most firms into utilizing AI and other technologies to better communicate with clients. Responsiveness is no longer unique. 

Instead, law firms are seeing success when they can develop a reputation for efficient, trustworthy service. High-quality website content can help a company establish themselves as an authority in their field while garnering consumer trust. 

Prospective clients are turning more and more to online searches to find the legal services they need. According to a recent study:

  • 57% of people find legal representation through an internet search
  • 59% of consumers will ask for a referral

The 16% overlap involves consumers who ask for a referral and then turn to the internet to review the quality of the firm. 

The majority of people click on the first page of search results. The second page only sees half the number of clicks. Whether the client is searching for legal services online or in conjunction with a referral, it is essential your website rank high on the search bar. 

Get back to the drawing board – or never leave it – when it comes to new law firm content for your website.

How Outdated Content Hurts Your SEO

Understanding how outdated content hurts your search engine rankings begins with familiarizing yourself with the basics of SEO. Google is king among search engines, capturing nearly 88% of the market share. The best law firm content is geared towards Google’s algorithms.

Google rewards quality content, defined by the following elements:

  • Well-researched pages that provide meaningful information
  • Keywords and variations of keyword phrases
  • Content that considers the user’s search intent
  • Questions answered directly
  • Internal and external links
  • Longer, well-written pages

As content ages, it loses its accuracy and relevance. Perhaps the traffic accident statistics on a practice page are out-of-date or the external links on a blog no longer work. Whatever the reason, Google will punish websites with obsolete information.

Even if your site continues to add new content, Google’s algorithm will evaluate your website as a whole. If irrelevant data outweighs the new information, your site will suffer.

How Updating Existing Pages Will Increase Your Rankings

Think of your law firm’s site like a hot air balloon floating in the Google-verse. As content ages, the hot air cools and causes the balloon to sink. The more outdated and inaccurate the information becomes, the lower your balloon will sink. 

Adding fresh, quality content can act like a blast of hot air and push your balloon up in the search rankings. However, those older pages are still dragging your balloon down. You can solve this tug-of-war between new and old content by updating your pages. 

Search engines are designed to find the most accurate information for their users. Newer content will always have priority. When you frequently update older pages, Google’s search engine takes note that your website is continuing to offer relevant information and rewards it in higher search rankings. 

How to Decide What Content to Update or Delete

Deciding what content to update or delete begins with an audit. Analytics tools can help you decide what pages are seeing good traffic and conversion rates and which pages need more love. 

From here, you can prioritize your content. Review what pages used to get a significant amount of Google traffic but now have stopped performing. These pages can come alive again with updated links, data, and added content. 

For pages that never seemed to perform well, examine whether or not the content is still relevant and can be improved. If the page is short, could adding 1,000 words of well-researched, quality content provide value to prospective clients? Is the page written for an older Google search algorithm and can benefit from a rewrite? 

Deleting pages should always be a last resort. If your page or blog post can benefit from new information, keep and update the content. 

What Updates to Make to Existing Pages

As you manually go through our older pages, spelling and grammar mistakes are typically very obvious. However, sometimes deciding what updates to make is less apparent. Consider the following:

  • Can recent headlines replace old news stories?
  • How current are the statistics? 
  • Can external links be updated with more relevant sources?
  • Are the keyword phrases up-to-date?
  • Have the laws changed, or are there proposed bills that could affect the law? 

For example, some states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana while others have proposed legislation. A defense firm may need to update their practice pages and articles to reflect the new law or make a note of potential changes. Google loves frequent updates with valuable information. One change in the law could lead to numerous pages in need of updates. 

How Blue Seven Content Provides the Best New Law Firm Content

Blue Seven Content specializes in SEO-rich content for legal firms. With the expected growth of the legal services market continuing to drive competition, you need the best new law firm content to stand out against competitors and establish a trustworthy, successful reputation. 

Our writers provide high-quality, well-researched pages customized for each client. We can breathe new life into older, outdated pages by revising and adding content. Every time your site updates an existing page, Google indexes the new information. Frequent indexing will improve your website’s Google rankings. 

Schedule a consultation today and speak with one of our highly experienced SEO writers. You can call us at (843) 580-3158 or click here to send a message. 

Written By Morgan Sprinkle – Legal Content Writer

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Law Firm Translation – Why Your Website Needs to Be Translated to Spanish Today

Have you thought about law firm translation services? In a growing, ever-diversifying world, changes are often required. With a large and growing number of Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States of America, it has come to the attention of many firms around the country that law firm SEO must be accommodating to this reality. It is therefore true that the best law firm content is one that includes Spanish on its webpage as they adjust to the times. 

Here at Blue Seven Content, we are committed to educating the public on new SEO trends while simultaneously offering the very best services for all of your online legal marketing needs.

The Numbers Send a Clear Message

It is now estimated that over 13% of the American population speaks Spanish, rounding out the figure at about 37 million hispanophones. To put this in perspective, the United States is fifth in the number of Spanish speakers of any country on Earth. We, as a nation, have more Spanish speakers than Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and a slew of other native Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. 

In the coming years, it is expected that with the population growth the country is experiencing, the United States will surpass Spain and even Argentina to become the country with the third-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.

Many law firms make the mistake of overlooking the Hispanic and Latino population of the United States. Spanish is present in every state in the country, and its outlook for growth only further provides proof that the language will need more attention over time. 

The opportunity to translate your website into Spanish is therefore one that is a near-necessity if you wish to capture new audiences and gain a competitive edge over other law firms. Missing out on nearly one-seventh of the American population due to issues with communication is a potentially detrimental mistake.

Secondary Effects of Translating Your Website

Expanding your audience will have other impacts that are consistent with those seen across the field of marketing. With a commitment to community and diversity, your law firm will begin to gain credibility amongst Spanish speakers and English speakers alike as they begin to take note of how your firm is dedicated to working with the community and adjusting to its needs. 

It should be remembered as well that your network will be able to flourish with your newfound commitment to a marginalized community. Even with over hundreds of Spanish newspapers, magazines, and publishers in the United States, one of the primary means of referencing within communities that speak a language that is not the official language is word-of-mouth. Expanding services to Spanish speakers will make them more likely to recommend you to friends and families where you otherwise would not have been able to market your services.

The Baseline for Online Marketing – SEO and Rankings

Of course, the bread and butter of legal marketing is search engine optimization. It has been revealed that including reliable SEO material in other languages boosts Google Analytics and performance in search engine rankings. This is a critical step for so many firms that are constantly vying for the top spots on Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Your firm will not only be utilizing completely novel SEO keywords (with the use of a different language) but will be also pleasing the algorithm as it recognizes non-machine translation of a webpage.

Why Machine Translation Doesn’t Get the Job Done

Despite the aforementioned reasons for providing Spanish translations on a website, it is often the opinion of law firms that they do not need to manually translate their pages as Google translate and other machine-based translation services are available to them at the click of a button.

It is a common misconception to those unfamiliar with machine translations and the cultural intricacies of languages that these are largely unreliable. Unfortunately, technology has only come so far. As it currently stands, machine translation services still make many elementary errors in their translations. This is often the case when anything such as a compound sentence is processed through an online machine translation service. Law firm translation services need to be done by a qualified person, not a machine.

Cultural and Nuanced Considerations in Machine Translations

Apart from simple errors in grammar and spelling, there is a larger underlying issue regarding machine translations. Languages are extremely complex and have an insanely large amount of nuances within small amounts of language. This means that, for example, while the word “lamp” may mean a light fixture that sits on a table or the ground in English, its Spanish equivalent may only refer to light fixtures that sit on the top of a table. 

On many occasions, there’s more than one word to describe what we only have one word for in English. While this is a completely fictional example, there are an infinite amount of words with different nuances between the two languages that are not able to be picked up by a machine.

Law firm translation services can increase your client base.

Speakers’ intentions and cultural considerations are also important when considering hiring a translator versus using machine translation. Spanish has two voices for formality, for example. Even more compelling, across all varieties of Spanish, there are five different ways to say the word “you”. 

Machine translation is not able to tell in which voice and to what audience you are directing your message. On top of this complexity, there are cultural considerations to taking the place such as what may come across as rude or too forthcoming for an individual that was born into a different culture. All of these are important to remember when moving forth with a translation campaign for your webpage.

Want to Get the Leg-Up on Your Competitors? Contact Blue Seven Content Today for Law Firm Translation

As previously covered, there are more than enough reasons to decide to translate your law firm websites into Spanish. Everything from potential clients to law firm SEO greatly benefits from this addition to your website. It has been proven time and time again that the best law firm content is one that is readable and accessible to people from all walks of life. 

By investing in law firm translation and legal SEO copywriter, your business will benefit greatly from the uptick in visits to your website and eventual clients that you’re able to take on from Spanish-speaking clients. For more information on law firm SEO, translations, and online marketing, please visit the Blue Seven Content website by clicking here or calling (843) 580-3158 and getting connected with a passionate and experienced legal copywriter.

Written By Ian Shotts – Legal Content Writer

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Law Firm SEO – 15 Tips From Legal Copywriting Experts

You need a law firm SEO strategy – you just don’t know it. If you’re an attorney or law firm that wants (needs) a steady stream of quality clients, you can’t afford to ignore the vast client potential available on the web. It’s where more people go to find answers to the problems they are trying to solve. The trick is to get your services in front of the users who are looking. And that requires search engine optimization (SEO).

Pleasing Google bots is the goal of SEO. When the bots like what they see in content, it equals positive ranking factors. Positive ranking factors tell Google to rank the content higher in the search engine results pages (SERP). The higher content is ranked in search engine results, the better the chances it will be seen by the people you want as clients. 

Statistics show that most people will make their selection from the results that appear on the first page of Google search results. According to Smart Insights, 77% of user clicks go to the top five organic (non-paid) search results. Needless to say, there is fierce competition to gain one of those coveted five spots for whatever keywords are targeted. 

Law firms that create content optimized for search engines greatly improve their chances of getting their name and their services in front of potential clients. But that’s only half the battle. After getting the click, the content needs to keep users on the site to show Google that the content is good stuff and should be shown to more people. 

Copywriting is how you hook someone’s attention with your legal content and keep them interested in learning more. The best content conveys empathy for the problem and instills confidence that the law firm can provide the most satisfactory solution. 

Desktop or mobile, your clients are using the web to find you. Law firm SEO is critical.
  1. What is Law Firm SEO?
  2. Technical SEO – Law Firm Website Mechanics
  3. Legal Copywriting Incorporates SEO
  4. 15 Tips to Improve the Reach and Engagement of Legal Content
  5. What You Have to Keep in Mind About Law Firm SEO

What is Law Firm SEO?

Law firm SEO is mostly about content. It’s about content written in such a way that search engine bots know that the content is a top source for the information that people are searching for. It’s about content that is an authoritative and trusted source of information others are willing to share. 

What law firm SEO is not about is prioritizing SEO over the quality of the content or the user experience. Google may actually penalize content that violates their quality guidelines by trying to manipulate the algorithm or deceive users in some way. 

Good law firm SEO is striking a balance between optimizing for search engines and providing valuable and engaging content for users. 

Technical SEO – Law Firm Website Mechanics

It’s important to mention that well optimized, superbly engaging content may not perform well in search engines or with users if a site’s pages do not load quickly. Page load time is a ranking factor that Google considers. And page load time is definitely a factor that a person attempting to access a website considers. 

Moreover, pages need to load quickly in a format compatible with mobile device users. There are nearly 100,000 Google searches every second. About 60% of the search volume is on mobile devices, and the numbers continue to grow. Mobile users also have the highest bounce rate, which speaks to the need to make sure mobile users will have a good experience on a law firm’s website. Google offers a free mobile-friendly test where you can input your website URL for an evaluation. 

Think of SEO as a crucial component of digital legal copywriting. Once SEO does its job of getting a law firm’s content in front of a searching audience, copywriting connects the words to the reader and gets them to take that critical next step toward becoming a client. When content appeals to a user, Google takes that as a favorable sign which boosts the chances of higher rankings.

After Google ranks a site, it further evaluates how well it’s done based on user actions. One of the metrics that Google uses to evaluate how well it was able to match content to a search query is the click-through rate (CTR) of searchers to a law firm’s website. The more often people click through to a law firm’s website, the more Google learns to trust that site as a credible source of information. 

Google also monitors how long a user remains on a page after clicking through – referred to as a user’s dwell time. The more time a user spends on a website, the more favorably Google views the site. 

15 Tips to Improve the Reach and Engagement of Legal Content

Legal content writers integrate SEO into copywriting. The content must be able to appeal to two different audiences and must find the right balance to attract both. Good legal copywriting will have that magical combination of getting your content in front of the people you want to reach and then convincing those people to pick up the phone or fill out your contact form. 

The following tips will help law firms improve their content marketing. 

  1. Plan your content – Make sure you include information users might want or need to know, answers to questions that users would likely ask, and why your law firm is the best choice to solve the user’s problem.
  1. Don’t be afraid to be specific – Content that provides detailed answers to narrowly focused questions can rank high for users with a very specific search query.
  1. Use a keyword research tool to learn what terms people are searching for that relate to your practice areas and the popularity of particular keywords.
  1. See what your competition is doing. Search the keywords you want to rank for and see what others are doing that you may be able to learn from and improve upon.
  1. Don’t overuse keywords or risk offending Google for keyword stuffing and detracting from the user experience. A general rule of thumb is to limit what’s known as keyword density to 2% of the content. A quick way to measure keyword density is to divide the number of times a keyword is used by the total word count of the piece. 
  1. Link to one or two credible outside sources such as a statute, a relevant news article, statistics compiled by a legitimate agency, or a scientific or educational study.
  1. Use internal links strategically. It helps keep people on your site and shows Google you have good content. Google interprets internal links as pointing to important pages. You can make Google recognize particular pages as important by having more internal links to them.
  1. Keep the paragraphs short. Walls of text are a reason to bounce. Try paragraphs of three, four, or five sentences.
  1. Make the information easy to consume. Use bullet points and lists. Get to the point. Don’t use more words than necessary or useful. 
  1. Use familiar language and avoid using legal terminology that isn’t widely understood. 
  1. Be consistent with style, terminology, and facts throughout all content. If you decide to refer to your potential clients as ‘survivors’ rather than ‘victims’, make sure all of the relevant content uses the same terminology. When similar facts are used in different content, make sure that you’re not providing inconsistent information. 
  1. Write with empathy so that the content is more likely to connect with the user and keep them engaged. Have you ever been where your clients are when they come to you? Do you know someone who has? How can you let users know that you understand what they need and can help? Do you have something personal you can share? This might be a line or two in the opening paragraph or a bit at the end as part of your call to action. 
  1. Don’t be afraid of writing longer content. If the content is well written and provides accurate and useful information, people find it a better resource and are more likely to share it. Google takes this as a good sign. 1,000 words per piece are starting to become the minimum for legal content. Pieces 1,500 to 2,000 words can work really well for in-depth discussions of practice areas and other relevant legal topics.
  1. Update older content – especially foundational content. Updating content tells Google that something is new, and Google likes fresh content. It also gives you a chance to review keywords for continued relevance, test links to make sure they are still accurate, and update any firm information or modify an out-of-date call to action. Updating older content can serve the same purpose as creating new content while also saving precious time and keeping your website current.
  1. Make your metadata work for you. Metadata is input when content is uploaded to the web and is what people see in their search results pages in the form of a title tag and a meta description. The title tag is the first line of a result and should be informative and concise. Meta descriptions appear under the title tag and provide a little more detail about the content. Metadata should summarize the content and include keywords to help both search engines and users understand what the content is about. Good metadata is the hook that gets the click. 

What You Have to Keep in Mind About Law Firm SEO

Law firm SEO is an ongoing and long-term marketing strategy. It’s about building goodwill with users who are then more likely to become clients when in need of your services. And it is a must for law firms that are looking to stand out and continue to grow their businesses in an ever more competitive online marketplace.  

Writing legal content that gets seen and converts users to clients is part science and part art. 

The people who are handling the digital marketing efforts for a law firm really need to know what they are doing, which requires having the time to dedicate to learning about it and becoming good at it. 

There are only so many hours in a day, and if you would rather not try to find an extra one or two to spend figuring out how to create amazing legal content, Blue Seven Content can help with that. 

At Blue Seven, we specialize in creating well-researched, authoritative, original legal content that is optimized to achieve the best results for our clients. Many of our legal content writers have JDs or experience working in the legal profession. We can write any type of content for a law firm website, including:

  • Landing pages
  • Practice area pages
  • Blog posts
  • FAQ pages
  • Attorney bios or ‘about us’ pages

If you are interested in exceptional quality at a fair price, call us at 843-580-3158 or contact us here to discuss your law firm’s legal content needs. 

Written by Mari Gaines, JD – Legal Content Writer

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Keywords for Lawyers: How to Craft Strong Keyword Campaigns for Law Firms

By now, it is widely known that keyword campaigns and search engine optimization (SEO) have huge impacts on the ability of one’s business to succeed. This is especially true for law firms that are constantly vying for new clients amongst the large playing field of attorneys that people have to choose from. Law firm keyword campaigns can help.

As the newest and most popular form of marketing in the 21st century is the internet, you must play by its rules to stand above the rest. To learn more about how you can better market your law firm with strong keyword campaigns, please reach out to Blue Seven Content, where you will find the best law firm content writers out there.

Why Do I Need a Law Firm Keyword Campaign? 

Keyword campaigns are the bread and butter of law firm SEO. With the vast majority of the American population using the internet when looking for goods and services, it is absolutely imperative that a law firm’s marketing strategies are up-to-date. This is even more important when other factors are considered, such as a firm’s reputation and the wide array of other lawyers attempting to out-market their competitors. Ultimately, your primary goal with a keyword campaign is ensuring that your firm ends up on top of search engine results when potential clients try to find law firm websites to turn to after needing legal assistance.

Keyword campaigns are, most notably, included in practice area landing pages and blogs. Practice area pages are the content that gives the reader a general overview of what your firm does and how it does it – the general landing page for a given practice area. Whether it be dog bites or motorcycle accidents, this is a law firm’s opportunity to capture the attention of clientele and reel them in. This is a critical page to have pop up on search engines as this page will be viewed at much higher rates than most other pages on your site. 

Yet there is still another category of pages that the keyword campaign should be utilized on: blogs. Singular blogs may be viewed less than your practice area landing pages, but are still important because updating your site regularly will appease the algorithm associated with search engine optimization. By combining a healthy stream of blogs with the use of an effective keyword campaign, you will ensure that your law firm website will begin to rise in the Google rankings. This comprehensive approach to online legal marketing is the best way to ensure that more people will start picking up the phone to request your services.

Make sure to create a strong keyword campaign for your law firm – and stick with it.

What Should I Target with Keywords?

There are a some main topics that you should be targeting your keywords towards. By selecting the correct and most relevant target areas for your campaign, you will be reaching the audience most likely to need the services your firm provides. The importance of this is exemplified through over-generalized marketing tactics that are too broad or too narrow, driving away potential customers. The goal of this targeting strategy is to let the reader know that your firm is serving clients just like them. 

  • Geographical area – All law firms serve a particular geographical region. It is important that you reach potential clients within the geographical area in which you operate. Therefore, sometimes using too broad of language lessens the number of people who eventually reach out and contact you. Your keywords should be more focused on cities that you are operating in, as well as counties – especially for more rural areas.
  • Practice area – This is one of the most important areas of law firm SEO. The practice areas that you are marketing within a practice area page or blog will be critical as a search engine scours the internet for matches. This can include personal injury law, white-collar defense law, slips and falls, or whatever practice area you are hoping to get more clients for. In any case, the client will want to know that the firm in question can undoubtedly handle their case before reaching out.
  • Attorneys – In addition to including information that highlights where your firm is and what type of law it deals with, you want to include the title of the people that work there. In spelling out the type of attorneys that work for your firm, the Google algorithm will be able to better recommend your services to potential clients.
  • Name of your firm – Part of a keyword campaign is creating a foundation for whatever landing page internet searchers are met with. You should include the name of your law firm so as to not make your content too general that it gets lost in the mix of other law firm practice area pages and blogs.

Strong Keyword Formats for Law Firms 

Different keyword formats are preferred in search engine optimization. While these are common at present, it is important to remember that search engine optimization is constantly changing. Your best option when trying to decide how to craft the best keyword campaign for your law firm website is by consulting the legal SEO copywriters in the game from a law firm content company.

One suggestion is to place the geographical location at the beginning of a phrase, such as “Charleston personal injury attorney” or “Charleston car accidents.” This lines up well with the types of sentences and phrases submitted in search engines by clients looking for lawyers. However, there are additional phrases that people may submit, such as placing the geographic location at the end of the sentence. Consider the phrase, “Car accident attorney in Charlotte.” This is an everyday phrase that Google and Yahoo want to see. By varying your wording on your pages, you will retain readability in your writing while also adhering to the rules of search engine optimization.

The One-Stop Shop for Your Law Firm Keyword Campaign and Content

Clearly, search engine optimization is one of the most important cogs that you will need in your marketing machine. The utilization of a strong keyword campaign will complement the SEO algorithms that dictate your law firm’s performance in capturing new clients. If you would like to learn more about how your firm can improve its marketing strategies and reach a wider audience, please send a message to some of the best legal content writers with Blue Seven Content by clicking here or calling (843) 580-3158. Our team is dedicated to the success of our clients.

Written By Ian Shotts – Legal Content Writer

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Law Firm SEO Speed Dating: Will You Be My Writer?

Writing is an art, especially law firm SEO content writing. Everyone can write, but only a few spend the time to perfect it, or at least make attempts to perfect it. Like art, the beauty of writing is subject to the viewer. Not all readers like the same type of writing, and not all writing is for your average reader. 

How do you know which writer is a good fit for your site? Blue Seven Content focuses only on written content. Our hiring process is intensive because we only want writers who are dedicated to their passion for writing. Like any good matchmaker, we assess our client’s needs with the strengths of our writers to make a sustainable match to help grow your business. 

How Do We Assign the Best Law Firm SEO Writer For You?

When you choose Blue Seven Content, you choose to work with a team of elite writers with various backgrounds, degrees, and levels of experience. After the initial meet and greet with the co-founders Allen Watson and Victoria Lozano, they will assess your current content. 

The assessment is an opportunity to ask questions about the needs and wants of the client. Here are some common questions: 

  • Do you want to elevate your content? 
  • Are you happy with the length of your articles? 
  • Are there certain pages that rank lower than others? 
  • Do you want your content to sound empathetic or authoritative? 

These are an example of a few questions that help Allen and Victoria understand the nature of the project to make an initial match. Let the speed dating begin!

How We Navigate the First Date 

Blue Seven Content understands the nuances of writing. Writing is an art, but unfortunately, it comes with a high level of subjectivity. Thankfully the writers, and founders, are not easily offended. 

For example, suppose you hire Blue Seven Content for 10 pages worth of work. Instead of delivering all 10 pages within two weeks, they suggest a trial period. This trial period will give the client a few pages to preview. 

Like a first date, the client gets to engage with the text and see if the initial impression is worth pursuing or if it’s not quite the perfect fit. 

Is This a Perfect Match? 

We meet with clients again to get their feedback and overall impression of the text. Sometimes the initial previews are a hit, and the match is perfect. The client likes the writer, and we continue with the transaction. 

If the client does not like the content, then can we switch up the writer. (Hence the speed dating metaphor!) We have an array of writers that offer different levels of writing and research. Because we know that some areas are more prolific than others, we have JDs on our staff waiting to write more in-depth articles that sometimes require intimate knowledge of the law. 

We also have writers who are trained to write with the “particulars” of the client in mind. Each client is unique (another dating metaphor) and comes with a certain set of rules and expectations. 

Our writers are trained to review those rules and write according to the client’s needs. One writer may have four different clients, and they are trained to approach each client in the way specified in the initial assessment. 

Find a writer who really understands your law firm and can get the SEO content you need out to the world.

Find the Best Legal Content Writer For You 

Finding the right law firm SEO writer for your blogs, landing pages, practice area pages, press releases, etc. is not an easy process. Like dating, you are going to go through a lot of no’s before you find a yes. If you are interested in learning more about how we assess a client’s needs and match them with our best writers you can schedule a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158. 

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Law Firm Websites Use The Know-Like-Trust Factor To Gain More Clients

The Know-Like-Trust (KTL) factor is a common concept in marketing, and matters for law firm websites. It is based on the simple premise that people are generally more inclined to conduct business with companies they know, like, and trust. When incorporated into your law firm content, it can mean more qualified leads, high conversion ratings, and overall increases in profits. 

At Blue Seven Content, we only work with the best legal content writers, who are well-versed in the most successful law firm marketing strategies. Find out how they use the KLT factor to help law firm websites gain more clients.  

  1. Why the Know-Like-Trust (KTL) Factor is Important for Law Firm Websites
  2. Incorporating Know-Like-Trust (KLT) Into Your Law Firm Website Marketing Strategy
  3. The Best Law Firm Content Relies on the Know-Like-Trust Factor
  4. Looking for the Best Law Firm Content Writers? Contact Blue Seven Today

Why the Know-Like-Trust (KTL) Factor is Important for Law Firm Websites

Considering the fierce competition among businesses and the number of outlets available for reaching potential clients, marketing efforts matter now more than ever. According to Northwestern University, the number one marketing school in the country, identifying a target audience, utilizing customer insights, and effectively positioning your brand form the foundation for a successful campaign.

With any company, establishing yourself as an expert in your field and developing a relationship with prospective clients is a top priority. This is particularly true for law firms. People seek legal help for pressing, often highly sensitive matters. These can impact their personal lives, their relationships with others, their reputation in the community, and their overall sense of financial security. How does the know-like-trust principle factor into the equation and why is it so important for law firm websites?

  • It concentrates marketing efforts to those most likely to benefit from your services;
  • It conveys empathy and understanding of the legal issues people face;
  • It establishes you as an expert in the field;
  • It encourages a sense of community and instills confidence in your abilities. 

Combined, these qualities translate into more qualified leads, greater conversion rates, and ultimately, increased revenue. 

Incorporating Know-Like-Trust (KLT) Into Your Law Firm Website Marketing Strategy

People seek out legal advice and services when they are dealing with complex and often private or sensitive legal matters, such as criminal charges, divorce, contracts or other business dealings, immigration issues, and personal injuries. Naturally, they want to work with legal professionals that they feel they know, like, and trust. 

As a result,  the Know-Like-Trust (KLT) factor is a key consideration when creating landing pages, blog posts, and other types of law firm website content. The following explains more about the KLT factor and how our legal content writers incorporate it as part of a successful law firm content marketing strategy: 

Know

The first step is to identify the varied needs of your target audience. Use the best legal content writers to create custom SEO legal content geared toward addressing those needs.  Post regularly on social media websites, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, sharing links to your website and content. Consider targeted ad campaigns as well, offer to do guest posts on legal industry websites, create YouTube videos, and explore other options, such as community seminars or teaching non-credit classes, for reaching potential clients. 

Like

Once you identify ways of reaching your target audience, work on developing a relationship with them. Share information about your law firm, individual attorneys, paralegals, and other staff members, and provide glimpses into your daily routine, personal life, hobbies, and other activities. Share professional acknowledgments or special honors you have received, charitable works your law firm performs in the community, and any social or legal issues you advocate. 

Trust

After targeting and engaging your audience, establish yourself as an expert in the legal field and someone who can be counted on to provide solutions to the often complex legal problems people face. Compelling, well-researched, and targeted SEO legal content plays a key role in building trust. Use it to share general information and insights on how the law applies in different situations. Provide answers to commonly asked questions, explain what to expect when visiting your office, highlight top case results, and provide links to client reviews/testimonials. 

Establishing trust can be done by providing well-written, relevant content on a law firm’s website.

The Best Law Firm Content Relies on the Know-Like-Trust Factor

Considering the fierce competition in the legal field, having a strong marketing strategy is a requirement. According to the National Law Review, strong website content sets the stage for all other marketing efforts. It positions you as an authority, attracts qualified leads to your website, and helps in increasing your revenue by converting them into paying clients. 

At Blue Seven, we employ the best legal content writers in the industry.  Our team relies on the know-like-trust factor and other highly effective marketing concepts, such as law firm marketing funnels, in creating the types of content law firm websites need to generate profits. This includes: 

  • Landing pages: Geographically targeted, practice area-specific landing pages help to ensure relevance in search results and increase rankings. They emphasize the need for legal help, highlight areas of expertise, and detail the practical ways in which you serve your clients.   
  • Blog posts: Perfect for sharing on social media, blog posts play a major role in law firm marketing, increasing visibility and helping potential clients get to know you better. These can address general legal issues or more specific problems. They can also be geo-targeted to reflect current news in your community. 
  • Downloadable guides: These establish your authority in the legal field and create value for law firm website visitors. By requiring an email or other contact information prior to downloading, these are a great way for your law firm to get qualified leads. 
  • FAQ pages: Pages focused on answering frequently asked questions build trust and establish you as an authority. They should provide answers to legal questions that attract and appeal to both broad and specific audiences. 
  • Attorney profile pages: By highlighting personal interests and professional accomplishments, attorney profile pages help prospective clients get to know you better and build trust. 

Looking for the Best Law Firm Content Writers? Contact Blue Seven Today

Law firm websites face fierce competition. Having a sound content marketing strategy is key to attracting visitors and converting them into clients. At Blue Seven Content, our team employs marketing concepts proven to be successful, such as the Know-Like-Trust factor, to increase search rankings, page views, and conversion ratings.  

Looking for the best law firm content writers? Reach out and call or contact Blue Seven online to request a consultation today. We offer flexible packages and prices to meet the budgets and content needs for law firm websites of all sizes. 

Written By Kim Zackowski – Legal Content Writer

Kimberly Zackowski is an experienced freelance writer/journalist from Myrtle Beach, SC. With her background as a paralegal, she creates website content for law firms throughout the country. Connect with Kim on LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram @coastalcontentwriter. 

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

The Best Law Firm Content For Each Stage of The Marketing Funnel

Law firm marketing funnels identify the path people take on on their way to becoming prospective clients. The best law firm content is geared to each stage of the marketing funnel. It starts out broadly in raising brand awareness then narrows to address specific needs. The final stage encourages action, converting website visitors into qualified leads. Find out more about the role law firm marketing funnels play in developing a successful content strategy and funnel models the best legal content writers use in helping you achieve your goals. 

  1. Law Firm Marketing And Content Strategy
  2. Law Firm Marketing Funnels: The AIDA Model
  3. How To Customize Law Firm Content For Marketing Funnels 
  4. Blue Seven Content Helps Law Firms Reach Their Marketing Goals

Law Firm Marketing And Content Strategy

According to the American Bar Association (ABA), of the close to half a million law firms in the United States, nearly 90 percent have a website. This translates into more than 350,000 teams of attorneys, all competing for prospective clients. To stand out from the crowd, you need a strong content strategy. 

This is where marketing comes in. The goal is not just to create content that puts your law firm’s name in front of as many people as possible. Instead, marketing efforts focus on creating a buyer persona and identifying key actions throughout the conversion process. A marketing funnel plays an important role in this process, clarifying goals and informing content strategy. 

Law Firm Marketing Funnels: The AIDA Model

Marketing funnels have been around for over a hundred years and are highly effective in law firm marketing. The funnel begins at the top (the widest part) where you aim at attracting a targeted audience. It narrows as you focus your efforts on informing and engaging readers. The final step is converting them into prospective clients.  

The first marketing funnel was the AIDA model, created in the late 1800s by U.S. sales and advertising pioneer Elias. St. Elmo Lewis. Highly regarded among the best legal content writers, it continues to inform and influence content strategy today. AIDA stands for:

  • Attention – Capture the attention of your audience and raise brand awareness by engaging on social media and gearing content toward increasing search engine rankings. 
  • Interest – Once you have your target audience’s attention, use content to pique their interests. Provide details about your firm, practice areas, and the services you provide.  
  • Desire – Create desire by showing empathy with your target audience, addressing their concerns, and elaborating on pressing legal issues they face. 
  • Action – Emphasize the value your law firm offers and encourage readers to take action, either through a phone call or submitting online forms. 
The AIDA Model, though it’s been around a while, still explains consumer behavior.

How To Customize Law Firm Content For Marketing Funnels 

The AIDA model is just one type of marketing funnel. Another model popular among marketing professionals goes under the acronym ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu. Named for each specific area of the funnel, it provides an efficient and effective strategy for creating the best law firm content. The following details what each abbreviation stands for and the types of content best geared to that particular stage of the marketing funnel: 

Top of the funnel (ToFu)

The focus is on capturing attention and increasing brand awareness. The best law firm content to achieve this goal includes:

  • Landing pages: These help to increase ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs). Create a page for each location, each area of law you practice, and the different types of cases you handle. Being thorough could pay off and trigger a Featured Snippet. This attracts further attention, increases brand awareness, and helps establish you as an authority.  
  • About us pages: Create a page providing details about when your firm was established, the types of cases you handle, and notable awards or professional affiliations. Include one for each attorney who works at your office. List their education, background, professional achievements, and brief information on hobbies or their personal life.   
  • Reviews/Top Case Results: Share positive reviews from other clients and top results from cases you have handled.   
  • Blog posts: Post frequently on topics that cover specific areas of law, address common concerns, and highlight local news or events. Share links to these posts on your LinkedIn or other social media pages. 
  • Videos: Script videos on a variety of topics and share on YouTube, TikTok, or other social media sites to gain followers. 
Landing pages, infographics, videos, and more will all get visitors to your website towards the end goal – becoming clients.

Middle of the funnel (MoFu)

This is where you focus on deepening your client’s interests in your law firm and addressing specific issues and concerns they have. Common types of content for middle of the funnel marketing includes: 

  • FAQ pages: Answer questions about the law, specific types of cases, and why someone might need an attorney.
  • Blog posts: Continue to post blogs regularly and cover more specific information. As an example, a personal injury attorney might want to elaborate on different causes of accidents, common types of injuries, and damages available in a claim. 
  • White papers: Create in-depth reports on complex cases and provide opinions on trending legal topics relevant to your practice area. 
  • Infographics: These offer a quick way to share facts and figures with your readers. 

Bottom of the funnel (BoFu)

This is where you focus on converting website visitors into clients. Content for this stage of the marketing funnel includes: 

  • Blog posts: These should reiterate the need for an attorney, detail important matters to discuss, and outline what to bring to a consultation. 
  • Downloadable guides: Create long-form articles and booklets that provide in-depth information on relevant topics. Makes these available as free downloads in exchange for an email address or other contact information. 
  • Contact page: This should summarize your services, emphasize the importance of getting legal help, and reiterate the value your law firm offers. Include your contact information and an online form. 
  • Calls to action (CTA): These encourage the reader to contact your law firm and request a consultation. Include them in other content and make them visible on each website page.  

Blue Seven Content Helps Law Firms Reach Their Marketing Goals

If you want the best law firm content, you need the best law firm content writers. Professionals who not only understand marketing funnels and how they work but how to cater them to your specific needs. At Blue Seven, we create compelling, custom content to engage readers at each stage of their journey to becoming clients. To discuss a content strategy, call or contact us online and request a free consultation today. 

Written By Kim Zackowski – Legal Content Writer

Kimberly Zackowski is an experienced freelance writer/journalist from Myrtle Beach, SC. With her background as a paralegal, she creates website content for law firms throughout the country. Connect with Kim on LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram @coastalcontentwriter. 

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

How to Get the Best Law Firm Website Content: 7 Essential Steps

You want the best content law firm website content, but how do you get it? Do you turn to your attorneys, paralegals, or legal assistants?

Maybe.

Do you find an all-in-one legal marketing agency?

Perhaps.

Those are options, but probably not your best ones. When you’re searching for the best legal content writers, there are seven essential steps you can take to ensure you’re on the right path.  

  1. 1. Quality: Rise to a Higher Standard for the Best Law Firm Content
  2. 2. Pricing: Don’t Reach for Rock Bottom Pricing
  3. 3. Experience: Use Experienced Legal Content Writers
  4. 4. Communication: Do Your Legal Writers Communicate Regularly
  5. 5. Ability to Meet Deadlines: Is the Content Turned in On Time
  6. 6. Willingness to Accept Feedback: How do Your Writers Handle Feedback?
  7. 7. Rewrites: How Much Will Rewrites Cost Your Law Firm?
  8. Get Started With the Best Law Firm Content Today

1. Quality: Rise to a Higher Standard for the Best Law Firm Content

Quality is key. However, all too often, we see that content on law firm websites is sub-par quality. Now, you do not need to have college reading levels on your website, but you do need to have content that is well-written.

What we have discovered is that everybody thinks they are a writer. After all, anyone can type out some words on a keyboard and make them appear on a screen. That does not mean, however, that the writing is any good. You have to be honest with yourself and your abilities. Some people are great orators. Some people are great researchers. This does not necessarily mean that they are great writers. Writing is a skill that some people have, and some people don’t have.

Great writing skills are not the only ingredient for quality content. You also have to understand how these pages should be formatted. You need to find a writer who understands how to use headings appropriately and how to craft a clear message with shorter paragraphs, short sentences, and bullet points.

Importantly, you have to find a legal content writer who understands keywords and how to implement them into your content without seemingly forcing them down a reader’s throat.

Finding the best legal content writing quality is tough, but not impossible.

2. Pricing: Don’t Reach for Rock Bottom Pricing

Go to Upwork and type in “law firm content writer.” I dare you. You’ll see plenty of people looking for exactly what you are looking for – someone to craft the content for their particular website. If you have never used a website like Upwork, then what you do not know is that every post is going to get hundreds of applications from individuals all vying to become the lowest bidder. Yes, I am sure you would get very excited to pay $10 for a 1,000-word blog post for your law firm. At those rates, you could create pages and blog posts for your entire website for a few hundred dollars.

What I know is that you’re likely going to be very disappointed with the work that you get if you chase the lowest rates.

Perhaps you are a legal professional. Maybe you are a legal marketing agency looking for writers right now. You are a professional, and the only way for you to maintain your professional reputation is to work with other professionals. Writing is a profession, and you have to treat it as such when looking for the best legal content providers.

Search around for the best pricing options, yes, but the lowest price is almost never going to be your best option. Time and time again, we have worked with clients who went with the lower-priced option only to discover that it was a complete disaster. We have been asked to redo other writers’ work more time than we can count, and it pains me. It pains me because I know the client has already paid for content once and is now having to pay us for content again.

By the way, we usually just scrap the old content and create fresh content anew in these situations.

3. Experience: Use Experienced Legal Content Writers

It does not matter what field you are in or what kind of services you need; experience matters. I say this (Allen) as a person who had absolutely no legal content writing experience when I first started in this field. I was swimming without floaties. But I learned. I also know this only worked because I was already an experienced writer. But even then, it took me a significant amount of time to really understand how to write quality legal content. When I go back and look at the first law firm practice area pages I wrote, I cringe. They were just not that great. However, they were better than some of the content that I still see getting put up on law firm websites, so that’s saying something.

You want to find a team of content writers who have experience handling law firm practice area pages, law firm blog posts, law firm landing pages, and any other type of content that you need.

Have you ever worked with an employee or contractor who just could not communicate well? It can quickly become a nightmare, particularly when you have deadlines and a need for your content right away.

When you are working with legal content writers, we understand that this is usually through a contract or freelance writing situation. Since these individuals are not actual employees, you cannot dictate when or how they complete their work. The only thing you can really do is give them a deadline and ask for the work to be done by then.

However, just because a person is a freelancer does not mean that they shouldn’t communicate regularly. The best law firm content writers in the business stay in regular contact with their point person. You want a content writer who asks you more questions, not less. You want a writer who will let you know if there are any issues coming up with deadlines.

Good communication skills between clients and writers are perhaps one of the most important parts of this whole relationship.

5. Ability to Meet Deadlines: Is the Content Turned in On Time

Deadlines are important. If they weren’t, then there wouldn’t be any deadline, I suppose. Everything has a deadline, and one of the most important skills law firm content writers learn very early is that deadlines need to be met.

Yes, there are times when emergencies arise. However, this should not be the norm. If a content writer experiences an emergency, they should communicate this to their client as soon as possible. What we have found is that early communication typically means that arrangements can be made. Clients appreciate it when you let them know what is going on so that they can adjust. Usually, the client extends the deadline, but that may not be possible. If the writer communicates early enough, the client can find someone else to handle the work. There is nothing worse than a client finding out the day before the deadline or the day of the deadline that the work will not be complete. This can really put clients in a bind.

If you are ever working with a legal content writer who consistently fails to meet deadlines, this is a problem, and you should probably look somewhere else for another writer.

You need a law firm content writer who consistently meets deadlines.

6. Willingness to Accept Feedback: How do Your Writers Handle Feedback?

No two clients are exactly alike. It does not matter how long we have been in the legal writing business, we know that every time we sign a new law firm or agency on board that we will have to adjust to their specific formatting and styles.

One of the first things that we tell clients is that before we officially start working with one another, we would like to do a few test pages (paid of course – NEVER ask a writer to work for free). These test pages give the client and us a good idea about whether or not this will be a good working relationship moving forward. The client can give us feedback about their expectations, and we can adjust moving forward with future content.

Additionally, there will never be a case when a client gets perfect content 100% of the time. While you should expect your legal content writer to produce content that is almost always error-free, there will be mistakes that go through. Even if the law firm content writer uses Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, or another type of editing software, mistakes happen. The important thing to determine is how a writer responds to feedback and moves forward.

7. Rewrites: How Much Will Rewrites Cost Your Law Firm?

Rewrites do happen, though not often. When you begin working with a legal content writer, ask them how much they charge for rewrites. At Blue Seven Content, we have a few policies regarding rewrites.

If we make a mistake, we do not charge for a rewrite. Sometimes, spelling or grammar errors slip through the cracks. Of course, we would not charge to fix this. In other cases, we misinterpret what the client wanted and provide a piece of content that just does not work. Again, if we are the ones who misunderstood what the client needed, we will do the rewrite for free.

If a client fails to properly communicate their expectations, or if they change their mind and decide that they want something else after we finish, then a rewrite will be full price. We own it if we make a mistake, so we expect our clients to own it if they make a mistake.

Get Started With the Best Law Firm Content Today

Finding the right fit for your law firm is tough. It’s like forming a partnership, and that involves trust. We always encourage clients to start with a trial run, perhaps a few pages, to see if they’ve found the best legal content writer for their needs. If you’re interested finding the best law firm website content services, we are ready to get to work. We handle:

To reach out to Allen or Victoria about getting started with Blue Seven Content, you can schedule a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158.

Written by Allen Watson – CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Seven Content

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Law Firm Blog Post Ideas – How to Come Up With Them

Every so often, a blog writer spends hours banging their head against their computer monitor searching for good law firm blog post ideas. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to publish relevant topics that provide readers with exciting and engaging content. However, we at Blue Seven Content have found a few ways to maintain a steady stream of quality law firm blog posts for our clients.  

Look at What Others are Doing

We were all taught in 5th Grade English that plagiarism is wrong and copying someone else’s work would land you in big trouble. However, effective legal advocates identify and utilize tested cases, arguments, citations, and strategies to serve their client’s interests. Blog writing is similar, but with a few caveats.

No, this post is NOT encouraging you to copy/paste someone else’s writing and pass it off as your own. Unlike in law, plagiarizing blog content can cause many issues, including copyright strikes, legal action, and search engines diminishing traffic to your website. Oh yes, many search engine algorithms can identify and flag blogs and web pages that consistently plagiarize other sites to decrease their overall ranking when users utilize their search engine.

Instead, blog writers can look to other blogs for ideas and create their own work based on their unique specifications. In addition, many popular legal databases and legal news sites do an outstanding job of keeping readers informed in nearly every practice area. Although directly using this content is highly discouraged, using these resources as a jumping off point for ideas, can help clear writer’s block.

Talk to Your Colleagues

If you are the designated blogger at your firm and you are looking for new law firm blog post ideas, tap your best resource: an attorney. Many practitioners keep updated on relevant topics that impact the areas of the law they practice. Whether it is a notable appellate court case poised to change a substantive issue relevant to your client base or a new bill making its way through your state’s legislature, there is bound to be someone at your firm keeping tabs on these developments.

Scan the News

At Blue Seven Content, we work very hard to line up our clients practice area pages with news and updates from their specific area. If the client focuses heavily on commercial truck accident litigation and there was a recent crash in their area caused by a negligent trucking company, we have a blog.

A good starting point is Google or other major search engines. If your client wants a work injury page for their Charlotte law firm, type “Charlotte work injury” into the search engine and click the “news” tab at the top of the page. Check to see if there are any new current stories related to the topic.

This strategy works for most practice areas, though you may not find a “hot news story.” You can check and see if there are any new laws that would affect the client’s legal practice. Sometimes, you may have to pull out to the state or national level to get a current story, and that is okay. Blogs are meant to be timely, and they could help the law firm website pick up current traffic surrounding the news story.

No matter what you do, make sure you only use and link to credible sources for your blogs. If you link to less-than-credible sources, other law firms, or sites like Nolo, you’re going to hurt your blogs more than help them.

Stick to the most up-to-date news, data, and statistics for your law firm blog posts

Listservs, Listservs, and More Listservs

One of the best inexpensive resources for many attorneys is access to a listserv. Sure, we all have found ourselves spending hours a day unsubscribing to mailing lists because that 20% off coupon for bath towels has clogged up our inbox for far too long. However, listservs provide invaluable insight into new laws, cases, and regulations that impact various areas of law.

Further, some listservs encourage engagement among subscribers allowing attorneys and legal experts to converse about updates in law and technical questions not readily available through traditional research methods. Many bar associations have accessible mailing lists for subscribers, and there are numerous legal news websites, legal search engines, and advocacy groups updating subscribers with lots of content. Listservs are your friend—trust us.

Blue Seven Content Has Good Law Firm Blog Post Ideas

Our blog post writers at Blue Seven Content have vast experience researching and publishing blog posts to provide readers with relevant and engaging content and help boost traffic to your law firm’s website. Do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158.

Blue Seven Content Uncategorized

Sources For Legal Content: How To Find And Cite Credible Content

Writing legal content is primarily about presenting information that people are looking for, and citing sources for legal content is crucial. It should be specific, thorough, and, above all else, accurate. 

In a world where there is so much information available on every imaginable subject, providing accurate information that people learn they can rely on encourages the building of trust and a strong foundation for long-term business relationships. 

If you are writing legal content as a well-known expert in legal circles your byline may be enough to give credibility to your content. But for most legal writers – who may, in fact, know their subject forward and backward – there is a more recognized authority saying the same thing which adds credibility to a writer’s content.

At Blue Seven Content we stress using only quality sources to support our legal content. Our writers stay up to date on the most current and reliable sources for the jurisdictions we write in so our content is always thoroughly researched, fresh, and accurate. 

  1. Why You Should Use Sources in Your Legal Content
  2. Why it’s Important to Cite Credible Sources
  3. How to Identify and Select Credible Sources
  4. How Many Sources Should You Use?
  5. The Best Way to Cite Your Sources
  6. Would You Like Blue Seven to Handle Your Legal Content?

Why You Should Use Sources in Your Legal Content

Citing sources for the points made in legal content not only legitimizes the content, it also gives proper credit to the originators of the ideas being discussed. Plagiarism is something no writer wants to be accused of and making sure to give credit where it is due keeps everyone happy.  

Providing convenient links for readers to get greater detail further enhances their experience and makes it more likely they will engage with the content for a longer period. 

Why it’s Important to Cite Credible Sources

Citing the sources where you got your information is only part of the equation. You need to vet your sources before linking to them and make sure that people who click through are landing on a source that they will either recognize as being an authority or believe produces information that can be trusted. 

Credible sources are likely to have more staying power so you can be assured that links to their websites or content will continue to be maintained and users won’t have the frustrating experience of ending up with an error message. 

How to Identify and Select Credible Sources

Sources that produce information considered to be more objective and less self-serving are credible sources to cite in legal content. Generally, information found on government (.gov) or educational (.edu) domains is credible. 

At one time the .org domain indicated a charitable organization and thus greater credibility but that is not necessarily the case anymore. Some credible sources may use domain names specific to their industry such as .media for news reporting. 

And even though .com sites tend to be commercial, sometimes the manufacturer of a product is the best authority for information about the industry that uses it. 

For any source that you find and are considering using, you want to keep these things in mind as you evaluate its credibility.

  • Is the source original? Is the source you want to use the original presenter of the information or is it a document that cites the original source? Using original sources or sources closer to the original are considered more accurate and leave less additional searching for someone who clicks a link in your content. 
  • Is the source current? Most people are going to be more persuaded if the source you are citing is not very old. Acceptable ages for sources can depend on the subject matter. For legal content, relevance often depends on the latest news and changes in the laws, so sources that are the most recent are considered the most reliable.
  • Is the source well known and generally accepted? The more widely recognized your source is the more easily it will be accepted as an authority for the point you are making. 
  • Is the source relevant? Does the source you are using talk specifically about the point you are making or is it more generally about the subject matter and doesn’t have the level of detail that the reader is looking for when they click the link.  
  • Is the source freely accessible to those who may click on its link and want to learn more? It can be frustrating to click a link and not be able to read the information without signing up or making some kind of agreement in order to view the source content. Attention spans are short. People expect fast and easy and are quick to move on.
  • Is the source easy to navigate and free of grammatical errors? If a source seems unprofessional or it’s hard to find what you are looking for, look for a different option. Credible sources should be properly edited and the information should be simple to access. 
Focus on credible sources, not backwood bloggers.

How Many Sources Should You Use?

The general rule is that any time you use words, ideas, or data that are not your own you need to credit the source of your information. The exception is when the information you are using is so widely known as to be of common knowledge to the audience you are writing for. If you are not completely sure the information is common knowledge it’s best to cite your source.  

With content creation, you have to think about the balance between sourcing your information when appropriate and including so much information that you have links in every sentence. Reader experience is a key aspect of having your content read. A few well-placed links throughout the content won’t tend to distract a reader the way 4 or 5 links in a single paragraph might. 

The exact number of sources to use in any piece of content will depend on the subject matter and how in-depth the writing needs to be. A good rule of thumb is to cite the most credible source for each idea you are writing about. 

The Best Way to Cite Your Sources

When citing sources within legal content you will select certain phrases or parts of a sentence and link those words to your source. You want to be strategic with this and not just use some random words in your link. 

The words or phrases you highlight as your link are called the anchor text. Anchor text is not only a handy way for readers to link to additional information, it also has SEO implications. Search engines use anchor text to learn what content is about and to associate similar topics.

 Anchor Text Best Practices

General best practices when selecting anchor text include:

  • Try to include the topic of the source you are linking to in your anchor text. The more closely related search engines believe linked content to be, the higher the content can rank for search queries relating to the topic. 
  • Use as few words as possible. There is no right or wrong here but keeping anchor text concise while giving readers enough information to know where the link takes them is the objective.
  • Make sure the anchor text chosen flows naturally within the context of the topic being discussed. Don’t include superfluous words just to establish a greater connection to the source. 
  • Vary the words used for anchor text throughout your content even if all sources are discussing the same topic. Detecting the same anchor text used over and over can lead search engines to conclude you are over-optimizing and result in lower rankings in search results. 

When it comes to finding credible sources and citing them in a way that properly optimizes the content for search engines, it just takes practice. You get better at it the more you do it.

Would You Like Blue Seven to Handle Your Legal Content?

The legal content writers at Blue Seven Content combine legal knowledge with digital marketing skills to produce engaging legal content that is authoritative and ranks well. 

Blue Seven can help with all your legal content needs including the following key types of content for law firm websites:

  • landing pages
  • practice area pages
  • blog posts
  • practice area FAQ pages

Our company founders work with all potential new clients to make sure we can provide the quality legal content our clients have come to expect and we take pride in producing. To learn how Blue Seven Content can help bring you together with the clients that need your services, call 843-580-3158 or reach out to us here for a free consultation. 

Written by Mari Gaines, JD – Legal Content Writer