Tag: seo rankings

Legal content writing mistakes can kill a website. Writing content for a law firm’s website is uniquely challenging. Consumers typically visit legal sites to read reviews and get quick answers to their questions. 

However, the law is highly complex. There are rarely short and sweet answers to legal questions. On the other hand, if the content is too complicated for prospective clients, they may move on to the next site. 

Below are the 5 biggest legal content mistakes our writers have noticed and how to address them. At Blue Seven Content, we have years of experience adding, revising, and updating content. Our team of legal writers takes pride in creating high-quality, informative content optimized for search engines.

1. 1. Writing Content for Lawyers, Not Prospective Clients
2. 2. Failing to Write for Current Search Engine Optimization Standards
3. 3. Including Weak or Poor Quality Content
4. 4. Failing to State Why Prospects Should Hire Your Firm
5. 5. Failing to Include Testimonials
6. Why Work with Blue Seven Content to Prevent Legal Content Mistakes?

1. Writing Content for Lawyers, Not Prospective Clients

After years of prepping and drafting documents, litigating in court, and negotiating with opposing counsel, legal jargon can become ingrained in your mind. Every industry has unique terminology that can sound foreign to those outside your field. When creating content for your law firm, it is important to remember your audience. 

Prospective clients are viewing your website on their mobile device, skimming through information, and usually engaging in another activity. According to a recent study on smartphone multitasking:

• 76% of adults use their phones while watching television
• 63% use their phones while doing another activity at work
• 40% admit to reading the news on their phone while watching TV

Your content is competing with TV shows, work, and other distractions. If a prospective client has trouble finding the information they need or cannot understand the content, they will likely bounce off your site.

Depending on your target market, successful and engaging content is typically written at an 8^th or 10^th grade reading level. Keep the language simple. Metaphors and analogies are excellent tools to simplify and convey complex legal doctrines. 

2. Failing to Write for Current Search Engine Optimization Standards

Search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly evolving, and most attorneys aren’t SEO experts. In the early days of Google, pages could be packed with keywords and achieve commendable search engine rankings. However, through the years, SEO has become increasingly more sophisticated. 

Now, pages that are overstuffed with keywords are punished and drop significantly down Google’s ranking system. Conversely, informative and well-written content is rewarded with higher rankings.  

Keywords are still critical for search engines. However, key terms and phrases must blend seamlessly into a page that is brimming with valuable and relevant information.

Google’s latest algorithm favors content that is: 

• Well-researched with reliable data and statistics
• Informative with credible external links
• Clearly composed with directly answered questions (e.g., consider Google snippet)
• Well-written (i.e., no grammar or spelling mistakes)
• Considers the user’s intent (i.e., what was the user’s search goal, and is your content relevant?)

High-quality pages that offer current and valuable information in an engaging way are valued most. If you are unsure if your content meets SEO standards, conduct a webpage audit. Check the number of visitors to each page and the traffic conversion rate. If your pages lack traffic, revising and updating your content can dramatically increase your SEO rankings. 

3. Including Weak or Poor Quality Content

When legal firms rush to launch a website or are unable to devote the time needed to produce quality pages, content can be over-generalized and lack value. Weak pages may be characterized by:

• Thin content with duplicate or sparsely written information
• Poorly structured pages that make it difficult for consumers to read
• Failing to update existing pages that are outdated or irrelevant 
• Publishing content with grammatical and spelling errors

One of the most overlooked legal content mistakes is poor quality writing. Quality content is written differently than a great novel. While a book seeks to engage the reader and provoke emotion, quality website content is informative and drives traffic and leads. Filling a website with weak or thin content will only push your website down in search engine rankings. 

4. Failing to State Why Prospects Should Hire Your Firm

The legal services market is highly competitive. Suppose your website is full of high-quality content and regularly reaches the first page of Google in local searches. Your firm still must compete against all the other legal practices at the top. 

Firms need to stand out from the legal services crowd. Failing to showcase your firm’s unique selling points (USPs) is a huge missed opportunity and detrimental to your traffic conversion rate.

Consider what makes your legal practice different from similar firms in your area:

• Do you offer boutique-style service? 
• Has your legal firm been in practice for decades?
• Is your firm a family practice?
• What awards and recognitions has your legal practice earned?
• Are any of your attorneys certified in their respective fields?
• Are members of your legal team permitted to practice in federal court?

Take the time to highlight your distinctive qualities. Ensure you have a strong call-to-action (CTA) that encourages prospective clients to call for a consultation. 

5. Failing to Include Testimonials

Testimonials are paramount to an effective marketing strategy. Once you have successfully crafted quality content, reached the top of Google search, and told prospects why they should hire your firm, you need to be able to back up your claims.

Consumers frequently look to google for service reviews. Unfortunately, happy people rarely feel motivated to write reviews. On the other hand, unhappy people tend to use reviews as an outlet for their frustration. 

Including genuine testimonials from clients can mean the difference between a prospect calling to set up a consultation or leaving your site in search of reviews. Once a visitor leaves your site, the opportunity to convert them into a client diminishes exponentially. 

Why Work with Blue Seven Content to Prevent Legal Content Mistakes?

Your website is an extension of your practice. While content should reflect your firm’s uniqueness, its purpose is to turn prospects into clients. The writers of Blue Seven Content excel at translating your firm’s vision into content that:

• Is optimized for current SEO trends 
• Captures and keeps the attention of the reader
• Is well-researched and informative

We take the time to listen and understand your goals and needs. Contact our exceptional legal content team for a consultation today by clicking here or calling (843) 580-3158.

Written By Morgan Sprinkle – Legal Content Writer

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. 

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