Tag: SEO

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
   • Know
   • Like
   • Trust
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. 

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. 

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 
   • Top of the funnel (ToFu)
   • Middle of the funnel (MoFu)
   • Bottom of the funnel (BoFu)
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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

4. Communication: Do Your Legal Writers Communicate Regularly

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.

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:

• Law firm blog posts
• Law firm landing pages
• Law firm practice area pages
• Law firm frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Law firm “about us” pages
• Law firm homepages
• Press releases
• Attorney bio pages

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

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.

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.

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
   •  Anchor Text Best Practices
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. 

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

It is crucial to take time when developing a law firm practice area page strategy. At Blue Seven Content, regularly liken practice area pages for law firms as “product descriptions.” These pages let your prospective clients know what you do and whether or not you can help them with their problems or pain points.

We want to be very clear – practice area pages are not for other lawyers. These pages are for the everyday person in your geographic area. They have to be written in a way that clearly and concisely explains the topic and how you can help.

When you are developing a strategy for your law firm practice area pages, it can be overwhelming. Newer law firms need to get their website going quickly. The practice area page strategy for a new law firm is going to look different than the ongoing practice area page development for an established firm. Here, we want to briefly describe the process of developing law firm service area pages over time as your firm continues to grow and understand your prospective clients.

Why You Need More Practice Area Pages for Your Law Firm

When a law firm first starts out, there is not going to be an extensive layout of the website. You need something online quickly to be ready for your opening, so you may have a home page, basic practice area pages, an “about us” page, a blog area, and a “contact us” page.

When it comes to practice area pages for a new website, these pages may not be very expensive to begin with. It could be the case that you have a 500-to-550-word page for every major practice area that your law firm covers. For example, if you have a family law firm, your practice area pages may consist of a:

• Family law overview page
• Divorce page
• Child custody page
• Property division page
• Alimony page
• Child support page
• Protective orders page

For a personal injury page, you’ll likely want to cover the basics right off the bat with a:

• Personal injury overview page
• Car accident page
• Truck accident page
• Slip and fall accident page
• Premises liability page
• Product liability page

However, a law firm website is not a one-and-done proposition. Your website has to grow organically. Google and other search engine algorithms are looking for continual, evergreen content. You can accomplish this by providing blogs for the website, updating existing practice area pages, and adding new practice area pages.

Over time, you’re going to want to do a few things when it comes to your law firm’s practice area pages:

• You can turn your main practice area pages into longer-form pages.
• You can add new legal practice area pages altogether.

Getting Granular on Your Practice Areas

Your basic practice area pages may be enough to get your law firm up and running and to get a few clients in the door, but this is not going to be enough in the long run. Pretty quickly, you need to start thinking about adding more content to your website. Your law firm practice area page strategy will be crucial here.

If you are an established law firm, you cannot let your law firm practice area pages become stagnant. If you can’t remember the last time you added any service area pages or when you updated your existing practice area pages, it is time to start thinking about some changes.

One way to add new law firm service page content is to get more granular on the topics that your firm focuses on. On the personal injury list above, we mentioned a basic car accident page for the firm. However, the “car accident” page can become your umbrella page to cover all types of vehicle accidents and vehicle accident topics.

We want you to think about the topics that you can add under car accidents:

• Pedestrian accident page
• Bicycle accident page
• Motorcycle accident page
• DUI accident page
• Head-on collision page
• Rear-end collision page
• T-bone accident page
• Rollover collision page
• Construction accident page
• …and more

This works for all types of law firms – family law, personal injury, criminal defense, estate law, IP and patent law firms, and more. For example, suppose you are a criminal defense attorney in San Francisco and have a “San Francisco DUI Defense Attorney” practice area page. You can use that as your umbrella page to cover various types of searches that people in your area may look up if they are facing a DUI charge:

• DUI penalties
• Driver’s license issues
• Defenses to DUIs
• Ignition interlock explanation
• The DUI charge timeframe
• …etc.

As you add more and more topics related to your particular practice areas, you are building authority for your law firm’s website. So long as your law firm service area pages are well written and contain good information optimized for SEO, you are building a database that the search engines will reward.

General Pages for Other Geographic Areas Around You

When most people start a law firm, they begin in one particular geographic area. Usually, this focuses around a city or perhaps a county. As such, your website content needs to reflect that geographic area. For SEO purposes, it is crucial for you to include geographic terms to your practice area information on your website.

For example, you are not going to perform very well in local searches if your entire practice area page for personal injury just says, “personal injury attorney.” Instead, you need to have your geographic area attached to some of these practice areas. If you are a Myrtle Beach law firm, you want the page to say “Myrtle Beach car accident attorney” in the correct areas of the page and in the headings (variations of this geo keyword phrase also need to be throughout the text).

But, let’s be honest – a Myrtle Beach car accident lawyer is going to want to target clients outside of just the city limits of Myrtle Beach. Over time, it would be wise to create practice area pages for other geographic areas. These new pages will, of course, have similar information, but they cannot be duplicated.

For example, Myrtle Beach is located in Horry County. It would be wise for a personal injury law firm to create the same types of practice area pages that they have for Myrtle Beach for other areas. These will be separate pages, but they will also be original and new. Search engine algorithms will heavily penalize your law firm’s website if you simply copy and paste and swap out the geographic keyword phrases. You would be surprised at how many law firms do just that.

A Myrtle Beach law firm may have multiple geographic areas that they want to target:

• North Myrtle Beach
• Surfside Beach
• Conway
• Loris
• Aynor
• Murrells Inlet
• Garden City
• Socastee
• Horry County
• Georgetown County
• Brunswick County
• …and more

When you begin thinking about your particular geographic area, you need to think about your county and the surrounding counties. You also have to consider all of the cities around your location. Additionally, you need to consider the unincorporated areas that everybody knows about and has a name for that may not be an actual municipality. Many individuals in those areas are likely to type in the unincorporated name in a search engine to look for legal help. In that list above of geographic areas around Myrtle Beach, a few of those places are actually unincorporated areas that everybody knows and that have large enough populations where having separate pages for them could be a good idea.

Turn Your Original Pages Into Long-Form Practice Area Pages

We mentioned turning your original practice area pages into longer-form practice area pages. After you write your original pages, that does not mean that you will never return to them. On the contrary, there are various reasons why you should continuously return to your practice area pages to make changes.

First, if you have any data or statistics on your practice area pages, you are going to want to look at updating the data or stats every year or so. Your readers will be turned off if they come onto your page and see car accident stats from 2016. That just indicates that you are not paying attention.

More and more, we have discovered that Google’s algorithm is rewarding longer-form pages. These longer posts are likely to be seen as more authoritative, but that does not mean that you can just throw in more words. Your existing pages have to be examined, and you have to add content that flows with what is already there. In some cases, you may decide to scrap your original page altogether and rewrite a 1,500- or 2,000-word page (using the same URL). A 2,000-word vehicle accident page for your geographic area that is original, researched, and optimized is going to get more traction than a 500-to-550-word practice area page. You can use these longer pages as the backbone of your law firm’s website.

Blue Seven Content Can Help With Your Law Firm Practice Area Page Strategy

There are many ways that you can go about developing practice area pages for your law firm’s website. You could hire a huge legal marketing company to handle your entire website, but there are pitfalls to that approach. At Blue Seven Content, we are not going to try to handle every need for your website. Our goal is to provide well-written, researched, and optimized content for your pages.

Together, we can approach your law firm practice area page strategy in one of two ways:

1. We can write all of your law firm practice area pages for you. Blue Seven works with some of the best legal content writers in the industry, and we know how to put together a practice area page that will stand out above the rest for your firm and your geographic area.
2. We can help you write your law firm practice area pages yourself. Blue Seven has developed a practice area page writing guide that you can purchase for $149. For an additional $99, you get a one-hour phone consultation for a lead content writer to go over the guide and our writing process.

When you need the best law firm content for your web pages, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158. We are ready to help you with every aspect of developing a content strategy for your website, from practice area pages to law firm blogs, to law firm FAQ pages to law firm landing pages. We’re standing by.

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

If you’re taking the time to write a law firm blog post for your website, it’s because you want to provide information that people are looking for and bring them to your site. If people like the information you are providing and are in need of your services, you want them to retain you.

But how do you distinguish your legal content from all the other attorneys and law firms that are also creating content for their websites?

Legal content that is compelling grabs the interest of your readers and holds their attention. Readers cannot resist continuing to engage with the content because it is giving them what they want to know all the while convincing them that you are the right firm to solve their legal problem.

Writing a compelling legal blog post is that perfect combination of legal concept, art, and marketing.  It’s taking the information that you want to convey and presenting it in a way that is attractive and persuasive to your readers.

So how do you go about creating a compelling legal blog post?

Know Where You’re Going

Let’s face it, if you don’t know what you want to say, your message is not going to be clear to your readers, and they won’t hesitate to look elsewhere. A little preparation can improve your blog content and actually make it easier to write.

• Choose your topic – What do your potential clients want to know? What questions or concerns have often come up with past clients? Are there legal issues specific to your community? What about community events?
• Do some research – Is this area of law changing? Has it been in the news lately? Can you share some little-known aspects?
• Create an outline – Jotting down a working title and a few major points you want to cover helps to keep you organized and less likely to get off task.

Get Your Readers’ Attention

As your audience scrolls through the results of their look-up, what is going to get them to stop and click on your legal blog post? How will your content stand out so that it gets the click?

• Know who your audience is – Who are you trying to reach? What is their specific problem? What would you say to them that you know would get their attention?
• Write a great headline – Making your headline a question is a good way to get people to read it. Questions create curiosity, and that gets attention. Or use the old stand-bys, ‘how to’ or ‘what to do if.’ Your readers are looking for information that will help them make a decision.

Keep Your Readers’ Attention

Once you have a reader’s attention, you must act quickly to keep it, or with the swipe of a finger, away it goes. When your blog post opens and your readers’ eyes hit that first sentence or two, you have to hook them in to continue reading. You may want to let them know immediately what they can expect if they continue reading. What is the solution you are offering?

• Create an introduction – Can you share a relatable story about your topic – personal or something in the news – to further connect with your reader before launching into the nuts and bolts of your post?
• Make it easy to read – You want your content to convey your message to both those who skim and those who will read more in-depth. Don’t discount the importance of visual appeal with your content. Use sub-heads to break your content into several consumable chunks. Keep your paragraphs short. Keep your sentences short. Keep your grammar simple. Use bullet points.

What about SEO for a Law Firm Blog Post?

You can’t just ignore it. Even if you don’t really understand it and you’re not all that interested in learning about it.

Presumably, you are writing your blog post so people who have a problem you can solve will read it. How are they going to find you? They will do a Google search. And what does Google do? Google will do its best to match what the searcher types in with some content on the web. So you need to have some language in your post that is going to match the search criteria of the audience you are trying to reach.

The language a searcher uses becomes the keywords that you want your content to match. And the more precisely you match the search query, the more likely your content will be pulled from the herd and placed closer to the top of the search results list.

So, think about it. What might somebody be looking for when you want them to find you? Are you generally a ‘personal injury attorney in Chicago’? Are you more specifically a ‘Schaumburg wrongful death lawyer’?  People often search by location + specific problem they have + your profession.

If you’re writing about ‘wrongful death,’ use it a few times throughout your post so search engines know your post is a good fit for someone searching for information about wrongful death. Don’t be afraid to use similar words interchangeably – like ‘attorney’ and ‘lawyer.’

It’s really best not to try to be all things to all people in one blog post. Niche down your topic so it addresses a specific aspect of your practice and then incorporate the keywords that relate to that subject.

A word of caution about keywords:

• Ultimately, it is great content, not keywords, that wins the day. Don’t forget to use keywords when you have an opportunity to do so. But don’t litter your content unnecessarily and distract from its value.

Use internal links

Inserting a phrase such as ‘Manhattan child support attorney’ into your content (assuming it’s relevant) gives you the perfect opportunity to link your law firm blog post to the area of practice page on your website that talks about that area of your practice.

The more your readers feel like you can help them, the better your chances are of having them contact you. You want to make it convenient and easy for them to get more information from you and not need to look elsewhere. Two or three internal links can take your readers to other places on your website that provide them with more information and a way to contact you.

At the End of Your Law Firm Blog Post, Let Your Readers Know What They Should do Next

It’s called a ‘call to action’ – CTA.

At the end of your post, you want to let your readers know what you would like them to do next. This is the final paragraph or two of your post. Write a few sentences to summarize the information in your post and why an attorney is the best way to solve the problem you discussed. Then write a few more sentences about why you or your law firm is the best choice among available choices.

Providing something of value to your readers without obligation can be a good way to get them to remember and contact you. Offering a free consultation is a good way to make contact with new clients. Ask readers to contact you to take advantage of your offer and provide a link and phone number for easy access.

Proofread and Edit Before You Publish

Clean, concise content that uses terms that are well understood by most people is going to attract more readers and keep them reading. Taking the time to read (out loud can be helpful) your content and remove what isn’t really necessary can make your writing more impactful. Hemingway Editor is a very useful free editing tool that points out issues in your writing that you may not be aware of and may want to change. Grammarly also has a free tool, and the newest version of Microsoft Word has a decent built-in editor.

A Final Tip About Law Firm Blog Posts…

There are only so many hours in any day. Yes, you want your legal content to be compelling. But you don’t have hours and hours to make it perfect. Give yourself a window of time to write your law firm post. Proof it. Edit it. Publish it. And let it go. The more you do, the better you’ll get. And if, after a while, you decide that content writing isn’t where you want to focus, Blue 7 Content has you covered.

At Blue 7 Content, we write compelling legal content. It’s all we do. We do it a lot. We do it well. Our content is always original, well researched, and search engine optimized. We write to order, or we can provide our own creative expertise. The content we create includes any of the following:

• Law firm practice area pages
• Law firm blog posts
• Law firm landing pages
• Law firm frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Press releases
• Attorney bio pages
• Law firm ‘about us’ pages
• Law firm homepages
• Law firm email marketing campaigns

We know your time is valuable and you prefer to focus on what you do best. So let us help you be better by focusing on what we do best. You can contact us here to book a free strategy session and learn how Blue 7 Content can get you great results with great content. Call us at 843-580-3158.

Written by Mari Gaines, JD – Legal Content Writer

Legal marketing is a hard industry to break into. There are so many legal marketing agencies out there that most new companies are knocked out of existence within a year or two. That’s why you see the usual names at the top of any list of “Top Legal Marketing Agencies.” That’s also why you see so many companies change their strategy, re-brand, then come back again with a new plan.

Blue Seven Content doesn’t want to be a big legal marketing firm. We don’t try to be, and we never will.

You see, we saw a problem in this industry and started Blue Seven Content to tackle the issue. We want to provide the best legal content for law firm’s websites. That’s it. Nothing else.

What the Big Dogs Focus On

If you go to one of the major legal marketing firm’s websites and look at the upper menus of the page, you’ll see what types of services they offer. Without many variations, you’re likely to find a mix of the following:

• Law firm SEO
• Attorney website design
• Pay per click services
• Facebook / social media marketing
• Chatbots for attorneys
• YouTube advertising for lawyers
• Website video production for law firms
• Google Ads services

Somewhere in the mix, you’ll probably see “legal content writing,” though there are some agencies that put this service in some hidden realm that’s difficult to find.

Legal content writing is regularly seen as an afterthought, while the major efforts go into the other services mentioned. We aren’t saying that those other things aren’t important, but they’re nearly useless without quality written content on the law firm’s website.

Why We Focus on Providing the Best Legal Content

At this point it sounds so cliché – “Content is King.”

However, that has always been the case. That hasn’t changed. Yes, now video and audio content is important, but the written content on a webpage is still of vital importance.

We focus on written content for law firms only. We do this because we don’t want to over-extend ourselves. If we started delving into other areas of legal marketing, we’d dilute our powers. That’s not something we’re willing to do. We found a need, and we built Blue Seven Content around that need.

And it’s worked. We’re so booked out with work that we’ve spent a significant portion of time in 2021 training new writers to handle the demand.

Law firms and legal marketing agencies recognize that we know what we’re doing. They know we can provide the content they need.

The Irony – We Work With Big Legal Marketing Firms

We certainly aren’t hostile to the big dawgs in the legal marketing field. We’ve found that the leaders of these companies noticed the same problems about quality content that we did. Most of these agencies have in-house legal content writers, but not a bunch. When they get large orders from new clients, this can leave them in a bind. Most legal marketing agencies also have a select group of freelance writers they work with to handle the overflow, but that can be hit or miss.

Freelancers are just that – free to do whatever they want. They may be available. They may not. They may provide quality work. They may not.

That is where we come in.

Blue Seven Content is the “scale up” that these larger legal marketing firms need. They know that we only do content, and they know we do it well. Companies know that we have an extensive onboarding and writer training process, and our pricing is transparent.

Around half of Blue Seven’s clients are legal marketing firms. Most of those firms are well-known names that our readers would instantly recognize (we can’t put the names here for obvious NDA/privacy reasons). We help keep these companies from spending time and resources on hiring and training new writers.

The Best Legal Content Writers for Your Law Firm or Legal Marketing Agency

If you are in a position where you think you need legal content writers but aren’t sure where to start, we have an idea.  

Call our team. Our initial meetings with clients are literally the most low-pressure conversations you’ll have. We just want to get to know you and your process. We’ll discuss what we can offer. Maybe we’ll work out a way to move forward. Some of the legal content writing that we provide includes:

• Law firm practice area pages
• Law firm blog posts
• Law firm landing pages
• Law firm frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Press releases
• Attorney bio pages
• Law firm “about us” pages
• Law firm homepages

You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158. When you call, email, or fill out the contact form on the website, you will be put into direct contact with Blue Seven’s founders. We’re a small company, and we like to interact directly with clients.

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

When you go onto a legal website, you may find current law firm blog posts.

Maybe you won’t.

Do law firm blog posts even matter? Do blogs bring value to the law firm’s website, and by extension, to the law firm’s ability to bring in new clients.

The answer is yes; blog posts are absolutely an asset for law firms. There is no doubt about that. If your law firm is not making regular use of your blog section (or if you don’t have a blog section at all), you are doing a disservice to your website and your web presence overall.

At Blue Seven Content, we want to take some time to discuss why you need to audit your law firm’s blog posts and perhaps adjust your strategy moving forward. Our skilled legal content writers have extensive experience crafting the best law firm blog posts for firms throughout the US. We really get into the weeds when it comes to doing this correctly.

Does Your Law Firm Have a Lackluster Blog Section?

I clicked on a law firm’s website recently (as I do each day to see if there is anything Blue Seven could be doing better). When I looked at the blog section, I noticed that the last blog was dated nearly two years ago. Up until that point, the firm had been posting once a week.

What happened?

Well, my best guesses are:

• The paralegal or legal assistant writing the blogs left the firm.
• The firm dumped their legal marketing agency.
• They never had a legal marketing or website strategy and decided that blog posts didn’t help their SEO or web presence.

So, I dug a little further and read through the blog posts that were there. I quickly realized that whoever had been writing the blog posts had absolutely no idea how to craft these pages. Here’s what I noticed:

• There was no keyword usage that I could pick up on.
• There were no headings. None at all.
• There were walls of text. Long paragraphs, no bullet points.

It was tough to read. If someone happened to be looking at the metrics on how these blogs were doing, it would be no surprise that they decided they weren’t working. Of course they weren’t! They were horrible.

But, they were better than nothing. For the last two years or so, this law firm has not had any blogs at all. A quick glance at the rest of their site also revealed poorly written law firm landing pages and law firm practice area pages, but that’s a story for another day.

The worst part of this story is that this is not a rare occurrence. So many law firms neglect blog posts or even their entire website.

Why do You Need a Law Firm Blog Strategy?

At Blue Seven Content, we have written at length about how important blog posts are for a law firm’s website. We’ve discussed how law firm blogs:

• Provide “evergreen” content for a website, which is a plus for search engine algorithms
• Help the firm provide information to prospective clients that does not otherwise fit on practice area pages
• Let firms go more in-depth on topics that are touched on elsewhere on the website
• Relate current national, state, or local events back to the firm’s service areas
• Can discuss attorney or law firm achievements

As easy as it may seem to “pop out a blog post” for a law firm’s website, that simply won’t happen unless the firm has a blog strategy in place. There needs to be a point person who can plan regular blog topics and make sure they get written. If a law firm fails to implement a blog post strategy, what they’ll end up with is:

• An occasional blog post making it to the website
• Poorly written or badly organized blogs
• No benefit to SEO or website authority

Turn to the Best Legal Writers for Legal Blog Posts

At Blue Seven Content, we are excellent at providing law firm blog posts that are ready to be posted right to a law firm’s website. We tailor blogs to each firm and their location(s).

• We take the time to ensure that we find verifiable and legitimate data and statistics to include in the blog posts we write for law firms.
• Every single blog post we write is completely original. No plagiarism.
• Our writers are chosen very carefully and go through a meticulous training process.

If you are ready to get a blog strategy implemented for your law firm, we are standing by to help. You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 843-580-3158. I am personally ready to take your call. I’ll review your current law firm blogs and discuss what we can do to get rolling in the right direction.

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