Blogging for Law Firms

Mention “blogging” and many people think about descriptive travel guides, long-winded recipes, and how-to tutorials. But blogging can be a helpful content marketing tool for businesses as well – yes, even law firms.

While the subject matter may be different, the goal is the same: to generate more traffic and engage users. With that, law firms can use blogging to drive traffic to their website and draw in potential clients.

Discover the benefits of blogging for law firms, plus handy strategies for how to grow your blog with SEO.

Does Blogging Matter for Law Firms?

Blogging can be beneficial to law firms just as it is for other types of businesses. By publishing interesting, well-written blog content, you can not only demonstrate your expertise to potential clients but also drive organic traffic to your website via law firm SEO.

Benefits of Blogging for Law Firms

Many law firms only have a few posts on their blog or have neglected their blog altogether. But this doesn’t allow you to capitalize on all the benefits that blogging can bring to your brand. Here are a few of the many benefits of blogging for your law firm business:

Generate Organic Traffic

Blog content can make it easier for potential clients to find your business online – particularly via search engines. By implementing blog SEO best practices, you can get your articles to rank in search engines like Google and drive more organic traffic to your website.

Demonstrate Thought Leadership

Blogging gives you a medium through which you can demonstrate your legal knowledge and expertise. You can publish educational, well-researched, and insightful content that helps potential clients trust your brand. Positioning yourself as a thought leader builds credibility, which can be a deciding factor when clients are looking to hire an attorney.

Create Content for Social

Blog article content can be re-shared on your social media channels, attracting more traffic to your website. You can also take snippets and images from your blog articles and turn them into social media quotes and graphics. In email marketing, you can share your blog posts to inform subscribers of business updates, legal trends, and more.

Generate Leads

High-ranking blog articles can generate traffic for months and even years to come. You can then add contact forms, calls-to-action, and lead magnets to turn these visitors into new leads. By offering valuable content, you can encourage website visitors to sign up for newsletters, download legal guides, or schedule a consultation with your firm.

How to Get More Traffic with Your Law Firm Blog

Whether you’re already active on your law firm blog, are just getting started, or have barely been posting new content, the good news is it’s never too late to improve your blogging efforts.

While every law firm niche is different, there are a few strategies you can follow to hopefully start seeing better results from your blog!

Update or Remove Outdated Content

If you already have a few (or many) posts on your blog but aren’t seeing much in terms of traffic, it might be time to give your blog a refresh.

Outdated and/or unoptimized content won’t benefit your site and, in some cases, may even hinder your SEO. So, it’s important to either remove this old/irrelevant content or to update it with fresh content and SEO improvements.

To do this, first, make sure that your website is set up with Google Search Console. This is a free analytics tool that will show your website performance, including clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and keyword position.

If you have this tool already – or, once the data has propagated – you can look at the “Search results” report to see your web and blog page performance. Assuming all your blog content lives in a “/blog” directory, you can select “+ new” > “page” > URLs containing /blog” and then filter for all your blog URLs.

You will then be able to see which blog posts are performing well and which ones are not. Then, you can decide which blog posts to delete from your site or which ones to update. Just keep in mind that if you delete a blog post, you will need to redirect the old URL to a live URL (typically, your main blog page).

To update old blog posts, check out this On-Page SEO Checklist for Law Firms.

Create a Blogging Strategy

One common mistake many law firms make with their blog is posting articles without having a planned strategy.

And we get it – sometimes inspiration strikes and you just want to jump on a great blog idea. This can be great for email newsletters and social media, but not always great for SEO.

If one of your goals is more organic traffic, then you will want to create a data-driven strategy that has you writing about topics that people are actually searching for.

This requires conducting keyword research to find topics (i.e. “keywords”) that your audience is using to search for legal services, information about legal questions, etc.

You can use tools like Semrush to find these keywords, analyze their search volume, and see how competitive they are to rank for. Then, you can use these keywords as the basis of your blogging strategy, writing about topics that are relevant to your audience.

Here’s a complete guide on How to Conduct Keyword Research for Your Law Firm.

Experiment with Different Content Formats

You don’t have to stick with the same blog post format. This gets boring for you and gets boring for your readers. There are many different types of blog posts you can write to get users interested and engaged.

Here are a few examples of different blog post formats you can post:

• How-to guides: In-depth instructions that teach readers a specific skill or process.
• Tutorials: Step-by-step demonstrations to help users learn and apply practical knowledge.
• Listicles: Informative articles presented as a list of items or points.
• Case studies: In-depth examinations of real-life examples or scenarios to illustrate your concept.
• Interviews: Conversations with experts or individuals to share their insights.
• Opinion/editorial pieces: Articles expressing a personal or company perspective on legal trends or current events.
• Comparison articles: Posts that contrast two or more options, helping readers make informed decisions.
• Favorite legal tools: Recommendations and reviews of essential tools or resources in your field.
• Infographics: Visual representations that convey information, data, or complex concepts in a highly visual format.
• Roundup posts: Articles that curate and share the best advice, insights, or resources on a particular legal topic.
• Guest posts: Contributions from guest authors to provide fresh perspectives or expertise on various subjects.
• Stories: Personal anecdotes or client success stories.
• FAQs: Posts that answer common questions and address concerns related to the legal field.
• Humor: Light-hearted and comical content designed to entertain while conveying a message or information.
• Embedded videos: Blog posts featuring videos to provide visual content, demonstrations, or supplementary information.
• Image gallery: Collections of images or visuals to convey a story or showcase a particular theme.
• Resource guides: Comprehensive references that provide information and recommendations on legal subjects.

Keep It Consistent

Sometimes it can take a while to start seeing results from your blog. This is because search engines are often only just discovering your website and determining its value for users. Don’t give up! Instead, try to stay consistent with your posting so you can build momentum to start seeing organic traffic.

Staying consistent with your blog is important because it helps you maintain a professional online presence and fosters trust with your audience. Regular, scheduled posts demonstrate your law firm’s commitment to providing valuable, up-to-date information for users.

Consistency also helps encourage users to return to your blog for more insights and guidance. Ultimately, a consistent blogging schedule is a reflection of your firm’s dedication to client education and staying relevant in your industry. This can bring many benefits to your law firm’s marketing strategy.

Promote Your Blog Content

Of course, you don’t have to just wait around for organic traffic. Once you publish a blog post, there are many platforms available for you to promote your content to your audience.

For one, you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to promote your latest blog posts. Write an engaging caption, add relevant hashtags, and engage with followers to increase your reach.

You could also send out email newsletters to your subscribers, highlighting your latest blog posts. Email provides an excellent way to maintain a connection with your existing clients and keep them informed about your business.

Many legal directories and online platforms also allow you to publish articles and blog posts. For example, Avvo, Justia, and FindLaw all host the ability to re-share your articles. These platforms can help you reach more people in need of legal services.

Last but not least, consider joining online communities or discussion groups related to your legal niche to share your latest blog posts. Facebook Groups and LinkedIn communities are great for this, as long as your content is helpful and not too promotional.

SEO & Blogging Services for Law Firms

Don’t have the time (or the strategy) to keep up with your law firm blog? We can help! At Hennessey Digital, we provide content writing and blogging services to law firms looking to generate more organic traffic and leads online. Contact us to learn more today!