There was a time when simply having a website was enough to get your law firm noticed. That time is long gone, and in the new world of internet marketing, content is king.
The reasoning behind creating content for your website or blog is easy- content shows your readers that you are an expert in some area, it helps clients trust the value of the service you provide, it establishes your firm as being trustworthy and knowledgeable, and content helps build your reputation online.
Sites that offer the latest marketing tip are full of reminders that you should not only create content for your site, you should create great content for your site. To get the most from your website and help customers find you, you need to have enough interesting, on-topic content to make it easy for searchers to find you.
If your practice wants to remain relevant online, it’s time to start creating this type of content for your site.
The marketing world has yet to truly catch up with the importance of internet presence. Many marketers still believe that it is enough to advertise in magazines and newspapers or place a large ad in your local yellow pages. However, internet searched has changed everything we know about advertising. It isn’t just about being present online, it’s about building a site that searchers can find when they want what you have to offer. For potential clients to find you, you must be found quickly when they search. And in many cases, potential clients don’t even know that they need your help, which is why creating content that helps them find answers to their questions is vital to attracting and retaining customers.
There will be some cases where a client looks you up- for example, if one person refers you by name to another client, he or she will likely search for the name of your firm or a specific attorney. But more likely, you will be found by a customer who types “how do I declare bankruptcy in Denver” into a Google search engine and clicks “search.” By now, you know that the competition for key words like “lawyer” or “attorney” makes buying your way to the top of search listings almost impossible. But most customers aren’t searching for “lawyer”- they are searching for the answer to a specific question.
This is where creating relevant, fresh content for your site becomes a must. Search engines help customers look for specific information online, and they look for sites that include specific search terms. Most of your prospective clients aren’t looking for a lawyer, they are hoping to answer questions that they have about an issue, like whether or not they can handle the problem themselves, what the cost of handling the problem will be, and if there is anything they can do legally on their own. When a customer searches for a problem, such as “how can I sue my employer”, a law firm that has an article about lawsuits against employers is an obvious place to check out.
But now that you have your customer’s attention, what are you going to do with it? This is where the quality of your content matters. Content for law firm pages should be professional, specific, and valuable. For example, when a customer finds your article about how to declare bankruptcy, it should tell the customer if he or she is a good candidate, the average costs, and any problems that are likely to arise. The article should finish by explaining how a lawyer can help make the process a little less painful and how a lawyer can help protect a client. Don’t fill the article with over-generalizations or hints that a customer has to pay a retainer before his or her questions will be answered; just stick to a straightforward article that is easy to read.
Once you begin creating content for your site, you will find that you receive an increasing number of hits- and more of those hits turn into contacts with future clients. Customers today want to find answers to their questions, and these more informed customers can actually become better clients for your firm.
Content is king online, be sure that your website provides customers with lots of reasons to stay around and find out what you have to offer.
