Attorneys are increasingly using the internet and SEO blogs to improve brand recognition and attract potential clients. While the legal industry is behind other industries in taking advantage of the numerous benefits provided by online marketing, that is quickly changing. Is your law firm doing all it can to benefit from digital marketing?
Understanding SEO Blogs
One of the most important steps for lawyers wanting to expand their digital marketing efforts is understanding what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is and why you need it. SEO is the process of writing content and optimizing it to rank highly in search engine results (such as Google searches). SEO is critical to your online marketing because it is one of the most consistent tools for driving traffic to your law firm’s website. If you can draft your blogs to rank highly in search results for the keywords potential clients are searching for, your blog posts will target and attract your ideal clients from Google. Unlike other tools used to drive traffic to your firm’s site that initially show a spike in visitors but is followed by a steep decline, blog SEO typically remains consistent in driving users to your website.
Writing SEO Blogs
It is essential to understand that you cannot throw a bunch of content on your website and expect it to perform well if you don’t include SEO work. In fact, Google often punishes your site for posting low-quality content. Below are five steps to follow in drafting SEO blogs:
1. Select Keywords
Every blog you draft should be optimized for the main keyword. The keyword you select should be one that your potential clients are consistently searching for. Therefore, your keyword should always appear in the blog title. A tip for choosing your keyword is to consider the questions you are most asked by clients because these will be the same questions online browsers are searching for answers to. There are also online sources to help you choose keywords for your SEO blogs.
2. Assess Search Intent
To rank highly in Google search results and drive consistent traffic to your firm’s site, you must write content about topics people search for when they enter the selected keyword. Thus, it is critical for you to understand the search intent of users.
One simple way to better understand search intent is to enter your selected keyword into a Google search and examine the search results. For example, you might enter “injury” and discover it brings up too many results unrelated to your legal services. However, when you search “car accident injury,” the results are more focused on how your law firm can help the user and achieve a higher rank in the results list, benefitting your firm.
3. Grab the User’s Attention
If you want your blog to stand out to users, you need to grab their attention with a specific angle and visually pleasing format. Some of the most popular types of blog formats include:
- Lists
- How-to Guides
- Reviews or Opinion Pieces
- Step-by-step Guides
- Comparisons or Contrasts
Choosing the angle for your blog can be more difficult, but it is equally important. The angle of your blog is the sales pitch of your content. A few examples of popular angles for content are the “best of” lists, firsthand experiences, desired outcomes, hot trends, and other angles that grab a reader’s interest.
In short, anything that grabs a user’s attention and piques their interest will be a successful angle for your SEO Blog.
4. Make the Search Engines Happy
While your content must be something that interests your readers, you must also focus on what Google and other search engines want to see for you to rank highly. One way to score points with the search engines is to use headings and subheadings to target the keyword and to highlight topics readers are searching for. There are websites that can help you choose headings that include phrases online users are searching. It is worthwhile to research the different items that improve your SEO score.
5. Draft the Blog Post
Once you have selected the keyword and considered the heading and subheadings you will use, it is time to write the SEO blog. You have already taken measures to optimize your blog, but before publishing it, a few more optimizations should be made. Confirm your keyword is in the blog title, write a persuasive meta description, create an evergreen URL, optimize images, add internal links, and any other steps to improve your SEO score.
Contact The Rainmaker Institute for Legal Marketing Help
Your digital presence – particularly your website – is crucial in generating and converting leads. You have worked hard to get where you are, so learn to use technology to your advantage so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor more often while also generating new clients!
The Rainmaker Institute can help you implement a successful content strategy that will take your law firm’s online presence to the next level. We will provide content that contains top legal focus keywords, proper page titles, appropriate meta descriptions, target length of content, and images that will boost your attractiveness to Google. In short, we will make great content. Let us handle your legal marketing so you can focus on lawyering.
If you are ready to ensure your law firm’s website is the best it can be, and see your Google ranking improve, we can help. Whether you choose to attend one of our live events or you want a free, confidential consultation, we are here to help!
