You’ve got a website and a blog for your law practice. You work hard to keep your web content active and current. So why aren’t you seeing returns?
Why aren’t you getting more visitors and client calls from your website?
Why isn’t your Google rank improving so that more people can find you?
I’ve seen a lot of lawyer and law firm websites over my career. Some you can tell put a lot of attention into their website and blog. They might even be paying a marketing firm a lot of money every month. And yet some of these fancy law firm websites are making the worst mistakes. They’re shooting their own search engine marketing in the foot despite their best efforts.
Have no doubt – your law firm website is a necessary investment for your legal practice. Most people ask Google when they have a question and that includes legal issues. The goal of a website or blog is to catch these searches by targeting keywords your ideal clients actually use when searching for your services.
The work you put into your law firm website adds up over time, often with exponential results. Blogging and content creation give you long-term advantages, unlike ads that disappear the moment you stop paying for them. But your content has to be good to reap the most benefits.
Click here to learn how a legal content writer can help your law firm. I answer the most frequently asked questions about legal copywriting and legal content here.
Below are some of the worst law firm website mistakes that I’ve seen over the years, keeping well-meaning lawyers from getting the most from their online marketing.
1. Writing Like a Lawyer
Yes, you’ve been trained to write like this.
Yes, you want to sound smart and capable.
But you have a problem if readers don’t actually want to read your content.
Most potential clients don’t care about case names or docket numbers or statute dates. Their goal is to hire you so that you can deal with all of that.
I’m a lawyer and even I have a hard time reading these sites. After a while, so many law firm websites start to sound the same, using the same big words.
Your potential clients are regular people who are probably already intimidated or nervous about talking to a lawyer. You have to write with your audience in mind at all times.
You don’t need big words to impress clients. The best content is readable content.
That doesn’t mean you have to dumb down your writing. But if you’ve got a lot of four-syllable words, try saying the same thing in two syllables instead. Split longer sentences. On that note, avoid…
2. Long Blocks of Text
No one wants to read a wall of text.
Nobody in this day and age has the time or patience. Even worse, long blocks of text are difficult to skim, which is how a lot of people read the internet.
If a visitor comes to your site and sees huge blocks of text, they’re going to click away somewhere else. A high bounce rate hurts your search engine rankings.
If you find a paragraph that’s longer than 4 lines, it’s time to break it up.
- Try headings and sub-headings.
- Use bulleted lists to break down complex concepts.
- Use bold for emphasis.
These formatting elements not only make your website’s text more dynamic, interesting, and easier to read, they also appeal to search engines. Google gives more weight to headings when scanning and indexing your page. So headings are a great place to put keyword-rich phrases.
Click here for expert help writing content for your law firm’s blog.
3. Forgetting the Call to Action
What is a potential client supposed to do once they reach your website?
Should they call or email you? Should they subscribe to your newsletter? Should they use an online form to schedule a consultation? You may think the answer is obvious, but that’s a mistake that will cost you clients.
If a reader is on your website, that means you’ve got their attention. The way attention spans work these days, probably not for long. That means you have to direct your reader’s attention where you want it to go. Make the call to action (CTA) clear, simple, and strong. Don’t be afraid to repeat it within reason.
Another mistake is to have too many different calls to action. This blurs and reduces the power of the action you want your client to take. The fewer choices your reader has to make, the fewer obstacles in their way to becoming a client – the better.
Examples of strong calls to action:
- Call us today at xxx-xxx-xxxx to get started on your case.
- Subscribe to our newsletter to get your free bankruptcy ebook now.
- Click here to book your free first consultation as soon as possible.
A lot goes into writing a good CTA. You may have to experiment with what works best. These examples all have a simple action, a sense of urgency, and a clear benefit.
4. Forgetting the Client
You might think because someone is on your website, they’re visiting to learn about you.
This is true, but it’s not the main reason.
The main reason a potential client comes to your website is to learn what you can do for them. Most people search Google when they or someone they know has a legal issue. Your website is there to tell them you’re the person to solve it and why.
Keep your writing focused on your visitor. Try to understand them. Why would they be searching for your services? Anticipate their needs and present yourself as the solution.
5. Content Too Short to Make an Impact
For blog articles and web pages, creating content under 1000 words long is just not worth your time. I personally consider 1200 words to be the minimum.
But I said that people have short attention spans. Won’t longer content lose readers?
When you are writing web content, you are writing for three types of readers:
- Skimmers
- Researchers
Skimmers are looking for quick information. Good formatting helps them find what they’re looking for. Researchers are digging into a topic – you appeal to them by providing actual, in-depth, quality content. They need more convincing before they can trust you.
And finally, Google. The deeper you go into a subject, the more keywords you can include in your content. The more quality keywords you have, the higher your Google rank.
Moreover, when you have good, in-depth content, the longer time people will spend on your website and the more people will link to your content as a resource. Both visitor “dwell times” and backlinks improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Read more about why longer content is better and make sure your content has targeted keywords.
Don’t sell yourself short. Content can do a lot for you if you know how to use it.
6. An Outdated Law Firm Website
Websites aren’t cheap and website trends seem to change all the time. So what if you had your website last updated in 2012? It still works, right?
Your Website Could Work for You or Against You
An old website can make you look unprofessional or even obsolete.
Because most people get their information online, your website will probably be the first thing that potential clients see. Even referral clients are likely to check out your website first. Competition in the legal market is fierce. Online visitors, especially younger clients, might end up hiring an attorney who has a more modern-looking practice.
On top of that, old code slows down your website and hurts your search engine rankings. If your website is running on old blogging software it might also be vulnerable to hacks. (Friendly reminder: when was the last time you backed up your site?)
Old websites also come with bad habits from bygone web design eras. These include small or ugly fonts, dark designs, or odd background colors.
If any of these ring a bell, it might be time for an upgrade.
A Slow Server Could Also Hurt You
If you’ve been with the same web hosting provider for many years you may want to consider a move. I personally use and recommend Bluehost, the most widely-used web hosting company out there.
Bluehost has a super simple single-click WordPress install. You can also manage your blog through their user-friendly admin page. As a disclaimer, I get a small referral fee from Bluehost whenever anyone signs up from my site, but this is at no cost to you.
Bluehost is the best host I’ve used, and I’ve owned domain names since 1999. It’s fast, reliable, and secure at an amazing price. You can get started at just $2.95 a month, plus you get a free domain. Even if you’re on another host right now, you can actually save money by moving your domain to Bluehost.
7. Failing to Use Internal Links
Internal links are so overlooked. They help your visitors stay on your website, which gives you more chances to convert them into clients. Plus, your SEO rankings improve the longer a visitor stays on your site and the more pages they visit before leaving.
Internal links are totally free and easy for you to put into place.
Ideas for Building Internal Links on Your Site
- Set up “related posts” links at the end of all your blog posts
- Link from practice area pages to blog posts on that topic
- Feature a link to the most recent blog post on your main page
As a Bonus: Keep in mind that social media is an easy way to build external links. For lawyers, I recommend posting and cultivating networks on Linkedin especially. If you write a quality post for your blog, tell your network about it!
How SEO Can Help Your Law Firm’s Website
Search engine optimization (SEO) can seem like a tricky beast. Online marketing, content creation, web design and development – they all play a part.
As a lawyer, your marketing needs differ from the mainstream. It can be hard to figure out which online marketing advice applies to you and which doesn’t. If you need help with your law firm’s website content, contact me for a free consultation now.