How to write content for a lawyer’s website
The website for your legal practice can be a tool for effective communication, drawing clients in and positioning you as an authority. To achieve this, a content strategy that highlights your expertise and taps into the issues your potential clients might be facing will be key.
But, we know you are busy and don’t always have the time to research what makes effective content. So we’ve compiled a list, aimed directly at lawyers, to help you write engaging content.
Know your client
Just like your cases, your website content should begin with understanding who you are writing for. When drawing up your client persona, you can ask yourself some of these questions:
- What is their age, income and education level?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What information would empower them?
- Are they actively looking for a lawyer, researching legal options or simply curious about the law?
- How do they behave online? Do they engage with short-form or long-form content, or both?
Tailoring your content to specific clients might mean you need to adjust the tone and use of language according to your audience. For example, financial law content for finance professionals will include financial terms that your potential clients are likely to understand, but family law topics aimed at parents will be less technical.
Plan your SEO
Search-engine optimisation is important for getting the correct content in front of the right audiences. SEO writing and strategic use of keywords can help get your website ranking higher in a Google search where your potential clients are looking.
SEO research can be done using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush or Ahrefs. Or, you can outsource this work to a content writing or copywriting agency like Hunter & Scribe, who can develop optimised, professional and relevant content for your website and social media platforms.
Publish different types of content
Your content strategy should include a variety of types of content that will appeal to different audiences. Some options and their benefits include:- Blogs: Useful for long-form writing, blogs can target more than one keyword. They can be paired with other forms of content like infographics or short videos which can be embedded in your blog.
- Frequently asked questions: Bite-sized bits of information related to one specific topic. You know your clients best, so you know what their most common queries or concerns are. You can use this tool to help answer those.
- Case studies: These are a great way of proving your skills and expertise to potential clients.
- Q&As with experts: Draw on your team and highlight the range of knowledge within your practice.
- Infographics: Visual elements are a great way to convert data and statistics.
- Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter) are all powerful platforms where you can share short and medium-length content, to position yourself as an industry thought leader.
Write varied content
Writing for the web should include a mix of newsworthy and evergreen content.
Newsworthy topics can demonstrate your relevance and create immediate engagement. Make sure your posts include dates so readers can easily see how old the piece is. Where applicable, include updates and link to previous posts or articles on the same subject.
Evergreen topics mean you can have sustained engagement. You can publish an educational blog today that is still applicable in a year’s time. Evergreen topics also help position you as an authority on the subject.
Use effective headlines
Like the opening argument in a court case, your headline is what grabs your reader’s attention. Write clear and concise headlines that entice readers to carry on reading. Headline writing should briefly explain what the article is about without giving away too much.Here are some tips for headline writing:
- Keep it concise.
- Include your SEO keywords.
- Create intrigue. Pose a question or tease an interesting solution.
- Use verbs that elicit an action from your reader. For example, “The importance of estate planning” is not as appealing as “Protect your legacy with estate planning”.
Cut the jargon
You studied for a very long time to become a lawyer and you’re an expert in your field. Your potential clients are not.
Avoid legal jargon that will confuse readers and instead use plain language that is easy to understand. Break down complicated topics into shorter, easy-to-follow text. Your goal is effective communication with potential clients.
Edit and proofread
Before publishing, invest some time in meticulous editing and proofreading. Content with errors or typos can lose credibility. Effective communication is neat, well-written and well-structured content.Some tips for editing your work include:
- Leave time between writing and editing. Fresh eyes can spot mistakes better.
- Read aloud. This can help you identify clunky sentences.
- Don’t overuse words. Look for variety in your language.
- Check your colleagues’ work. A new reader can help give a different perspective.
- Break up long content. Subheadings, bullet points, images or pull quotes can all help make your writing look less dense.
Play the long game
Website content writing takes persistence and patience. Thinking up relevant topics, creating the content and then monitoring engagement and interest all takes time.
If you don’t have the time to plan and create your content, a content writing company like Hunter & Scribe can do it for you. This way you know you will receive regular, well-researched and thoughtful content aimed directly at your clients or potential clients.
It is helpful to keep track of your content so you can see what generates more interest and turns readers into clients.
Use a method of testing to track what works and what doesn’t. You can experiment with different types of content, different lengths or different styles of headline writing.
