The LSAT, law school and bar exams are tough, but finding clients is a challenge that most lawyers will face throughout their career. Even with the power of the internet and advanced ad targeting, it’s tricky to find people who are in need of lawyer online. There’s no Facebook relationship status for “Getting a Divorce”. And the only way ad networks know a person needs a lawyer is by noticing when they’ve already visited a law-related site, which may be too late. By writing a blog, lawyers can take advantage of SEO and content marketing to reach prospective clients. Here are three reasons why every lawyer should have a blog.
SEO Boost
To the chagrin of many lawyers, a quick search of Google clearly shows there are a lot of lawyers in any given area and a lot of competition for the top spots of search engine results. Writing a blog does several things to improve a site’s PageRank. Writing a blog gives a site more indexed pages and more chances to include relevant keywords and phrases in the content. According to Content+, blogs give websites 434 percent more indexed pages and 97 percent more indexed links. By spreading the blog posts using social media networks, the lawyer can increase traffic to their site and get more backlinks as the page is shared. The useful of blogs for lawyers, and other website owners, has been shown in research. According to McMurry TMG, 90 percent of consumers find custom content useful and 78 percent believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. And a study from Nielsen reported that 58 percent of consumers trust editorial content.Attract New Clients
A blog can also be an indispensable tool for finding new clients. Before most people call a lawyer, they do some research online about the particular issue they want to talk to a lawyer about. By writing blog posts that answer common questions clients have, a lawyer can get clients before they pick up the phone. To illustrate, if a homeowner gets a notice in the mail about a possible foreclosure, before they pick up the phone to call a lawyer, they will probably check online to see what their options are. If they find the good and useful information on the blog of a local lawyer, it’s a pretty good chance that’s the lawyer they will call for the next step. To think of it another way, a well-written blog is a way to attract customers with useful content and to build a rapport with them that can translate into future work.Increased Local Awareness
Writing a blog can benefit a lawyer even if the posts are read by people who don’t need a lawyer. Besides turning to Google and the internet, many people find lawyers simply by asking their friends who’s good. A blog helps a lawyer get their name out to the public, and you never know when that will extra bit of awareness will turn into a referral client. This means that law blogs don’t have to dwell on the negative aspects in life that require people to seek lawyers. Just writing about law-related topics or news items can bring the blog and lawyer to the attention of the public. Here are a few blog post formats that lawyers can use to increase awareness by appealing to general interests:– Top Ten Misconceptions People Have About [Certain Aspect of Law]
– How to Protect Yourself from [Topical Legal Concern]
– What [Recent Law Change] Means for Your and Your FamilyBlog posts like these would appeal to the general public and would get shared with family members and friends. Eventually, when one of these people are asked about a good local lawyer, there’s a chance they will remember getting useful information from the lawyer who wrote the blog.
As these reasons show, there are a lot of benefits for a lawyer who chooses to keep a blog. In a competitive marketplace, lawyers need to do whatever they can do stand out from the rest and make a good impression with the public. Being a source for useful information will attract clients, boost awareness about the lawyer, and improve the SEO of the lawyer’s website.
For more information and tips about blogging, read this article with 11 stats that will show you how and why to be a better blogger.