Headers and subtitles are useful for both your potential clients and search engines to read and understand your website content. For your potential clients, headers and subtitles help guide them through your content with visual cues on the subject matter and order of importance on the page. For search engines, headers and subtitles help to quickly determine what the page is about, index the information, and use it to connect your website with more relevant and local search queries.
Read on for what you need to know about headers and subtitles on your law firm website and pointers on how to use them to improve the readability of your website and attract more potential clients online.
Why headers and subtitles are important
Headers serve a dual purpose for your website, and are important to both your readers and search engines. For your web visitors, headers are used to clarify what information a reader should expect to find on any given page. A good title is likely to stand out to readers in search engine results, and it can influence a potential client to visit your page. On your web pages, the reader’s eye typically travels to a header first before scanning the other text on the page due to its larger size. This not only serves as a visual cue to the reader on what the page is about, but it can also help them decide what information to consume next.
Search engines will view your main header (also known as a H1 header) as the main idea of that web page’s content. Meaning, search engines will index the page based on the heading of the page and, in combination with the subtitles and other written content, will match your web page with relevant and local search queries. In addition, headers and subtitles provide structure and style to most web pages, which further aids search engines in matching your website with relevant queries.
How to create and use effective headers and subtitles
To create effective headers and subtitles for your web pages, it’s best to keep your potential clients in mind. The best headers and subtitles will be both descriptive and concise. In addition, it’s useful to vary your headers and subtitles across different pages so that it’s easy for potential clients and search engines alike to navigate your written content.
To optimize your headers and subtitles, it’s recommended that you include local elements that work to attract your ideal client online. First, think of what “local” questions your potential clients have – it’s likely they are using search engines in a way that is long form and question-based. For example, a potential client probably won’t search “Personal Injury Attorney Austin, TX,” but rather: “What do I do after a truck hits me in Austin?” The difference in these types of search queries is what can help guide your choices in headers and subtitles. Think of your local audience, what is specific to their legal issue, and what they should expect to find on that particular page of content.
What makes a strong header and subtitle?
Strong headers and subtitles will be descriptive, local, and unique. Let’s compare less strong headers and subtitles to ones that may be better performing:
Example #1 – Header
Weak: Car Accidents in Texas
Strong: Determining Liability in a Multiple-Car Accident in Austin, Texas
What’s the difference? The strong header makes it clear what this page will cover specifically, and gives both the reader and the search engine a stronger match. The weak header may capture a broader audience in theory, but those general keywords are hard to compete on in search engines and often results in less relevant traffic to your website.
Example #2 – Subtitle
Weak: Compensation for Car Accident Personal Injury Texas
Strong: Can I Still Get Compensation for a Car Accident Injury in Austin if I Was on the Phone?
What’s the difference? The stronger title has a better chance of being a close match to a search query made by a potential client who is dealing with this legal issue.
LawLytics makes creating compelling headers and subtitles quick and easy
Effective headers and subtitles are important to the searchability of your firm’s web pages but they may be difficult to craft at times. With the LawLytics built-in content engine, you can be certain your practice area pages are equipped with optimized headers and subtitles that work to attract more local and relevant clients to your website. Each practice area page template comes pre-loaded with headers and subtitles that follow best practices for both the reader and search engines. Simply choose from over 200 practice area topics, customize the available fields, and publish new pages to your firm’s website in minutes.
With the software, strategy, and support of the LawLytics team, we make it easy for you to capture the attention of your ideal clients online and inspire them to get in touch with your firm. To learn more or see the platform in action, schedule a 20-minute interactive demo with a product expert today. Or get started today, with our 60-day money-back guarantee.
