This blog post is part of a series on beginning content creation tips for law firms. To see all the posts in this series, visit our series introduction page.
High-quality website content on law firm websites is the most effective way to drive more potential clients to your law firm. But as you begin creating content for your law firm’s website, you may wonder:
How long should my firm’s pages and blog posts be?
In this blog post, we explain how page length plays into your law firm’s online visibility and how to know when a page or post should be long or short.
How long should my law firm website pages and posts be?
Deciding whether a blog post should be long or short should be taken on a case-by-case basis. There are many good reasons to write a long blog post, just as there are good reasons to write a short post. There are good reasons to create smaller law firm website pages just as there are good reasons to develop larger, detailed ones.
We generally advise attorneys that, when it comes to deciding on page length, write to the length that the post or page needs to be written to educate potential clients effectively and convey the right message.
If everything that needs to be said can be said in 500 words, stop there.
However, the topic you’re writing about may warrant having a post or page that’s a thousand or two thousand words — or possibly even longer.
If it does, don’t stop short of the length required to write a detailed, meaningful piece for your potential clients. Both quantity (and quality) counts when it comes to law firm content marketing. Next, we’ll discuss how you may want to decide when a page or post should be longer or shorter.
When can shorter pages and posts be useful on law firm websites?
Shorter pages and posts can be useful in many cases — particularly if you are an attorney who is just beginning your content marketing strategy.
Some attorneys worry about launching their site before it’s filled with a high volume of content. So long as a potential client can quickly identify who you are, where you are, and what you do, your law firm’s website can stand on its own as you develop new content.
Shorter pages and posts can also be useful when a topic warrants fewer words. There’s a lot of fluff content on the internet, but your potential clients visit your site to do research and get valuable information. As a result, avoid wasting their time by adding in fluff content or content that sounds like advertising copy in the interest of making a page or post longer. There’s nothing wrong with a short post so long as it properly educates potential clients.
Another reason you might choose to have shorter pages in some cases is when you create a page that will serve as the primary resource center for subtopics related to a particular topic.
For example, a personal injury firm might have a main practice area page for “Personal Injury”. This page might provide a brief overview of the services that the firm provides related to this practice area, followed by links to related subtopic pages:
- Auto accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle accidents
Each of these pages might start as short pages, but should ultimately develop into longer, more detailed pages that provide information to potential clients in the research phase of their case or matter. For example, the auto accidents main page could become the hub for all topics related to auto accidents:
- Common causes of accidents (impaired drivers, distracted drivers, driver error)
- Injuries/damages available for victims
- Insurance laws in the state where the firm practices
- Overview of major auto defects
When can longer pages and posts be useful?
Just as a topic that only warrants 500 words should not necessarily exceed that word count, a topic that warrants a thousand or five thousand words should likely be written to that length.
While any individual potential client may not read all of the content that a law firm creates, creating detailed pages on law firm website is important.
Google rewards law firm websites that provide valuable, detailed, local information with better placement in search results when a potential client conducts a related query. Detailed pages offer potential clients the freedom to consume the information that they’d like — scanning for valuable tidbits or reading a page top-to-bottom. When you provide more information, you create more opportunities for potential clients to find you in search and more opportunities to engage with potential clients once they’re at your site.
A common mistake related to creating pages on law firm websites
Some attorneys ask us whether a larger volume of pages on a law firm website leads to a better ranking with the search engines.
There’s a belief among some attorneys that merely having more pages on their law firm’s website will mean better visibility in search results. As a result of this belief, they create lots of pages on their site, many of which have little useful information. Some are then surprised when the creation of more pages doesn’t yield the results that they’re looking for.
Having more pages on your law firm’s website can mean better rankings, but only when those pages meet specific criteria. The pages that you create on your law firm’s website need to achieve some particular things to do well with Google and your potential clients. To learn more, see: “Do More Webpages on My Law Firm’s Website Lead to Better Google Rankings?“
How LawLytics makes successful law firm websites easy
LawLytics is built exclusively for law firms and requires no tech experience, so attorneys don’t struggle or miss opportunities. It focuses your firm’s marketing on what works and helps you avoid costly mistakes, so you can get sustainable results.
We start with the creation of your law firm’s website. The process is turn-key and done for you. You can start with a brand new site or have us import and improve your firm’s existing website.
Our technology hosts your website and puts you in control. You can easily add and remove content and manage your leads. We help you develop a strategy to meet your firm’s goals efficiently. The result is your law firm’s website becoming a sustainable money-making asset that predictably produces the business you want.
To learn more about using LawLytics for your law firm, schedule a free demo with us.
