This is the second blog in a series about beginning content creation for attorneys. To see all of the blog posts in this series, visit our series introduction page.
In the last post, we discussed how high-quality content drives visibility in search results, brings potential clients to your law firm’s website, and encourages them to contact your firm.
In this post, we’ll discuss the key elements of high-quality content on law firm websites.
What is high-quality content on law firm websites?
Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness are important for law firm websites.
Google refers to law firm websites as “Your Money or Your Life (YMYL)”. They are called this because of their potential effect on the happiness, health, or well-being of a search user who finds them. As a result, YMYL pages require a great deal of “Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness” (E-A-T). Google holds these pages to a higher standard.
Google notes that formal expertise is important for YMYL topics such as medical, financial, or legal advice.
Google notes that:
“We will consider the [main content] of the page to be very high or highest quality when it is created with a high degree of time and effort, and in particular, expertise, talent, and skill—this may provide evidence for the E-A-T of the page.”
Why is high-quality content the key to successful law firm websites?
By developing a large amount of high-quality content that showcases your expertise, your law firm’s website is more likely to be considered an authoritative and trustworthy source for local potential clients who conduct queries related to your practice area(s).
High-quality content gives your potential clients and Google what they need. Good information is at the intersection of what both users and search engines are looking for.
However, failing to provide high-quality content on your law firm’s website can make it difficult for potential clients to find your law firm’s website when they conduct related searches.
Because the standards for law firm websites are higher than other basic types of pages, high-quality website content is particularly important on your law firm’s website. If your goal is to use your law firm’s website to drive new business to your law firm, you should not ignore high-quality content development.
Key elements of high-quality law firm website content
Google’s advice about creating high-quality content is nothing new, and attorneys who play by Google’s rules by creating high-quality content on their law firm’s website will be rewarded with better placement in search results.
In short, high-quality content on law firm websites is informational, educational, written in language that non-lawyers can understand, and is designed to help potential clients learn more about their case or matter.
As you’re writing content, consider the following questions:
- Does the content provide original information, reporting, research or analysis?
- Does the content provide a substantial, complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
- Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
- If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
- Does the headline and/or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
- Does the headline and/or page title avoid being exaggerating or shocking in nature?
- Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
- Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
Learn more about high-quality content development on law firm websites
High-quality content development becomes easier for attorneys when they learn to write like their clients think. To learn more about developing high-quality content that drives new business to your law firm, see the following blog posts:
