Searched-Focused Outlines: An Effective Method for Writing Informative Web Page Content Quickly

Your teachers in middle school and high school probably tried to teach you to create outlines of writing assignments before drafting the text, but most students don’t put much thought into their outlines or reread them very carefully when writing out the full text of the assignment. By the time you are a practicing lawyer, though, you understand the value of outlining and organizing your thoughts before composing a text that other people will read. Many lawyers write outlines before drafting any document more formal than an email to a client. Like many lawyers, even though you are accustomed to composing a variety of legal documents, you might feel stuck when it comes to writing content for your law firm’s website. You might feel especially intimidated when you find out that writing content for your law firm’s site is not a one-time project; for best results, you should update it frequently, such as by adding new posts to your site’s blog. The good news is that a simple outlining technique can help you quickly compose legal blog content that succinctly addresses readers’ questions.

Creating an Outline Based on Keyword Research

In the old days, people used to write blogs to enthuse about their favorite bands or rant about the multilevel marketing companies that scammed them out of their life’s savings, but today, the main purpose of blogs is to drive web traffic to business websites, including law firm websites. Whether you are writing a blog post or a content page about one of your law firm’s practice areas, your goal should be content that addresses issues that users have in mind when they type common search queries.

Keyword research tools can show you the websites that rank highest in your geographic area for the search queries for which you want to rank. Choose several keywords and write a subheading for each one; if possible, phrase your subheading as a question. Assume that you will write one or two paragraphs under each subheading. Don’t obsess over word count too much, but for a 500-word blog post, you should write approximately three subheadings, and for a 2,000-word content page, you will need about 12. For example, for a blog post called “What to Do After a Car Accident,” your subheadings might be, “Should I Take Pictures After a Car Accident?” “What Do I Tell the Insurance Company?” and “Do I Need a Car Accident Lawyer?”

When you start with a keyword-focused outline, you do not have to worry about working keywords into the body text, because they are already in the subheadings. You will probably include them naturally in the text, but even if you don’t, that is fine. A keyword-focused outline can help you avoid writing text that is awkward, wordy, or repetitive just so you can include keywords.

Keyword-Focused Outlines Are Just One Approach to Law Firm Blogging

Whether your law firm’s brand identity includes blog posts based on common questions, current news stories, or the intricacies of case law, you can always trust the professional legal content writers at Law Blog Writers to deliver informative, readable content quickly.