Google’s algorithms are changing all the time, and there is robust debate among search engine optimization (SEO) professionals about which metrics deserve the most of your attention. Should you write longer content to increase users’ time on page? Should you devote your time to building backlinks, which would require you to make a good impression on your competitors? Should you Google the name of your own law firm and ensure that its name, address, and phone number (NAP) is accurate on every website where it appears? If you devote most of your law firm’s marketing budget to following the latest SEO trends, it will only leave you feeling overwhelmed. A better use of your time is to follow the SEO practices that have been helping businesses attract web traffic for as long as business websites have existed. In other words, keep updating your website with factually accurate, readable legal blog content that has all the elements of an SEO-friendly blog post.
Content
Prospective clients will visit your website if it contains information about topics relevant to them. Think of your law firm’s blog as a constantly evolving frequently asked questions page about your practice area. It can also include commentary on current news stories that relate to your practice area. Choose your blog topics based on questions that current clients have asked you, rather than on what you think would make the best SEO keywords.
Keywords
You don’t want your blog post to sound like a parade of keywords, but it is worthwhile to do some keyword research. It is sufficient to use a keyword once in a title, once in a subheading, and once in the body text of the blog post.
Links
Don’t think of linking your blog post to other websites as an SEO gimmick; if you approach it that way, Google will see right through it and penalize your site. Instead, approach the incorporation of links into your blog post as citing your sources. In other words, link to sites that you would be proud to share with your law school professors.
Formatting
Content is king, but no one will stay on your web page long enough to appreciate your awesome content if the formatting of the page is too difficult to read. Whatever you do, do not format your blog post as a single, continuous block of text. SEO experts differ as to the ideal length for a paragraph; some say that you can safely include up to 12 sentences in a paragraph, while others go as far as to recommend single-sentence paragraphs. Regardless of the paragraph length you choose, your blog posts should format easily on mobile devices and tablets as well as on desktop and laptop computers.
When You Need More Than Just the Basics
Anyone can write one blog post, but most lawyers do not have the time to write a steady stream of them, which is what Google prefers. The professional legal content writers at Law Blog Writers will deliver informative, well-researched blog posts week after week.