Why successful attorney websites won’t be affected by the new Google search algorithm (and yours is one of them, right?)

You put a lot of time, money and effort into your awesome attorney website, and then a major player like Google up and changes their search algorithm. Virtually overnight websites are dropping down on Google’s search results page, and nobody is really sure what’s going on. Should you be worried?

Here’s the good news: if you’ve been paying attention to everything we’ve been telling you (and of course you have) then you have nothing to worry about. Still worried? The basics of writing unique, compelling content haven’t changed – and here’s a refresher so you can make sure you’re still on track.

Successful attorney websites are chock full of QUALITY content

Yeah, we know, you are an attorney not an author. However, no matter who is writing your content – you, your paralegal, your intern, a hired blogger – you must make sure that all your website content is high-quality. Flat, generic content not only bores your web visitors and sends them elsewhere pronto, but it can also hurt your Google search results ranking.

Attorney content writing tip #1: When we say “content”, what do we mean? Content can be an informative article of about 400 words, a blog post of about 250 words, an FAQ of about 200 words, a news story about 250 words.

The best attorney websites are bursting with ORIGINAL content

Do you have a few websites, or maybe a website and a separate blog? Don’t make the mistake of copying content from one site to another, whether it is yours or not. Even if you own the material, Google will spank you for having “duplicate content”. Think that piece you wrote is genius? Go ahead and post it in more than one place, but rewrite it at least 60%.

Attorney content writing tip #2: How can you rewrite content 60%? First, totally change the article’s title - and make it catchy! Second, substantially rewrite your introductory paragraph – a great, unique intro is VERY important. Third, reorganize the content – turn a bullet list into short paragraphs, turn a paragraph into a bullet list, rephrase key points. Before you know it you’ll have changed it at least 60%!

Great attorney websites are stuffed with a VARIETY of content

“Tom, I don’t understand – we post umpty-billion blog posts a month, yet we aren’t ranking high on Google. What’s up?” Is this you? Is your entire online content effort focused on one thing – like your blog? This won’t work. You need to post a variety of content – Google, Bing, Yahoo and the other search engines will not see your site as authoritative, if they don’t see a variety of content. Spread your writing wings and turn your blog posts into helpful articles, share a relevant news story from your local area, and jot down your clients’ questions and turn them into FAQs.

Attorney content writing tip #3: Go local! When writing content, don’t overlook important news and happenings in your own backyard. If you want to attract clients from the 5 nearest towns, tailor your content to residents of those locations.

Before we wrap up, we want to remind you to post a MINIMUM of 30 pieces of content each month. That’s right – at least 30 pieces a month. Are you in a hot market? Then you need to step it up and post much, much more. Maybe it is time to get your staff writing, bring on an intern, or hire us to write content for you.

Hungry for more tips? Get our FREE report, The 5 Biggest Mistakes 99% of Lawyers Make With Their Attorney Website.