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Content Guidelines for your Law Firm Website

Content Guidelines for your Law Firm Website. By PaperStreet Web Design. Online Reading Habits. Skim: Readers skim; they don’t read. Snap: Readers make snap decisions. React: Instead of evaluating, they react. Calls to Action: Use them.

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Content Guidelines for your Law Firm Website

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  1. Content Guidelines for your Law Firm Website By PaperStreet Web Design

  2. Online Reading Habits • Skim: Readers skim; they don’t read. • Snap: Readers make snap decisions. • React: Instead of evaluating, they react. • Calls to Action: Use them. TIP: Unlike a legal argument, keep your text brief.

  3. Are you an Authority Online? Do you: • Write often? • Cover legal news / events in your area? • Create in-depth articles that help? • Have the most exhaustive resource? TIP: Goal is to become THE resource in your practice area.

  4. You are Too Wordy • Not about You! Write for the client. TIP: Don’t just write about yourself, help clients first.

  5. You are Too Wordy • What you Should Do • Bullets: Use bullet points and short copy. • What to Use: Tables, charts, maps, lists, images, and diagrams, rather than text. • Break Up: Use headlines and sub headlines TIP: Cut Content and organize it into logical sections.

  6. Content Rules • Style: Set a style or tone for your website. • Pagination: Break up the Pages. • Short sentences are better than long ones. • SEO: Keep SEO in mind. • For your Reader: Write for them, not you. • Avoid industry terms unless your targeted reader will already know them. TIP: Don’t be afraid to have a voice to your website.

  7. Duplicate Content • Unique content is key. • Don’t steal and don’t regurgitate. • Check your copy at Copyscape. TIP: Seriously, don’t copy. There are ways to be unique.

  8. Site Structure • Pyramid Structure • 3 Levels is usually enough, sometimes 4. • Less than 100 links a page • Standard Pages: Home, Practice, Attorneys, Blog, About, & Contact • Advanced PagesIndustries, News, Media, Case Studies, Articles, Directory of Resources, Lists, Charts, Industry information, and more. TIP: Make your site logical and easy to navigate.

  9. What to Include • Become an Authority • Don’t just write about your business. • Industry facts • Q&A • How To • Case Studies • Top 10 lists • Blog TIP: Turn client questions into content.

  10. What NOT to Include • Short Pages: 1 paragraph pages • Orphan Pages: Pages that don’t link from any other page. • Duplicate Content – Don’t Copy, even from yourself and especially from other sites. TIP: Don’t write just for the search engines.

  11. Ideas for Content • About Us • Practice Areas and Info • Service Areas and Info • Products and Info • Lists • Top 10 • News • Articles • Recommendations • Directory of Resources • Research Articles • Interviews • Free Tools • Expositions • Humor • Reviews • Video, Audio • Surveys • Contests • Trends • Advice Columns • Charts & Graphics TIP: Include all of this and you will dominate.

  12. Ideas for Features • Why you got into the business. • What inspires you. • A compliment you recently received. • Experience. • Degrees. • Awards. • Trade, Bar Associations. • Committees. • Social Organizations. • Recent News / Events. • Personal Connections. • Previous career, family businesses, or jobs. • Hobby or interest that relates.

  13. Bad Practices • Tricks: Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. • Redirects: Pages dedicated to directing the user to another page. • Duplicate Content: Multiple pages/sites offering the same content. • Thin Content Sites: Automatically generated content of little value. • Hidden Text: The use of text or links hidden from the user. • Cloaking: Different content for search than what the end user sees. • Irrelevant Pages: Pages built for search with excessive keywords. • Fraud: Pages that seem deceptive, fraudulent, or poor quality. TIP: Make pages for users, not for search engines.

  14. Headlines for SEO & Eyeballs • SEO your Headlines: Keywords should be in the headlines. • Make Headlines Easy to Understand: Short headlines are better than long. TIP: Always SEO your headlines. Always make them catchy. Would you click on the headline if you saw it in a search result?

  15. Subheads for SEO • Don’t want your Headlines to Be SEO’d, use subheads. TIP: Don’t get spammy. But it’s OK to include some keyword phrases.

  16. Home Page Example • http://www.LakeLaw.com/ • http://www.eb5fullservice.com/ • http://www.millslawny.com/ • http://www.margolislegalgroup.com/ • http://www.productslaw.net/ • Not Yet Launched, but Cool: http://www.paperstreet.com/concepts/dklaw.net/DKL_webhome-v3c.php TIP: Include Attorneys, Practice Areas, Interesting Design & SEO Text.

  17. Home Page Examples TIP: Include Attorneys, Practice Areas, Interesting Design & SEO Text.

  18. Home Page Examples TIP: Include Attorneys, Practice Areas, Interesting Design & SEO Text.

  19. Practice Areas (Listing & Detail) • Detail: http://www.hinklelawfirm.com/practices/oil-gas-and-other-natural-resources/ • Listing: http://www.hinklelawfirm.com/practices.php • Listing:http://www.mathewsllp.com/practice-areas • Detail: http://www.mathewsllp.com/practice-areas/litigation TIP: Have Categories, Sub-categories and Detail Pages.

  20. Hinkle Practice Listing TIP: Have Categories, Sub-categories and Detail Pages.

  21. Hinkle Practice Detail TIP: Have Categories, Sub-categories and Detail Pages.

  22. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) • Listing: http://www.wsh-law.com/attorneys-search.php?letter=W • Detail: http://www.wsh-law.com/attorneys/richard-jay-weiss/ • Listing : http://www.llw-law.com/attorneys/ • Detail: http://www.llw-law.com/attorneys/keri-ann-c-baker/ • Listing : http://www.henlaw.com/attorneys-search.php?letter=B • Detail: http://www.henlaw.com/attorneys/guy-e-whitesman/ TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  23. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  24. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  25. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  26. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  27. Attorneys (Listing & Bios) TIP: Logically group attorney information and be consistent.

  28. Blogs & News • http://www.Juryblog.com • http://www.bevlaw.com/bevlog/ TIP: Write. Write. Write.

  29. Blogs & News TIP: Write. Write. Write.

  30. Blogs & News TIP: Write. Write. Write.

  31. Contact Pages • http://www.llw-law.com/contact-us/ • http://www.mathewsllp.com/contact-us • http://www.simmonslawfirm.com/contact-us/ • http://www.mrthlaw.com/contact-us/ • http://www.searcymasstort.com/free-case-evaluation/ TIP: Include Map, Contact Form, Phone, Directions and SEO.

  32. Contact Pages TIP: Include Map, Contact Form, Phone, Directions and SEO.

  33. Contact Pages TIP: Include Map, Contact Form, Phone, Directions and SEO.

  34. Site Architecture & Formatting • Don’t Use Flash or Graphics: Search engines can only index HTML text. • JavaScript: Keep to a minimum and in own file. • Avoid Outright SEO Manipulation: If it seems shady, it probably is shady. • Include a Sitemap: Allows search engines to see all pages easily. • Font Size and Color Choice: Don’t use a font size that is too small. TIP: Your web design team should do all of this and more.

  35. Content Management Systems • Manage your Content Yourself • No excuse not to publish weekly, except for time (and we can help too). • WordPress: A great open-source content platform. Add, edit, delete any pages. • Total Control: An awesome content platform built just for law firms. TIP: Don’t build a site without a Content Management System.

  36. 5 Take Aways • Write. Write. Write • Don’t Duplicate • Create an Organized Structure • Write for the Reader First… • …but make sure to SEO your headlines & copy. TIP: Direct correlation between high ranked and trafficked site and the amount of content they produce.

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