It’s no secret that website content is important. You want to ensure your firm is putting its best foot forward from the moment a prospective client hits your homepage. Many lawyers don’t realize quality content requires the right length (or word count) for Google to recognize it as such.
Here are just a few reasons why you need to ensure the length of your website content complies with SEO best practices and the quality of your words both matter.
- The Importance of Website Content Length
Just as we’ve mentioned in the past about video content length, longer-form website content can be more effective and can provide more value to a website when executed properly. If the quality is up to par, longer content can outrank shorter content, but what is the ideal length?
According to one Search Engine Journal study, the average word count for top rankings on Google is around 1,900 words. But, that number can and does vary depending on the topic, keywords, and competition. Google pays more attention to how visitors engage with your website’s content than it does to the actual length. This is because the content has to answer a searcher’s question or solve a searcher’s problem in order to be considered more valuable. Your firm can have a page of content with 1,900 words on it, but if it doesn’t provide value to a website visitor, it won’t necessarily help you just because of its word count.
Longer content often provides more authority on a subject, leading visitors to stay on the page for longer and providing all of the searcher’s answers in one place so they do not have to navigate elsewhere. Longer content can also generate increased social engagement, triggering important social signals that show Google your content is high quality.
- The Importance of Providing Value
While lawyers are certainly capable of writing long content, if it is not providing users with any value, it may not perform as well as it could. This can actually make it more difficult for your content (and thus your website) to rank organically for competitive search terms in Google search results.
In order to truly provide value to your law firm’s website visitors, focus on understanding why someone would need or want to read the particular page of content in the first place. The firm must be able to provide a potential solution to the user’s problem in order for them to find it valuable. For example, if your firm provides litigation counsel to oil and gas companies, ensure your copywriting hits the points your firm knows from experience are valuable to clients like these you’ve worked with previously.
- The Importance of Keyword Optimization
Now that we know the importance of providing length and value on your firm’s website content, it is imperative to ensure you utilize the proper keywords to properly optimize each page of content. Having a good page of content appropriately optimized for the ideal keywords helps ensure your website will rank well not just with Google, but also with Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines.
In order to determine the right keywords to use in crafting your website content, your firm should perform some keyword research to see what will be most effective. You will also be able to determine what other related keywords and keyword phrases will also be effective so you can use them within your firm’s content. The key to this is to find words that are highly searched for but aren’t too competitive, as your law firm website is more likely to rank for them and they will generate a decent volume of monthly searches.
Want to Learn More?
Keep these thoughts in mind when drafting your firm’s website content to readers and potential clients as well.
The legal marketing team at Stacey E. Burke, P.C. is well versed in writing detailed website copy for law firms. A licensed lawyer reviews and finalizes every page of copy written to ensure it complies with applicable lawyer advertising regulations. If your firm could benefit from revamping its website content or finding out how more about its marketing options, contact us today.
Leave a Comment