3 Content Mistakes to Avoid in 2024
By Adrienne on December 27, 2023 in Content Content Marketing & Promotion Content Writing
The new year is almost here and you may be wondering how you can level up your firm’s content marketing strategy, particularly if your website hasn’t yielded any conversions. Have you taken a look at the analytical data to determine possible issues with your content? Are people on and off your blog within seconds? Does your site get two or three clicks from a user but those clicks do not end in contact with the firm? You may need to make a shift in your content plan for 2024, and we’re here to help. Check out these three common mistakes you should avoid in the new year and let’s get those phones ringing at your firm.
Mistake #1: Your Content Lacks Value to Your Existing and Potential Clients
A primary function of a law firm’s website is to anticipate and answer common questions that clients have about the specific practice area of interest. While It’s true that most people can appreciate a good dog or cat story that includes full-on antics and videos, that doesn’t do much good to help someone who has been hurt in a recent car crash and in need of answers regarding possible next steps.
Solution: Write content that addresses your clients’ common issues. Make the most of your content by researching potential topics relevant to your practice. If you still find yourself struggling to come up with viable topics, check out what your competition is writing about and take it to the next level to ensure you aren’t simply copying and pasting what they’ve already done.
Mistake #2: The Content You Are Producing Lacks Readability
Admit it: we all have had times when we were tasked to write something but it just ended up being one huge paragraph in the end. Why does that happen? Perhaps you were never taught how to write for an audience. Maybe you figured that you would just write out all your thoughts in the same manner that you speak and that was the end result. Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember the purpose of your content and ensure that your intended audience can follow along in a clear, cohesive manner.
Solution: Use subheadings and avoid technical and/or legal terms that may be difficult for the average individual to understand. If you have a website, each page of content should contain subheadings and properly spaced paragraphs, bulleted lists, images, etc. Doing so will help guide readers all while keeping their interest in the subject matter. Along those same lines, it’s equally as important to ensure your writing is understandable by the masses. A good rule of thumb is to consider the reading skills of someone who didn’t finish high school. If someone with that level of knowledge can’t understand what you’re saying, you may need to rewrite it. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, particularly if you know that your audience is highly sophisticated.
Mistake #3: Your Content is Not Properly Optimized for Google or Other Search Engines
Besides your current and potential clients, there is another “audience” that needs to be considered when writing content for your firm: bots. Google and other search engines use bots to “crawl” websites and look for certain words or phrases (typically referred to as keywords) as a means of determining how to rank your pages and site in general. That said, it’s important to include search engine optimization (SEO) best practices when writing content for your site to ensure you have the best chance of beating out your competition.
Solution: Do some research and learn which terms are most commonly searched in relation to your practice area. For example, if you have a personal injury firm, your terms may include things like “car accident lawyer” or “injuries after a car crash.” If your content primarily focuses on the term “red shoes” when discussing the drivers and passengers involved in those accidents, that could potentially harm your rankings, confuse the bots or worse. You never want to be deemed irrelevant, so make sure your content is clearly on topic and include meta descriptions and title tags that help further your intended focus.
Need Help With Creating Content That Takes Your Firm to the Next Level?
We know that attorneys are very busy and don’t often have time to write content for their website. If that is your predicament, let PaperStreet Web Design help. We have a highly capable team of attorney-writers who will be more than happy to assist with your content needs. Contact us to discuss your options.
