How Law Firms Can Use Content Marketing to Build Trust Before a Consultation

Lawyers who wait until the initial consultation to build trust and rapport with potential clients are like skiers who wait for warmer weather to hit the slopes. Both are likely to find themselves alone and disappointed. A 2024 report by Martindale-Avvo found that 92.4% of legal consumers are likely or very likely to research their legal issue online before contacting an attorney. Think about it: 9 out of 10 potential clients do their homework via the internet before they ever schedule a consultation. 

This creates an opportunity for law firms to begin establishing credibility before a prospective client ever picks up the phone by simplifying the research process. Legal websites that don’t provide information that answers the prospective client’s research questions make themselves irrelevant and invisible. At PaperStreet, we help our clients develop content that draws visitors in, builds trust, and converts legal searches into signed cases. 

Potential Clients Are Looking for Answers Before They Are Looking for Lawyers

When potential legal clients turn to the internet, they often aren’t looking to find an attorney and schedule a consultation right away. Instead, most people want to understand the problem first. According to the Martindale-Avvo survey, the top reasons people search for legal information are the following: 

• 55.8% research to determine whether their issue is worth pursuing
• 55.5% want to learn more about their rights
• 49.6% want to determine whether they need to hire an attorney
• 41.2% want to determine what type of attorney they need
• 37.6% want to learn about possible risks or consequences

Law firms should keep these statistics in mind when they are planning their online legal content. Notice there is no category of people who research which attorney was on the winning moot court team in law school, was given the bar association’s person of the year award last year, or who testified before the state legislature the most times. While all of these things have a place on your website (maybe), they are not the information prospective clients are searching for. 

The best content starts with the questions attorneys repeatedly hear during initial consultations. Conversion-driven legal marketing content turns those questions into blog posts, FAQs, practice-area pages, guides, and videos. Content that answers the client’s question first, rather than immediately trying to sell legal services, is content that engages visitors. Engaged visitors are far more likely to read more, and when ready, reach out to schedule an appointment. 

Potential Clients Prefer to Get Their Legal Information From Lawyers 

The internet contains an enormous amount of legal information of various qualities. Lawyers have a distinct advantage in law firm content marketing because, according to the survey, 86.9% of consumers prefer getting legal information from lawyers rather than non-lawyers. Among consumers who actually hired an attorney, the figure rises to 91%. Attorney-created and reviewed content can capitalize on this preference. In turn, content gives attorneys an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge rather than merely describing themselves as “knowledgeable” or “experienced.” 

A proven way for legal content to demonstrate knowledge is to make complicated legal issues understandable. Nobody likes to read information that makes them feel unintelligent. When most people read the first paragraph and have no idea what it said, they are very unlikely to read the second paragraph. Remember, you are not writing for other attorneys. Effective legal content should be written at about the 10th-grade level. Microsoft Word has a built-in tool to check this. The Hemingway Editor can check the grade level and suggest ways to reach your target grade level. 

Being Found is Only the Beginning

Many attorneys believe digital marketing’s primary purpose is online visibility. While visibility is important, it is only the first step. Of legal consumers who find an attorney using a search engine, 93.3% conduct additional research before making a hiring decision. Among consumers who go on to hire an attorney, this due diligence increases to 96.3%. If a website leaves visitors with nowhere to go after the landing page or offers only thin content, visitors will quickly move on to find better information. 

Content marketing and SEO that work together create knowledge hubs that let visitors easily find what they need. Internally link practice-area and location pages with:

• Attorney biographies
• Relevant articles
• FAQs
• Case results where appropriate
• Testimonials and reviews where permitted
• Clear information about the firm’s experience and services

By creating these connections, clients can navigate your site to find answers to their questions.  This allows potential clients to move from “Do I need an attorney?” to “Does this firm handle my problem?” to “Do I trust this firm enough to call?”

Interestingly, 61% of people who get non-internet-based attorney recommendations from family, friends, or other legal professionals still researched the attorney’s reputation online before scheduling a consultation. Only 4% of people surveyed did no additional investigation after the recommendation. Attorney biographies, substantive articles, current practice-area information, reviews, and consistent messaging can reinforce credibility. Conversely, stale content, an outdated website, or thin information can undermine the confidence a personal recommendation creates.

Give Potential Clients the Information They Want Before They Ask

Effective legal content must be created with the visitor’s needs in mind. Simply put, it is about what potential clients want and need, not about impressing other attorneys or showing how smart you are. Part of creating legal content marketing that drives consistent conversions is understanding what legal consumers look for before they contact an attorney. Luckily, someone has taken the time to ask consumers directly, and we can take the guesswork out of the process. 

According to Martindale-Avvo, surveyed legal consumers who use the internet are looking for: 

• Reviews – 63.6%
• Types of cases handled – 60.8%
• Hourly rates or contingency fees – 58.7%
• Whether a free consultation is available – 58.5%
• Years of experience – 52.3%

These numbers suggest that content legal marketing isn’t limited to blogging. Important information needs to be easy to find. Visitors shouldn’t have to hunt for what they are looking for. Save complex, esoteric legal explanations for law review articles and continuing legal education sessions. Your internet visitors want information that clearly explains what you do, where you do it, and who you help.

Building Trust

When a visitor clicks a link that leads to your website, everything that happens next must be designed with one purpose: building basic trust. If your website content doesn’t signal to the legal consumer that they can trust you, the chances of them contacting you are limited. If they never make that initial contact, the chances of them becoming a client are zero.   To make the most of your one opportunity, focus on: 

• Making important information easy to find rather than forcing visitors to hunt for it
• Clearly explaining practice areas and types of matters handled
• Providing useful attorney biographies demonstrating relevant experience
• Addressing fees and consultations to the extent appropriate for the firm’s practice
• Incorporating reviews and testimonials where ethically permitted
• Keeping all information current and consistent

Effective law firm content marketing turns a website from a collection of pages into an opportunity to begin building a relationship before a potential client ever reaches out. Every clear answer, useful resource, and reassuring detail gives legal consumers another reason to trust your firm and take that next step. PaperStreet helps law firms create content strategies that build trust, strengthen their online presence, and turn website visitors into prospective clients. Contact us today to learn how we can help your firm make the most of every visit.