Legal Website Content

During the process of getting your FirmSite, you may have been told about the option of adding your own, self-written pages. There are a number of benefits to adding more pages and more content to your Web site. First, having more content and more information will give your visitors a reason to stay on your site and a reason to revisit it. Additionally, adding pages to a Web site adds credibility in the eyes of search engines.

Are you ready to write your own pages? Here are some easy tips to get you started:

1: Choose a topic. Take a good look at your current Web site and analyze it from the perspective of a visitor. What would a potential client be interested in learning about your practice? Some page topic ideas to get you started are:

• Information on recent cases, settlements, and/or verdicts
• Learning about your firm's history
• Information about attorneys' community involvement
• Specific information about practice areas

2: Identify your target audience. What types of clients are you targeting? Your content should be written to accommodate your users. The type of language you use will vary between a criminal defense audience, a white collar crime audience, and a personal injury audience. Keep this in mind, and market your message for the demographic you are targeting.

3: Keep it short, simple, and readable. When writing your own Web content, you may be tempted to craft a lengthy document full of complex legal jargon. Unfortunately, this isn't what visitors want to see. Keep in mind you are writing for potential clients — not other lawyers. Follow these tips to make your content as user-friendly as possible:

·     Keep it short — Entering a page filled top-to-bottom with long paragraphs is overwhelming for users. Keep your content short. If you have a lot of information to cover, consider dividing it up into multiple pages

·     Keep it simple — Users don't like to see complex text on a Web site.

·     Keep it readable — Make your content visually appealing by using headings, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs.

4: Proofread, proofread, proofread. Nothing decreases the credibility of a Web site more than typos or grammatical errors. Run spell check. Read your content aloud. Ask a friend to proofread it. Then proofread it once more.