Why Our Legal Content Writer Stresses Blogging for Lawyers is a MUST

Lawyers and law firms seeking to compete and get new clients really need to be blogging. This is particularly true for personal injury lawyers who can really benefit from blogging. However, most lawyers do not like to do marketing. And most lawyers do not have time to blog–especially when it does not directly generate income. But blogging for lawyers is essential in today’s market. Just how important? Our legal content writer shares some shocking statistics.

Blogging for Lawyers: Statistics to Know

Don’t just trust our word for it. Blogging for lawyers is a must for any law firm website or lawyer. In fact, it is a must for any business with a website–and what business doesn’t have a website? (hint: a dead business).

Here are some of the most important statistics about blogging for lawyers:

Websites with blogs generate 67% more leads than websites without blogs.

As a personal injury lawyer, that is a HUGE statistic because your focus is about getting more leads and jobs. If you can get 67% more clients, you can really increase your law firm’s caseload quickly.

Blogs with images get 94% more total views.

Another shocking statistic, but an important one. A lot of people are visual learners. Many others want some aspect of a picture to help them associate a good or service with what they want. Hence why signs and symbols work best for traffic signs or other informational posters. But it also makes sense because Google gives websites and blogs with images special attention. It is actually sometimes that can help increase traffic to a website. It also allows a blogger or legal content writer to also add “alt text” embedded into a photo. That alt text can help greatly contribute to SEO on a website.

Websites with blogs have 434% more indexes than websites that do not.

Another really important statistic is that websites with blogs have 434% more indexes than websites that do not. This is HUGE for a personal injury lawyer because personal injury law has a lot of different practice areas. This includes auto accidents, dog bites, slip and falls, medical malpractice, and other practice areas. But even within those areas, there are many different types of auto accidents such as car accidents, trucking accident, motorcycle crashes, and hit-by-a-car. And within those topics, there are other causes like rear end crashes, left turn crashes, districted driving, drunk driving, and many other. There are also unique injuries, such as whiplash or soft tissue.

Having more indexes means that a lawyer or legal content writer who writes on these topics will get more pages categorized by Google for searches. Indexing occurs when Google searches, scans, and categorizes your pages and overall website for searches. It is looking for relevancy, accuracy, and authority. This is part of Google’s EAT program, looking for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Websites with blogs have more pages that are found to be indexed and in this EAT category. This means these websites will only go up and increase in visibility on search engines. A huge plus for personal injury lawyers which is why blogging for lawyers is essential.

SEO Reasons Why to Blog

A lot of the statistics reveal why blogging is important for search engine optimization reasons. Also known as SEO, this is how you can get your website higher up on web searches. Having better SEO means getting better positions on Google. While there are many factors to SEO, including factors that are more technical, the saying “content is king” is still applicable.

This phrase “content is king” is Google’s overarching purpose for many of its algorithms. These algorithms are used to place websites higher up on search engine results. The better your content, the better you will do on searches. But not only does it matter about the content, but also the form of the content.

This is because not all website pages are created equal.

Websites have “pages” and “posts.” Pages are static, meaning they stay in existent and in position consistently. These are usually your practice area landing pages. Posts are through blogging, which are revolving and move in position. Having both is important. And having both link to each other and refer to each other is also important.

How Blogging Helps SEO

Each time you create a blog post, your website will get re-indexed by search engines. This can be due to the fact you set it up that way through a plugin or Google Search Console (hint hint). Or it can be through the natural processes that search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! use.

The more you blog, the more search engines get hit with your name. That is, either they are being pinged or they keep finding new content on your page. If you are posting more often than they are finding it, the algorithms will shift to ping your website more often. That’s obviously a great reason.

But not only does this help your website from a more technical standpoint, but let’s also address the obvious. More posts = more topics you can consider.

For example, a lawyer who has blog posts about car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, and similar crashes is great. But a lawyer who has all of those, and also the different types of car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle, and other crashes is better.

Said differently, having a website with a post about trucking accidents is good. But having a website with posts about trucking accidents, 18 wheeler wrecks, big rig crashes, semi-tractor trailer collisions, and related posts is just better. What is even better is having more specific posts related to those pages. That gets into the topic of short versus long tail keywords and phrases. That is a topic for another time.

The important part is to just realize that blogging allows you to cast a wider net for what people are searching. It also makes your website bigger and keeps poking Google and other search engines to keep checking back. That will help your SEO, meaning blogging for lawyers is essential.

Other Reasons to Blog

In addition to those obvious reasons proven through statistics and the SEO benefits, there are many other reasons to blog that transcend just website clicks and visitors. Many attorneys do not realize this or consider the reasons. But remember, there are a lot of choices for lawyers in many jurisdictions. Having a more significant and stronger website will help you in more ways than just SEO.

For instance, blogging can greatly help your law firm branding and role in the community. Not only do you have to talk about the law, but you can also blog about other businesses, restaurants, or locations in your locality. Although this does not directly market your website or services, it can create three important things.

Three Benefits for Branding and Community Impression

First, it can create obvious business goodwill. Other businesses in the area will like you if you are promoting them. In turn, that may cause them to promote you or refer their clients to you.

Second, it can bring more visitors to your website. Search engines look at the amount of websites to your website and how long they stay. Even if you are having people come look at restaurant recommendations down the road from your law firm, that will bring people to your website who will read it. That signals to search engines that your website has traffic and is useful.

Third, it helps create a geographic identity of your website. If you are referencing businesses, streets, landmarks, government offices, shows, restaurants, and other things near your office, when people search for a lawyer in that area, your website will be deemed to be more relevant. That is very important if you are trying to market your services in several locations.

For example, maybe you are trying to target many of the different neighborhoods in Queens. By having posts about the restaurants in each neighborhood, businesses, local news, and other information, you can target each neighborhood separately.

Specific Example Using Queens and Blogging for Lawyers

Let’s take the tale of two personal injury lawyers.

One lawyer has a website: Queens Car Accident Lawyer. That’s not bad, considering it could be “New York Car Accident Lawyer” or “New York City Car Accident Lawyer”; each of these is very competitive. Albeit, they should still be on everyone’s website (think martini glass, broadest topic to narrowest). However, this will not necessarily help increase traffic enough.

The second lawyer has Queens Car Accident Lawyer as a page. But also has pages and posts on different areas of Queens. For example, posts such as:

• Northwestern Queens Car Accident Lawyers
• Northeastern Queens Car Accident Lawyers
• Central Queens Car Accident Lawyers
• Southeastern Queens Car Accident Lawyers
• Southwestern Queens Car Accident Lawyers
• Rockaways Car Accident Lawyers

All of these are also good. Having restaurant reviews, fishing reports, traffic accidents, and other business or community news or recommendations can all help with geolocating for SEO purposes.

But they can be broken down further.

A better website will have all of the above, plus (just for example in one area):

• Astoria Car Accident Lawyers
• Astoria Heights Car Accident Lawyers
• Ditmars Car Accident Lawyers
• Steinway Car Accident Lawyers
• Little Egypt Car Accident Lawyers
• Jackson Heights Car Accident Lawyers
• Long Island City Car Accident Lawyers
• Sunnyside Car Accident Lawyers
• And all of the neighborhoods in Long Island City and Sunnyside Gardens.

A strong website will have these narrower pages, linking to Northwestern Queens Car Accident Lawyers, linking to Queens Car Accident Lawyers, linking to New York City Car Accident Lawyers, linking to New York Car Accident Lawyers.

See the martini funnel now? It is upside down from narrow to broad, but you should create content broad to specific.

Create Client Trust

Hate to break it to you (our legal content writer is a lawyer so we can say this), but the public is notoriously untrusting of lawyers. Many few lawyers as greedy or slimy, money-hungry and unforgiving. Some are–but that is a discussion for another day. But many are not!

How can client’s tell the difference?

Blogging for lawyers can help give out free information and advice. It can also help demonstrate that you know what you are talking about. Creating a strong website and law firm web presence will make your law firm appear more trustworthy. Who wants to go to a lawyer after a serious personal injury when the law firm website is poor, inaccurate, or just wrong? No one!

Create good content that can help clients get some answers. All of the content should funnel to the realization that–hey, this is what your rights are, it is complicated, not guaranteed, but we can help you put your best chance forward. That’s how you can get clients.

Spread Your Credentials and Awards

Let’s talk about some more lawyer truth. We give out awards to everyone for everything. What dinner have you attended as a lawyer where someone did not get some award? Most bogus or really just fancy participation awards. We do this a lot.

But that helps get clients, you know.

Posting about your awards (whether you think it is a sham or not), can help lawyers get their name out there. It can also help demonstrate to clients that you have experience and have received awards for your work. This can help “hook” clients into calling you. This is another important part of blogging for lawyers.

Recap: Why is Blogging for Lawyers Important?

For what may appear like a short topic, there is a lot of information in our post. Here are some important aspects you need to walk away with regarding blogging for lawyers.

1. First and Foremost, it Will Help Your Website’s SEO

Blogging for lawyers will help your website’s SEO. Both through technical SEO, meaning more behind-the-scenes SEO, as well as content-based SEO. Google and search engines will ping your website more which helps with rankings. Search engines like active and engaging websites.

More blog posts means more topics to cover, translating into a wider net for clients to find you. This also lets you demonstrate what areas you practice. That will increase your website’s SEO by covering more ground.

2. Location, Location, Location!

Using blogs to create articles and pages on each geographical area you are targeting will help your SEO immensely. By linking them into the broader areas, you will really drive people deeper into your website. It also shows search engines relevance based on your location. When someone from Queens searches for a car accident lawyer, they have many options. But when a person searches for an Astoria car accident lawyer, they have fewer options. Covering this while blogging is a huge advantage to your website.

3. Create Credibility with Clients (and Referral Partners)

Ever search for a good or service online and you cannot find it anywhere mainstream? But you then find it are a really run down or outdated website. Do you order it? I don’t! I’m sure many people do not either.

Having a website with a lot of content on it not only helps your SEO by showing Google you are active and your website is up-to-date, but also your clients. People will know that they can call you and get help from someone who is likely there. It creates credibility and authoritativeness, especially when your blogs are good.

The Largest Problem With Blogging for Lawyers

Time. It will take time. Both to develop a strategy, but also to draft the blogs and then post them. How long?

According to blogging statistics, the average, run-of-the-mill blog will take three an a half (3.5) hours to write. Other statistics say the average blog post takes three hours and fifty-five minutes (3:55) to write. That’s nearly four hours! Those are about for about 1,200 word posts–which are good and recommended, but not as superior as 2,000 word posts which have the best results.

And let’s be honest with something. Law firm blog posts are not simple. They are not average. Nor are they the run-of-the-mill type of post. Law firm blog posts are very complicated. They can take a long time to develop properly. This includes research but also drafting and editing.

Smaller Problem Related to Timing: The Cost and Price!

While you are drafting these blog posts, also think about your hourly. How much do you make an hour? Or how much do you want to make an hour? As plaintiff’s lawyers do not typically get paid by the hour like a defense lawyer.

Rather, the hourly rate of pay for plaintiff’s lawyers is only the concern of the managing partner or owner. And that amount is how much that law firm is paying its lawyers per hour. What does the average lawyer make an hour for plaintiff’s work? ZipRecruiter says the average is $80,743 a year which is about $39 an hour. Are you paying your lawyers more? In big markets like NYC you probably are paying double that for associates and young partners. This also does not take into consideration you are paying for health benefits, workers’ compensation insurance, and Westlaw/LexisNexis subscriptions, maybe some other perks too.

You also want to be making a healthy cut yourself. Lawyers typically can bill $250 to $500 an hour, with exceptional lawyers billing more. Including for court time which can be much higher per hour.

Also none of the nearly four (4) hours to draft a blog post counts towards 1) thinking of a topic, 2) setting up a blogging plan, 3) posting the blog, and 4) learning how to write better as an SEO writer. Those are all extra.

Save Time By Getting a Legal Content Writer

Having a legal content writer like our lawyer to do your blogging can really help save you time and money. For example, the average post of 1,200 words takes between 3.5 to 4 hours. If you and your law firm did it, you would:

• Pay an associate making $80k a year between $136.50 and $156 to just DRAFT the post (not post or plan ahead)
• Pay an associate making $160k a year between $273 and $312 to just DRAFT the post (not post or plan ahead)
• Take away from your billable time which may be a reasonable $200 an hour, you’d lose $700 to $800 (make more than $200 an hour, you do that math–it is frightening!)
• Or hire our legal content writer for $120 to plan, draft, and post the same 1,200 word post.

Oh, we not only cost less, but we have over 11 years of experience doing this. We also know a few things about (okay we lied, a lot!) which could really boost your website. We also have a registered nurse to review heavy medical, anatomy, or medical malpractice and birth injury posts. Does your expert retainer allow for blog post reviews? Probably not!

When It Comes to Blogging for Lawyers, Get Our Help

Although it is possible to blog entirely yourself, having help is essential when it comes to your law firm’s website. Even if you do not think you have a blog, if you have a website you likely have a blog. And even if for some reason you do not (again, you probably do), you can STILL build more practice area pages and static landing pages to help boost your website.

The decision is simple.

Ask our experienced legal content writer at NAB Legal Marketing, LLC how you can get the best legal content writer for your personal injury website. We know blogging for lawyers, so let us help you today during a free consultation. We can also provide a sample for your website too based on your parameters. If you like the sample, we can include it in the first invoice. If you do not like the sample, there is no obligation to pay for it. That means you can see how we can write and help you at no upfront risk. We also do not use contracts, and you only pay for what you keep.

Get help with our team today to learn how your personal injury law firm and website can grow with blogging for lawyers. Contact us today to learn more!