5 legal blog writing tips for your law firm

Q: How long should blog posts be?

A: When it comes to blog post length, there are no strict rules, and you’ll get different recommendations from different sources. But really, a blog post should be as long as it needs to be to say what you want to say. That doesn’t mean you should make a habit of droning on for 2,000 words, but you probably also need to write more than 200 words to provide valuable information. Try not to get too hung up on length and focus more on making sure your content is interesting and engaging for legal consumers. Many attorneys find that between 500 to 800 words is a good length, but don’t worry about occasionally falling short or going over this word count.

Q: How often should our firm post?

A: When it comes to the frequency of your posts, it’s important to find a cadence that works for you and your firm. Yes, it would be great to publish posts twice a week. But is that really doable? Be realistic and remember to keep your blogging goals in mind. If one of your top blogging goals centers around SEO, you probably do want to publish a new post every week. But if showcasing your expertise is your top goal, it may make more sense to focus on developing longer posts and publishing one or two per month.

Q: Does it matter what I use for my header and sub-headers in a blog post?

A: Yes, and the reason why is three-fold.

1. For you: Headers act as an outline for your blog post. They help you organize your thoughts and stay focused and on point.
2. For legal consumers: Headers and sub-headers provide a roadmap for your post. They help legal consumers understand what a post is about and what information they can expect to learn.
3. For search engines: Headers and sub-headers also provide clues about a post’s contents and signal whether a post may be good to return to in related search results.

When coming up with blog headers, keep all three factors in mind and make sure to use words and phrases that legal consumers will be searching for.

Q: Is it a good idea to update old blogs?

A: Updating existing blog posts is a great way to get the most mileage possible out of a post. After all, you’ve already done the hard work of coming up with a topic, doing the research, and writing the post. And there are definitely times when it makes sense to update an existing blog post, including:

• When laws changed and your original post was based on outdated legal information
• You have more experience and insight to share and add about a specific legal topic
• You want to edit or add to a post to reflect changes to your practice areas
• You want to update links within your post to link to newer content you’ve written
• You want to update headers, sub-headers, and post copy to be more SEO-friendly

Q: Should I use social media to promote my blogs?

A: Social media channels like Facebook and Instagram are ideal places to broadcast when you publish new blog posts. Using social media channels to promote your posts helps drive engagement and more traffic to your blog. Additionally, you can repurpose snippets and excerpts from blog posts and use them in social media posts. For example, say you recently wrote a post about preparing to file for divorce. You could turn the information into a helpful divorce preparation checklist and then link back to your blog and website.

Want more advice on legal blogging? Use these other law firm marketing resources and turn to the digital marketing experts at FindLaw. And if you missed the original webcast or want to tune in again, register to watch the on-demand broadcast.