Law Firm Marketing Agency
In a perfect world, every blog visitor would be a prospective client ready to hire within weeks. However, the reality is more nuanced. Who’s really reading your blog, and what can you really expect from your blog in terms of growing your business?
We expect a lot from blog content. It should work hard to deliver value and support the growth of your business. That’s true—but many lawyers misunderstand the role that blogs play in growing a firm.
In online marketing, to accurately aim and hit a target, you need to understand how the mechanism works. So, let’s uncover blog mechanics and help you hit that bullseye.
Here’s what you need to know about the ways people find your blog, what people actually want when they’re visiting your firm’s blog, and why immediate conversion rates are a short-sighted way of looking at blogs in legal marketing.
Three pathways an online visitor might use to find your blog—and who’s behind the click
1. Directly from the SERPs
When someone’s search query aligns with your blog post’s subject and keywords, they may land directly on your blog from the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
This source indicates active information seekers looking for specific legal insights. However, it may not indicate a transactional intention. They may not be ready to hire someone or book a consultation.
2. From Another Page on Your Site
Some visitors may start with a general search or directly Googling your name. Then, they arrive at your site and navigate away from your attorney profile to find relevant articles.
This pathway suggests a more deliberate engagement, demonstrating interest in your expertise.
3. From a Link on Another Site
Exceptional content on your site can earn links from external websites, expanding your reach. While Google Analytics will never provide demographics for this group of visitors, understanding their journey provides valuable insights into your reader. What site did they click from? What was the anchor text on the link they clicked?
This pathway indicates that a user is looking for high-quality information. The reader may or may not be specifically interested in your firm or retaining an attorney.
Frustrated about low conversion from your blog?
We get it: conversion is critical. Demanding high conversion rates from your marketing campaigns is reasonable. But expecting them from your blog is unproductive and unreasonable.
Blogs are long-term investments for SEO growth and brand exposure. Not every blog visitor is in the attorney selection phase.
Your blog is an awareness machine, not a conversion machine—and you’re guaranteed to be frustrated if you expect conversion from a machine designed to generate awareness.
Here’s what you need to understand about blogs and conversion:
→ Your online visitors have diverse intentions.
Don’t expect all your readers to behave similarly. Some are visitors from the SERP, some took internal site journeys and some arrived via external links. Each pathway represents a different stage of legal exploration and consideration. Most of these people are just seeking general knowledge, while some are actively searching for legal representation. Your blog needs to serve these people, even if they’re not going to convert into clients.
→ Blogs deliver educational value, which supports your business in a way distinct from conversions.
Your blog readership extends beyond immediate potential clients. The content you publish can become a valuable educational resource, which establishes trust and positions your expertise. This trust becomes pivotal when a potential client is moving closer to making a decision, but it’s also a core component of SEO.
→ You can build long-term relationships with your readers.
Don’t be so eager for short-term results that you overlook the long-term benefits. Consistent, high-quality content that answers a user’s questions is highly valuable. These people will return to your blog again and again, and they may eventually hire you or refer you. Nurture this relationship that may lead to conversions over time by readjusting your perspective on your blog.
Understand who your readers are and the variety of their intents. This approach can help you develop a more nuanced and patient approach to conversion, basing the success of your blog on its ability to build relationships and boost SEO rather than generate immediate conversions.
Treat your blog like a powerful tool for SEO, not conversion
Ultimately, the best blog strategy for law firms is to create highly valuable niche content for real users with urgent questions.
Your blog is likely going to reach a larger audience than you may have expected, especially if you do it right. That’s great for SEO!
Lots of interest in your blog—even from people located outside your service area—means that you are creating a lot of value. Search engines notice this and will reward you with a higher SERP position.
On your blog, write to deliver value by tackling important questions and becoming a real resource for users, regardless of whether they are ready to hire you. Google wants to serve up websites that provide value to all, so write with this in mind.
Review and next steps
Not every blog visit represents an imminent client. In fact, treating your blog readers this way can actually undermine the value of your content—and undercut your growth goals.
Acknowledge the educational value and long-term relationship building inherent in the diverse intentions among your readers. Focus less on conversion and more on delivering the absolute best content in your niche.
Omnizant can help you transform your blog into a robust legal resource. We create marketing machines for law firms that deliver short-term conversions and long-term SEO growth via websites, digital assets, and expert marketing support.
Reach out for a consultation if you’re ready to unlock your full potential.