Google recently began what it’s calling the “Helpful Content Update.” The “Update” essentially represents a new algorithm that will have a direct impact on the search results for your law firm’s website and web copy. If you want to appear at the top of a “Google search,” you really can’t ignore the new campaign. Rather, you need to understand it so that you can adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.
What is the “Helpful Content Update”?
Google’s new algorithm is designed to provide higher search engine rankings to content that actually helps readers. We know this seems vague and people are still trying to understand what “help” actually means.
Google itself hasn’t provided clear and specific factors for how it will decide if content is helpful. But what we do know is that Google is now dinging websites and web copy that hopes to purely satisfy search engine requirements.
According to Google Executive Danny Sullivan, the update will:
“Tackle content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people. This ranking update will help make sure that unoriginal, low-quality content doesn’t rank highly in Search.”
What we know for certain is that Google will now analyze your firm’s entire website and assess how well its content helps the average viewer.
What Should You Consider Now When Drafting Your Legal Content?
Even though Google has not specifically told us what “helpful” content is, there are few guideposts that law firms should follow. These include:
- Draft web copy that is relevant to potential clients (and not copy that is purely meant to do well in search engines),
- Add unique legal content (and not content that just summarizes what other websites are saying),
- Write on topics that your clients and potential clients will find interesting and useful (and not purely on topics that are in the news or popular at the time of writing),
- Provide content that answers a client’s questions (and not content that leaves your reader looking elsewhere for solutions),
- Ask questions in your content and provide a definite answer (do not ask questions and answer them with other questions).
What are the Next Steps?
The above bullets provide a smart roadmap to follow when drafting new legal content. But you should do more.
In particular, you should:
- Review the major pages on your firm’s website to make sure the content is in line with the above guideposts,
- Remove any content that is clearly not helpful, and
- Include content that shows your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (this is a Google thing and Google really likes it).
Defacto Digital is Here to Help!
Defacto Digital has been helping attorneys and law firms build a successful web presence for over 20 years. Our team stands ready to help you either create your first virtual office or make your existing website more accessible, rewarding, and effective.
Our websites are created by a skilled website developer with years of experience. The content for your site is drafted by a licensed attorney (turned legal marketer) who knows how to connect with clients and clearly communicate legal issues.
Simply contact us today and let us begin to market your firm in the direction that it wants to go…up! No matter your practice area, we’ve got you covered. Websites that work, always!