Great website content doesn’t just sound good—it works. It attracts the right people to your site, answers their questions, and helps convert visitors into clients.
The problem? Too many law firm websites miss the mark. The content is dense, outdated, written for peers (not clients), or simply not written with any strategy. We get it, you’re busy.
Here are five simple but powerful rules to follow if you want content that supports your firm’s growth and reflects your standards
1. Dumb it down
Clear writing builds trust.
It’s tempting to use legal jargon to sound impressive. But you’re far more likely to exclude people than impress them.
Here are common mistakes we see:
- Long sentences filled with legalese
- Using citations or legal precedent in marketing copy
- Prioritizing how it sounds to peers, not clients
The underlying mistake is forgetting the purpose.
Speak to be understood. Speak to the real prospective clients. If your prospects can’t understand what you’re saying, then you may as well not say anything at all.
The strategy here is to get back to basics. Pretend you’re explaining it to a friend who doesn’t work in law. Use plain English with simple synonyms. Break up chunks of text for a simple flow of information.
Your prospect is probably busy and stressed—and not an expert in law. That’s why they need you.
So write to be helpful, not impressive. Clear is kind. If someone doesn’t understand your copy, they won’t trust you to help them. (See Hick’s Law)
2. Write for your audience’s needs
Your website is not about you. It’s about them.
Users have urgent questions, like:
- Can you help me with my specific problem?
- What’s the process like?
- How much might this cost?
- What happens next?
Your content needs to answer users’ questions first.
This is a bit of a framing trick. You can (and should) publish content about your history, your awards, and your attorney bios. But you’ve got to frame everything around your client’s pain points. Focus on benefits, not just services. Opt for empathetic and reassuring language instead of technical terminology.
If you don’t know what your audience needs, slow down and find out.
Look to tools like Google Search Console or ask your intake team: What are people actually asking? Let your research guide your content strategy.
3. Understand the difference between thought leadership and informational content
The best content is useful. To know what’s useful, you need to understand what your reader needs in the moment that they encounter your content.
Yes, there’s room for all kinds of content when growing a law firm. But we often see misalignment between a reader’s needs and content type.
Here’s an example: A basic guide to lawyer website design works better on Reddit than on LinkedIn, where thought leadership content is better aligned with user intent.
Some content builds your authority and some content drives inquiries.
- Thought leadership is meant to position your firm as an expert. Think, “A New Angle on Data Privacy Regulations.”
- Informational copy is meant to educate and convert. Something like. “What to Expect in a Custody Case in [State].”
Don’t overthink this.
For service pages, keep it simple, skimmable, and helpful. For blogs or articles, decide who you’re writing for—clients, referral sources, or peers.
Just don’t expect one type of content to do every job.
4. Attribute the content to a real human attorney
This is a really valuable tip that’s easy to implement.
Instead of a generic “author” or “Law Firm Name” for content, choose a real human attorney to be the author. It’s okay if they didn’t actually write it (though you should have a conversation with them about reviews and content strategy, first).
Here’s why this matters: Clients want to know who they’ll be working with, and credibility increases when the person behind the words is visible.
Look, we’re living in an age of artificial intelligence and deepfakes. Authenticity matters for your prospects and it matters for Google, too.
Start by adding a short byline or author bio to blog posts. You can do this retroactively! Then, include a headshot or brief quote when appropriate. Finally, use internal links from bios to authored content.
Even if your content is ghostwritten or agency-supported, attorney oversight and attribution can boost authenticity.
5. Keep it fresh
Old content tends to get entrenched. We keep words because they’ve performed well and we paid someone one time to write them really well.
Hear this: There is no special value in old content just because it’s old. There’s nothing special about new content just because it’s new, either.
We’re not talking about ranking here. In that respect, fresh content can help with rankings.
We’re saying that outdated copy can tank your search ratings and erode trust. Imagine coming across a page that talks about “upcoming 2022 changes to the law” in 2025. Yikes.
Does your site have any of these common signs of stale content?
- Outdated laws or references
- Broken links
- Old staff photos or bios
- Low-traffic blog posts gathering dust
The fix is easy, but it requires commitment:
- Set a quarterly or biannual content audit schedule
- Update stats, timelines, and key legal changes
- Repurpose, remove, or reformat content that’s no longer serving your goals
Pro tip: Find a trusted agency to manage your content strategy. You have better things to do. What, like it’s hard?
Review and next steps
Good news: You don’t need to overhaul your entire website to improve results.
Just focus on making your content easier to understand, more relevant, and regularly refreshed.
Here’s a recap:
- Write clearly, not cleverly.
- Solve your audience’s problems.
- Use the right content for the right goal.
- Attribute content to real humans.
- Keep your website content alive and well.
If these small steps feel like a barrier, then reach out for a consultation about getting some support with digital strategy.
