The Google jury is in. Websites with fresh, engaging content get boosted in the search engines that matter. Content engages readers and motivates potential clients to action. As a personal injury lawyer your online marketing goal is not to capture the attention of everyone with a legal issue online. Rather you want lead generation that will bring you great potential clients who have a problem that falls within your personal experience and expertise.

Content has been “king” for years now; but for an attorney, knowing that you need to write is not the same thing as knowing what to write to get you the clients that your law firm needs. You probably already know that website content should be fresh, updated regularly, written well, and written for the people who read it. But let us explain a little about what that means to you, your personal injury law firm, and the potential personal injury clients you can find online.

Use the words and phrases that your clients would use.

Nobody but a lawyer talks like a lawyer. So you use words potential clients would use, not legalese. If you do this right, new clients will contact you because something about your content speaks to them personally. Also – speak in specifics, not generalizations. Potential clients search for information about the specific legal issue they have, not in generalities. Don’t try and lump personal injury, tort, and car accident all into one article. Break it out and simply right something about what to do if you’re hit by an uninsured driver. Your potential clients will search for words like car accident, injuries, slip and fall, hurt, money, settlement, their hometown, and of course attorney. Your content should use words that speak to these clients simple and specific ideas. If there are regional subtleties such as car wreck instead of accident or lawyer instead of attorney, be sure to use them too. Using words that your clients will type into a search engine is the first big step to getting them to your door.

Write in a professional style that anyone can understand.  

When a person is hurting, they don’t want to know how many Latin words you learned in law school. They don’t even care if you call yourself a trial lawyer or a personal injury attorney. And they might not even know the term “personal injury.” When they click on your website they will be looking for a legal professional with empathy, professionalism, knowledge, and the ability to help them.

Clients with personal injuries come from all walks of life. Your website content has to relate to them all. That doesn’t mean you have to dumb down your articles or blog entries to the lowest common denominator. But you should write in clear, everyday language that any non-legal professional can understand.

Use content to show what you can do.

When a person is hurt, they want to know that you can handle their case and that you’ll work hard to get the settlement they deserve. If an auto accident victim visits your law firm website, he wants to see that you handle auto accidents. If he was hurt in a slip and fall, he wants to know that you can handle it. If he has issues with the other guy’s insurance company, he wants to know that you will deal with the insurance adjuster.

Injured clients want action. If you keep it simple, living, fresh content can inform them about your expertise, your track record, your specialties, and your ability to get the job done. You can keep it fresh with a consistent schedule of topics that will be of interest to personal injury clients:

• Blog about simple legal concepts in layman’s terms (liability, comparative negligence, statute of limitations)
• Review your case evaluation process and invite new clients in for a free consultation.
• Share anonymous case studies–how much money you recovered for other clients
• Talk about the insurance company investigative process
• Explain local civil procedures
• Share local and regional news stories about injury cases similar to those you handle.

It’s worth the effort.

It can take a lot of time and energy to get your content program up and running. But when it brings you to the top of the search engines and the phone starts ringing, you will realize just how important and impactful it can be.

If you need help with content or any other website issues, contact us. We’ll be happy to discuss our Law Firm SEO Services, an all inclusive package that provides fresh practice area content, back link development, blog writing, and a host of additional website optimization services.