Why It’s Not a Good Idea to Write Your Own Website Content
There’s an old maxim that says an attorney who represents themself in court has a fool for a client. Though it won’t necessarily make you a fool, there’s a significant risk that if you choose to write your own website content, you won’t maximize the potential effectiveness of your online marketing. Let’s look at some of the pitfalls of drafting your own website content.
You Won’t Get the Website Traffic You Want
The first job of a good web copywriter is to maximize the traffic to your online pages. You may write informative and engaging content, but it won’t provide much benefit if no one comes to your pages. An experienced Internet copywriter will know how to effectively draft your content so that it’s informative and readable but also performs well with search engines. It’s about more than understanding what the terms “keywords” and “key phrases” mean—it’s about knowing how to use them so that search engines will recognize them and give them sufficient weight.
A professional web copywriter knows many of the important keywords and phrases and will use them as a matter of common practice. Furthermore, most web copywriters work in tandem with search engine marketing and optimization (SEM/SEO) specialists, who can help them pinpoint specific words and phrases to maximize your online visibility.
You’ll Put Too Much Content on Your Pages
Most web visitors will only scan your pages. While it’s true that more content can improve search value, it can also make navigating your site tiresome. An effective website combines high-quality content with a great user experience. And it’s not that web visitors are lazy… It’s simply more physically taxing to read on a computer screen than on a printed page. The resolution of a quality print piece may be 10 times that of a computer screen, meaning web visitors must work harder to get the same information.
You Won’t Understand the Structure of a Web Page
The order of the content on your website is every bit as important as the substance of your content. When a visitor comes to your site, you have seconds to get their attention. They arrive with specific questions they want answered. If you don’t answer those questions right away, chances are good that they’ll hit the back button—it might seem easier to them than scrolling down looking for the answers they need. For that reason, different pages on your site may need repetitive content, structured and phrased in different ways.
Furthermore, professional copywriters know strategies to increase the chances a website visitor will contact you. The best web content repeats critical contact information in various ways and places it in locations where web visitors are most likely to find it.
You May Put the Wrong Type of Content on Your Pages
There’s a fairly common misperception among attorneys that their webpages should provide legal information to consumers. Many lawyers even put statutes or regulations on their websites. The reality is that prospective clients don’t want to read statutes or explanations of the law. They want to know what you can do for them. In fact, the more you write about the law, the more intimidating your content will seem and the less engaged web visitors will be. The less engaged they are, the less likely they are to contact you.
Instead of providing substantive information about the law, your website content should focus on answering three questions:
- What are your areas of practice?—Can you help solve their problem?
- Where are you located?—Will it be easy for them to come see you?
- Why should they hire you?—There are many attorneys who do the same things you do. What makes you stand out?
It’s also important to understand that unless most or all of your business comes in the form of referrals, you’re not writing for other attorneys or for judges. Depending on the type of practice you have, the average reading level of your potential clients could be somewhere around the seventh to eighth grade—the average reading level across the United States, according to the Literacy Project.
Contact GetLegal for Proven and Experienced Web Content Services
At GetLegal, we have provided a wide range of digital marketing services and products to attorneys and law firms across the United States for more than two decades, including customized content for virtually all areas of practice. We can help you with website development, search engine optimization, social media campaigns, reputation management, directory listings, and full video production. To learn how we can help optimize your digital marketing for mobile in 2021, call 817-359-7077.
