It’s an established truth that a content-centric approach to law firm digital marketing is effective.
The promotion of high-quality, relevant content outperforms any other kind of search engine optimization (SEO) technique—benefiting both prospective clients and search engines. When executed well, it’s efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective. Formulating the appropriate digital marketing strategy for your law firm can save you from squandering precious time and money on tactics that neither generate income nor attract qualified potential new clients.
The question, however, is: What constitutes “quality law firm content?” In other words, content that draws in potential clients, propels your business, and pleases search engines. The success of your digital marketing ventures is directly connected to the value and quality of your law firm’s website content.
We’re occasionally asked about “thin content,” as many attorneys have come across the term and are curious about its implications for their law firm’s website and what it actually signifies.
What is “Thin Content?”
“Thin” content is subpar in quality—it provides little to no value to the person who discovers it, appearing superficial. In the context of your law firm’s website, perhaps the content isn’t comprehensive enough to elaborate on a particular legal aspect or to address a potential client’s concern. It may not be distinctive enough to differentiate your law firm’s content from another firm’s content on similar topics. If you’ve cloned content from another firm’s site, there’s a high probability that content will be regarded as “thin.”
Doorway Pages as a type of Thin Content
Doorway pages are one type of thin content. They are numerous, distinct pages for phrases or keywords that are slightly different. An example might be a page dedicated to each city in a state where you practice, where the content is identical for each page.
As Google’s Matt Cutts once stated,
“If you were to land on that page, it might look relatively reasonable. But if you were to look at four or five or those pages, you’d quickly see the only difference between them is the city, and that’s something we’d consider a doorway, and not as useful.”
Thin Syndication as another type of Thin Content
This occurs when someone extracts content from somewhere—usually a low-quality site—and then posts that exact content to their own website. Low-quality, thin articles do not provide any real insight or appeal to potential clients.
The Impact of Thin Content on Law Firm Websites
Generic sites or sites that publish content that you didn’t author yourself can cause your site or pages within your site to rank poorly in search engine results, and may potentially infringe Google’s guidelines.
Cutts even mentioned law firm websites in a video on thin content:
“If you’re a lawyer and you have part of a directory on your site that’s nothing but low-quality article marketing — articles that you pulled down and you’re pasting — so that it’s a keyword net to attract users, we might take action on just that directory.”
We always urge attorneys to acquaint themselves with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and make sure they comprehend the tactics and practices Google deems unsafe. It is widely acknowledged that being included in a search engine’s results is a privilege, not a right.
How to Enhance Law Firm Website Content
What to Do if You Have Thin Content
The easiest way to circumvent thin content is to devise a detailed plan for attorney website content with a unique, content-centric approach that thoroughly answers the questions they have about their case or matter, and presents increased value to your potential clients.
If you believe you have thin content on your site that doesn’t offer much insight, consider ways to enhance the content on your site to be meaningful, informative,and unique for your potential clients. Start by removing any content that you’ve sourced from other sites. Original, unique content is a significant part of how Google assesses quality. Provide original insights and research. Consider creating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that responds to common inquiries that your staff or firm receive from clients.
We Assist Law Firms with Content Marketing
At AdInfusion, we understand that a successful digital marketing campaign for a law firm necessitates excellent content. We can guide attorneys on how to consistently expand their law firm’s reach and business through content-based marketing, while saving them from the unnecessary expenditure of wasted resources—including time and money—on strategies that don’t yield results for their firms.
There are many potential clients with concerns your law firm can assist with. When you engage with these individuals, you will be offering them useful information to increase the likelihood of them hiring your law firm.
There are no gimmicks or quick tricks that will reliably boost your rankings in a search engine’s results. “Overnight success” is a myth. If you’re uncertain about what’s real—and what genuinely works for marketing law firms—let’s discuss improving your law firm’s marketing with high-quality content. Contact us today!
Remember, the world of SEO is constantly evolving and staying on top of these changes is crucial for the success of your digital marketing efforts. Educate yourself on the latest trends, tools, and techniques to stay ahead and continue to provide high-quality content that meets your audience’s needs. 916-798-5707
