The internet is like a noisy, busy party and it may feel like it is difficult for your law firm to be heard. This is why your law firm uses certain SEO techniques that enable your business to stand out in the crowd and be noticeable to the individuals who need your services. While building your website, you employ different methods that will increase your rankings and attract consumers to your content. One additional way to enhance your law firm’s visibility and rankings is by posting guest articles on various websites.
What is a Guest Post?
A guest post is an article you write for someone else’s website or blog, and it is often used as a helpful marketing tool. Almost anyone can write a guest post, and you can also hire an experienced professional to write one for you. If a guest post is going to generate traffic and be share-worthy, it must be helpful, relevant and well-written. Guest posts can be various lengths, but longer articles mean more content, and this creates favorable Google search results. Writing a weekly guest post with embedded links to your own law firm website can give your own website a host of benefits. Here is a summary of the steps of guest posting:
- Select a quality blog that is relevant to your legal niche
- Contact the blog owners and offer them an article idea
- Get the okay to write content for their blog
- Create original, relevant content that offers help and value to readers
- Include links back to your website
- Complete the above steps for several blogs
- Enjoy the marketing benefits of more traffic and better rankings
Benefits of Guest Posting
If your law firm’s website and blog are not generating the traffic you would like, is it really worth investing more time writing guest articles on yet another site? Definitely. One of the best reasons to write a guest post is to create links in the article or in your author bio that bring readers to your own law firm website. This enriches your site authority and boosts your rankings, which is why people say that guest posting is “good for SEO.” Guest posting can also provide the following benefits:
- Build your law firm’s reputation
- Promote awareness of your brand
- Establish your authority in your practice area
- Grow referral traffic
- Increase contact with potential clients
- Network with other bloggers in your field
- Enhance your social media influence
- Introduces you to a new audience
Finding a Guest Post Opportunity
Now that you know about the benefits of posting content on other websites or blogs, perhaps you are wondering how to get started. If you jump in without a plan, searching for a blog to host your article can be tedious and time-consuming. Start by focusing on an ideal website that offers:
- A large, dedicated audience
- Appeal to your target clients
- Online authority
- Topics related to your industry
Consider reaching out to colleagues that host their own websites or blogs, who may be glad to exchange guest articles with you. Another option is to write an article for your law school, where you can embed a link to your website. You can also start a Google search with “law firm blog” and see what you discover. Another option is to contact the manager of a blog you regularly read or even reach out to a competitor’s blog. There are also online tools that help you find outlets for guest blogging.
9 Tips for Strong Guest Posts
- Read the host blog before guest posting. It will boost your reliability if you first read, comment and get acquainted with the blog community before posting content on the site.
- Start with a strong pitch. Begin by knowing what the blog offers to its readers, then write a personalized email with your article idea. With many offers being sent their way, yours must stand out.
- Provide value for the reader. Your article can discuss relevant legal issues, information on your area of expertise, or helpful answers to typical legal questions.
- Make sure your content is original and plagiarism-free. Besides being unethical, duplicate content can damage your reputation and marketing efforts.
- Abide by the guest posting guidelines. If your host site has a list of guidelines, keep these in mind.
- Write a compelling bio. Your bio is the first introduction you have to a fresh, new audience and pool of potential new clients. It is possible that some readers will scroll down first to read your bio before reading your article. So, write an interesting but brief bio about yourself, and include a professional headshot. It may be helpful to create a special link that leads the reader from the host blog to a unique landing page. This will give them quick, handy information about you and your law firm, without forcing them to navigate through your entire blog to find it.
- Share links to your article on other platforms. Add value to your hard work by sharing a link to your article on social media sites. Include links on other channels that will reach your target audience, and ask other bloggers and colleagues to promote your content, too.
- Include links to your own site, called “backlinks.” Creating high-quality links that originate from other trusted sites can be tremendously beneficial. Remember the following about the links you include in your guest post:
- Make sure your links lead to relevant information
- When embedding links, use keywords for the anchor text in your links
- Do not overdo links, because Google sees this as spam.
- Shoot for one link per 500 words.
- Grab the attention quickly with a gripping headline. Here are some ideas for guest post headlines to get you started:
- Best examples of…
- 7 Myths About the Legal System…
- How to…
- 5 Essential Tips for…
- Benefits of…
- How to…
- Alternatives to…
- How to Fix…
- 3 Things to Never Say…
- What Most People Do Not Know About….
- FAQs…
Is Guest Blogging In Decline?
When guest blogging was a new thing, getting your guest post published was a unique accomplishment. Now that guest posting is established and a popular method for boosting SEO, spammers have tainted its use. However, guest blogging is still a solid way to generate backlinks and increase your rankings, if you use it wisely. When you write great content and use relevant links on a reputable platform, you have nothing to worry about.
One Final Caution
At some point, you might be asked to pay for the privilege of posting an article on a website, but paying for links is specifically against Google’s policy. If you do publish your article on such a site, the links will probably be worthless, since Google regularly monitors these sites. If you submit articles on these sites, you are in danger of demoting your rankings.
Conclusion
When you need to get your brand and business name out there, publishing content on a variety of other websites can give your law firm a distinctive edge. Publishing guest posts can benefit your marketing efforts because it builds links that direct traffic to your law firm’s website and blog. When you offer quality, original content on a reputable site, you are enhancing the other marketing efforts by working hard on behalf of your law firm.
This Week’s Digital Marketing Action Steps:
- Make a list of ten possible article ideas for a guest post.
- Reach out to ten different places to potentially guest post on their website.
Annette Choti graduated from law school 20 years ago, and is now the CEO & Owner of Law Quill, a legal digital marketing agency focused on small and solo law firms. Law Quill is the only legal digital marketing agency that provides unique, SEO-optimized content, pre-packaged content, and courses for lawyers to learn SEO themselves through Law Quill Academy. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so different from the legal field if we are all being honest. Annette can be found on LinkedIn or at annette@lawquill.com
