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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 content on various websites.
What Is Posting Content as a Guest Post?
Posting content as 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 post content for their blog
- Post original, relevant content that offers help and value to readers
- Include links back to your website
- Complete the above steps to post content for several blogs
- Enjoy the marketing benefits of more traffic and better rankings
Benefits of Posting Content as a Guest
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 posting content. 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, posting 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.
9. Grab the attention quickly with a gripping headline. Here are some ideas 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 Posting Content as a Guest Blogger In Decline?
When guest blogging was a newer concept, getting your guest post published was a unique accomplishment. Now that posting content is established and a popular method for boosting SEO, spammers have tainted its use. However, posting content as a guest 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.
Get Your Brand Out There!
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.
Understanding Off-site SEO
When learning about guest posting for SEO, it is useful to understand what off-site SEO means. This is when you complete actions away from your law firm’s website that improves your firm’s search engine rankings. When coupled with on-site SEO practices, this can significantly improve your law firm’s ability to rank highly for certain keywords.
As with on-site SEO, off-site SEO involves adopting practices to improve a website’s authority, relevance, and trustworthiness but not directly via your own website. Primarily, law firms can achieve this by gaining external links to their own website from reputable online sources that promote and vouch for their content’s quality.
Are Guest Posts Good for SEO?
According to the Interaction Design Foundation, gaining external links can improve your law firm’s search rankings, which is one of the primary purposes of writing guest posts on other websites. Here are some of the other reasons why guest posting for SEO can be beneficial for law firms:
- Enhance your network. Guest blogging can help law firms expand their network and connect with new audiences, so long as the content is engaging and helpful. Moreover, it allows for the potential of collaborating with other thought leaders in the legal industry, which enables you to engage directly with their followers and encourage them to visit your law firm’s website.
- Gain a better following on your social media profiles. Blogging on other websites often allows you to provide links to your law firm’s social media accounts, which helps increase your firm’s followers. Additionally, the guest blogging website may promote your guest post on their social media accounts and tag your law firm while doing so, leading to more followers.
- Acquire authority. Guest blogging is also a good way of convincing your prospective clients that you know what you are talking about, boosting trust levels with your firm and developing its brand. By gaining more trust from their target audience and developing their brand awareness, law firms are more likely to convert their potential customers into loyal clients.
- Boost website traffic. Contributing to a guest blog makes it more likely for individuals to view you and your firm as experts. If you then continuously post on guest blogs, you increase the chances of prospective clients visiting your firm’s website directly, as they have heard of your firm and believe you can assist them.
How Do I Write a Guest Post for Great SEO?
Follow these tips to learn how to do great guest posting for SEO:
- Ensure you create a well-written guest post that encourages readers to read the whole article and avoid quickly clicking away. Doing this for every post means readers eventually recognize you for producing insightful, helpful articles, which can help your guest posts develop a following.
- Make sure the main body of your guest post reflects the title you use to encourage them to open it in the first place. Otherwise, you risk a high bounce rate, which leads to a poor search engine ranking.
- Include links to your social media platforms to encourage readers to follow your firm.
- Avoid guest blogging on sites that host multiple guest bloggers, as this devalues any external links you include in your guest post to your own website.
How Law Quill Can Help Your Small Law Firm SEO Tactics
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