10 Simple Ways for Lawyers to Find Great Blog Post Topics
Maintaining a relevant and interesting blog, which appeals to readers, can be a challenge even for the most skilled bloggers. With that said, you add another element into the equation when you’re responsible for juggling the needs of a law firm in addition to blog updates.
What many individuals find is that the first few posts are easy to write but at some point they run into a case of writer’s block or struggle to find related subject matter. In this post, we’ll take a look at 10 simple ways for lawyers to find blog topics and creative ideas.
Defining Your Broader Goals
To write any successful post you need to bear in mind the goals you’re trying to accomplish. In the case of law firms, the overarching goal is likely to retain clients by driving traffic to your site via your blog.
Here are three broader goals which can be used as the basis for your individual firm objectives:
-Create content that appeals to prospective clients and answers specific queries
-Write blog posts that readers will want to share or promote
-Incorporate blog posts with the firm’s marketing strategy and use cross platform channels to expand its reach
1. Frequently Asked Client Questions
One incredibly simple way to find great blog post topics is to take an inventory of the most frequently asked client questions or inquiries and structure posts around those subjects. This is a great way to approach a blog post for a few reason. First, you’re providing answers to questions your existing and prospective clients have which further reinforces your credibility and reputation as an expert in the field. Ask yourself things like, “what are my client’s biggest concerns?” That can help grease the wheels a bit for generating quality blog post ideas.
Second, if you’re frequently receiving these questions then they are most likely popular topics of discussion on online forums and messaging boards. If written effectively, taking into consideration target keywords, then you increase the odds of your blog post ranking on search engines.
The above examples show topics that may be relevant for an immigration attorney. Notice the number of search results, indicating the level of interest, as well as the dates of the post. In this instance, you could formulate a blog around marriage based green cards and if it’s possible to revoke or cancel a spouse’s card.
2. Explore Unanswered Quora Questions
Along the same lines as forums or messaging boards, Quora.com is a great place to explore widely discussed topics in your field of law. This Q&A site has thousands of questions and answers which can be used to generate blog posts for law firms. As a added bonus, Quora’s guidelines permit you to reuse content found on the site as long as you link back to the original content.
How Do You Get Started?
After making an account simply log into Quora, type in a query in the search bar and select from the topics related to your area of law. For example, if you’re a divorce attorney you may want to explore common questions related to divorce. After typing in a search, you’ll see a results page that lists unanswered questions. This portion can also be a goldmine for identifying blog topics.
3. Schedule Google Alerts for Target Keywords
Another tool to find trending topics and ideas for blog posts is Google Alerts. This tool allows you to set an automatic notification for web pages, articles or blogs that match your search term. So now, instead of digging for blog topics, ideas will be delivered straight to your inbox!
Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts using your Google account.
2. Indicate your search query. Let’s say your blog is about immigration law. Simply select terms related to immigration law (i.e., immigration reform, immigration to United States, U.S. immigration, etc.)
3. Set the default results to broad to begin with. If you find your inbox is just getting flooded with emails, you can then go back and specify the search a bit more.
4. Indicate the frequency of alerts. Do you want to receive them once a day? Weekly? Biweekly? Your choice.
5. Last, just select the email account you want alerts sent to. All done!
Again, this technique can be applied to any topic that you want to follow closely.
4. Use Your Competitors As Inspiration
There are topics in your legal field that without a doubt will circulate among competitors. With that being said, keeping up with competitor’s websites/ blogs is worth the time to not only monitor their online presence (in relation to yours) but also generate blog posts that go one step beyond theirs. While browsing your competitors sites pay attention to the number of social shares their posts receive as a way to gauge popularity among readership.
5. Get Ideas from Google Keyword Planner
If you have experience with search engine optimization (SEO) or keyword research then you know very well how valuable Google’s AdWords Keyword Planner is. Optimizing your posts for search engines is made considerably easier with this tool because it allows you to gauge which KWs individuals are searching for as well as the relative competition from competitors. Another huge benefit of using Keyword Planner is the ability to get historical statistics an traffic forecasts (i.e., predicted clicks, estimated conversions, keyword groupings, performance predictions, etc.)
Typing in a simple phrase like, “when can i get a divorce” can spawn the creation of additional blog post ideas like “where can i get divorce papers” and more. Also, click on ad group ideas to get see broader search queries.
Looking for additional ways for lawyers to find blog topics using Google Keyword Planner? Click here to read the complete guide to Keyword Planner.
6. Accept Input from Guest Bloggers
There’s nothing wrong with asking for a little bit of blogging help by accepting submission or topic suggestions from guest bloggers. If your network or collaborate with other experts in your field then you open the door for additional ideas to come flooding in. Furthermore, accepting guest posts can help grow your blog or website by giving it exposure to that writer’s existing fan base or following.
Say for example you publish a guest post from a lawyer with a high social following and they then share the link of their social platforms. Now, you not only have an original post (without doing any work) but will also get exposure to an established following. Likewise, writing a guest post for a colleague or networking among your legal group can also help expand your exposure and direct traffic to your blog. If you’re concerned about their writing style being different than what you’re posting, be clear that you retain the right to make edits before publishing.
7. Cast Out a Net for Reader Suggestions
While we understand that legal advice often comes at a price, one less conventional way to spark topic ideas is to consult your readership. Existing clients may have suggestions that you just haven’t considered. Making a contact or suggestion form easily accessible on your blog page is a means of opening the communication channels. In addition, always review the comments left on your blog as they may bring insight into their concerns as well as interests. Alternatively, you can put a blurb in your monthly newsletter to foster engagement.
8. Identify High Performing Posts
Every now and again take an inventory of your blog most popular posts using your blog’s analytics to to see which pages attracted the most impression, clicks, views, high rankings, etc. From that list, identify which posts can be further elaborated, expanded or introduced with new relevant material. This will not only benefit search engine rankings because they tend to favor timely and updated posts, but it saves some time in the creative process.
As you can see, sometimes you don’t even need to leave your site before inspiration strikes!
9. Write Posts Based on Topics You Are Already Ranking For
Is your website currently ranking for a few phrases? If it’s been live for a while and you’ve been posting consistently, the odds are that it is. You can use a tool like SEMrush to zero in on your top ranking phrases. The free version, in fact, shows you the top 10 phrases and you can pay a monthly subscription fee to receive the rest of the data.
Use the filter to hone in on the tropics that are already getting search traffic and build a post around that.
10. Your “Site Search” Report
The last way to find identify great blog post content is to analyze your blog’s current traffic. If your site has a “site search” button than individuals are likely typing in keywords or phrases to locate the information they need. What you need to do is go to your Google Analytics account click under behavior > site search > search terms and then filter the results across a large date range to get an idea of reader’s interest.
Summary of Great Ways for Lawyers to Find Blog Topics
With a little creativity, there are an endless number of ways for lawyers to find blog topics and ideas. After your blog is up and running, check out how to get more clients from blogging with this article.
Have other unique ways for lawyers to find blog topics or ideas? Leave us a comment below!
