Online Marketing

Monitoring and analyzing what people with big followings post on LinkedIn can elevate your LinkedIn game. Receiving notifications when certain people post on LinkedIn has changed the way I create content on the platform for the better, and can likely help you do the same.(You can activate this feature by clicking the yellow bell on the upper right-hand corner of someone’s profile.) Those “certain people” I’m referring to are regular people with relatively large LinkedIn followings. They’re not celebrities, business leaders, or other A-listers. I’m talking about people with generally between 7,500 and 20,000 followers. I want to see what they’re posting, when they post, how often they post, and how their posts do so that I can improve the quality of my posts and their reach. Remember, LinkedIn’s algorithm doesn’t serve every one of your posts to every one of your connections or followers. So, to see every post someone publishes, you’ll need to click the yellow bell on their profile so you’ll know when they’ve posted something. Here are the four ways that tracking these people’s posts has helped me improve my LinkedIn content game—and could help you improve yours. The Opportunity To Reverse Engineer By seeing what these people say each time they post, I can try to reverse-engineer their content. For their posts that received a fair amount of engagement, I can try to uncover what they did that seemed to win people over and got them to like, comment on, or share the post. On the other hand, for their posts that underperformed, I can try to identify what went wrong. Why didn’t these posts connect with their audience? Are there changes they could have made to a post that might have improved its performance? Substantive Inspiration Reviewing these individuals’ posts gives me inspiration for my posts from a substantive perspective. If there are topics that tend to perform well in their posts that I feel comfortable discussing, I can work those topics into my posts. By getting notified whenever they post, I can see the full range of topics they cover in their posts. Do they often talk about themselves, such as discussing successes, failures, their family life, etc.? Do they frequently discuss best practices related to their work? Do they often talk about current events, pop culture, or other similarly timely topics? Structural Inspiration Aside from substance, reviewing these people’s posts gives me inspiration for my posts from a structural perspective. Do they often write text-only posts? Do they ever post videos? Are they posting carousels? When they post photos, do they post cringe glamour selfies? Are they posting photos of their kids? I’d also consider the “when” and the frequency of their posts to fall into this category. Do they tend to post at the same time every day? What time is that? How frequently do they post? Do they post more than once a day? Though I don’t do this personally, you could keep detailed statistics regarding the post types and times of the people whose posts you’re tracking and deduce, or use AI to help you deduce, patterns in their post type, time, and frequency. The Knowledge That Not Every Post Is Going To Be A Winner Perhaps most importantly, reviewing these individuals’ posts lets me see that not every post they produce is a home run. Their large following does not guarantee a ton of likes, comments, and shares on each of their posts. Yes, even people with large followings publish duds. It’s also a good reminder that you only tend to see people’s best posts because of LinkedIn’s algorithm. The algorithm tends to serve up posts that receive a fair amount of interactions soon after they were published. Thus, we rarely see posts that fall flat. But when you or I choose to be notified about someone’s posts, we get to see those duds. We see that everyone, including people with large followings, struggles to consistently produce top-notch and/or viral LinkedIn content. This makes me feel better—and may also make you feel better. These people are only humans. They don’t have a cheat code for LinkedIn success. Yet, they’ve grown their social media followings, and you and I can too. Review Posts, Improve Your LinkedIn Game The one wrinkle here is that you’ll need to set aside time to analyze the posts you’re tracking. That’s a good reason to limit the number of people you choose to receive notifications about. This way, you can keep the number of posts you need to review to a manageable number. I’ve been reviewing posts daily, but a weekly review could also work, provided you have some time on a weekend to devote to reviewing these posts. When you analyze these posts, actually analyze them. Take notes. Reverse engineer them. See what lessons you can learn from them. And, see if you can draw inspiration from the substance and structure of the posts. You could experiment with running the posts through AI and seeing if it can find patterns or themes. However, you’ll need to devote time to actually reading and reflecting on these posts. If you breeze through them when working your way through notifications and don’t think more about them, you’re not going to get value from this exercise. But if you thoughtfully analyze these posts and learn something from them, there’s a good chance those lessons will help you produce better content on LinkedIn. At the very least, you’ll walk away feeling better that even people with large LinkedIn followings do not always hit every post out of the park.

Let’s cut to the chase: AI-powered search has fundamentally changed the game, and if you’re still optimizing like it’s 2022, you’re already behind. Unlike traditional SEO where firms have spent decades building dominance, GEO is only 18 months old. Nobody owns this space yet. Translation: You still have time to stake your claim. Here are ten critical insights every law firm needs to understand about Generative Engine Optimization—starting yesterday. 1. Generative Engine Optimization’s Golden Rule: Answer First, Elaborate Later ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews consume content differently. They want the answer in the first two sentences, then the supporting detail. Think of it like Business Insider‘s approach—bullets up top, depth below. Your readers can scroll if they want more, but AI tools need that immediate answer to cite you as a source. Action item: Audit your top 10 practice area pages. Does each one answer the core question “what do we do?” within the first two sentences? If not, restructure immediately. 2. Structured Data Is Your Generative Engine Optimization Best Friend If you’ve been investing thoughtfully in SEO for the past 5-10 years, congratulations—you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. But you do need to get obsessive about structured data. LLMs are crawling sites and making recommendations based on how well they can parse your structured data. If yours is incomplete or messy, you’re invisible. Action item: Review your site’s schema markup, metadata for images, heading hierarchies—this is how LLMs read and index your site. It’s not sexy work, but it’s the foundation that determines whether AI tools can even find your content, let alone recommend it. 3. Mentions Matter Now (Even Without Links) Here’s something that would’ve sounded crazy three years ago: unlinked mentions now carry weight. Previously, if a publication mentioned your firm without including a hyperlink or used a “nofollow” tag, SEO experts dismissed it as worthless. AI has changed that equation. When authoritative industry publications mention your firm—even without links—AI tools recognize this as a trust signal. Action item: Review your firm’s brand presence and digital PR strategy. Generic firm names create attribution problems. If there are multiple firms with similar names, AI can get confused about which firm deserves credit. 4. Attribution Beats Anonymity Every Single Time Please, for Pete’s sake, attribute content to individual attorneys. I get it—some managing partners prefer the institutional voice. But when someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity “Who is the best patent litigation attorney in New York City?”, these tools provide a list of individual attorneys first, then firms second. The firm didn’t write the article. An attorney or attorneys at your firm wrote it, reviewed it, or at minimum put their expertise behind it. That person is your expert. Claim it. Own it. Build their authority. What happens when attorneys leave? Have clear employment agreements stating all work product belongs to the firm. When someone departs, assign their content to another attorney who reviews and refreshes it. This is also an excellent opportunity to audit which pages still drive traffic and which can be retired. 5. Industry-Specific PR Trumps Vanity Publications for Generative Engine Visibility Stop chasing the Wall Street Journal if you’re an intellectual property firm. Start chasing IP-focused publications that AI tools recognize as authoritative in your specific domain. Quotes in the WSJ or NYT? Still great, of course, but they’re not what will get you found in AI search. There’s a crucial distinction here between traditional PR (building mainstream brand recognition) and digital PR (building your online reputation). Both matter, but for GEO purposes, appearing in niche, authoritative industry publications carries more weight than generic mainstream coverage. Why? Because when AI tools evaluate expertise, they look for signals from sources they recognize as authoritative within that specific practice area. A mention in an IP industry publication signals subject matter expertise more clearly than a quote in a general business publication. Action item: Again, this is where having a strong Digital PR Strategy comes in. Building authority online is not the same as building top-of-funnel brand awareness through national publications. If you don’t have a digital PR strategy, get one. 6. Zero-Click Searches Are the New Normal (And That’s Okay) Yes, you probably lost 10-30% of your site traffic in the last nine months. Yes, AI-powered answers mean people don’t always click through to your site. But here’s what you’re probably not tracking: branded search is skyrocketing. People are using ChatGPT or Perplexity to get a list of recommended firms, then typing those firm names directly into Google. This means: More branded search traffic Higher-intent visitors Better conversion rates Action item: Implement proper intake processes. Leverage a marketing platform like HubSpot to track multi-touch attribution. Ask every new client “How did you find us?” You’d be shocked how many are discovering firms through AI tools. If you’re not tracking this, you’re missing massive attribution insights that should inform your entire strategy. 7. Technology Investments Should Make Your Team More Efficient First With the avalanche of AI marketing tools flooding your inbox, here’s my hierarchy for where to invest: First: Technology that makes your marketing team more effective and efficient at their jobs. AI tools for content creation, research, competitive analysis, and workflow optimization. Second: A strategic decision about whether your firm will compete for non-branded search traffic or focus on validation (ensuring you look authoritative when people research you after getting a referral). Third: Website health and user experience. If your site hasn’t been a priority until now, it needs to become one. Period. Bonus fourth: A robust CRM (I’m looking at you, HubSpot skeptics). Understanding how prospects interact with your content and site is no longer optional. 8. Understand the Three Ways People Actually Use AI Search Not all AI searches are created equal. Understanding user intent helps you position content strategically: Quick answer mode: Someone needs fast information they’d previously get from calling an attorney or colleague. They ask ChatGPT and move on. Savvy users check the sources—which means you want to be cited. This is why answering questions in those first two sentences matters so much. Search engine alternative: Users treating AI tools like Google, asking them to “syndicate information and come back to me.” While ChatGPT explicitly said they’re not trying to be a search engine, people use them this way regardless. These tools pull from traditional search engines, so your SEO fundamentals still matter. Validation tool: This is the big one. Someone got a referral or saw your firm name somewhere. Now they’re asking ChatGPT or Perplexity: “Is this firm specifically known for the challenge I’m facing?” If AI can’t confirm your expertise openly, it hedges: “While they probably could handle this based on their website, this is what they’re known for.” Action item: You need content that serves all three use cases. Create quick, citable answers for the first group. Comprehensive topic coverage for the second. And clear, demonstrable expertise markers for the third. 9. Master These Technical Fundamentals (They’re Not Optional) While everyone’s obsessing over AI prompts and content strategy, the boring technical stuff is quietly determining who wins: The two-click rule: Users should reach any page on your site within two clicks. If they land on your homepage and want to contact your employment law practice, that shouldn’t require navigating through three dropdown menus and a practice area index page. Strong CTAs with proper structure: Make it stupidly easy for people to do what you want them to do. And for clickable elements, follow best practices. Phone numbers need proper “tel:” formatting. Contact forms should be accessible from every page. Don’t make people hunt. P age speed and core web vitals: Google didn’t introduce these metrics for fun. Fast-loading sites with good user experience signal quality to both search engines and AI tools. High bounce rates from slow loading? You’re telling algorithms your content isn’t worth waiting for. Experience wins everything: There’s a reason Google added that extra “E” to E-A-T (making it E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). They put “Experience” first deliberately. User experience isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation everything else builds on. 10. Structure Your Content Like You’re Building a Reference Library Long-form content still matters, but structure matters more. Here’s your blueprint: 5-7 strategic subheadings: Each article should address one main topic with 5-7 related subtopics. These aren’t random—they’re distinct questions people actually search for. Each subheading should be a question someone asks. Answer each subquestion immediately: Just like your main topic, every subsection should answer its question in the opening sentence or two, then elaborate. This allows AI to extract exactly what it needs and snap users to the relevant section. Strategic internal linking: Citations and hyperlinks in your first two paragraphs carry the most weight. Link to authoritative sources (government sites, bar associations, subject matter experts—not competing firms). Create a “spiderweb” of internal links connecting related content. This strengthens your entire site’s authority. Bullet points for key facts: AI tools love scannable content. Use bullets to highlight critical information, key points, and takeaways. This makes your content easier for both humans and LLMs to parse. Plain language always: Write so a smart non-lawyer can understand it. AI tools need to translate your content for end users. If you’re drowning in legalese, you’re making their job harder—and they’ll cite someone else instead. Wide breadth on each topic: Don’t just answer the narrow question. Provide comprehensive coverage that demonstrates expertise. While a user might only need one section, AI evaluates the full article to determine if you’re truly an authority worth citing The Bottom Line Generative Engine Optimization isn’t some distant future concern—it’s the present reality. Your 90-year-old grandmother is asking ChatGPT questions. The least tech-savvy person you know is using Google’s AI mode nine times a day. The firms that win in this new landscape won’t necessarily be the biggest or oldest. They’ll be the ones that understood the shift early, structured their content properly, built individual attorney authority, and tracked the right metrics. The question isn’t whether to invest in GEO. The question is whether you’ll do it now while the playing field is still relatively level, or wait until your competitors have already staked their claim. Your move. Want to understand how your firm currently shows up in AI-powered search results? Try searching for your practice areas on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI mode. The results might surprise you—or motivate you to act. Joe Giovannoli is the Founder & CEO of 9Sail, a digital marketing firm he launched in 2015 to deliver data-driven SEO, PPC, digital PR, and content services tailored for law firms. Learn more at www.9Sail.com.

Every decision carries unseen consequences that many professionals fail to recognize until it’s too late. When you agree to take on that additional client project, you’re simultaneously declining other opportunities such as developing your team’s skills or investing in better systems. When you commit to attending every networking event in town, you’re forgoing the deep work that moves your business forward. This fundamental truth of resource allocation applies whether we’re referring to time, money, or mental bandwidth. Understanding this separates successful entrepreneurs from those who perpetually struggle with being continuously overwhelmed. The problem isn’t that professionals lack good intentions or strong work ethics. Most are incredibly dedicated and genuinely want to help their clients, employees, and communities. The issue lies in treating every opportunity as if it exists in a vacuum, without considering the broader ecosystem of commitments and constraints. When a potential client calls with an urgent need, the immediate response is often to figure out how to make it work rather than whether it should work. This reactive approach to decision-making creates a cascade of suboptimal choices that compound over time, leading to burnout, diluted focus, and ultimately weaker results across all areas of the business. Smart business leaders develop what I call “strategic selectivity”—a deliberate framework for evaluating opportunities against both immediate resources and long-term objectives. This means asking not just whether you can do something, but whether doing it advances your most important goals while maintaining the quality standards your reputation depends on. It requires honest assessment of current capacity, including the often-overlooked emotional and creative energy needed for excellence. When a law firm takes cases outside their core expertise just because they need the revenue, they’re not just risking poor outcomes for that client—they’re also stealing time and attention from the practice areas where they could be building genuine competitive advantage. The hidden cost of indiscriminate agreement extends beyond immediate resource depletion. Each commitment creates ongoing obligations, follow-up requirements, and relationship maintenance needs that persist long after the initial “yes” is given. That favor for a networking contact becomes a monthly check-in expectation. The discounted service for a struggling startup creates a precedent for future requests. The volunteer board position that seemed manageable during a slow period becomes a burden when business picks up. These accumulated obligations form what economists call “switching costs.” That is the energy required to manage multiple relationships and contexts simultaneously, which grows exponentially rather than linearly. The path forward requires embracing the uncomfortable reality that saying no is not just acceptable but essential for business health. This doesn’t mean becoming inflexible or losing your collaborative spirit. Instead, it means being intentional about where you direct your finite resources to create maximum impact for your clients, your team, and your own professional development. When professionals consistently prioritize opportunities that align with your strengths and strategic direction, you free up the mental space needed for innovation, relationship building, and the kind of deep thinking that generates breakthrough solutions. Your clients benefit from working with someone operating at full capacity rather than someone juggling competing priorities, and you build a sustainable practice that can weather economic uncertainty while sustaining long-term growth.

The advancements of data analytics in this century have transformed how decisions are made in many professions. Rather than an educated human guess, analytics can find patterns, provide guidance, and predict outcomes based on past behaviors documented in millions of data points. While the legal industry is built on the individual experience, skills, and savvy of attorneys—and their collective expertise and acumen as firm leaders—litigation analytics are gaining ground in providing rich insights that help refine decision-making. The Role of Litigation Analytics in Case Strategy Litigation analytics refers to the application of data science to the practice of the law. At a case level, it’s essentially slicing, dicing, and studying data that can provide information useful to the process of and decisions inherent in developing a case strategy. The data, however, must be complete and accurate to provide useful intelligence.1 Sources and timeframes of data collection—like court dockets, case opinions, proprietary legal databases—can vary significantly across providers.2 Employing litigation analytics can: Contribute to precommitment case reviews and early case assessments Help predict outcomes based on prior trials, settlements, and determinations Provide insights on judges, opposing counsel, and potential expert witnesses Inform the development of a case theory, theme, story, and arguments Identify goals, subjects, and examination approaches during discovery Help support client guidance Assessing Judges, Opposing Counsel, and Venues Data insights can’t guarantee an outcome, but the best predictor of future behavior—more so than public personas or claims—is past behavior. Litigation analytics provides information that can both inform decisions help you strategize around circumstances that are outside your direct control. For judges, you can leverage analytics to research how these factors interrelate and break down: Types of cases heard Case volume Speed of adjudication Damages awarded Opinions by area of law Affirmations and reversals (in full or in part) upon appeal Common case citations by issue Judgment favorability for plaintiffs/defendants You can also analyze how often a judge grants motions by type, how long it takes when they do so, and how those patterns compare to their colleagues at geographic and specialty levels: Summary judgment Class certification Venue change Directed verdict Judgment n.o.v. or to set aside judgment Dismissal or termination Similarly, you can research attorneys and firms to identify useful patterns by digging into: Case volume, types, and specialties Client characteristics Rates of and speed to trial, negotiation, settlement or plea, and appeal Use of and outcome for types of motions Client outcomes Trends exhibited in arguments, trial themes, demonstrative characteristics, case law citations, and other areas Finally, you can apply the same principles to venues. How does Venue A compare to Venue B when it comes to: Case volume, speed, and types heard Judgment favorability for plaintiffs/defendants Damages awarded Outcomes (e.g., class certification, summary judgment, directed verdict, dismissal) Rates of affirmations and reversals (in full or in part) upon appeal Predictive Modeling for Case Outcomes Once a strong body of data insights has been accumulated, the next step is to apply them to predict possible outcomes based on different variables. Predictive modeling uses tools and methods that include: Regression analysis to identify the relationships among multiple variables and their effects Decision trees to arrive at potential outcomes based on different variables Machine learning algorithms to identify patterns, make predictions, and learn from data With predictive modeling built on past outcomes and litigation patterns, you can consider and compare different approaches, scenarios, and likely outcomes to help: Identify the optimal amount of damages Choose the right venue or decide whether to file for a venue change Design impactful themes, strategies, and arguments Predict timelines and case budgets Pinpoint case laws and motions to avoid or rely on Key Benefits of Litigation Analytics for Law Firms and Legal Teams Firms need to find a balance between jumping to the newest option every month and remaining stuck on swiftly aging software or processes. Litigation analytics is like any area that requires balancing future investment with today’s workload, but the potential benefits are substantial: Optimized case strategies that boost successful outcomes Increased efficiency with insights that move case planning forward Smarter decision-making with a data-driven and documented basis Risk management within a logical framework Increased value for clients and more clarity and rationale for recommendations Novice attorneys equipped with deeper insights Identification of firm-specific patterns that help optimize client and case decisions A competitive advantage over firms that don’t move forward  Sources: 1. Law.com. The Roadmap of Litigation Analytics. https://www.lawjournalnewsletters.com/2021/11/01/the-roadmap-of-litigation-analytics/ 2. Charles Widger School of Law Library. Resources for Litigators: Litigation Analytics. https://libguides.law.villanova.edu/ResourcesforLitigators/litanalytics Notre Dame Law School NDLScholarship. Litigation Analytics: A Framework For Understanding, Using & Teaching. https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/1463/

Wouldn’t it be amazing if every quality lead visiting your law firm’s website immediately became a client? That obviously isn’t possible in the real world—at least not right away. Even when your site brings in qualified traffic, some website visitors are bound to leave without contacting your firm. But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost them forever. In fact, HubSpot research shows most visitors fall into the consideration stage. They are looking for solutions to their problem but aren’t yet ready to engage with your firm or explore its services. Rather than letting these visitors go, think of your website (and especially your blog) as a lead-generation tool. Instead of ending content with a general call-to-action, try something that will resonate with your specific target audience, so visitors are encouraged to move on to the next step in their client journey. We’ve compiled a list of 12 compelling CTAs that will motivate visitors to click and deepen trust with your brand. Why CTAs Are Essential for Law Firm Blogs A strong CTA is an essential component of any blog post—it’s what turns passive readers into active participants. Without one, visitors might leave your site without taking the next step, missing out on valuable opportunities to connect and convert. For law firms, CTAs are especially important because they guide visitors through key stages of their client journey. Whether it’s downloading a resource, subscribing to your blog, or booking a consultation, a clear and compelling CTA encourages action. Think of it as a simple prompt that keeps readers engaged and moves them closer to converting. 1. Subscribe to Blog CTA If someone is reading your blog, it’s likely because they find your content valuable. Help them stay connected by offering an option to subscribe via email. Keep your “subscribe” CTA clear, concise, and easy to spot for maximum impact. 2. “Smart” CTA A “smart” CTA is dynamic, meaning it changes based on the type of visitor viewing your blog. For example, HubSpot allows users to implement specific buttons that align with each visitor’s stage in their journey. A new visitor might see a CTA directing them to a lead generation offer, such as a white paper. Meanwhile, a warm lead could be invited to schedule a free consultation, and an existing client would be guided toward valuable resources like a checklist or an editorial calendar template. 3. Urgency-Based CTA Urgency-based CTAs are intended to create a sense of scarcity, a limited-time opportunity, or fear of missing out. Like a smart CTA, they are also positioned around a lead magnet. For example, if your firm is hosting a webinar in the next few days, your CTA should make it clear that visitors must register before spots fill if they want to attend to learn more about your blog topic. 4. Social CTA When people connect with your firm on social media, it helps increase both reach and visibility. So, make it easy for visitors to do so by providing share buttons, icons, and links at the bottom of every blog post. 5. Consultation CTA Does your firm provide free consultations for prospective clients? Consider adding a clear CTA inviting those interested to schedule a consult to learn more about your law firm’s services. 6. Comment CTA Not everything is about your firm. Instead of constantly asking visitors to take action for your benefit, encourage meaningful engagement by inviting readers to comment on your blog posts. Pose specific, thoughtful questions that will inspire them to share their perspectives. 7. A Slide-In CTA This type of CTA appears subtly in the bottom corner of the screen once a visitor has finished reading your blog post. Unlike intrusive pop-ups, it offers a discreet and user-friendly way to highlight a download or similar action. There are a variety of online tools available to help you implement slide-in CTAs. 8. In-Line CTA Sometimes, the most effective call-to-action is simply a link within your blog post that provides more information on that specific topic. Typically written as “learn more.” 9. Sidebar CTA Occasionally, you may want to include a CTA that’s relevant to your firm but not directly tied to your content. The sidebar is the location for this type of CTA, as it keeps the prompt accessible without disrupting the flow of the content. 10. Practice Area CTA If your blog addresses an issue relevant to one of your firm’s practice areas, consider linking to the relevant practice area page, so users can learn more about how your attorneys can help with related legal issues. 11. Testimonial CTA Harness the power of social proof by including a compelling testimonial CTA in your content. Invite happy clients to share their positive experiences with your law firm, then strategically feature their testimonials throughout your website to establish trust and credibility with visitors. For example, use a CTA like “Hear from Our Clients” with a link directing readers to a dedicated testimonials page. 12. Resource Download CTA If your law firm has developed comprehensive resources like guides, templates, eBooks, or webinars, a Resource Download CTA is an excellent way to promote them. Strategically place these CTAs within relevant blog posts or on your website to encourage readers to access and benefit from these valuable materials. For instance, a CTA such as “Access Our Comprehensive Legal Resources” paired with a link to your resource download page can effectively drive engagement and provide value to your audience. Tips for Writing a CTA A strong call-to-action can be a pivotal factor in determining whether a website visitor progresses to the next stage in their client’s journey or disengages and becomes an inactive lead. For maximum impact, focus on clear, engaging language, adhere to copywriting best practices, and keep the following tips in mind: Proofread, proofread, and proofread again: Take time to thoroughly proofread your CTA to eliminate any typos or errors. Even a small mistake can undermine your credibility and impact how readers perceive your message. Use power words: Certain words have the unique ability to evoke emotions, capture attention, or inspire action. Incorporate terms like: free, new, easy, discover, sneak peek, insider, increase, effortless, simple, and expert to maximize the impact of your message. Leverage a timeline: Use words like: now, today, and before to instill urgency and encourage readers to take immediate action. Make it easy for your readers: Simplify the next step by including a clear button or an easily visible link in a distinct color, so readers can quickly identify where to click and easily navigate to the next step. Emphasize the value proposition: “Download Now” often isn’t enough to motivate users to take action. Instead, clearly communicate the value they’ll receive by taking the next step. For example: “Download this free eBook to access insider tips on filing a personal injury lawsuit.” Lead with a question: Jumping straight to a call-to-action without proper context can sometimes feel abrupt and disconnected. Instead, pose a thoughtful question to guide the reader, align them with your message, and naturally lead them toward taking the next step. Takeaway Transform your website into a powerful lead-generation tool by incorporating clear, compelling calls-to-action in every blog post. Experiment with different copy, designs, and placements to discover what resonates most with your audience. n This article was provided by Good2bSocial™, the digital marketing division of Best Lawyers, which works with law firms and companies in the legal industry who are serious about growth but are often frustrated that they’ve spent time, money, and effort on their website and on digital marketing, yet they still don’t produce the results they had hoped for. Learn more at www.good2bsocial.com.

In today’s digital-first world, your law firm’s website is more than just a virtual brochure—it’s your most powerful marketing asset. Yet, I’ve encountered countless law firm websites that failed to convert visitors into leads, not because of poor aesthetics, but because of a missing ingredient: strategy. A high-converting website doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of thoughtful planning, intentional design, and a deep understanding of your clients’ journey. So how can strategic thinking transform your firm’s website from a digital placeholder into a client-generating machine? 1. Understanding Your Ideal Client The foundation of any strategic design process is clarity around who your ideal client is. Are you targeting high-net-worth individuals seeking estate planning? Startups needing intellectual property support? Injury victims looking for justice? By defining your target audience, your website’s tone, content, and layout can speak directly to their concerns. Strategic design begins by understanding your potential clients’ pain points, goals, and decision-making process—and aligning your messaging to meet them where they are. 2. Mapping the Client Journey Every visitor arrives at your site with a problem. Your job is to guide them through a path that leads to a solution—and ultimately, to contact you. This journey typically follows a structure: Awareness: The client identifies a legal issue. Consideration: They explore potential solutions. Decision: They choose the right lawyer or firm. Strategic websites map this path and structure the design around it. Clear navigation, trust-building content (like testimonials and case results), and obvious calls to action help move users smoothly from curiosity to conversion. 3. Prioritizing User Experience (UX) No matter how visually striking your site is, if users can’t easily find information or contact you, they’ll leave. Strategic UX focuses on: Fast loading times Mobile responsiveness Logical page hierarchy Accessible forms and contact methods For law firms, where trust and professionalism are critical, a frictionless experience signals reliability and competence. 4. Content With Purpose Every word on your site should serve a goal—whether it’s to inform, persuade, or prompt action. Strategic content includes: SEO-driven practice area pages that not only attract traffic but also address pressing legal questions and showcase your firm’s experience and successful representations. Clear, benefit-focused headlines that immediately show visitors how your firm can solve their problem or improve their situation. FAQs that address common client questions in plain, conversational language—helping potential clients become informed while aligning with natural search queries. Blog content that answers high-intent client questions, builds authority, and links directly to related practice area pages. Rather than flooding the site with legal jargon, strategic content speaks clearly and confidently, helping potential clients feel informed and empowered. 5. Law Firm Website Design That Supports Conversion Design isn’t just about looking good—it’s about guiding behavior. A strategically designed law firm website achieves that with: Prominent calls to action (“Schedule a Consultation,” “Speak to an Attorney”) Visual hierarchy that leads the eye Strategic placement of trust elements (badges, reviews, affiliations) The layout should drive engagement and build confidence no matter how users navigate your site. 6. Data-Driven Improvements Strategy doesn’t stop at launch. A high-converting law firm website is constantly evolving based on: Heatmaps and click tracking A/B testing headlines or call-to-action buttons Analytics on user behavior and bounce rates Law firms that approach their website as a living, data-informed asset consistently outperform those with static, set-it-and-forget-it designs. Final Thoughts The most successful law firm websites are built on strategy, not guesswork. They combine design, content, and user experience into a unified system that converts visitors into inquiries—and inquiries into clients. In a competitive legal landscape, simply having a website isn’t enough. To truly stand out and grow your practice, you need a strategic approach to design that puts client needs, clarity, and conversion at the center.

Is your law firm struggling to stand out in today’s crowded legal marketplace? Pivoting to more video content could be just the game-changer you’ve been looking for. As of February 2025, video apps dominated global mobile data usage, accounting for 76% of monthly consumption. Social media algorithms also increasingly prioritize video. As far as I’m concerned, no law firm can afford to ignore video; it’s absolutely critical to meet client expectations and build trust in a format they prefer. Embrace video now, and you’ll position your firm and its attorneys as leaders in the legal space. Hesitate, and you risk falling behind competitors who have already done so. Why Law Firms Can’t Afford to Ignore Video The shift toward video consumption isn’t gradual—it’s rapid and decisive. Modern consumers, including your potential clients, expect dynamic, easily digestible content that provides immediate value. Static text and images simply can’t compete with the engagement power of well-crafted video content. Showcase Expertise Law firms that recognize this shift are already seeing remarkable results. Video allows legal professionals to demonstrate expertise, build trust, and humanize their services in ways that traditional marketing simply cannot match. When potential clients can see and hear directly from attorneys, they develop confidence in the firm’s capabilities before ever making contact. Educate Potential Clients Video allows attorneys to explain complex legal concepts in accessible language, positioning themselves as knowledgeable experts in their specific practice areas. Through educational content, lawyers can address common client questions, demystify legal processes, and provide valuable insights that demonstrate their expertise. This approach serves dual purposes: educating potential clients while establishing the firm’s credibility. When viewers better understand legal processes, they’re more likely to appreciate an attorney’s knowledge and feel confident in their ability to handle their case. Building Authentic Trust Connections Trust remains the cornerstone of successful attorney-client relationships. Video content humanizes law firms by allowing potential clients to see attorneys’ personalities, communication styles, and professional demeanor. This visual connection helps break down barriers that often exist between the public and legal professionals. Research shows viewers retain 95% of information from videos compared to just 10% from text. This retention advantage means potential clients remember law firms they’ve seen in video content, creating stronger brand recognition when they need legal services. How Video Content Performs on Social Media Video is an ideal medium for social media. But while YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are excellent platforms for showcasing video content, not all will be a good fit for your firm. Understanding how video content performs on each platform can help you make better-informed decisions when allocating your marketing resources. LinkedIn: LinkedIn has emerged as a powerhouse platform for legal professionals, with video watch time rising 36% year-over-year in 2024. Video posts on LinkedIn also receive 20 times more shares than other content types, making them invaluable for expanding reach within professional networks. Short-form videos are growing at twice the rate of other formats on LinkedIn, while live videos generate 4.6 times more comments per viewer than pre-recorded content. Videos with captions retain viewers 32% longer, and vertical videos receive 58% more engagement on mobile devices—critical statistics for law firms targeting busy professionals who consume content on smartphones. Facebook: Facebook’s algorithm consistently favors video content, particularly native videos uploaded directly to the platform, rather than shared links from external sources. Live videos tend to generate more comments and shares, creating opportunities for law firms to engage directly with potential clients through real-time Q&A sessions. Facebook Reels, the platform’s short-form video feature, receives priority placement in users’ feeds, offering law firms another avenue to reach audiences with concise, engaging content about legal topics. Instagram: Instagram is a predominantly video-focused platform, with Reels achieving higher reach and engagement than static posts or Stories. The platform’s algorithm particularly favors short, vertical videos that capture attention within the first few seconds and include captions with clear calls to action. For law firms, Instagram Reels provides opportunities to create educational content, share behind-the-scenes glimpses of firm culture, and connect with younger demographics who increasingly use social media for professional research. TikTok: TikTok boasts over 1.8 billion monthly active users, with 62% aged 25-44—a prime demographic for legal services. The platform maintains the highest engagement rate of any social media platform at 5.7%, compared to 0.83% on Instagram and 0.13% on Facebook. Significantly, 40% of Gen Z and Millennials now use TikTok as a search engine for services, including legal help. Law firms creating educational content on TikTok can appear in both platform-specific and Google search results, expanding their digital footprint considerably. YouTube: YouTube remains the second-largest search engine globally, making it essential for law firms focused on educational content. Short-form videos under 60 seconds receive 2.5 times more engagement than longer content, while the platform’s mobile-first consumption patterns favor vertical video formats. Legal educational content performs particularly well on YouTube, with viewers actively searching for explanations of legal processes, rights information, and guidance on various legal issues. A Strategic Approach to Video Marketing for Law Firms Video content is a powerful way to connect with clients and build trust, but to maximize its impact, your firm needs to start with a clear strategy. Establishing Clear Content Goals Successful video marketing begins with defining specific objectives. Law firms should determine whether they’re prioritizing brand awareness, lead generation, client education, or thought leadership. Brand awareness campaigns might focus on firm culture videos and attorney introductions, while lead generation efforts emphasize educational content addressing common legal problems. Thought leadership content positions attorneys as industry experts through commentary on legal trends and case developments. Creating High-Quality, Accessible Content Professional video production doesn’t require Hollywood budgets. In my experience, a simple video shot on a smartphone often drives more engagement than a highly-polished piece, simply because it feels more authentic and approachable. However, attention to basic quality elements is essential. Keep videos concise and focused, typically lasting 2-3 minutes for educational content. The first few seconds are critical for capturing attention, so every video should open with a compelling hook that immediately communicates value to viewers. Captions are mandatory for accessibility and engagement. Many users watch videos without sound, particularly in professional settings, making readable captions essential for message delivery. Search Engine Optimization for Legal Videos Video SEO requires strategic keyword incorporation in titles, descriptions, and tags. Law firms should research relevant legal terms their target clients use when searching for services, then naturally integrate these keywords into video metadata. Embedding videos on firm websites improves both user engagement and search rankings. Pages with video content keep visitors engaged longer, signaling to search engines that the content provides value. Creating video transcripts serves dual SEO purposes: improving accessibility while providing text content that search engines can index and rank. Content Repurposing Strategies Law firms can maximize the value of their video content through strategic repurposing. A single educational video can generate blog post content, social media posts, email newsletter segments, and website FAQ updates. Live Q&A sessions can be edited into multiple shorter videos addressing individual questions. Webinar presentations can become a series of educational clips, each focusing on specific legal topics. Takeaway Video marketing has moved beyond optional for law firms—it’s become essential for remaining competitive in an increasingly saturated legal marketplace. By embracing video now, your firm will be well-positioned to establish thought leadership, nurture stronger client relationships, and capture market share from competitors still relying on more traditional marketing methods.

The most dangerous assumption in legal business development is that referred clients bypass digital scrutiny. New data from 9Sail’s forthcoming Am Law 200 Digital Visibility Report reveals a stark reality: 56% of law firm website traffic comes from branded searches–i.e. prospects typing firm names directly into Google. These aren’t random browsers; they’re validating referrals before making contact. Your referral network isn’t immune to digital failure. It’s the most vulnerable to it. The New Referral Reality: Trust, Then Verify The traditional referral model operated on transferred trust: a trusted peer or colleague recommended your firm, and that endorsement carried weight through to engagement. Today’s reality is more complex. Referrals still carry significant weight, but they’ve become the starting point for independent validation rather than the endpoint for decision-making. When 56% of your website traffic represents branded searches, you’re witnessing modern legal buyers at work. They receive a referral, then immediately conduct their own research. They’re not questioning the referrer’s judgment. They’re supplementing it with firsthand digital experience. This shift creates a compound risk scenario. Referrals represent pre-qualified opportunities. These prospective clients arrive with intent and context. Digital friction at this stage doesn’t just cost you a potential new client, it can damage relationships that took years to build by undermining the credibility of the person who referred you. The Silent Research Process: How Modern Legal Buyers Actually Vet Referrals The contemporary client journey for referred prospects follows a predictable pattern that most firms fail to optimize for: Step 1: Referral received— a trusted advisor recommends your firm for a specific capability or matter type. Step 2: Immediate digital validation— within hours (often minutes), the prospect searches for your firm name on Google. Step 3: Mobile-first evaluation— with more than half of website traffic occurring on mobile devices, prospects assess your digital presence on their phones, often during commutes, between meetings, or late in the evening. Step 4: Contact decision— based on this digital experience, they either proceed to contact or quietly pursue alternatives. Imagine this very real scenario: A Fortune 500 GC receives your firm’s name at 3 PM during an industry conference. By 9 PM, they’re in their hotel room, researching your firm on their phone. Your mobile site loads slowly, critical information is difficult to navigate, and finding contact details requires multiple taps through buried pages. Despite the strong referral, doubt and frustration creep in. This isn’t hypothetical speculation. With 35% of Am Law 200 firms failing basic mobile performance standards, these situations play out daily across the legal industry. The tragedy is that many firms never learn about these silent rejections. Prospects simply move on without explanation. Silent Rejection: When Digital Failure Kills Deals Before Contact The most insidious aspect of digital validation failure is its invisibility. Unlike a declined meeting or rejected proposal, poor website performance generates no feedback loop. Prospects simply disappear, often without the referring party ever knowing what happened. Research from Google shows that 53% of users abandon websites that take longer than three seconds to load on mobile devices. In legal services, where engagement values can reach millions of dollars, these abandonment rates translate into massive lost revenue potential. Legal buyers have been conditioned by consumer digital experiences to expect immediate access to information, seamless mobile functionality, and intuitive navigation. The compound damage extends beyond immediate opportunity loss, leading to referrer relationship strain, conversion rate degradation, and more digitally sophisticated firms capturing opportunities that should have been yours. Why Digital Infrastructure Is Now Reputation Infrastructure Core Web Vitals data from the Am Law 200 tells a sobering story: 35 firms actually performed worse in Core Web Vitals in 2025 than 2024, indicating that digital infrastructure degraded over time rather than improved. The average Page Speed Insights score of 59.8 represents a failing grade by Google’s standards, affecting how prospects experience firm websites. 72.4% of firms lost backlink authority signals, indicating weakening digital credibility markers that affect search visibility and perceived expertise. Each of these metrics connects directly to business outcomes. Core Web Vitals affect how confident prospects feel about firm competence. Mobile performance influences whether referrals convert to contacts. Backlink erosion impacts how prominently firms appear in search results when prospects validate referrals. The infrastructure analogy is deliberate and precise. Just as firms invest in office space, technology systems, and professional development to support business operations, digital infrastructure now requires similar strategic attention and resource allocation. Digital Validation Is the New First Impression The fundamental shift in legal buyer behavior requires corresponding evolution in how firms approach digital presence. Referrals haven’t become less important; rather, they’ve become more vulnerable to digital failure. The firms that recognize and address this vulnerability will capture opportunities that competitors lose to preventable digital friction. Improvements won’t happen accidentally. They result from treating digital presence as business infrastructure rather than marketing afterthought. Successful firms share several characteristics: Performance monitoring— regular assessment of Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and contact path effectiveness with specific improvement targets. Integration with business development— digital performance metrics integrated into business development reporting and discussions, connecting online performance to ROI. User experience design— website architecture that prioritizes referred prospect needs: quick validation of expertise, easy access to relevant attorney information, and frictionless contact processes. The evidence is clear: 56% of law firm website traffic represents referral validation in progress. These prospects arrive with intent, context, and preliminary trust. How they experience your digital presence in those critical first moments determines whether referrals convert to engagements or silently disappear to competitors. Immediate Action Items: Audit your mobile website experience using your phone, not your desktop Test your contact process from the prospect perspective, including time-to-response measurement Review core web vitals scores and establish improvement targets Implement prominent contact mechanisms in website headers and footers Create prospect-specific landing pages for common referral scenarios Establish monthly digital performance reporting integrated with business development metrics The risk of inaction extends beyond missed opportunities to damaged referrer relationships and weakened competitive positioning. The firms that treat digital validation as business infrastructure rather than marketing expense will systematically capture opportunities that competitors lose to preventable digital failures. The question isn’t whether prospects will research your firm online—it’s whether your digital infrastructure will support or sabotage those critical validation moments.

Email marketing can be a powerful means of bringing in new and repeat business for law firms. When executed properly, email marketing is a highly targeted and personalized strategy for firms to remain top of mind and build relationships with clients and prospects. Moreover, compared to other marketing channels, email marketing is an inexpensive way to share thought leadership content with an engaged audience. In this post, you’ll learn strategies that will help set your law firm’s newsletter up for success so that it can stand out among the barrage of emails flooding your subscribers’ inboxes. Elements of an Effective Law Firm Newsletter Valuable Content Unlike social media and other marketing efforts, your readers give you permission to send them an email. They’re already interested in what you have to say; now it’s your responsibility to provide them with valuable and educational content. Include snippets from recent blog posts with links back to the full article within your newsletter. If you’re not blogging (yet), that’s OK. You can write an occasional post on LinkedIn instead. Or, guest post on another blog. Include links to your posts and articles in the newsletter. You can also provide value to your clients by sharing reputable third-party content, such as links to law journals. Only curate from trusted sources that your readers may find useful. Lastly, be educational, not promotional. Promotional subject lines erode trust and may cause filters to block your emails. To avoid spam filters, look at this list of common spam trigger words and avoid using them in your subject lines. Repurposing from Your “Publications” Tab Many law firms have a “publications” tab on their website that lists practice area and topical alerts. Convert each into a newsletter or compile links to them in a monthly email. Ideally, these should be segmented. See more on segmentation and automation further below. Frequency is Consistent Shoot for weekly, but monthly is fine, also. It depends on your bandwidth and feedback from clients. Don’t create a weekly newsletter for your law firm if you don’t have the ability to get them out on schedule. There is no best time to send your email newsletter because it depends on your audience. There are certain days and times that are generally recommended, but to achieve optimal open rates and conversions you need to test! Studies show that 8:30am and 11am on Tuesday and Wednesdays are good email newsletter send days and times. Between 1-3pm is also recommended (MailChimp suggests 2pm). Use as a guide with an understanding that based on your target audience, other send days may work just as well or better. Test a few different days and times to see which gives you better results and then make that your go-to day and time for sending your emails. Consistency matters. Use Your Website as a Content Hub Your law firm’s website plays a critical role in the success of your email newsletter. Not only is it the central hub for the content you’ll share—like blogs, articles, attorney insights, or legal alerts—but it should also be optimized to capture new subscribers. Make sure your newsletter signup form is prominently placed on high-traffic pages such as your homepage, blog, and contact page. Include a compelling reason to subscribe, like receiving legal updates, practice-specific insights, or exclusive event invites. Additionally, your website should serve as a repository for past newsletters, webinars, and downloadable resources. Consider adding a dedicated “Insights” or “Resources” section where visitors can browse past content and opt-in to receive future updates via email. This reinforces your firm’s authority while increasing opportunities for conversion. Subject Lines are Engaging The general consensus is subject lines should be limited to 6 to 10 words or 60-70 characters. Desktop email displays about 60 characters and mobile about half of that. Enter your subject line at subjectline.com and you’ll get a score and some feedback on how to improve. Again, remember, these are guidelines. Rules are made to occasionally be broken. Don’t always try to manipulate copy to fit the perfect recommended size. More important than the length of your subject line, is that you put the most relevant information in the first 30-60 characters. Over time you’ll get a second sense about this. A Familiar Sender Name People are so inundated with SPAM emails, so they hesitate to open emails from unfamiliar senders. Make sure recipients can recognize you in their inbox by sending your law firm newsletter from a real person (marketing director, the firm managing partner, etc.). Emails from real people perform better in terms of open and click-through rate than emails sent from brands. Number of Links to Include We get asked this question frequently and there’s no easy answer. Our own anecdotal evidence shows decreasing click rates on links further down the email. Some studies have shown that 11 links may be a sweet spot. But if you only have three useful links to include in your newsletter, go for it. It’s not about the number of links but the quality of the information you link to. Include Only One Call to Action Remember that your email newsletter is educational rather than promotional. Each link is essentially a call to action, and you’re allowed one to your “services” page, but preferably, to an informational video, webinar or eBook. Banner ads work well here—your web designer can create one in Canva or Adobe InDesign. Choose the Right Email Platform Solos, small firms, and legal vendors have an exhaustive array of choices of email clients. We covered a few in: A Review of Email Marketing Platforms for Law Firms. Larger law firms have additional choices among enterprise-level email/marketing automation platforms including HubSpot, and Pardot. Emails Must be Mobile-Friendly More people today are scrolling through emails on their phone. All of the top email platforms include mobile-friendly versions. If you want to see how your email renders on different devices, check out Email on Acid or Litmus. Think mobile first when you create your newsletter in terms of how much content and graphics you include. Less is more. Growing Your Email List Your email list will decline over time due to unsubscribes or newly inactive email addresses. To keep your list growing you’ll need to invite people to sign up for your newsletter. You can do this several ways: Place an email subscription form in the footer or sidebar of your website. Create a lead magnet, such as an eBook or whitepaper related to each practice area and require an email to download. Remember to craft these pieces with the client’s problems in mind. Put on a quarterly webinar focused on the needs of the people you serve. An email address should be required to register for the webinar. Add a “resources” page to your website and put the webinar recordings there and require an email address to view. Encourage subscribers to share and forward your law firm’s emails by including social sharing buttons and an “email to a friend” button at the bottom of the email. Try encouraging those in your database that have unsubscribed to opt back in with an opt-in email campaign. Promote opt-in offers with paid ads on social media Automation and Segmentation Address your contacts with personalized content based on their online behavior. This is next-level email marketing. Don’t do this unless you have the bandwidth to create, monitor, and iterate. In a nutshell, segmentation lets you tailor an email campaign to a person’s specific interest. For an overview of this, see: Marketing Automation and Segmentation: How to Deliver the Right Content to the Right People at the Right Time. Measure Performance Track how your law firm email newsletters are doing so you know what’s working and what needs improvement. Email providers include metrics such as open and click rates. MailChimp provides good benchmarking resources, including the legal industry. According to their data, the average email open rate for legal services is 22% and the average click rate is 2.81%. If your click rate is low, maybe the content is not resonating with your audience. On the other hand, if your open rate is low try testing out some new subject lines. Takeaway Email marketing is an effective strategy for lawyers to provide value to current clients and nurture prospects to bring in new business. Law firm newsletters perform best when they are sent on a consistent basis and are inclusive of client-centric valuable content.