Keep It Simple

Lawyers in the U.S. are frequently regarded as overeducated and condescending by the average American.  In part, this attitude comes from the way attorneys communicate. Attorneys need to be technically specific and highly literate to effectively represent clients and work within the U.S. legal system.  However, when attorneys provide their own content for SEO they need to remember who they are communicating with online.

“Half of U.S. adults can’t read a book written at the 8th-grade level.”  – Hiding in Plain Sight: The American Literacy Crisis

If you’re creating content written for literate readers in the U.S., then you’re missing out on about 88% of your audience.  Literacy is defined as the ability to understand, use and respond to written content.

In the sales world, there is an acronym called K.I.S.S. which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. This is good to remember when you’re writing content for your audience.  You want to write your content for someone who doesn’t know anything about the law so stay away from technical legal words and do not quote any case law verbiage.  Most of your readers will not understand any of the legal terms. Instead break those terms down into everyday language.  

While we’re on the subject keep the names and information for the various sections on your website simple too.  Instead of writing a description for “Contracts” that says “Skilled contract drafting, revisions and negotiation to protect parties interests.” you could say “We can help you write a contract, assist you with contract negotiations and provide you with a second opinion on your current contracts.”

To attract more readers to your content and increase your SEO, include visuals whenever possible. Just make sure your visuals accurately represent your content. Whenever you’re designing anything for digital marketing, always break it down to the simplest language that conveys your message.

If you need help creating a successful marketing strategy and improving your results, please feel free to schedule a phone appointment with me.

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