Imagine a client physically walking into your law firm asking for some legal help. Then imagine you confusing them and turning them off from your law firm entirely.

That’s what happens when your website copy isn’t clear.

When your law firm’s website copy is outdated or hard to comprehend, it causes you to lose out on more than potential clients.

It can also lead to a poor reputation.

Because your copy is critical, you want to make sure that it’s as client-focused and competitive as possible. And there’s no better way to do that than performing a copy audit.

How Can a Copy Audit Help Law Firms?

A copy audit is a process where written copy is evaluated for its performance, quality, and relevance. Many law firms perform these audits for website pages, marketing materials, and other online content.

Think of it like a physical checkup. Because advertising techniques are constantly changing, you don’t want your online content to be outdated or irrelevant. That’s an automatic sign that it’s not providing value to your clients.

A copy audit can

• Improve clarity and understanding.
• Improve user experience for clients.
• Boost online visibility.
• Increase brand visibility.
• Support business goals.

It can provide insights into what content is effective and what needs to be improved or removed.

And the best part? It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to perform a copy audit in 20 minutes.

Step 1: Review Your Homepage (5 Minutes)

The first page you can start with is the homepage. This is the page that helps make a first impression with your clients.

When reviewing your homepage, start with your headlines. You want to make sure that there is clarity with each headline.

Does it say what your firm does and who you serve? Can your clients tell what benefits you offer just by scanning the headlines?

Next, you want to review the copy and make sure that it is client centered.

Does each section share your value proposition? Are there client-focused benefits shared throughout each section?

Finally, you want to make sure that your copy is simple. Remove any legal jargon and vague terms like “comprehensive services” and solutions” from the copy.

Speak as if you are explaining legal services to a friend. Remember, your homepage should make your clients feel understood, not confused.

Step 2: Review Practice Area Pages (5 Minutes)

Next, start by evaluating your practice area pages.

Just like your homepage, you want to make sure that the copy is clear and easy to understand for the reader.

Treat your copy as if it were the copy of a search results page. If a client were to Google a legal question, would they be able to find the answer on your page?

You want to make sure that your headlines and copy contain the most relevant keywords for your practice area. And most importantly, you want to avoid keyword stuffing.

This happens when a headline or section contains too many of the same keyword – even at the expense of making sense in the copy.

When this happens, it automatically ruins a law firm’s SEO efforts.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure that a keyword is repeated no more than six times on a page. That, in addition to the search context, should be enough to help your practice area rank high on results pages.

Step 3: Analyze Your About Page (3 Minutes)

Next, you want to review your About Page. Next to your Homepage, this is the most important page on your law firm’s website.

Why?

• It helps separate you from other law firms.
• It helps with building trust and credibility.
• It helps remind your clients that humans run your law firm.

Because this page can help you build genuine connections with your readers, you want to evaluate it differently.

Instead of focusing on SEO efforts, focus on these three factors:

• Storytelling
• Tone
• Connection.

What tone is your law firm looking for? Formal? Friendly? A little bit of both?

Whatever tone represents your law firm, make sure that it is consistent throughout the page.

Next, you want to use storytelling to share your brand and mission. Clients aren’t going to be impressed by a listing of your credentials.

They want to know why you wake up every day and help people with their legal issues. They want to feel comfortable reaching out to you about complex legal issues.

And the best way to go from complexity to simplicity is storytelling.

An easy way to use storytelling is following the problem – struggle – solution method. Share what legal problems your clients faced and explain how your firm provided a solution for your clients.

This shows your clients that you are empathetic and consider them as more than just a number. Now instead of some lawyer making the same professional pose, they view you and your staff as human.

Step 4: Test Your Contact Page (3 Minutes)

Once the About Page is done, you want to review your Contact Page.

Similar to the About Page, the Contact Page has a unique evaluation. Because it usually contains the least amount of copy, you don’t want that to be the main focus.

Instead, keep the following tips in mind:

• Make sure that the Contact Page is easy to find and navigate.
• Make sure that the Contact form is short and not difficult to use.
• Make sure that the next steps are communicated to the reader.

Your goal is to make sure that your clients have no issues taking the next step and getting in contact with you.

Step 5: Perform a Tone Check (4 Minutes)

Last but not least, you want to perform a tone check for all of your pages.

Why? Because you want to make sure that the same tone is consistent throughout all pages. You don’t want your clients to question if they are working with a different law firm as they continue to visit your website.

A tone check will help with consistency and authenticity. You want to make sure that your copy is not only consistent but comes across relatable.

To do that, focus on two things: reading copy out loud and checking for trust signals.

Reading your copy out loud gives you the reality check you need. If your copy sounds stiff, chances are it reads the same way to your readers.

Once your copy is reviewed, you want to check if any trust signals need to be added to your page.

Trust signals are copy like reviews, testimonials, and case studies that help with building credibility. Make sure to add these trust signals to pages like the Homepage, About Page, and even Practice Area pages, where they could be the most effective.

Quick Recap

Remember: it doesn’t have to take weeks to perform a copy audit.

You can make your website copy better within 20 minutes. Just remember the following steps:

• Review your Homepage (5 minutes)
• Review Practice Area pages (5 minutes)
• Analyze your About page (3 minutes)
• Test your Contact page (3 minutes)
• Perform a Tone Check (4 minutes).

Schedule a Copy Audit Today!

If your law firm needs a second pair of eyes on your website copy, let’s chat.

Click here to schedule a copy audit today.

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