At Civille, we talk a lot about content marketing. The reason being is we not only love doing it, but it’s also an extremely important part of any website, including law firm sites. Having valuable, unique, and engaging content throughout your law firm site is necessary in 2022, especially when it comes to search engines. Starting a blog, optimizing your practice area pages, about us page, and more should be at the top of your list. But if there is one that should be even higher on your list, it’s your lawyer bio pages.
Why Does Your Lawyer Bio Matter?
Lawyer bio pages are often the one piece of content that is overlooked on many law firm websites. On many sites, they either don’t exist, they aren’t written well, they aren’t engaging, they use poor photos, they haven’t been updated, etc. And the list goes on.
The fact is, lawyer bio pages are extremely important. Many website studies have shown that about pages are the second most visited page on any local website. And for law firms, that’s often surpassed by (you guessed it) attorney bio pages. If you think about it, when people are looking for or even securing legal services, they are often investing in an individual. That individual lawyer’s experience, knowledge, and skills are important to any person looking for legal representation. Your lawyer bio confirms not only those points, but who you are. It helps people get to know the person behind the lawyer. Your expertise and who you are matter especially when you need to develop rapport and an attorney-client relationship.
If you even look outside prospective clients, many in-house counsels rely on your lawyer bios when researching and employing outside counsel. Any way you look at it, your lawyer bio is an important part of any user’s journey and is often going to be the reason someone decides to get in touch with you or not.
So How Do You Write an Effective, Engaging, and Personable Lawyer Bio?
Know Your Audience
We touched on this a bit above, but with any piece of content you’re putting on your site, make sure it speaks to your audience. Customers, prospective clients, media, potential new hires, partners, and more are the types of people that are looking at your site, and your bio alike. As you’re thinking about your lawyer bio, make sure you focus on what matters the most to your business. And speak their language. Don’t overuse legal jargon and words that can be confusing.
Use High-Quality Photos and Headshots
We’ve talked before about the importance of high-quality and professional photos on your website. Your lawyer bio is no different. Your photo doesn’t need to make you look like a fashion model, but it should be professional and inviting. People want to know what you look like, as much as they want to know about yourself. And with the right photo, it could tell both. If you want insight into creating headshots, check out our article on how to take a good lawyer headshot.
Show Off Your Personality In Your Bio (And Be Genuine)
Most lawyers will probably admit they aren’t creative writers. But you don’t need to be creative to be personable. If there’s one thing that speaks to people looking at your bio, it’s your personality. And many pieces in your bio need to be an extension of your personality. Some things you may want to include adding:
- What made you want to be a lawyer?
- What do you like to do outside of work?
- What motivates you and drives you?
- Talk about your family and activities you enjoy doing
Show Off Your Personality with Video, Photos, and Audio.
Writing about yourself can often be hard to describe how truly passionate you are about legal or any other things. If you want to make your attorney bio stand out, consider adding in other imagery that highlights your personality, experience, and background. Or even better, create a short video on your bio page. A video can certainly help highlight your personality and character. And prospects can get to hear and see you at the same time. A great example, can be found here.
Make it Easy For People to Contact You
If your lawyer bio page is one of the most visited pages on your website, you should treat it like any other page by providing easy ways for people to get in touch with you. Here are the things to consider adding to your attorney bio page:
- Personal LinkedIn Profile
- Personal Instagram Profile (if it’s public)
- Direct Phone/Email
- Company Phone/Email
- Company Social Profiles
If you’re looking for a good example, check out acriemanlaw.com.
And don’t hide these things. Just like with any CTA throughout your site, you should make sure it’s visible and prompts people to take action. If you don’t feel comfortable with your social profiles, direct email/phone, at the very least include CTA’s to contact or schedule an appointment directly on your bio. The bottom line, make it easy and possible for people to get in touch with you.
Make Sure You Highlight What You Do (Why They Should Choose You)
Your experience, accomplishments, credentials, and overall expertise should be a piece that stands out in your lawyer bio. The problem is, that too much of it can be overwhelming and sometimes appear inauthentic. Be cautious with how much you tout these, and instead focus on why they should hire you.
Highlighting what you can do for them and what makes you unique/different from other lawyers is a great way to connect with your audience. Your attorney bio shouldn’t read like a resume, and rather focus on the reasons why you’re the ideal hire. If you’re looking for ways to break it up without bragging too much about yourself, here are some examples of things to include:
- Highlight what you can do for a client and what you’re like to work with. Don’t forget to highlight practice areas and specifics on the type of work/cases you’ve helped.
- Spotlight client success stories. You need to be careful about what you can and can’t do here. But success stories can help speak to your strategies, work ethic, and the success you’ve had with others.
- Summarize case wins and statistics. What percentage of cases have you won? How many clients have you helped? How much have you been able to recover on behalf of your clients?
- Publications, awards, and recognitions. Don’t overuse these pieces, but don’t ignore some of the basics. Keep it simple and highlight those that you think might be important or people should know about.
Lastly, Don’t Forget to Continue to Update Your Lawyer Bio
Your accomplishments, case wins, statistics, appearance, and more all change over time. Don’t forget to update and make changes to your attorney bio as time goes on. Many lawyers are trying to win clients just like you, and you need to do everything in your power to make sure it stands out, is up to date, and is ultimately genuine.
If you need help with your content marketing (including lawyer bios), feel free to get in touch with us here!
