MozCon, an annual professional marketing conference geared toward the digital space, is one of the top SEO conferences in North America. Fresh off an enlightening two days of presentations, our cj Integrated Digital team is fired up and raring to go with new insights under our belts.
Consider it our own version of CLE—only our Continuing Marketing Education is being put to work for you. Here are some of the top takeaways from this year’s conference, and how they may pertain to your law firm operations, from marketing and personal branding to lead generation.
1. There’s No Such Thing as a Comprehensive SEO “Checklist”
SEO checklists: Many of us have been presented with one at some point. And while SEO checklists can be an important tool to determine a website’s health and offer a simple, concrete path forward, they don’t tell the whole story.
Not all firms’ needs are the same, not all markets are the same, and not all web users search in the same way! While marking off items on a checklist of “essential” SEO optimizations can positively impact your firm’s site authority, a well-thought-out strategy geared towards your firm’s specific goals will yield higher-quality long-term results. Great SEO requires nuance and a customized approach, neither of which you’ll find in a one-size-fits-all checklist.
Conversely, this also means that if your website isn’t as optimized as you’re told it needs to be, don’t panic—you may not be as bad off as you think. Often “SEO experts” will use checklists like these, some of which contain outdated tactics or depreciated metrics, to scare businesses into purchasing an unneeded tool or service.
Instead, prioritize higher-level discussions with your SEO team to develop a comprehensive, attainable, and strategic path forward.
2. AI Isn’t a Replacement for a Human Worker
It’s tempting to be enamored with the promises of artificial intelligence. AI is a major talking point in every industry, and marketers in particular love to glamorize the latest trends.
The ability of software like ChatGPT and Gemini to pump out lengthy, conversational, and informational content in seconds may seem like magic. However, it’s important you don’t try to replace your human writers with your favorite AI platform.
You must understand what AI does and doesn’t do well when incorporating it into your content production. Overreliance on AI can lead to serious quality issues in your website’s content, including “hallucinations” (false and sometimes bizarre information provided by large language models) that could land your firm in hot water!
Don’t think of AI as a replacement for a dedicated content writer. Instead, think of it as an incredibly useful assistant—someone to bounce ideas off of and help prepare outlines so you can produce even better work.
AI can save you time, help you write stronger content, and make your life easier in so many ways. But DO NOT blindly trust whatever it gives you.
3. Don’t Forget You’re Human—and Don’t Let Your Audience Forget It, Either
We all know the insurance lobby’s talking points about personal injury lawyers. You’ve likely heard them your entire career, so there’s no need to rehash them here. But unfortunately, many people have bought into a cynical portrayal of injury lawyers, which means that a key part of legal marketing is rehumanizing attorneys to our audiences.
As discussed in our recent blog post, your brand matters now more than ever, and social media offers your firm the opportunity to let its true personality shine. You don’t need to be on every platform, but find the ones where you feel most comfortable. Don’t be afraid to branch out—the web and its opportunities for connection aren’t limited to tweets and Facebook posts. Try blogging, hosting or participating in a podcast or webinar, and sharing videos where potential clients can see and hear you. Embrace vulnerability—when you share both successes and failures using personal anecdotes, you may find clients trust you more rather than less.
But while doing so, it’s also important to keep in mind the true heroes of the cases we handle: the clients we serve.
Whether you’re writing a blog post, holding a live Q&A, or creating video content, everything you produce should encourage and validate your audience. Keep in mind what potential clients may be struggling with when crafting your message and address these in your content.
The key takeaway is that when you’re creating any type of content, remember that you are not the hero of the story. Don’t shy away from your achievements, but don’t forget that your clients are the stars of the show.
Put It All Together With cj Advertising
If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, don’t worry—with cj advertising, your firm is in good hands. From the objective to the subjective, our team knows the ins and outs of managing your web content and SEO strategies to ensure your firm gets where it needs to be and reaches who it needs to reach.
To put these insights and our experience to work for your firm, reach out to askus@cjadvertising.com or your cj Brand Strategist today.
