We have written often about how blogging can drive traffic to your law firm website. A good blog can help you generate more leads and more cases. But like all law firm marketing related efforts, blogging must be done with a purpose. Blog entries that do not address client needs or speak to the right audience may not produce the best results.

If you want to take advantage of the potential benefits a law firm blog can offer, here are some tips to get you on your way.

Search engines love fresh content. For best results, post a new blog entry at least once a week. Optimally, a blog should be updated 3-5 times per week. Writing this often is a time commitment, and it may be worth the investment to hire a copywriter. However, when you post often and your blog contains an abundance of timely, relevant information, search engines and potential clients will give your site more consideration.

Pay attention to your keywords. If you are blogging as a part of an SEO strategy, it is important that you link the right words back to your website. Ask your clients and prospects what they are searching for, and include those keywords in your posts. Be careful, however, to sprinkle them in and not overload your articles with awkward keyword laden sentences. Some keywords are helpful, too many are seen by search engines as spam.

Be original. Write about something no one else is writing about, or come up with a different take on a popular story. Google checks to see how similar copy is from site to site when ranking a blog's relevance. Blogs with unique articles will rank more highly.

Establish yourself as an authority. Frequent blogging in and of itself helps toward this end. Length also matters. When you post stories that are long enough to contain useful, interesting information and short enough to keep a reader’s attention, your audience will grow. Also, consider using guest posters. Having guest posters will keep your blog frequently updated and will convey the message that you are a go-to source for current information.

Pay attention to voice. In order to gain traction, your blog entries should contain a little personality. Blogs are not law journal articles; they should be written to an audience of clients and should be directed toward their needs. Feel free to inject humor when necessary and develop a distinct voice for your blog. People are more likely to hire attorneys whom they like and feel they can relate to.