Humans vs. Robots: Picking the Best Audience for Your SEO Content

Web content is being produced at a staggering rate. All over and everywhere readers find tens of millions of pages on the web, from news sites to social media posts to law firm content. Readers are struggling to drink from a firehose and often feel overwhelmed. So how do you get your law firm online content noticed, and stand out from the crowd? Should you be writing for humans who read the content, or for algorithms like Google and Bing that rank content? This is your dilemma. Not surprisingly, the answer to the humans vs. robots question is nuanced, rather than black and white. First, let’s look at how much web content is being produced each month. We’ll use hosting site WordPress as an example. Over 409 million people view more than 20 billion pages of content each month on WordPress.com-hosted sites. These users produce 70 million new posts and 77 million comments each month. And WordPress only accounts for less than 50% of site hosting! Content saturation on the web poses unique challenges for lawyers trying to create content that satisfies both humans and algorithms. Google’s ever-changing algorithm and Bing’s growth in search market share don’t help. Add to this, evolving preferences and frequent fads among readers of different age groups, and law firms can feel stymied and confused when trying to create effective content for their websites and online ads.

The answer to the humans vs. robots question requires balance. You want to create content that provides value, educates, and answers questions that human readers have, while at the same time appeasing search engine algorithms that are most definitely players in the mix.

Optimizing law firm SEO content is a must. SEO optimization always has been, and will continue to be, a critical factor in satisfying algorithms, though search itself has become somewhat less influential in recent years when it comes to attracting readers. Keyword volume used to be the critical SEO tactic. But recently there’s a greater emphasis on creating engaging, humanized, valuable content that satisfies people’s curiosity, need for connection, and desire for trustworthy information. As predictive analytics and artificial intelligence continue to evolve and get “smarter,” Google will increasingly reward high-quality, engaging content that provides value. Web pages that simply include SEO keywords and little else will fall by the wayside. Ultimately, writers must create compelling, informative content and incorporate traditional SEO tactics to engage human readers and satisfy algorithms.

Tailoring Online Law Firm Content to Robots and Humans

Knowing your target audience is the first step in connecting with human readers and appeasing algorithms. It makes little sense to rank well in search results for legal services you don’t provide or to engage human readers who aren’t looking for an attorney. That’s a waste of time and resources. Audience analytics and demographic data can help you tightly target your preferred audience and customize high-quality content to reach and connect with readers. Google guidance on content advocates “creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.” It also encourages writers to ask themselves the following questions…

Content and Quality Questions from Google:

• Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
• Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious?
• If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
• Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
• Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggerating or being shocking in nature?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia, or book?
• Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
• Does the content have any spelling or stylistic issues?
• Is the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?

Satisfying Algorithms

There are certain SEO tactics that can be used to satisfy search engine algorithms and achieve ideal rankings. Some of these include optimizing primary and secondary keywords in content; creating strategic internal and external links on your website; crafting effective URLs, title tags, and meta; and staying abreast of algorithm updates and changes, which can affect how existing and newly written content performs.

Satisfying Humans

Humans today are in a huge hurry and have millions of bits of data competing for their attention. They want answers and information, and they want it fast. At the same time, humans are living, breathing beings, and they’ll stay on a page and keep reading if they are intrigued, engaged, and satisfied. Humans love stories; they love emotion and connection; they love to be listened to.

When you create compelling, individualized content that helps a reader feel like they matter and are experiencing connection, they are more likely to trust you and seek you out over and over. Trust, authenticity, and expertise among lawyers goes a long way in winning over readers and converting users into clients.

The difference between writing for algorithms and writing for people is the difference between writing for machines and writing for sentient beings who eat peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and fight with their in-laws. The two couldn’t be more different. Yet, both are immensely important if you want your online content to impact readers, causing them to think of your law firm as trustworthy, informative, and reliable.

What About AI-Generated Content vs. Human Writers?

Ah, this is a question that so many content professionals are grappling with right now! Content created/modified by machine- or deep-learning is regarded as “AI-generated content,” which is ubiquitous on the web right now. Big AI players like ChatGPT, Claude, and others are getting smarter every day, and some of their capabilities are astounding. But that doesn’t mean your website should be filled with AI-generated content. What are the benefits and limitations of creating law firm content with AI?

Benefits

• Saves money
• Speed
• Instant SEO optimization
• Helps with difficult research
• Consistent content (same voice, no mistakes with style guide)

Limitations

• General rather than specific/risks reader boredom
• Lacks humanization, emotion, and nuance
• Trouble with hallucination
• Potential plagiarism
• Lacks imaginative spark

Whether a law firm is creating ads, chatbots, blogs, social media posts, or long-form content, human writers remain the best bet for creating compelling, original, and unique content that is customized for your brand, practice areas, and law firm culture. However, AI can be very useful to a human writer to conduct detailed legal research, gather information about competitors’ content, and search for supplementary information that will bolster the content writers create. Human writers have been storytellers for centuries. They’re inspired to share knowledge, entertain, and connect with other human beings. Algorithms and AI, no matter how sophisticated, can’t do that easily, if at all.

Gladiator Law Marketing: We Understand Algorithms and Humans When Creating Content

Whether you’re a lawyer struggling to write your own content or a law firm wanting to develop a comprehensive online marketing campaign, Gladiator Law Marketing can help. Our team of unparalleled professionals is skilled at website design, SEO optimization, content curation, social media, and customized marketing campaigns. We’ve helped countless small and mid-sized law firms over the last 10 years increase their online visibility, build their brand, expand their reach, and convert consumers into clients. To learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your marketing goals, contact us for a free initial consultation.