Google favors websites that stay active and relevant. That means regularly updating your blog, your practice area pages, and even your homepage. If your content is outdated, you may fall behind, even if it was ranking well before.
Here’s why regular content updates matter and how to make them part of your routine.
Google Rewards Fresh Content
Search engines aim to display users with the most up-to-date information. If you’re still showing legal content from 2018, Google may not trust it’s accurate. Even if the law hasn’t changed, users (and algorithms) see old content as less reliable.
Updated content signals that your site is alive, well-maintained, and trustworthy.
Clients Want Current Information
Potential clients search for answers to their legal questions right now. If they land on an outdated blog post, they might assume your firm isn’t active, or worse, that you don’t keep up with legal changes.
Regular updates show that you’re engaged, aware of recent developments, and committed to staying relevant.
Laws Change. Your Content Should Too.
Whether it’s a new state statute, court decision, or procedural rule, the legal landscape shifts often, and even a slight change in the law can make your content outdated.
Review older blog posts and service pages to revisit your previous work. Ask:
- Is this still accurate?
- Do we need to reference new laws or rules?
- Have we handled new cases that give us fresh insights?
A quick edit or a few new paragraphs can bring old content back to life—and improve your credibility.
Updated Pages Can Outrank New Ones
You don’t always need to create brand-new content to improve rankings. Updating an existing blog post often takes less time and can deliver faster results.
Add a few hundred words, improve the formatting, and include updated keywords. Google will likely recrawl the page and view it as more relevant, potentially giving you a boost in search results.
Add Internal Links to Newer Content
As you publish new content, link back to related older posts—and update those older posts to link forward to newer ones.
This creates a web of internal links that helps search engines crawl your site more effectively. It also keeps users engaged longer by guiding them to other helpful pages.
Watch for Pages That Are Losing Traffic
Use tools like Google Search Console or analytics software to identify pages that are slipping in rankings or experiencing a decline in traffic. These are strong candidates for updates.
Look at:
- Blog posts that used to perform well but now don’t get clicks
- Service pages that rank lower than competitors
- Content that hasn’t been touched in over a year
Integrate these updates into your monthly or quarterly marketing routine.
Don’t Forget About Design and Format
Sometimes, a page’s design or structure hurts its performance. Updating the layout, breaking long paragraphs into shorter ones, or adding headings and bullet points can make your content easier to read and improve rankings.
Google rewards a good user experience. That includes not only what your content says, but also how it looks and feels.
Want help keeping your law firm’s content up to date and ranking strong in Google? Contact Legal Web Design to learn how we can help you stay visible and competitive online.
