Should My Blog be Separate from My Site?
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July 16, 2020
Here at Mockingbird, we are constantly getting asked about how law firms should run their blogs. Is it better to have a separate site? Should it be on the main site? If it’s on the firm’s main site, should it be on a subdomain (blog.xyzfirm.com) or a subfolder (xyzfirm.com/blog/)? This is my attempt to answer these questions and dispel any misconceptions that may be floating around. Let’s dive right in.
Should my legal blog live on my firm’s site?
I’ll get right to it. For a law firm, the blog should live in a subfolder (xyzfirm.com/blog/) on the main site. How was that for short and sweet?
From an SEO perspective, this is critical. By merging the two sites, you are allowing both entities to benefit from the same backlinks. When one gets a new valuable backlink, they both benefit. Combining sites also allows for a seamless user experience and a shorter conversion journey for potential clients. If you have a blog that discusses the intricacies of employment law in Texas and you handle employment law in Texas, why would you want to send clients to a separate site?
I’d suggest checking out this case study that highlights the value of merging an off-site blog onto the firm’s main site.
Should my blog be on a subdomain (blog.xyzfirm.com) or a subfolder (xyzfirm.com/blog/)?
If you want to fully capitalize on the joint SEO value, it is extremely important to use a subfolder. Google looks at subdomains as separate websites and the value of the backlinks will not be shared between the main site and blog.
Did I mention the case study yet?
When does a separate blog make sense?
I know my answer to the first question was pretty definitive, but that is because we are discussing specifically legal sites. Outside the legal industry, there are plenty of situations that a separate blog makes sense. If you run a nature photography blog, there is no reason to connect that to your business site (well unless you own an outdoor recreation company). Or maybe you want to eventually sell the business, but keep running the blog (or vice versa). Then you should keep them separate.
In my experience, I have yet to run into a time where a legal
What do I do If my firm has an offsite blog?
Call Us! Our team has the experience and knowledge it takes to handle this migration seamlessly. Let us help your firm fully capitalizes on your situation and turn two sites into one much stronger asset.
Third times the charm, read this case study. I promise you won’t regret it.