This document discusses how readership analytics can help legal firms strengthen their thought leadership and engage readers. It provides tips on using Google Analytics to measure the success of existing content, such as by looking at unique pageviews and time spent on pages. It also recommends analyzing the geographic locations of readers and which external websites are linking to the content. The document advises creating reports from the analytics data to share with attorneys in order to tap into their competitiveness and provide direction for future content. Overall it explores how legal marketers can use analytics insights to better understand their audiences and improve their thought leadership strategies.

1. Strengthening Your Firm’s Thought Leadership:
What's New & How Readership Analytics
Can Help Engage
Jennifer Schaller, Managing Director
Nicole Minnis, Lead Publications Manager

2. Manage Expectations.
Begin with the end in mind.
SEO Changes and Simple tweaks.
How will success be measured?

3. 75,000+ hits
About 50% international
readership – large
readership from educational
Institutions
80% of links into the article
from social media, blog
comments

4. More than 80% of traffic to this
article came from people on this
website.

5. Walmart
Crate and Barrel
Bank of America
Safeway
City of Madison, WI
City of Rockford, IL

6. SEO Changes – More Non-Link Search Results

7. SEO Changes
– Increase in Universal Search Integrations

8. SEO Changes
– Increase in
Universal Search
Integrations

9. SEO Changes– More Emphasis on Local

10. SEO Changes – Increase in Universal Search Integrations

11. The Whos, Whys and Hows of the Click Through

12. BrightEdge study analyzed billions of pieces of content

13. Content Factors
• Relevance is key: The URLs with the highest content relevance are those
on positions 3 to 6.
• Well over 1,000 words
• Comprehensiveness
• Only 53 percent of the top 20 URLs included the keyword in their title.
“This clearly demonstrates that Google evaluates content according to its
relevance – and not by the inclusion of individual keywords.” Searchmetrics
"Still use keywords just focus on relevance and intent over many visits" Rand
Fishkin

14. Keywords in the body
Top 10 have 7.5 instances
top 20 have 7.4 instances
Keywords go here
Title Tag
Meta Description
Headings (H1 and use H2 also)
Body Text
Alt Tags
URL
Relevance
Relevant content can rank without exact keywords
Topical Authority Trumps Keywords

15. Click Through-able Titles [Useful, Ultra-Specific, Urgency]
• Use Brackets in Headline [VIDEO] [INFOGRAPHIC] [WEBINAR]
• Implementing a Counterfeit Enforcement Program [VIDEO]
• Who – Specify: Company Involved in Law Suit, Type of Tax
• Court Refuses To Reconsider Bifurcation Order [sad]
• Include State, City Company Name, Celebrity Name
• Include Terms Folks Will Use In Search: Short Versions of Case Names
(No Cites), Legislation Names & Abbreviations, Circuit name
• UltraSpecific – Use Numbers, Use Dates (also can create urgency)
• Ten Ways 2016 Election May Affect Privacy and Data Security Law
• June 1: OSHA’s Revised Hazard Communication Standard Deadline for
Compliance

16. Click Through-able Titles Most Important Words at the Front
• Most Important Words at Front: Over 65 characters gets cut

17. Algorithms Don’t Appreciate Wit, Irony, Humor, or Style. [Mashable]
• Most Important Words at Front: key words first then hook
• Ask Questions

18. SEO – Many Factors Working Together

19. Identify one or two
attorneys who have:
• Shown that they
understand the value
of thought leadership
AND
• Have the best track
record of following
through with new
initiatives

20. 1. Quantify success of existing content
2. Provide insight and direction for future content

21. It’s not your fault!
Google analytics is not user friendly.

22. Set your date range!

23. Behavior: Unique Pageviews and
Time Spent on Page
Behavior > Overview

26. Audience: Geographic Location
of Readers
Audience > Geo > Location

28. Audience: Geographic Location
of Readers
Audience > Technology > Network

29. Click the Provider

30. Secondary
Dimension >
Behavior > Page
Articles read
by people at
the SEC

31. Acquisition: Who has linked to
your content?
Acquisition > All Traffic > Referrals

32. Click through

33. Click to open page
where your content is
linked

34. Quantify success of existing content
• Behavior: Unique Pageviews and Time Spent on Page
• Audience: Location of Readers
• Acquisition: Who has linked to your content?

35. 1. Quantify success of existing content
2. Provide insight and direction for future content

36. Audience: Geographic Location
of Readers
Audience > Technology > Network

38. Acquisition: Who has linked to
your content?
Acquisition > All Traffic > Referrals

39. Click through

40. Social media sites

41. Acquisition: What keywords were
searched for to get to your
content
Acquisition > Search Console > Queries

42. Queries = Keywords

43. Sharing Data – Create reports
• Get concrete information to attorneys
• Tap into competitiveness
• Even if legal marketers don’t create reports, can direct right people to create
them and facilitate sharing.

44. Behavior: Unique Pageviews and
Time Spent on Page
Behavior > Overview

45. Creating Reports in Google Analytics

46. Creating Reports in Google Analytics

47. PDF report

48. Sharing Data – Create reports
• Get concrete information to attorneys
• Tap into competitiveness
• Even if legal marketers don’t create reports, can direct right people to create
them and facilitate sharing.

49. Jennifer Schaller, jschaller@natlawreview.com
Nicole Minnis, nminnis@natlawreview.com
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