Helpful Tips for Contributing Content to the Nolo Network

Use a Descriptive Title – Please choose a title that accurately describes the article’s contents. Use key words appropriately, but not excessively. Accurate titles not only help search engines send readers to what they're looking for, but they also speed readers to your articles when they’re browsing through our sites.

Include an Introduction – A brief introductory paragraph not only lets the reader know what your article is about, but can also be used as a "snippet" on other web pages within the Nolo network. We use these snippets to promote contributed content on relevant Nolo websites. Thus, an introductory paragraph can get your content more exposure across our network. For example, take a look at the "Most Recent Legal Articles" section on the homepage of LawFirms.com (the phrases under the article titles come from the introductory paragraphs).

Keep it Organized – Readers often scan articles to determine if they’ve found what they’re looking for. Headers and sub-headers are a great way to break up text and organize the page for a quick-scan. Numbered or bulleted lists are also an excellent tool for readers to quickly understand your key points. Don’t worry about how to signal to the editor that you want headers and subheaders—you can simply type them on their own lines, in bold, and even identify them as "heading" and "subheading." The editor will take care of the rest.

Remember Not to Generalize – Lawyers are familiar with the law and practice in their state, and unless their practice is wholly federal (like most bankruptcy practices), they can write authoritatively only about their state. That’s exactly what we (and your readers) want — they don’t care about how the question is handled elsewhere. Keep this in mind when you write. For example, if you’re writing about whether a telephone conversation with the police constitutes "custodial interrogation," and you’re basing your answer on state law, make it clear that, "in [State], the answer is XYZ."

Show Your Expertise – Write about topics that answer common questions you receive from clients and that are not commonly featured on the Internet. For example, instead of writing about DUI laws in your state, write about what to do (or not to do) when pulled over, defensive strategies you’ve used successfully, or common penalties and fines.

Use Examples – When explaining a particular element of a case, process, or law, use an example to demonstrate how that element is used in practice. This helps build rapport with readers, showing them you know how to help with their situation.

Respond to Your Editor's Questions – Every article posted on our sites will be reviewed by a Nolo editor. We are lawyers who have dozens of years of experience working with material submitted by our attorney authors. We will make only those changes that are necessary to make the article clear and well-organized; any changes we make that we think may change the substance of your article will be sent to you for approval. We will ask you for additional text or clarification if needed. Don't worry, we won't mess it up.

Post Duplicate Content – Please do not pull articles or content that has already been posted to another website (even your own firm’s website or your blog). Content that has been posted on the Internet has already been indexed by major search engines. Reposting it may result in a "spam" flag and the article will not be re-indexed. The result: No traffic to your article. In addition, websites that continually post duplicate content could potentially get black-listed or "demoted" in rankings.

Quote Excessively from Statutes – Quoting verbatim from statutes, which is perfectly legitimate for lawyers to do in their practice, has at least two downsides in this context: The language may be considered duplicate content by search engines, and may cause the same unfortunate results described just above. In addition, keep in mind that most people do not want to read statutes; that’s what you’re here to do, to interpret and explain them in plain English.

Scare the Reader into Contacting an Attorney – In many situations, readers will be well-served to contact an attorney, for a consultation if not for representation (let’s be honest, you’re hoping that many will conclude that this is the best course). Your chances of getting that lead will increase if you honestly explain the benefits of a consultation or representation, emphasizing the issues that an attorney can help with, rather than falling back on "The consequences are dire, get thee to a lawyer’s office immediately!" For example, suppose you’re writing an article on how to respond to a juvenile court matter. The reader (doubtless the parent) will want to know whether the case is serious enough to warrant going to a lawyer. You can explain that juvenile records can follow a young person into adult life, can be the basis of a “strike” in certain circumstances, and can affect insurance rates. A young person may even need to disclose the record when applying to college. For these reasons, it’s wise to talk to someone familiar with how these cases are handled in your courthouse, so that you can try to obtain the least damaging result.

Include Your Contact Information – It's tempting, but unnecessary. We've designed the pages so that your profile will be tastefully displayed and highly visible on the page, meaning potential clients will have every opportunity to contact you should they so desire. Adding contact information to the actual article diminishes its value and tends to make it look like a paid advertisement. The purpose of the article publishing program is to build your online reputation, establish authority, and build a rapport with readers, not to sell them like a direct marketing campaign would do.

Waste Your Time – We know your time is valuable. Do not spend it worrying about fonts and formatting. We’ll make sure your article is formatted properly for the webpage on which it will be placed. We want you to invest your time in the quality, organization, and depth of the information provided.

Use Sensational Language – Readers come to our sites to find practical legal information on numerous topics, not promises to settle debt for "pennies on the dollar!" or "Sue your bank and stop foreclosure!". We're working hard to build credible web properties and will not diminish that goal with empty, marketing focused content.