What is a Content Calendar? A Guide for Law Firms

Some law firms publish consistently. Others start strong, post a few articles, and quietly peter out. Does it surprise you to learn that the difference usually isn’t motivation?

It’s structure.

A content calendar separates consistent publishing from scattered, stop-and-start efforts. It’s a practical system that defines what you’ll publish and when, creating clarity, accountability, and momentum.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a content calendar is, how it fits into your broader strategy, and why it is one of the simplest tactics in content marketing for law firms to follow to ensure consistency without unnecessary complexity.

What Is a Content Calendar?

A content calendar is a tool that outlines what content you plan to publish and when you plan to publish it. It should reflect the priority established in your content strategy and keep SEO and writing teams on track.

In practical terms, it’s a publishing schedule. It lists upcoming blog posts, practice area pages, videos, or other assets and either assigns a specific publish date or the month in which you’ll publish.

Your content calendar can be as simple as a spreadsheet or as robust as a project management platform. Or sometimes both. At We Do Web, our content team creates a content calendar in a spreadsheet we share with our SEO and account management teams, then imports those topics into a content management system, where they become tasks assigned to our writing team.

The format matters less than the function. Without a defined schedule, content becomes something you “get to when you can.” With a calendar in place, publishing becomes intentional.

What a Content Calendar Includes

A content calendar doesn’t need to be complex. In fact, it shouldn’t. Simplicity increases the likelihood your team will use it consistently.

At a minimum, a content calendar for law firms should define what will be published, when it will go live, and who is responsible. From there, you can add detail to strengthen content scheduling and execution.

Here are the core components most content schedules include:

Topics or Titles

This defines what you plan to publish. It may be a working title (“What to Do After a Car Accident in Texas”) or a short description (“FAQ: Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims”). The goal is clarity. Everyone involved should understand the scope of the piece.

Planning topics in advance strengthens editorial planning and eliminates the common problem of sitting down to write without direction. Your content strategy will largely inform the topics you write each month because it sets priority around the practice types or locations you’ll target, or other goals you’ve established for the firm’s marketing.

Publish Dates

Every piece needs a target publication date. It may also include draft deadlines and review windows, especially when attorneys are involved in approvals. Clear deadlines turn good intentions into an executable publishing schedule.

At We Do Web, our content calendar spreadsheets show which months our writing team will create each piece of content. But within our content management system, we set due dates for writing and editing to keep our writing team on schedule.

Without dates, a content calendar becomes a list of ideas.

Content Type

Not every asset is a blog post. Your calendar may include practice area pages, FAQs, landing pages, videos, newsletters, or resource guides.

Labeling the content type allows you to evaluate your content at a glance and avoid overloading one format while neglecting others. It also supports smarter budgeting. Some content types require more research, attorney input, or design time. Seeing that distribution in advance prevents you from stacking too many resource-heavy projects in a single month.

Your calendar should reflect the types of content you’ve prioritized in your strategy, which strengthens content organization and helps you stay on track with the plan you’ve established to reach your marketing goals.

Ownership

Content production grounds to a halt when responsibility isn’t clear. A content calendar should eliminate that ambiguity and prevent bottlenecks.

• Who writes it?
• Who reviews it?
• Who publishes it?

Our content management system indicates the writers and editors assigned to each task, so we know who’s responsible for each page every month.

Status

Your calendar should clearly show where each piece of content stands in the production process. Common status labels include:

• Idea
• In progress
• In review
• Scheduled
• Published

Our content calendar spreadsheets indicate the general stage of production. For example, In Production, Client Review, Ready to Publish, Published, and similar phases.

And because we manage content for multiple law firms with dedicated writers and editors, our internal content management system tracks progress more granularly. For example, Not Started, Assigned to Writer, Ready for Editor, Assigned to Editor, Ready for Client, and beyond.

The level of detail can vary, but the principle is the same: everyone should know exactly where a piece stands. Clear status tracking prevents bottlenecks and helps maintain steady forward progress.

Other Details to Add

Our content calendars generally list the URL, H1, title, content type, word count, and status. We also include fields for any notes we want to leave for the writer, and our account managers have a field to indicate when a topic is approved by the client, clearing the way for our writing team to start writing.

Once your system is working, you can layer in additional information, such as:

• Target keyword
• Internal links to include
• Notes or research references
• Calls to action

Given the scale of our SEO and content teams’ work, we have other ways to track things like links, anchor text, and the like. Our content calendar sheets link to those materials, so our writers can reference them during production, keeping our linking and other important SEO details organized.

These elements connect content scheduling to SEO performance and long-term growth. Still, keep the foundation simple. Start with a structure your team can realistically maintain, then add complexity as your process matures.

Content Calendar vs. Strategy

A content calendar is one component of a larger marketing framework.

Your firm’s content strategy defines the direction: which practice areas you want to grow, who you’re trying to reach, and what topics will support those goals. It establishes priorities and determines what should be created.

The content calendar is where that strategy becomes operational.

It lays out what will be produced, when it will go live, and who is responsible for executing it. In short, it turns content strategy into consistent action.

For many law firms, the challenge isn’t deciding what to write. It’s following through.

Without a structured system, even well-planned ideas get delayed or pushed aside by client work. A clear content calendar bridges the gap between intention and execution.

Why Law Firms Need a Content Calendar

Without structure, publishing becomes sporadic. Most law firms don’t lack ideas. They lack consistency. It’s understandable. Client demands take priority. Deadlines interrupt marketing efforts.

A content calendar is meant to provide stability, even at busy law firms.

Builds Consistency and Reduces Chaos

Consistency strengthens SEO performance and credibility. A regularly updated website tends to perform better in search results than a neglected site, and prospective clients trust firms that publish relevant, up-to-date information.

Without structure, topics are rushed, and deadlines slip by. A defined publishing schedule removes that disruption. Instead of asking what to create next, your team executes what’s already planned.

Improves Team Coordination

Content often involves attorneys, marketing staff, and external partners. A centralized editorial calendar aligns expectations. Everyone sees what’s in development and when it’s due. Clear visibility reduces bottlenecks and keeps projects moving.

Supports Smarter Oversight

Leadership wants clarity. A content calendar delivers that visibility without micromanagement.

• What are we publishing?
• Which practice areas are prioritized?
• Are we on track?

Types of Content Calendars

There’s no single “right” format for a content calendar. The best system is the one your team will use consistently.

Simple Spreadsheet

For many firms, a spreadsheet is more than enough. Create a Google Sheet where you’ll build a simple spreadsheet outlining whatever details you deem necessary. At a minimum, include the items referenced in the section above: topic (e.g., h1 or title), content type, deadline, status, and, especially if multiple people are working off this sheet, the owner.

Our content calendar spreadsheets are simple but include a little more information than this: details about the page (h1, title, url, etc.), the type of content, the month it’s designated for, the expected word count, notes for the writer, the status, whether our client approved the topic, a link to the Google doc, and, once published, the published URL and published date. Crucial details that everyone can see.

Spreadsheets are simple, accessible, and effective for improving content organization without adding complexity.

Project Management Tools

As production increases, additional structure may help. Platforms like Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Monday, and Notion let you visualize your editorial calendar, assign tasks, attach documents, and monitor your workflow. These tools strengthen content scheduling when:

• Multiple contributors are involved
• Publishing frequency increases
• Greater visibility is needed

They add flexibility to your content scheduling process while keeping responsibilities organized.

Dedicated Editorial Tools

Some platforms are built specifically for marketing teams. Tools such as CoSchedule integrate content planning, scheduling, publishing, and promotion into a single system. If you’re evaluating different approaches, resources like this ClickUp blog on content calendar solutions outline additional frameworks and tools firms can consider as they refine their processes.

These solutions suit firms with established marketing operations. However, sophistication doesn’t guarantee effectiveness.

A well-maintained spreadsheet will always outperform an advanced system that no one updates.

How to Make Your Legal Content Calendar Work for You

A content calendar only works if it’s realistic, aligned with business priorities, and consistently maintained. It should:

Align With Business Priorities

Your publishing schedule should reflect your content strategy and planning, which stem from your firm’s growth objectives. If specific practice areas are strategic priorities, your calendar should build depth in those areas over time. Intentional editorial planning produces stronger long-term results than random topic selection.

Set a Sustainable Frequency

Overcommitting is one of the most common mistakes law firms and businesses make when planning content. Choose a cadence your team can realistically maintain. Whether that’s weekly, biweekly, or monthly, consistency is more important than volume. A realistic schedule helps maintain momentum and prevent burnout.

Assign Responsibility Early

Each piece of content should have a designated writer. Clear responsibility prevents delays and keeps your team on track to meet deadlines and keep the marketing machine on track.

Review and Adjust Regularly

Evaluate progress weekly or biweekly. Adjust timelines when necessary, but protect forward movement. The firms that publish consistently aren’t perfect. They’re just organized.

Get Your Content Organized and Keep It Moving

A content calendar is a system that moves content from idea to publication and ensures your efforts compound over time. If your firm wants stronger SEO performance and a steady stream of high-value content, start with structure.

We Do Web helps law firms grow through strategic, carefully planned digital marketing and SEO. Our content team will assess existing assets, identify gaps, and build practical content calendars aligned with your growth goals. From content audits to full editorial planning and execution, we create systems that sustain momentum.

If you’re ready for a more organized, strategic approach to content marketing for law firms, call We Do Web to schedule a site and content audit and build a content calendar designed to deliver measurable results.

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