Charge pages get most of the attention on a defense firm website. They should, since people search for the charge. But a large share of the questions clients ask in a first call are about process: what happens at arraignment, whether they have to go to court, what bail means, how long this will take. A small set of well-written process pages answers those questions before the call and brings in searches that charge pages miss.
Process pages are also where many firm websites are weakest. They tend to be one generic "criminal process" page copied from a template, with no state named and no local detail. Done properly, a set of process pages becomes some of the most useful content on the site for a frightened reader, and some of the hardest for competitors to copy.
Start by writing down the stages of a typical case in the courts where you practice, in the order a client experiences them. For many state cases the rough order looks something like this:
The names, order and timing vary by state and by court, and misdemeanor and felony cases often follow different paths. Felonies may involve a preliminary hearing or a grand jury. Use the terms your own courts use, since those are the words printed on the paperwork your clients are holding.
Not every stage needs a page. Look at where client questions cluster and where search interest exists. In most practices, a few stages carry most of the anxiety:
Each of these can stand alone. The rest can live on a single overview page that walks through the whole process and links out to the deeper pages.
A good process page answers the question a person would type, in the first few lines. For an arraignment page, that is usually "What happens at an arraignment?" or "Do I have to go to my arraignment?" Answer it plainly, then add the detail.
A structure that works for most stages:
Keep the tone calm. Someone reading a page about bail at midnight wants to feel that the situation is understandable.
The general description of arraignment is available everywhere. What competitors cannot easily copy is how it works in the courts you know. Which courtroom handles first appearances, whether people can appear by video for certain hearings, how long the wait usually is, whether the court sends reminders by text.
Add these details carefully and describe them as typical, not guaranteed. Then link to your courthouse or county pages if you have them, and to the charge pages where the process differs, such as a DUI case with its separate license hearing.
Court procedures and laws change. Bail rules, diversion eligibility and record clearing laws have all shifted in many states in recent years. A process page with outdated information is worse than no page, because the reader will act on it.
Put a review date on every process page and keep a simple log of when each page was last checked against current law and court practice. When a legislature passes a change that affects one stage, update that page and any charge pages that mention it. The routine described in when a criminal law changes, your charge pages need an update works the same way for process pages.
As with any page on a lawyer's website, check your state bar's advertising rules, especially around how you describe outcomes and timelines.
Process pages should not be an island. Link to them from charge pages wherever a stage is mentioned. Link from the arraignment page to the charge pages most often arraigned in your courts. Add the overview page to your main menu or resources section so people can find it without a search.
Yes. State the jurisdiction at the top and write for your state's procedures. A generic national description misleads readers in states where the process differs.
Long enough to answer the main question and the obvious follow-ups. For most stages that is 700 to 1,200 words. Shorter is fine if the stage is simple.
An overview page is useful, but stages with heavy search interest and many client questions, like arraignment and expungement, usually work better as their own pages linked from the overview.
For more on SEO for defense practices, see our criminal defense SEO and legal marketing guides.
SBD Marketing works only with criminal defense firms, one per city. We help defense practices plan and write charge, court and process pages, build websites, handle SEO for the charges they defend, improve visibility in AI search tools and run SEO audits.