1. Start with the geography your firm actually serves
Conneaut is a municipality in Ashtabula County, Ohio. A Conneaut firm may serve clients in the city, elsewhere in Ashtabula County, across Ohio or in a more limited area. Those are different editorial boundaries. A page about an Ohio law change may be relevant statewide, while a story tied to a particular road, court, agency or incident may require careful geographic wording. The Census population record can establish the place and county relationship; it cannot establish that residents are searching for legal news or that a news page will produce a matter.
Recommended approach
Use the consultation to define whether Legal News should address Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio or another exact service area. Ask how the firm wants location references handled when a story is statewide but the call to action is local. Keep the service area consistent with the firm’s actual authorization and intake practice.
