Introduction
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of driving more visitors to your law firm’s website by increasing your website’s position in search engine results pages.
SEO tips for lawyers involve strategies, techniques and tactics that help attract more prospective clients to your law firm’s website. It is done by obtaining first-page ranking positions in search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. In other words, if your law firm appears near the top of search engine results, you’ll get more visitors to your website. When visitors click on your link within the organic results, they’ll reach out to you to learn more about your services.
SEO tips for lawyers will help you rank higher on search engine results pages for relevant queries. As a result, it will make it easier for potential clients to find you. In addition, you’ll generate more organic website traffic, build your authority and increase your conversions.
Hence, a website should be the focus of your search engine optimization strategies. Furthermore, it should serve as the representation of your work as well as the promotion of your law brand. Especially because 70% of law firms land new cases through their website. According to statistics, the first position in Google search results carries a 31.7% click-through rate.
Here are a few legal SEO tips for lawyers to help you stand out in the crowd:
1. Find Your Law Firm’s Keywords
SEO tips for lawyers start with determining the keywords you want to rank for on search engines. Therefore, start with your main practice areas and widen your keywords to related terms. Use SEO tools such as Moz and Semrush to help you identify, track and optimize your keywords. In addition, Google Trends can help you track keyword search trends over specific periods for free. Moreover, Answer the Public can help identify relevant searches and questions.
2. Incorporate Keywords Into Your Website
Once you’ve determined keywords with high search and low competition, incorporate them into your existing content. To help potential clients read your content, make it clear which keyword is targeted for each page on your law firm’s website. For example, your home page, landing pages and additional content such as blog posts. To fully optimize your content for keywords, place your keywords in the following areas of the page:
- Title tag
- Description tag
- Headings and subheadings
- Evenly throughout paragraphs
- The web page’s URL
Furthermore, consider making separate landing pages for different keywords or phrases. This tactic helps you increase your visibility by providing more in-depth and beneficial information for each search query. Also, be sure to incorporate local keywords to let people in your service area find you more easily. If you incorporate your location in your web content it will be more likely to show up on a “near me” search.
3. Create Useful Content
Adding consistent, fresh, and relevant content helps to boost your rankings. By providing useful information that showcases your expertise in your practice areas you improve the overall user experience. Blog posts are opportunities to dive deeper into related keywords used on your homepage and landing pages.
They let you cover a variety of search queries, increase your online visibility and help you build your authority in the field. When you post valuable content, potential clients will have an easier time finding you online and be more willing to trust your law firm.
Your content needs to answer the inquiry or search term used by the user. Therefore, include specific content on your website that tells your potential client about your practice area. Furthermore, provide preliminary answers to the questions a potential client would have.
Search engines are looking to send users to the best place possible to find answers to their questions. So if Google thinks your site is likely to fulfill the user’s intent, it is more likely to feature it higher up in its search engine results pages. Accordingly, include clear descriptions of your services, transparent pricing, or customer testimonials.
Finally, make sure that the content and answers on your site are up-to-date. The words and other types of content, such as images, are on the pages of the website of your law firm. Ensuring your website has high-quality content will improve user experience and will contribute to improving your website’s search engine rankings.
4. Include Title Tags and Metadata
Title tags and metadata provide hints to potential clients about what your webpage is about. They also tell search engine algorithms about your site so they know how to rank you. The title tag is an HTML element that and denotes the title of your webpage. Title tags show up in search engine result pages (SERPs) so including high-volume keywords is a good way to increase visibility. The metadata provides details about your web page to search engines. Be sure to incorporate keywords into both.
5. Include Links
Backlinks are the referral links placed on other websites that point traffic to your website. Internal links and external backlinks are crucial for SEO. Internal links make it easier for users to navigate your website to find the information they need. External links help to build your domain authority and make you more visible. One way to build quality backlinks involve guest posting and collaborating with other businesses. Other examples include:
- Legal directories, like Avvo
- Local directories, like Google My Business
- Social profiles, like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Shares of your content on social media
- Reviews and endorsements on other websites
- Offer free legal expertise or analysis to a local media organization
- Write interesting blog articles related to your legal expertise, and ask your network to share them
- Present at local events
6. Provide Good User Experience
The first important factor for technical SEO for lawyers includes ensuring your website loads fast (aim for under 2.5 seconds). And second to renders well across a variety of screen sizes, especially mobile phones. Therefore, make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing and intuitive to use. There are free tools you can use to test mobile-friendliness and loading speeds to ensure you’re providing the best possible experience for your visitors.
7. Complete Your Google My Business Page
Completing your Google My Business (GMB) page also helps to boost your visibility. Your GMB page provides all the essential information about your business to potential clients and Google’s search engine algorithms. Along with contact details, location information, and hours of operation, you can also post photographs to humanize your law firm, list your specific areas of practice, and include other pertinent information.
8. Make your law firm website easy to navigate
Make sure your law firm’s website is easy for a person to navigate. As a result, Google will be able to find all your pages and understand what those pages are about. Create simple and easy-to-use menus, and link to other important pages on your website frequently.
How to implement SEO tips for lawyers
- Start by reading the Moz beginner’s guide to SEO and Google’s Webmaster Guidelines
- Write down all of your law firm’s specialities, services and locations
- Do keyword research
- Write and publish content for your website
- Add your keywords in the title, meta description, and headings
- Publish each summary on a separate page of your website
- Use website calls-to-action to show clients where to go to book your services
- Make sure your law firm website is technically set up when you start implementing SEO tips for lawyers
- Build your presence and links
- Claim all of your online profiles, especially Google My Business
- Invest in a tool like Brightlocal to automate submitting your law firm to various local directories
- Encourage your customers to leave reviews
- Keep your content up to date by blogging and updating your website pages monthly
- Pick at least five backlink building projects and aim for five new links every month
Conclusion
As shown above, SEO tips for lawyers are an essential component of a basic marketing strategy for law firms. Law firm SEO or optimizing an attorney’s website for search engines is crucial for any law firm marketing strategy. With SEO tips for lawyers, law firms can achieve better Google search ranking positions. They are, therefore, more likely to receive more cases from their desired practice area. Simply put, prospective clients use organic search to find and hire law firms.
If you’re a law firm looking to grow your business, organic search traffic is a significant marketing channel to focus on. According to the National Law Review, 96% of legal consumers looked for a lawyer via an online search. And 74% of consumers visit a law firm’s website to take action. As a result, besides increasing your visibility, SEO will make it easier for potential clients to find your office over your competition.
For a start, follow these useful SEO tips for lawyers in order to boost your online presence and overall business. However, there is another way to implement SEO and get your law firm’s website to rank well in the search engine result pages. You can hire a law firm SEO expert who has experience in SEO for law firms to help you out.