[SEO For Lawyers] Demystifying Search Engine Optimization
Lawyer SEO - A Primer
Law firms that want to bring on more clients must increase their prominence on the web. The best way to do this is to have a website that is optimized for search engines. A well-optimized law firm website will rank higher in search engine results, leading to more traffic and more opportunities to turn visitors into clients.
When I talk about optimization, I am primarily talking about creating content that incorporates keywords that your prospective clients might type into a search engine when seeking out your services. SEO for lawyers includes a variety of strategies that, when used in tandem, improve your chances of getting on page 1 of Google.
“96% of people seeking legal advice use a search engine, and 74% of those prospects end up contacting the law firm directly.”
Websites and Search Engine Optimization for Lawyers
Hosting millions of websites and attracting many more users, the world wide web is the central resource for consumers seeking information, products, and services. What does this mean for lawyers?
It means that the internet is the singular most important marketplace for attracting new clients to your law firm.
Search engine optimization promotes high ranking and greater visibility for your law firm’s website.
Deconstructing and understanding the search engine is essential for lawyers who want to maximize their website’s placement on search pages. In simplest form, search engines have four primary attributes:
Crawling
Indexing
Algorithms
Ranking
The majority of web users begin their research by entering a keyword or phrase. The search prompts a search engine to crawl the internet, picking up relevant content on web pages and sources. This website information is then reported to an internal server which indexes, or sorts, found sources and content. These results are posted on pages called Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
On the SERPs, except in rare circumstances, the upper portion of each SERP is dedicated to paid ads. These are known as Pay Per Click (PPC) results. Below those ads, there may be a Map with several relevant local businesses lists - this is known as the “Map Pack.” Below the Map Pack are your organic search results.
Algorithms determine which websites should rank highest on the results pages.
Algorithms, though constantly changing, are the bits and pieces of a website that are considered during the sorting and ranking process. Incorporating these elements in your firm’s website design and content is critical to SEO and higher website ranking:
Ease of use
Page load speed
Relevant and quality content
Authoritative sources
Voluminous and current content
Keyword use and placement
Internal and external links
Responsive on mobile devices
SEO: Tips to Getting Your Law Firm on Page #1
There is a prominent saying among web designers targeting SEO:
Content is King; Backlinks are Queen
While this held true for a number of years, resulting from an emphasis on keywords and content volume, it has become less of a truism when considering current algorithms used by search engines.
Internal and external links to related content and media influencers generate significant value during indexing. Content and backlinks work in combination to make your firm’s website more attractive to search engines when ranking search results.
No longer can one component of a website be considered to trump another in SEO. The combination of factors taken into account by search engines demands a much more comprehensive approach to maximizing search engine optimization.
Content and backlinks work in combination to make your firm’s website more attractive to search engines when ranking search results.
Long-Form Content, Backlinks, & Distribution
Search engines reward original, long-form content that is both well organized and easy to read. Lawyers can leverage this fact by developing web content that establishes them as an industry leader and authority among law firms.
Frequent blog posts and regularly updated material will earn your law firm points as current content. All content should contain keywords related to your legal practice, making it easier for search engines to find and connect your firm to a user’s search.
Your Law Firm's Content Marketing Blueprint
● Craft original content
● Focus on long-form content
● Leverage keywords
● Ensure an organized structure
● Link to internal web pages
● Include information relevant to the searcher's intent
● Mix current and evergreen topics
● Post frequent blog articles
● Link to authoritative external sources
● Distribute via social media channels
Sharing well-developed content will garner improved SEO. Guest posting is an effective way to gain high-authority backlinks (to improve SEO) and also put your law firm's name in front of visitors you might not haYour blog posts should be distributed to external sources who will link back to your website. The more connected your law firm’s web content is to other leading internet authorities, the higher your ranking will land.
Search engines, like Google, place a high value on authority ranking. Backlinks from outside sources can improve your search engine rankings.
It is important to note, however, that external links, or backlinks, work much the same as word-of-mouth referrals. Esteemed, selective voices always carry more influence than a multitude of people simply spouting off one referral after another with disregard. Be sure to balance quantity with quality.
Your Law Firm and Google’s Page One
“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Ranking on Google’s coveted page one should be a primary objective of your law firm’s web-marketing plan. While page one ranking cannot be guaranteed, improving your website’s standing through search engine optimization will work toward that goal at a faster rate than other sites failing to do so.
Mobile apps - smartphone users access search engines from their mobile devices at least one time per day.
Linking to social media - there is no easier way to distribute your content than through social media.
Embrace Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok - Video viewing and scrolling social media sites are among the most popular activities used online.
Why Should Lawyers Invest in SEO? The Bottom Line
After years of investing in law school and becoming an expert in your legal practice, you’ve developed a service worth sharing. Your law firm’s presence on the internet provides a platform to distribute your messaging, and lawyers who use SEO amplify message distribution.
Search engine optimization offers your law firm a competitive edge in the digital marketplace.
The framework for your SEO strategy should be built on the following tenets:
1. More people click on organic results than paid results
2. The higher your organic rank, the more traffic your site gets.
3. The more traffic your site gets, the higher the potential to convert them to clients.
Are you ready to optimize your law firm to attract new clients? Let’s talk! Click that “Book a Consult” button over there on the right to schedule a time for us to talk. I’m confident I can get you well on your way to page one.
