When someone needs legal services, there are many online resources to help. Legal aid organizations saw as lawHelp.org or the LSC (Legal Services Corporation), a federal agency that funds legal aid across the country are there to help answer questions. In reality, most people tap into their network and ask people they know for recommendations when looking for a lawyer. But what if your circle of friends and family doesn’t have a name to provide?
The logical next step is to take to the Internet and do a search to see what law firms are in your area and see if they can help out with your issue. That’s where SEO comes in. SEO for law firms is a critical marketing tool that helps attorneys with their local presence in order to grow their client base as well as establish authority online. And no matter what type of law is practiced, read our article to learn more about strategies to help your law firm rank higher and generate qualified leads in your local area.
Why Does SEO Matter For Legal Firms?
Search Engine Optimization (known as SEO) is the process of improvement website performance so that it can rank high on search engines such as Google. The higher your law firm ranks, the more visible you will be to potential clients. In fact, in a 2023 study from FirstPage, it was estimated that ranking on top of the SERPs (search engine results page) generates a click through rate of almost 40%, and that second and third position ranking gets another 29% between the two of them. That means that almost 70% of clicks happen for the top 3 ranked companies when people are searching for products or services.
Additionally, 96% of people that need legal advice will use a search engine, and 3 out of 4 of them will not move past the first page. So if your office isn’t visible in results, especially top results, then your competition is getting calls from potential clients instead of you. While paid advertising can bring in traffic quickly, pay-per-click spend can be costly and the results will disappear the moment you stop putting money into the campaign. Organic SEO, on the other hand, is a long-term strategy that improves your presence over time and can reduce your spend as your rankings improve.
What Are Some Key Elements Of A Successful Law Firm SEO Strategy?
On-Page SEO
Your website pages are an important part of your legal SEO strategy. Optimization to web pages that includes the following will help your local rankings:
- – Title tags and meta descriptions
- – Headers tags to signal topical relevance
- – URL structure
- – Internal linking
You want to make sure that all the SEO elements on page are speaking the same language and relevant to what the page is about. Having a solid keyword-rich title tag and meta description along with the right headers and good links on page will communicate to both your potential clients as well as the search engines in an effort to rank your pages as high as possible.
Keyword Targeting
Keyword targeting is important and it starts with solid keyword research. You need to know the terms that people are searching for to find your type of law services and that may be different from city to city. Geo-specific terms like “personal injury attorney in phoenix” or “best estate planning lawyer in tempe” reflect user interest and help improve local visibility.
Content Marketing
Content is what supports organic traffic. Without content, you cannot rank for varying keywords, and without the ability to rank you cannot increase traffic. Start with the following:
- – Practice area pages: Each service deserves its own optimized page
- – FAQs: Address common legal questions clients ask
- – Blog posts: Offer advice, explain legal processes, and show thought leadership
Google’s main goal is to show the best possible business for the most relevant search, and Google favors high-quality and unique content that is able to answer the searcher’s questions. Leveraging blogs to provide legal information and answer FAQs related to common legal questions will help you to not only build credibility but improve your SEO rankings.
Technical SEO
Your website should be technically sound and optimized for mobile-first indexing. That means that Google will check the performance of your web pages via mobile and will prioritize sites that are responsive, fast loading and secure. As a law firm, your site should always have a current SSL certificate and clean code. Google’s Core Web Vitals are a major ranking factor, so ensuring that the user experience is a main focus is important.
User-Experience
You could have the best content on your site, and have the right keyword strategy and technical performance, but even if you get all the traffic in the world, your site needs to be able to convert. That means you should focus on:
- Clear navigation
- Prominent contact forms
- Mobile usability
- Compelling calls to action (e.g., “Schedule a Free Consultation”)
Local SEO for Attorneys
Local SEO is an important component to any local business’s marketing strategy, and this is especially true for law firms. Most clients are looking for legal services that are in close proximity to where they are located, so it’s important to show up in search results for the areas that are nearby your business.
Optimize Your Law Firm’s Google Business Profile(s)
Your local listing on Google is known as your Google Business Profile, and it is essentially your virtual storefront. Your law firm should make sure that the business profile is fully optimized with the following:
- – Your service areas
- – Contact information (that matches your website)
- – Correct office hours (that match your website)
- – A good description of your business
Ensure NAP Consistency
Your name, address and phone number should be the same across all online mentions. That means the number on your website should match the number on your Google Business Profile as well as across all directories (like Yelp, FindLaw, etc).
Manage Your Law Firm’s Reputation
Reviews are an important part of SEO, and a huge part of your online reputation. 80% of people seeking legal advice state that they would seek out reviews before hiring an attorney. Not only is a positive reputation is a tool that is essential to attract new clients, but it also helps to make people feel more comfortable and less anxious with the right legal representation.
Create Localized Content
Your website needs to establish that you are an authority in the services you provide within your service area. If you provide law services in ten cities, then ensuring you have a page for each location that speaks to the services you offer is essential. In addition, creating hyper-local blog posts that reference cities, towns and neighborhoods is a smart strategy to capture those searches within a specific radius. For example “What To Know When Looking for a Divorce Lawyer in Phoenix” will answer some of the questions that people are looking to get information about as well as capture those looking for a service provider by searching the term “divorce lawyer in phoenix”.
What Are Some Common SEO Mistakes That Law Firms Need to Avoid
There are common pitfalls that impact rankings. Avoiding these can help to keep your search rankings stable and sustain online credibility. These include the following:
- – Keyword stuffing
- – Duplicate content
- – Not optimizing for mobile
- – A poorly optimized GBP
Measuring SEO Success in the Legal Field
You must be able to measure SEO progress and growth to see if it is working. Using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, tools such as SEMrush, ahrefs or Moz for competitive insights, and Bright Local for managing local directories is necessary to be able to implement and adjust SEO strategies. Your law firm should watch organic traffic changes, keyword ranking progression, and conversions from organic sources to help tell the story around your SEO efforts. And because SEO is a long-term investment, regularly auditing the website and optimizing content should be a part of your ongoing legal marketing strategy.
Should You Hire an SEO Agency for Your Law Firm?
The legal industry is a highly competitive market. While it is possible to manage your SEO in-house, a specialized SEO agency for lawyers can provide customized strategies that are relevant to not only your niche but your location, as well as content creation that meets legal advertising guidelines. In addition, knowledgeable SEO specialists will ensure that any link building is done from reputable legal directories.
Make sure you also avoid working with agencies that may overpromise and underdeliver. Anyone that promises “guaranteed first-page results” should indicate a red flag, as well as agencies that use black-hat SEO tactics that may get your website penalized. Working with a law firm that provides transparent reporting and values communication, and a strong personalized relationship is an important factor to consider.
Are You Ready to Grow With Legal SEO Services?
Whether you are an attorney with a solo practice or part of a larger law firm, investment is law firm SEO strategies is crucial to increasing your visibility and building trust. Are you ready to partner with experienced legal SEO marketing specialists? Now is the time to take action! Contact HardPart Media today for a free SEO audit and to discuss improving your rankings today.