Things to Consider with Law Firm SEO
Law firms that choose not to do SEO have to play the Google or Bing Ads game. That’s super-expensive! Here are some things to consider with your Law Firm SEO.
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The Traffic Conundrum for Law Firms
There’s no other way to say this, but your law firm’s growth now and into the future will be predicated on online traffic to your website.
The way that this traffic finds you are the most pressing question for a growing number of law firms that are finding that other lead channels are drying up.
In this context, at Fast Firms, we demarcate traffic into two categories, one, traffic that you earn and two, traffic that you buy.
In relation to the former, this is obviously where every law firm wants to be and we have a number of clients who are now in this position. Earning website traffic requires a multi-dimensional approach. Most importantly it needs a combination of SEO (search engine optimisation) and content, preferably omnichannel that drives content to your website.
The latter category is simply about spending money on Google Ads.
Why law firms should focus on the former because whilst Google Ads work you will always be at the peril of paying the cost per click (CPC). CPC isn’t cheap for any practice verticle and the cost has and is growing exponentially. For example, once your law personal injury law firm would enjoy leads at a CPC of $20.00. Now the same clicks can cost in excess of $100 in metropolitan areas.
That said, the reason why law firms choose a CPC approach over an SEO approach are simply because if you work with an agency that is legal industry-specific, you will start getting leads within a very short period of time. In contrast, SEO requires effort, long term commitment and month after month funding.
What is Law Firm SEO?
Law Firm search engine optimisation (SEO) is all about getting your law firm ranked well for the search terms that people are entering into Google and other search engines, either through manually entering those terms or voicing them via Voice Recognition Software.
The practice of Law Firm SEO is both complex and time-consuming, deriving from a diverse range of strategies.
At Fast Firms, we consider SEO for law firms an integral and important facet of the breadth of services we provide. Traffic to your website and/or other online properties relies on your law firm being found for the keywords potential clients are searching.
Simply put, SEO is a complex framework to help your law firm’s website to get ranked in primary search engines like Google for keywords that your firm wishes to target.
For example, you’re a family law practice in Geelong and you want your website to be found easily when someone searched “family lawyers Geelong.”
It’s likely that you will want your law firm to be found for numerous keywords, including the most obvious and others that we call the long tail. A long-tail keyword using the same example above may be, “property settlement lawyers Geelong.” This search term will not garner the same amount of traffic as say, “family lawyers Geelong” but it may garner some traffic and because of its long-tail nature, it may not take as long to rank your website for that search term.
If you’re a diverse practice law firm, it may be the case that your SEO strategy is made up of over 50 keywords.
Importantly, if this is the case your firm will need a robust content strategy underpinning it. Such a content strategy will require the identification of landing pages that will target specific content and a regular regime of blog content giving the opportunity to provide an internal linking practice.
The Practice of Law Firm SEO
The practice of legal SEO has become incredibly complex and it draws upon the diverse expertise within a multi-dimensional agency like Fast Firms. More specifically, law firms seeking our assistance invariably have worked with either SEO agencies who did not understand the legal industry or who were SEO agencies only doing SEO for the law firms, requiring overwhelming content and design changes to the website by other agencies who were involved in marketing the firm. In the experience of our clients, augmented by our own, when Law firm SEO services are deployed like this, it usually ends in disaster.
SEO is a laborious task, let no one tell you differently, particularly those who advertise first page or number #1 rankings. Using these types of services can be extremely risky because Google is akin to doing major algorithm updates frequently and if it is the case that your SEO agency has tried to game the system by using what we call, “black hat tactics” you may find that your website is removed completely by Google. This happened to many websites due to an algorithm update by Google called, “Panda.”
Essentially though, good SEO is a practice that requires:
- a speed optimised website
- a fast, mobile responsive website
- a website with clean, uncluttered code
- a website that has communicated recent sitemaps to search engines
- a website that has correct heading architecture
- a website that has a regime of internal link sharing
- a website that has quality links pointing to it
- a website that has regular, substantive content
- a website that uses a multitude of mediums
- a website that has good traffic
- a website that has a good time on page ratio
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it will give you an idea of the types of things your law firm needs to consider in the context of SEO.
How Long Goes Law Firm SEO Take?
It’s not the answer you want, but it depends. It depends on the factors outlined above and to what extent your law firm’s website has these things in place.
Critically and most importantly, if your website is lagging in any respect, where it will become very expensive for your law firm is if you choose to work with an SEO focussed agency. In other words, an agency that does not have the expertise to carry out all the related work that SEO requires. For example, your website may need significant changes and if your SEO agency isn’t doing this work, you will need your web design agency to work collaboratively with the SEO agency. This rarely works, as SEO is somewhat of a science and it’s likely that your web designers will not always agree with the recommendations and you will find yourself mediating in the middle.
In this context, you also need to be confident that your SEO agency understands the legal industry. Simply Google terms like “law firm marketing” “law firm SEO” etc and you will find plenty of agencies who masquerade as law firm marketing experts and their copy on the website will likely mention completely irrelevant search terms that they will chase for your firm.
At Fast Firms, we inherit many SEO accounts managed by agencies who simply put chased search terms that were non-sensical and at best, informed by Hollywood movies.
Experienced SEO Agency For Law Firms & Lawyers
In of itself, SEO is expensive because of its laborious nature. At Fast Firms, we have a proven track record of getting our clients ranked exceptionally well in very competitive search landscapes, and content and design changes that are required, are all handled seamlessly in our one agency.
SEO for Law Firms 2023 Guide
There are only 2 ways to get traffic to your website. You earn it, or you pay for it. SEO is all about the former. In this guide, find out what your law firm needs to do to get ranked for competitive search terms in major search engines, like Google.
What is Lawyers SEO & Law Firms?
Every one searches Google. If you’re a person in need of legal help, the chances are that you will give the job to Google to find the best response to your legal query.
People of course no longer just type what they’re looking for into Google, but with an array of voice search devices both in our homes and car, people increasingly will voice their query to Google or another search engine.
Invariably, one of the first 3 organic results in the search engine will the one that receives the phone call or website inquiry. Unless of course, they choose a Google Ad result, which people increasingly do. Hence why it’s smart to be doing both SEO and Google Ads.
SEO is the methodology and practice that delivers your law firm as one of those responses to the search query.
Let’s say your criminal law firm is based in Brisbane, then obviously a relevant search query that you will want to rank for will be, “criminal lawyers Brisbane.”
The type of keywords that your law firm may entertain is informed by a practice that we call keyword research. More about that next.
However, before we get there, here are the things that we will cover in this guide.
Keyword Research
Making sure that your law firm is chasing the right keywords and how determine what those keywords are.
Website Optimisation
Increasingly SEO has a very strong relationship with the content and functionality of your website.
Ensuring that your law firm ranks well for local SEO is imperative.
Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business for location-based keywords, such as “Brisbane Lawyers”.
This makes it more likely that your website will appear on Google Maps and organic search results.
Why is Local SEO Important for Lawyers & Law firms?
Local SEO is a part of lawyer SEO that specializes on getting exposure for solicitors in front of their prospective clients in their primary business location(s).
We have a decade of experience providing law firm SEO services at top spots for the most competitive keywords.
Link Building
A fundamental way that Google ascertains whether or not your law firm should rank high for relevant search queries is by determining you’re worth by how many external links point back to your website.
Measure Your Results
SEO is research-intensive and assessing and analyzing the SEO results as they come in for specific keywords is key.
In this guide, SEO for Lawyers & Law Firm, we will take you through each of these topics.
Keyword Research for Law Firms
Very importantly, the keywords that you think people may be searching for, you might find render limited or no results.
In conducting keyword research, the most obvious and well-used tool is the Google Keyword Planner. The Google Keyword Planner will give you an estimate of search traffic that is searching for those specific terms.
In our work with law firms, they at times can get ahead of themselves and want to populate their keyword search strategy with terms that garner no or very limited or traffic. This is why it is important that your law firm’s SEO strategy is predicated on keyword research.
That said, there may be occasions where you wish your law firm to be found for these types of keywords. We call these keywords, “long-tail” keywords and whilst they shouldn’t be your law firm’s primary focus, providing their terms that drive some leads they may be worth consideration.
For example, if you’re a personal injury law firm, then a primary keyword you may chase maybe, “personal injury lawyers Sydney,” and a long-tail keyword may look like, “How do I claim compensation if I was a passenger in a car crash.”
The latter will be significantly easier to rank your firm than the former.
When conducting your keyword research, whilst Google is a great platform to do this, there are of course other tools as well. Some of these tools may be useful, particularly if you’re using them more broadly for your SEO tracking and reporting.
Google Keyword Planner
Ahrefs
SEMrush
SpyFu
Wordtracker
There is also a Chrome extension called keywords everywhere that is useful.
If you need help doing this research, talk to us at Fast Firms. We can show you example after example of results for our clients.
Website Optimisation
Just to add some context, at Fast Firms up until 3 years ago, we partnered with a leading SEO agency to do the SEO work for our clients while we concentrated on everything else. Needless to say it didn’t work and we decided to bring SEO in-house.
The reasoning for this was primarily because that we found and continue to find that SEO agencies do not understand the nuances of legal practice and consequently content that was added by them, and the SEO titles etc were completely wrong. The end result was that the law firm looked bad!
The other reason we brought SEO in-house was that it is complex and increasingly is enmeshed in website optimisation and design. From a practical perspective, what this meant for our clients was that they were paying for SEO than were paying us to update the website repetitiously to fall into line with recommendations. Many of which didn’t work from an SEO perspective.
We mention this because if you’re going to have an SEO agency work in tandem with your web design and development agency and your content writers it will end in disaster as we found.
Because everything is interrelated these days you need to consolidate everything with one agency. It’s akin to having too many cooks in the kitchen.
Let’s now discuss the website design optimization things you need to know about.
SEO Site Structure
Well-designed websites have very clear architecture, and clean code, are mobile responsive, and are quick.
They are websites that are easy to navigate and have substantive content relating to the key topics.
This type of consideration is broadly called UX (user-experience design).
This is all a little counter-intuitive, but rarely will UX be nailed at the first iteration of a website design. Very importantly your law firm has to accept that a website design, designed and developed with the very best intentions and subscribed to the foregoing methodology, is nothing but an assumption.
Sure that assumption is informed by the experience of your web design and development agency, but no one really knows how effective it will be until such time as it is launched and starts interacting with users.
Practically speaking, at Fast Firms, we have been designing and developing websites, along with everything else for over 10 years and despite knowing what works for law firms, we’re still occasionally surprised.
In testing the assumption there are numerous tools that we use to measure the UX. For example, following launch we run heat maps and mouse-tracking under the website to determine patterns and whether those patterns support the assumption or are in conflict with it.
Whilst this work technically isn’t SEO, it’s important because forming knowledge of how people are using your website will allow you to improve it and consequently you will be rewarded from an SEO perspective because it follows the key tenets of what search engines, particularly Google wants.
Let’s talk specifics.
Schema.org Markup
Schema.org came about due to the collaboration of major search engines, like Google, Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo! with the key objective to improve search for people using the collective platforms. One of the key factors that arose from the collective wisdom was Schema markup. Without getting into too much detail, adding Schema markup to your HTML (code within your law firm’s website) will improve the way your page displays in search engines by enhancing the rich snippets that are displayed beneath the page title of your law firm’s website.
Clean Code
By and large, most web design and development agencies will simply deploy a theme or template to your law firm’s website when designing and building it. The problem with this approach though is that often the code that has been used to design and build the theme or template is bloated and does not follow the strict HTML markup protocols. When this occurs, not only is it likely that your law firm’s website will be compromised in speed but from an SEO perspective, it will be difficult for search engines to crawl.
It goes without saying that when Google crawls your website if it has trouble, your search results will be severely hampered.
Optimise URLs
At Fast Firms, we inherit many unhappy clients who come to us soon after they have had their website built by another agency who has designed and developed the website poorly.
In this context, we often see website URLs that are not optimised for search or have been over-optimised which can cross the line in Google potentially concluding that your law firm website is using keyword stuffing to gain position.
An example of a poor URL structure is www.joneslawyers.com/personal-injury-lawyers/about-us
The far better and recommended URL structure would simply be www.joneslawyers.com/about-us
The URL is straight to the point and not over-complicating the intent of the URL. In this case, the URL points to this law firm’s about page and that should be the sole objective of how it is structured.
We often see the same thing with law firms who have poor blog URL structure.
For example, www.joneslawyers.com.au/blog/2020/what-is-probate
The much better URL structure is www.joneslawyers.com.au/what-is-probate
Again, clean, URLS with intent and one singular objective.
Page Speed
Website page speed is becoming a very big issue for SEO focussed agencies like Fast Firms. Put bluntly, we are finding ourselves returning to websites that have been built within a 2 year period doing significant site-speed work. For new clients, the objectives of the law firm now guide the use of technology that we use at Fast Firms. That said, whatever the technology, we’re aiming for above 90% speed results on desktop and towards the 50% for mobile, using Google Developer tools to assess the latter. Whilst this figure may look a little lame, we’re yet to see any websites that score above 60% on this particular tool.
In determining site speed, we recommend that your law firm use these tools:
Desktop:
Mobile:
Google Mobile Website Speed Test
These tools are useful in not only assessing your current speed results but will offer recommendations in relation to speed generally.
Speed is also compromised by functionality. What we mean is that law firms may want lots of functionality that require additional technology which may slow site speed. So, consideration of new technology has to be considered also from an SEO perspective.
Keyword Use on Relevant Pages
Don’t let anyone tell you that having relevant keywords on relevant landing pages is not an SEO priority. It is. That doesn’t mean that your law firm should keyword spam those pages, but it needs to be very clear to Google what this page relates to and to this extent, having keywords within the page addresses this objective.
When we consider SEO in this frame, we think of keywords being used in a variety of headings, as well as paragraph content.
More specifically, your website will be made up of a variety of H tags. H tags typically range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most important in signalling to Google what this page is about.
In this context, an example for a personal injury law firm in Salt Lake City on a page that is relevant to medical negligence may be:
H1 = Salt Lake City Medical Negligence Lawyers
H2 = Jones Lawyers Medical Negligence Experts
H3 = What is Medical Negligence?
These are just examples, but it illustrates what we mean when we talk of the importance of H tags and their role in SEO.
Long-Form Content
Content is imperative to SEO and more to the point, long-form content. Put bluntly, if your law firm is a family law practice in Melbourne and one of your keywords that you’re targeting is “binding financial agreements (prenups” than you will need to spend time on writing substantive content on this page, preferably upwards of 3,000 words. This content needs to adopt the principles of SEO, in particular H tags and keyword usage.
We acknowledge that having your lawyers write this content can be laborious and might not be an effective use of their time, for this reason, Fast Firms have a team of journalists who write this type of content.
On-Page Time
Another key factor in website optimisation for SEO is time on-page. In other words, Google gives those websites who have a higher time on page an advantage over metrics that signify a low time on page.
In this context, ensuring your content is substantive is important, as well as exploring multiple mediums to keep people on your pages longer is a key objective. Augmenting your written content with video, podcasts, webinars etc is becoming increasingly important to drive time on page data upwards.
At Fast Firms, we do video production, as well as podcasting and webinars for this reason, as well as many others.
Local SEO for Lawyers & Law Firms
Local SEO for law firms is best explained by asking you to Google the name of your law firm. When you do this, on the right-hand side of the results page you will see a map and specific details relating to your law firm. This area is called Google Business and it is very important from a Local SEO perspective.
When we use the term “local” we mean ranking well for those search terms of which Google will deliver “local SEO results” below the map section. Here is an example
Local SEO requires that your Google Business (GMB) page is optimised and of course has positive Google reviews. The latter is becoming very important for both SEO and of course client acquisition. If you have poor rankings, good luck trying to persuade a potential client to choose your law firm over the result below that has 77, 5-star reviews.
Driving more positive reviews needs to be a key part of your broader marketing strategy. At Fast Firms, we have technology that we provide to our clients at no cost that assists them to get more reviews.
The GMB page importantly needs to have details that are consistent with your website. For example, if your GMB page is old and out of date with incorrect phone numbers or addresses, this will impact negatively on your local SEO results.
Link Building
Search engines like Google ascertain part of your worth as a business by the number and quality of links that point to your website.
Let’s talk the best case scenario.
Your law firm is a criminal law practice and your lawyers are often asked by media outlets to discuss certain criminal law matters. In doing so, you ahead of time have substantive content relating to the topic of interest to the media and encourage them to link that content on their news website. Coinciding with this, your lawyers regularly write content for online authoritative blogs with links again pointing back to your website. Moreover, your lawyers regularly facilitate tutorial sessions at a local University of which the details for upcoming tutorials are advertised on the University website, linking back yo your law firm website for more details.
This example illustrates how Google would envisage the worth of your website. Clearly, with these types of links, Google would form a view that your website should rank (as long as all other things are dialled in) high in search results because of its influence.
Link building is a laborious, fastidious task that seeks to identify websites, particularly good ranking directory websites that can offer worthwhile links back to your law firm’s website.
Measure Your Results
SEO for law firms is a science and therefore requires a copious amount of testing. One of the major benefits in working with a legal industry-specific agency is the many firms of which SEO work is being deployed and as a result the key learnings. Practically speaking, we know the strategies that work to get law firms well-ranked for their keywords.
Given the scientific nature of SEO, testing is imperative and accordingly, you need great software to measure and track results.
In this context, we use a range of tools and stay up to speed on the developments of SEO by tuning in to key online publications.
The SEO tools we recommend are MOZ, SEMrush, SERanking.
What to Do Next
Law Firm SEO is complex and takes time. Do not think that you will see results within 3 months. We typically say to our clients that it’s a marathon and providing all things are dialed in, SEO results will start being achieved within a 6 month period.
The other thing you have to consider is that by and large, any law firm that is ranking on page 1 and 2 of Google for specific search terms are likely doing SEO. Consequently, it is highly competitive. You can short cut this time by working with an agency like Fast Firms that solely works with law firms. We know what works by virtue of the fact that our clients rank #1 #2 #3 for the most competitive search terms in the legal industry.
Talk to us today about how we can assist your law firm. We can initially do an SEO audit and advise you of your next best steps.
SEO for Lawyers
In today’s digital world, having a strong internet presence is crucial for all type of businesses of all kinds, including law firms. One of the most effective ways to improve your firm’s visibility and reach potential clients is through search engine optimization (SEO). By mastering SEO techniques, you can ensure that your law firm’s website ranks high on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attracts more traffic. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the fundamentals of SEO for lawyers, the importance of SEO for law firms, and provide actionable tips to help you optimize your website and content effectively.
The Fundamentals of SEO for Lawyers
Understanding the Basics of Search Engine Optimization
Before diving into the intricacies of SEO, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the basics. Search engine optimization is the process of improving your website’s visibility on search engine results pages. This is achieved by optimizing various elements of your website to align with search engine algorithms and user intent.
When it comes to SEO for lawyers, there are specific considerations to keep in mind. Law firms often operate in a competitive online landscape, where ranking well on search engine results pages can make a significant difference in attracting potential clients.
Keyword research forms the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. By identifying the keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for, you can incorporate them strategically into your website content. This helps search engines recognize the relevance of your website to user queries.
However, it’s essential to strike a balance between incorporating keywords and maintaining high-quality, informative content. Search engines prioritize websites that provide valuable information to users, so simply stuffing keywords into your content without providing substance can have a negative impact on your rankings.
Impact the Power of Backlinks and Citations in Local SEO for Law Firms
Backlinks and citations are two key factors that search engines consider when determining the authority and credibility of a website. Backlinks are links from other websites that direct users to your site. Think of them as votes of confidence from other online sources. Citations, on the other hand, are mentions of your law firm’s name, address, and phone number across the web.
Building a strong network of high-quality backlinks and citations can significantly boost your website’s visibility and search engine rankings. However, it’s important to note that not all backlinks and citations are created equal. Search engines value backlinks and citations from reputable and relevant sources more than those from low-quality or unrelated websites.
One effective strategy for acquiring backlinks is to reach out to other reputable websites and legal directories to request backlinks. This can be done through guest posting, where you contribute informative articles to other websites in exchange for a backlink to your law firm’s website.
Additionally, ensuring your law firm’s information is consistent and accurate across different citation sources is crucial. Inconsistent information can confuse search engines and potential clients, leading to a negative impact on your website’s visibility and credibility.
Optimizing Your Law Firm’s Website for Technical SEO
Technical SEO refers to the optimization of your website’s backend elements that influence search engine crawling and indexing. By ensuring that your website performs well technically, you can enhance its visibility and user experience.
One important aspect of technical SEO is website speed. A fast-loading website is not only appreciated by users but also favored by search engines. Slow-loading websites can result in a higher bounce rate, where visitors leave your site before fully exploring it, negatively impacting your rankings.
Another crucial factor to consider is mobile-friendliness. With the increasing use of mobile devices for online searches, search engines prioritize websites that are compatible with mobile devices. Optimizing your law firm’s website for mobile devices ensures that potential clients can easily navigate and access your content, improving their user experience.
Additionally, having an intuitive navigation structure helps visitors easily find the information they are seeking. A well-organized website with clear categories and a logical hierarchy makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand and navigate your site.
By focusing on technical SEO, you can ensure that your law firm’s website is optimized to provide a seamless user experience and improve its visibility on search engine results pages.
Why Is SEO Important for Lawyers?
With the increasing competition in the online landscape, it has become evident that simply having a website is not enough to attract clients to your law firm. In order to stand out from the crowd and drive targeted traffic to your website, implementing effective SEO strategies is essential. By optimizing your website and content, you can improve your chances of appearing high on search engine results when potential clients search for legal services or specific legal information.
Investing in SEO can have a significant impact on the success of your law firm. By driving a consistent flow of qualified leads to your website, you increase your chances of converting them into clients. When potential clients come across your website while searching for legal services, they are more likely to trust and engage with websites that appear high on search engine results. By implementing SEO techniques, you can improve the visibility of your firm and establish trust and credibility among potential clients.
Lawyers SEO
One of the key benefits of a lawyer’s SEO is that it allows you to target specific keywords and phrases that potential clients are searching for. By optimizing your website and content with these keywords, you increase your chances of appearing in relevant search results. This means that when someone searches for a specific legal service in your area, your website is more likely to appear at the top of the search results, making it easier for potential clients to find you.
Another important aspect of SEO for lawyers is the ability to attract local clients. Many people prefer to work with lawyers who are located near them, as it provides a sense of convenience and accessibility. By implementing local SEO strategies, such as optimizing your website for location-based keywords and creating local business listings, you can increase your visibility in local search results. This can help you attract clients who are specifically looking for legal services in your area.
Furthermore, SEO can also help you establish your law firm as an authority in your practice area. By consistently creating high-quality, informative content that is optimized for relevant keywords, you can position yourself as a trusted source of legal information. This not only helps to attract potential clients but also builds credibility and trust among your existing clients.
In conclusion, SEO is an essential component of any successful online marketing strategy for lawyers. By implementing effective SEO techniques, you can drive targeted traffic to your website, attract local clients, and establish your law firm as a trusted authority in your practice area. Investing in SEO can result in a consistent flow of qualified leads, improving your chances of converting them into clients. So, don’t underestimate the power of SEO in growing your law firm’s online presence and attracting potential clients.
SEO Ranking Factor for Law Firms & Lawyers Need to Know
1st: Content Optimization:
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) for law firms, content is king. Valuable and relevant content is at the core of any successful SEO strategy. By creating high-quality content that addresses the needs and pain points of your target audience, you can establish your firm as a thought leader and attract organic traffic to your website.
But what exactly does it mean to create compelling content that meets user intent? It’s about understanding your potential clients and providing them with the information they are looking for. When crafting content for your law firm’s website, consider the questions and concerns your potential clients might have. Write informative blog posts, FAQ pages, and legal guides that provide actionable insights and guidance.
This not only helps you rank higher on search engine results but also positions your firm as a trusted source of information. By offering valuable content, you can build trust with your audience and establish yourself as an authority in your practice areas.
Keyword Optimization:
Keywords play a crucial role in driving organic traffic to your law firm’s website. When conducting keyword research, focus on finding relevant keywords and phrases that align with your practice areas and attract your target audience.
Integrate your carefully researched keywords naturally into your website content, including page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body text. By strategically incorporating keywords, you can improve your website’s visibility in search engine results and attract more potential clients.
What is an SEO in law?
SEO in law refers to Search Engine Optimization strategies applied to legal websites and content. It aims to improve online visibility and rankings in search engines, attracting more potential clients searching for legal services.
Why local SEO is important for law firms?
Local SEO is vital for law firms as it helps them target potential clients in their specific geographical area. This increases online visibility for local searches, ensuring that people seeking legal services nearby can easily find and contact the firm.
Is doing a local SEO worth it?
What is SEO for lawyers?
SEO for lawyers involves optimizing online content and websites related to legal services. It aims to improve their visibility in search engine results, attract more potential clients, and establish the law firm’s online presence effectively.
Is SEO for Lawyers effective?
Yes, SEO for lawyers is effective. It enhances online visibility, drives targeted traffic, and increases the chances of attracting potential clients actively searching for legal services, leading to improved client acquisition and overall business growth.
However, it’s important to note that keyword optimization should be done thoughtfully and without overdoing it. Avoid keyword stuffing, as this can negatively impact your search engine rankings. Instead, prioritize creating informative and engaging content that incorporates your target keywords effectively.
Content Strategy:
While written content is essential, diversifying your content strategy can have a significant impact on your SEO efforts. Incorporate visual content such as infographics, videos, and images to make your website more engaging and shareable on social media platforms.
Consider creating guest blog posts on relevant legal websites and collaborating with influencers in the legal industry to expand your reach and attract diverse audiences. By diversifying your content strategy, you can not only improve your search engine rankings but also increase your brand visibility and credibility.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing process, and regularly updating and expanding your content is crucial. Stay up to date with the latest industry trends and developments, and continuously refine your content strategy to stay ahead of the competition.
By consistently creating valuable and relevant content that meets the needs of your target audience, you can position your law firm for SEO success and attract a steady stream of organic traffic to your website.
Backlinks and Citations Creation
Boosting Local SEO for Law Firms through Off-Page Citations
In the legal industry, local SEO is particularly essential as law firms primarily serve clients within specific regions. Optimizing your website for local searches can help you attract potential clients in your area.
Create a Google My Business listing and ensure your firm’s name, address, and phone number are consistent across all online directories and platforms. Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on your Google My Business page and other relevant review websites. This can significantly boost your local search rankings and attract more clients to your law firm.
Building authority for your law firm’s website is crucial for improving your overall search engine optimization (SEO) and attracting more potential clients. One effective way to build authority is through backlinks and citations. Backlinks are links from other websites that direct users to your website, while citations are mentions of your law firm’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites.
When it comes to backlinks, quality is more important than quantity. It’s better to have a few high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites than numerous low-quality backlinks. High-quality backlinks can come from legal directories, industry associations, legal blogs, or even news websites that mention your law firm.
One way to acquire backlinks is through guest blogging. Reach out to authoritative legal blogs or websites and offer to write a guest post. In exchange, you can include a link back to your law firm’s website in the author bio or within the content itself. This not only helps you gain a valuable backlink but also allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge in your practice area.
In addition to backlinks, citations are also essential for local SEO. Citations help search engines verify the accuracy and legitimacy of your law firm’s information. To maximize the impact of citations, it’s crucial to ensure consistency across all online directories and platforms. This means that your law firm’s name, address, and phone number should be exactly the same everywhere it appears.
Start by creating a Google My Business listing for your law firm. Fill out all the necessary information, including your firm’s name, address, phone number, website URL, and business category. Make sure this information matches the information on your website and other online directories.
In addition to Google My Business, consider listing your law firm on other popular online directories such as Yelp, Avvo, Lawyers.com, and FindLaw. These directories not only provide valuable citations but also increase your law firm’s visibility to potential clients searching for legal services in your area.
Encouraging satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on your Google My Business page and other relevant review websites can also boost your local search rankings. Positive reviews not only signal to search engines that your law firm is reputable and trustworthy but also influence potential clients’ decision-making processes.
Remember, building authority with backlinks and citations takes time and effort. It’s an ongoing process that requires consistent monitoring and optimization. However, the rewards are well worth it. By establishing your law firm as an authoritative and trustworthy source in your practice area, you can attract more clients and stay ahead of your competition in the ever-competitive legal industry.
Technical SEO for Law Firm Websites
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical aspect of any law firm’s digital marketing strategy. It involves various techniques and practices aimed at improving a website’s visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). While there are many aspects to SEO, mastering technical SEO is essential for law firm websites to ensure compliance with Google’s guidelines and enhance their online presence.
Ensuring Compliance with Google’s Guidelines
Search engines like Google have specific guidelines that website owners must follow to maintain a strong online presence. Failing to comply with these guidelines can result in a drop in search engine rankings or even penalties. To stay on top of your website’s SEO game, it is crucial to stay up-to-date with Google’s latest algorithm updates and ensure your website follows best practices for web design, content optimization, and mobile-friendliness.
Regularly monitoring your website’s performance, crawlability, and indexability is vital to identify and resolve potential technical SEO issues. By keeping a close eye on these factors, you can ensure that your law firm’s website remains in compliance with Google’s guidelines and maintains a strong online presence.
Website Speed & Mobile-Friendliness
In an era where mobile devices dominate online searches, it is crucial for your law firm’s website to be mobile-friendly. Optimizing your website for mobile devices ensures a seamless user experience and can positively affect your search engine rankings.
Investing in responsive web design is essential to provide users with an optimal viewing experience across different devices and screen sizes. Additionally, optimizing your website’s loading speed is crucial. By compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and leveraging browser caching, you can enhance user experience and improve your search engine rankings.
Website Structure
An intuitive website navigation structure is essential for both user experience and SEO purposes. A well-organized website navigation helps users find the information they need quickly and easily.
To create a user-friendly website navigation, it is important to create a clear and hierarchical menu structure that reflects the various practice areas and sections of your law firm’s website. Use descriptive anchor text for internal links and ensure that every page is easily accessible within a few clicks. Implementing breadcrumbs can also enhance navigation and make it easier for search engines to understand your website’s structure.
By mastering SEO techniques, lawyers and law firms can significantly improve their online visibility, attract more clients, and establish themselves as authoritative sources of legal information. Incorporating the fundamentals of SEO into your digital marketing strategy, investing in high-quality content, and optimizing your website technically and locally are essential steps toward achieving success in the competitive online landscape.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing effort that requires dedication and continuous improvement. By staying informed about the latest SEO trends and techniques, regularly auditing your website’s performance, and making necessary adjustments, you can position your law firm for long-term success in the digital world.
Things to Read, Watch & Listen
Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing When it comes to crafting a successful brand identity for your law firm, there are many factors to consider. One powerful strategy that can help you establish a strong and consistent brand is the use of brand archetypes. By understanding the different archetypes and how they resonate with your target… Read More »Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
As a lawyer, you know how challenging it can be to keep track of your busy schedule. Appointment scheduling for lawyers has never been easier thanks to the wide range of scheduling apps for law firms available today. These apps can help you better manage your time and keep your clients informed of any changes… Read More »The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
Google Ads for law firms and lawyers can be an effective way of generating leads for your practice, but you need to be aware of competitor click fraud. Competitor click fraud is when a rival firm clicks on your Google Ads in order to deplete your advertising budget and potentially lower your ranking on the… Read More »Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
**Fast Firms is a leading law firm marketing agency, working in Australia, United States and Canada. As a lawyer practicing in New York, determining how much to charge for your legal services can be a complex task. The rates you set will have a direct impact on your profitability and ability to compete with other… Read More »I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing When it comes to crafting a successful brand identity for your law firm, there are many factors to consider. One powerful strategy that can help you establish a strong and consistent brand is the use of brand archetypes. By understanding the different archetypes and how they resonate with your target… Read More »Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
**Fast Firms is a leading law firm marketing agency, working in Australia, United States and Canada. As a lawyer practicing in New York, determining how much to charge for your legal services can be a complex task. The rates you set will have a direct impact on your profitability and ability to compete with other… Read More »I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
Lead Generation Tips for Lawyers Starting a new law firm is an exciting but daunting endeavor. One of the biggest challenges that law firms face is attracting new clients and growing their business. Law firm marketing can be a complex and time-consuming task, so it’s important to be strategic in your approach. In this blog… Read More »Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
Why Law Firms Should Consider a Blue Ocean Strategy in 2024
Law Firms Should Consider a Blue Ocean Strategy In today’s highly competitive legal industry, law firms are constantly seeking new strategies to gain a competitive edge and drive growth. One such strategy that has gained significant attention is the Blue Ocean Strategy. This innovative approach, rooted in value innovation, offers law firms a unique opportunity… Read More »Why Law Firms Should Consider a Blue Ocean Strategy in 2024
Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
Lead Generation Tips for Lawyers Starting a new law firm is an exciting but daunting endeavor. One of the biggest challenges that law firms face is attracting new clients and growing their business. Law firm marketing can be a complex and time-consuming task, so it’s important to be strategic in your approach. In this blog… Read More »Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
How Belbin Team Roles Can Help Law Firms Get Unstuck
Law firms face a unique set of challenges that can hinder their growth and success. From the day to day management of a legal practice, managing large caseloads to building strong client relationships, to driving new business through marketing, the demands on law firms can be overwhelming. One effective solution for addressing these challenges and… Read More »How Belbin Team Roles Can Help Law Firms Get Unstuck
Law Firm Marketing Guide
Law Firm Marketing Strategy We’ve been working with law firms of all sizes for close to 15 years. Over that time, we’ve learned what works for law firms and what doesn’t when it comes to law firm marketing. In this guide, we will explain in detail the attributes of effective law firm marketing in 2023.Read More »Law Firm Marketing Guide
The Best Website Builders for Law Firms
There are many website builders available that can be used to create a professional website for a law firm. When choosing a website builder, it is important to consider factors such as ease of use, cost, design options, and the level of support and resources available. Here are some of the best website builders for… Read More »The Best Website Builders for Law Firms
Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing When it comes to crafting a successful brand identity for your law firm, there are many factors to consider. One powerful strategy that can help you establish a strong and consistent brand is the use of brand archetypes. By understanding the different archetypes and how they resonate with your target… Read More »Unlocking the Potential of Brand Archetypes for Law Firm Marketing
The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
As a lawyer, you know how challenging it can be to keep track of your busy schedule. Appointment scheduling for lawyers has never been easier thanks to the wide range of scheduling apps for law firms available today. These apps can help you better manage your time and keep your clients informed of any changes… Read More »The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
Google Ads for law firms and lawyers can be an effective way of generating leads for your practice, but you need to be aware of competitor click fraud. Competitor click fraud is when a rival firm clicks on your Google Ads in order to deplete your advertising budget and potentially lower your ranking on the… Read More »Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
**Fast Firms is a leading law firm marketing agency, working in Australia, United States and Canada. As a lawyer practicing in New York, determining how much to charge for your legal services can be a complex task. The rates you set will have a direct impact on your profitability and ability to compete with other… Read More »I’m a Lawyer in New York, How Much Should I Charge?
The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
As a lawyer, you know how challenging it can be to keep track of your busy schedule. Appointment scheduling for lawyers has never been easier thanks to the wide range of scheduling apps for law firms available today. These apps can help you better manage your time and keep your clients informed of any changes… Read More »The Best Apps for Law Firm Appointment Scheduling
Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
Google Ads for law firms and lawyers can be an effective way of generating leads for your practice, but you need to be aware of competitor click fraud. Competitor click fraud is when a rival firm clicks on your Google Ads in order to deplete your advertising budget and potentially lower your ranking on the… Read More »Are Competitors Clicking on Your Law Firm’s Google Ads?
Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
Lead Generation Tips for Lawyers Starting a new law firm is an exciting but daunting endeavor. One of the biggest challenges that law firms face is attracting new clients and growing their business. Law firm marketing can be a complex and time-consuming task, so it’s important to be strategic in your approach. In this blog… Read More »Lead Generation Tips for New Law Firms
Video Marketing for Law Firms. 2024 Guide
Video Marketing for Law Firm Video marketing has become an essential strategy for businesses across various industries, and law firms are no exception. As more and more people turn to online platforms for information and services, video content has emerged as a powerful tool to connect with potential clients and establish a strong online presence. In this… Read More »Video Marketing for Law Firms. 2024 Guide
