Your firm’s online presence is essential for its survival, and although the investment in managing your website can be costly, its success is largely dependent on a strategy that may not cost a thing – Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO is a process that helps websites rank higher in search engine results. It is imperative for getting your site the attention it needs. Top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing all search for websites that rank highly in terms of relevance and reliability. They do this using algorithms that are tied to certain keywords and phrases entered in the search bar. The ultimate SEO goal is to get your law firm website to appear within the first five results on the page because the higher your site appears in a web search, the more leads it will attract.
What makes the first page rankings so important? Research shows that most web searchers only glance through the first page for results. It’s rare that they’ll go to the second page to further their searches. Your firm’s site has a better chance of showing up among those first page results if its SEO exemplifies relevance and authenticity to their search terms.
Why SEO for Law Firms?
On the list of top legal marketing trends for 2022, SEO campaigns ranked #3 according to a recent article from The National Law Review. Business-minded attorneys understand the value of SEO marketing. They know that, if their firm’s site doesn’t land high in a search result, it misses out on capturing potential clients.
The Law Firm’s SEO strategy provides firms with the opportunity to stand out among the many law offices out there. When well executed, it tailors your site’s content to particular subjects, practice areas, geographic areas, and phrases. Consumers have specific expectations when they start typing in the search bar and your firm’s SEO has the potential to place your legal practice right in front of its ideal client base. One more benefit is that SEO doesn’t cost much to implement. It can be handled in house free of charge, but it can also be outsourced for a reasonable cost.
Tips for Improving SEO Efforts for Law Firms
Effective SEO does require some effort. Consider these best practices for its implementation and improvement:
Avoid Legal Jargon
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that big legal words and concepts will help you establish credibility or appear more professional. Legal jargon should not be a part of your SEO campaign. When leads enter search terms for legal services, they don’t do so with legalese and advanced concepts. They use everyday language with plan meanings, so your Law firm’s SEO strategy needs to reflect the same.
Identify the most effective keywords
The key to SEO best practice is identifying the most relevant keywords and phrases. Keywords should be as relevant as possible to better improve search results. Do some keyword research for your practice area, using websites like moz.com and answerthepublic.com.
It can also be useful to brainstorm all possible keywords related to your practice area and services offered. For instance, a transactional firm may use keywords such as contracts, negotiations, agreements, and business law among numerous others.
Provide reliable and relevant content
To maintain your online presence, you must consistently present relevant content on your site. Search engines’ algorithms recognize irrelevant and unreliable content. Aim to update your content on a regular basis. It needs to engage and answer the common questions that prospects ask your competitors. Good content strategies include scanning competing websites for any missed information, scoping industry news for updates, and requesting customer reviews.
Make your Site Appealing to Further SEO Execution
The look, feel, and usability of your website determines a searcher’s decision to either leave or stay as they land on your welcome page. Your Law Firm’s SEO strategy is useless if visitors do not stay on your page and ultimately engage with your firm.
Carefully plan the visual layout of your webpages to include a mix of media such as videos, audio, and images. Your website must also be reader-friendly allowing visitors to get needed information from the first page and easily navigate through other pages. This should also be done for mobile pages on mobile devices. When you make the content user-and reader-friendly, it boosts your reliability when it comes to user experience.
Target your Local Community
Your location and service area are also very relevant and should be consistent across your firm’s online presence. If your law firm is located within the Greater LA area, link your site to key search phrases like “Personal Injury Lawyer near Long Beach” or “LA divorce attorney” to better your visibility in local searches.
Stay Top of Mind with A Good Law Firm’s SEO Strategy
SEO has become a critical function in the legal industry. As there are numerous competing law firm websites in the online space, it’ll take effective SEO efforts to get your firm top of mind when potential clients type “law firm” in their search bars.
Lastly, here is some more food for thought that we have written before & taken advantage by many law firms,
Your Law Firm’s Marketing Strategy Should Include Video. Here’s Why
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