Not Another Boring List of SEO Strategies for Lawyers!
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is critical for getting seen on Google and attracting leads to your law firm. According to Junto, 81% of people will do online research prior to making a large purchase, and 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. Marketers are catching on and emphasizing a strong SEO strategy in their promotional efforts. According to Impact BND, 61% of marketers report that growing their organic presence and boosting their SEO efforts are their top inbound marketing priorities.
Here Are the 5 Best SEO Strategies for Attorneys:
1) Build a Good Website
Great Search Engine Optimization starts at the website. In terms of law firm SEO tips, one of the most important tactics is to build a website that users can navigate with ease. That means it is both desktop and mobile-optimized, it is simple to find the menus and subpages, it’s easy to read, the images are not too big, it loads fast and there isn’t any extra coding on the backend. URLs should be properly structured, descriptive and include relevant SEO keywords; for example, your law firm services page URL should read samplelawfirm.com/san-diego-law-firm-services instead of samplelawfirm.com/page543.
When you’re designing your website, put yourself in your user’s shoes. If you had no familiarity whatsoever with your law firm, could you learn what you’re all about and what services you offer within a few seconds of visiting your site? Most people will leave a site less than 15 seconds after they arrive if the site isn’t what they are looking for. Including clear language about what you do and providing an excellent user experience are going to encourage visitors to stay longer, engage and possibly reach out to you for your services.
2) Implement a Long Term SEO Strategy
SEO doesn’t involve one simple tactic in order to rank high. There is no exact calculation or the right mix of law firm SEO tips that is 100% guaranteed to work. After all, Google is constantly changing its search engine algorithm to keep businesses and marketers from banking on one tactic. Landing that coveted first page position takes time and energy, solid research and a dedication to keep learning about the algorithm.
The primary tenants of search engine optimization strategies for lawyers are actually pretty simple. Here are five ways you can get started with SEO for your law firm and begin to see your rankings increase.
3) Develop Great Content That Users Will Value
60% of marketers are putting out at least one piece of content every single day. Why? It’s crucial when it comes to building an SEO strategy for a law firm to connect with your audience. When you have high quality content on your website that is relevant to your audience, you’re likely to rank higher on Google and get leads interested in hiring your law firm. Starting a blog and updating it frequently with posts that your audience is going to be interested in are critical to your success with SEO.
You’ll need to provide valuable content that relates to what your law firm does and what your audience is seeking out. For instance, if you have a personal injury law firm, you’d want to create posts like, “How Do I Sue for a Personal Injury?” and “What Qualifies As a Personal Injury Claim?” To research what kinds of posts will likely strike a chord, go to Google and search for the topics you want to write about, look at related searches and put your search terms into Answer the Public. Coming up with an editorial calendar is also important so you can plan out when you’re going to post your blogs.
4) Use the Right Keywords
Along with structuring your site properly and creating content for it, you’re going to need to conduct keyword research to figure out what keywords to use on your webpages and in your posts. Some basic keyword strategies including using keywords naturally, placing them in H2s on your blog and putting them in your menus. To do free keyword research, start with Moz Keyword Explorer and WordStream.
5) Have a Link Building Plan
Link building is another hugely important tactic for improving your law firm’s SEO. The goal is to have other authoritative sites link to yours so that Google knows your site is credible. If you pay for backlinks, or get ones from low quality sites, Google may penalize you and rank you lower. There are no shortcuts when it comes to link building for your law firm.
To achieve high value backlinks, offer to write guest posts for credible websites within your niche. This may include legal websites or the websites of local publications where you are trying to find local customers. You can also get backlinks by writing online testimonials for other people, listing your law firm website on online directories and commenting on relevant content, like a legal site’s blog posts. If you are creating high quality content, you’ll need to promote it through your email list and your social media pages in order for it to get seen. By making your content more visible, you’ll have a higher chance of organically reaching the people that will want to backlink to you.
Finding a Lawyer SEO Expert
At your law firm, you’re focusing on serving your clients and making sure they get the judgments and compensation they deserve. You don’t have time on a daily basis to stay on top of the latest lawyer SEO strategies and build up your online presence. That’s why it’s critical to hire a law firm SEO expert instead of trying to do it all yourself. By finding the right SEO company that focuses on working with attorneys, you’ll know that your site is performing at its best, bringing in the right leads and boosting your bottom line, all at the same time. Everest Legal Marketing is a law firm marketing agency that helps attorneys with website design, content & blogging, link building and legal profile management. Contact us today to request a free SEO analysis or to schedule some time to discuss your SEO strategy.
President & Founder – Everest Legal Marketing, LLC
Doug Bradley is the Founder and CEO of Everest Legal Marketing. Doug has over a decade of experience specifically in legal marketing, and foremost with expertise in Search Engine Optimization for law firms. Doug has been quoted on numerous websites, co-hosted many MCLE sessions, and has advised law firms of all sizes on the topic of effective marketing and ethical SEO strategies.
