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If you have maintained a law firm for several years using traditional marketing methods like word-of-mouth or television ad space, you might be wondering, “Can your law firm succeed without SEO?” You might be hesitant to have an online presence and to implement practices to drive traffic to your website. However, search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential marketing tool today. If you do not use it, your firm can quickly get left behind. Law Quill can explain the importance of SEO and how it can help your firm succeed.
How Important Is a Website for a Law Firm?
Before we dive into the importance of SEO, you might be wondering whether you even need a website. According to the American Bar Association, only 59% of solo firms have a website, according to its 2020 national technology survey. Having a website makes your firm more credible. It shows you exist and have an important presence in the local community. Your firm website gives potential clients the first view into you and your firm. You can showcase your credentials, feature favorable client testimonials, and provide a voice to your marketing.
Having a website also ensures you have a landing space for your SEO strategy. You can use optimized web content to help your firm rank higher in search results and to help set your firm apart from competitors.
Does SEO Work for Lawyers?
SEO is used for many industries, including the restaurant, healthcare, retail, and hospitality industries. It is also one of the most effective ways for law firms to attract potential clients to their sites. Today’s SEO is the equivalent of yesterday’s word-of-mouth referrals.
Why Is Law Firm SEO So Important?
According to the American Bar Association, there are more than 1.33 million licensed, active attorneys across the United States. With so much competition, SEO can help you stand out. Other reasons why law firm SEO is so important are:
People Can Find You with SEO
96% of people who are looking for legal advice use a search engine, according to the National Law Review. Additionally, 74% of people visit a law firm’s website to take action. Because search engines are the primary method of finding legal services, it makes sense to tailor your site so that it can be found more easily by them. Most internet searches involve search or map searches for businesses. Additionally, many conversions for legal services begin as organic searches. If your website cannot be found by search engines, you may have to rely on more expensive options or traditional ones that may not be as relevant in today’s world.
SEO Makes You More Trustworthy
When your firm is ranked higher, it gives the perception that your firm is more trustworthy. Additionally, it can generate more reviews for your firm, which can also add more credibility to your firm. Even if you have favorable word-of-mouth reviews from former clients, people searching for legal services may not be aware of your reputation. SEO provides your firm with an online record that people can review when they are inquiring about your services.
You Can Showcase Expertise and Authority
To truly showcase your expertise and authority to Google and end users, you need SEO. All of the awards in the world do not mean anything if people are unaware of them. With SEO, you can brand your firm. You can also provide authoritative content that is found by search engines and can drive traffic to your site. SEO allows you to answer searchers questions, connect their intent with your services, and showcase why your firm is a good fit.
SEO Helps Fuel Growth
No law firm can survive without getting new clients. Even if you have a robust practice, you will need new clients at some point down the line. SEO helps you to establish a digital footprint. It is very difficult for law firms to succeed without SEO. Investing in SEO now helps ensure that Google and other search engines can find your firm.
SEO Helps with Mobile Searches
SEO is not only optimized for desktops and laptops, it is also optimized for mobile searches. Many people today use their cell phones and other mobile devices to search for businesses, including law firms. Imagine someone getting in a car accident and searching for “car accident lawyer near me” and your firm popping up in the results. This is the power SEO can harness for your firm.
SEO Is Cost-Effective
Time and time again, SEO is found to provide the highest rate of return over other marketing channels, including traditional methods and social media marketing. It yields more leads than other marketing initiatives. Notably, SEO is more sustainable and allows you greater control over creating a brand image for your firm.
Why Traditional Marketing Does Not Cut It Anymore
You might still be on the fence about whether to invest in SEO for your firm. You may think that your traditional marketing efforts have worked in the past so you can continue to use the same methods moving forward. However, traditional marketing alone may not be sufficient to help your firm succeed.
Types of Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing methods include:
- Newspaper advertisements
- Television spots
- Radio ads
- Magazine ads
- Direct mail
- Referral networks
- Membership in organizations
Limitations of Traditional Marketing
Some of the drawbacks of traditional marketing
- Difficulty tracking results – Unless you have an effective tracking system, it can be difficult to determine whether traditional marketing efforts are effective and are worth the investment.
- Expensive – Traditional marketing methods may be more expensive than SEO or other marketing methods.
- Short-term results – Traditional marketing methods like appearing in a television ad spot may only deliver short-term results.
- Bar marketing violations – Many jurisdictions do not allow lawyers to solicit clients. Therefore, sending direct mail may raise issues with bar organizations.
Benefits of SEO Marketing
As a leading marketer for law firms, Law Quill knows firsthand how beneficial SEO can be. Some of the most significant advantages of implementing SEO strategies to your website and social media channels include:
- You can connect with more potential clients
- You can target your services to specific demographics
- You can connect with more relevant traffic
- You can become a top choice for the right group of people
- Strong SEO can provide a greater return on investment than traditional marketing methods
- More mobile users can find your firm
Ways to Improve Your Law Firm’s SEO
Now that you know how important SEO is to the potential success of your law firm, try to integrate these SEO best practices into your business:
Use Specific Keywords Tailored to Your Location
Conduct keyword research to determine the types of terms you should be targeting with your website content. Include these keywords and variations with the location you are targeting to reach more clients. By adding locations, you will increase the possibility that someone who is conducting a local search will find your firm.
Google hates keyword stuffing. Therefore, you need to be strategic with how you add keywords to your website. It is usually better to spread out these terms across many pages, including your home page, landing pages, and blog posts. You can make different landing pages for different sets of key terms. This approach can also help you showcase your knowledge in different practice areas.
Create Informative Content
Google recognizes informative and useful content and rewards websites that provide it with higher rankings. To maintain a competitive ranking, you will need to consistently provide good content and update your site. You can often do this by incorporating a blog into your website and targeting keywords on new blog pieces.
Make a Positive User Experience
Google ultimately wants to know that it is connecting people with a particular search intent with relevant results. Creating a positive user experience can often make your site more desirable for web users and get users to stay on your site longer. When poor web design is present, higher bounce rates often follow, which causes Google to give your site a lower ranking. The reverse is true. If you have good website design, users are more likely to interact with your site and your ratings are more likely to be higher.
Incorporate Links
A good website will include relevant links. Internal links allow users to connect with other relevant content on your website. External links allow you to support your statements with outside sources. This increases your trustworthiness and positively impacts your rankings.
Improve Your Law Firm’s Success with Law Quill
Many law firms ultimately determine that they cannot succeed without SEO. If you are interested in incorporating data-driven approaches to your SEO strategy, Law Quill can help. We can complete a thorough review of your existing site, conduct keyword research, and provide a plan to improve your site’s search rankings. You can schedule a phone or Zoom call at a convenient time for you or email us at support@lawquill.com to discuss your law firm’s site needs for free.
