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Since 93% of all online searches begin with a search engine, it is crucial to optimize your law firm’s visibility on the page results. Using law firm SEO can give your business a boost higher in the search results, which translates into more traffic, leads and clients. Exploring and employing law firm SEO in strategic ways can also give your company a critical advantage over the competition.
What is SEO? A Quick Refresher
SEO has become a common buzzword, but what is it exactly, and why is it an important component of digital marketing? Search engine optimization, or SEO, works like a map that helps potential clients find your website, and it also helps the automated search engine bots categorize what you offer on your site. The purpose of using law firm SEO is for your company to be found on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) and as high on the page as possible. Law firm SEO can shine a spotlight on your law firm, even if it sits in a sea of competition.
Why Law Firm SEO Matters
Law firms should take notice of SEO because it:
- Boosts your website up in the SERPs, where 96% of people start looking for an attorney.
- Gives your law firm an edge over your competitors.
- Helps you build your brand.
- Spotlights your law firm to local consumers.
- Maximizes your organic search rankings without paying for ads
- Establishes EAT (expertise, authority and trustworthiness) in the eyes of Google and potential clients.
How Law Firms Can Improve SEO
Your law firm may have an excellent team and quality services, but modern law firms need to stand out in the digital landscape. Using law firm SEO will maximize your chances of ranking higher, and may give you a boost above your competitors. Law Firm SEO may be the missing piece to your marketing plan, and if you are wondering how to start using SEO to grow your law firm’s business, here are some ways to do it.
Content Marketing and Law Firm SEO
The material, or content, that you place on your website or blog can be an important part of your SEO strategy. Relevant, informative content attracts potential clients who are searching for answers to their legal questions and concerns. This quality content also tells the search engine bots that you have something valuable inside your website that draws visitors.The more time visitors spend on your website, the more important your site appears to the search bots. Ideally, your website and blog should be user-friendly and enriching to your human visitors, and also contain the key elements that thrill the search bots. Articles, blog posts, videos, images, tutorials and social media content can make both bots and people happy, so consider the following tips:
- Publish content that is easy to read with lots of white space.
- Include relevant images, video clips and infographics.
- Add metadata that gives you additional “free” SEO boosts.
- Include relevant keywords where it sounds natural, never stuffed.
- Use keywords and phrases to optimize your SEO, but take care not to overuse, which can degrade the quality of your site.
- Focus on using one or two keywords or phrases on each page of content.
- Your content should be fresh, valuable and shareable.
- Adding evergreen (long-term, long-lasting) content means less updating.
On-Page Law Firm SEO
On-Page SEO refers to additional items that are within your control, such as the HTML components. Although they are small and may seem relatively hidden at times, the following elements can be rich sources of SEO power:
- Title Tags. Each page’s title tag tells the search engines what is contained on the page, and a title tag should be 70 characters or fewer.
- Meta Description. This tells both your website visitors and the search engines more about what the page contains, in a slightly longer phrase than the title tag.
- Sub-headings such as H1, H2 and H3 will make your content easier to read and can improve your SEO efforts.
- Internal Links. These link your content to other material on your site, which creates a helpful web for search bots to trace.
- ALT tags and image names. When you use images on your blog or website, you can include a phrase or keyword in the appropriate box. This helps search engines identify and index your images. If you tag the photo of your legal team as “Denver law firm” it may boost your website up in the rankings when individuals are searching.
Off-Page Law Firm SEO
Off-page SEO includes the strategies you use that do not take place on your website, such as content marketing. Although you may have less control over off-page SEO, these factors are important to your marketing efforts and affect your search engine rankings. Off-page SEO includes strategies such as:
- Gaining likes and follows on social media
- Obtaining backlinks from other sites
- Building brand awareness
- Exploring local SEO through Google My Business
- Participating in forums, podcasts, guest blogging
- Earning 5-star reviews
Improve Your Website
Search engines favor websites that are quick-loading and mobile-responsive, and if your website is not, your website’s rankings will suffer. Websites that contain broken links and stale, neglected or outdated content also get low marks from Google (low EAT scores.) Perhaps you have not updated your website in months..or years? It may be time to consider a website content audit, a process that takes inventory of all your content, fixes broken links and generally polishes up your law firm’s stellar first impression to prospective clients.
Track Metrics
After you spend time inserting more SEO into your content, you will want to track important metrics that tell you how your efforts are paying off. You can track your metrics through Google Analytics, and find out specifically where you might need to make changes. Some important metrics to track include:
- Traffic Types (where your visitors are coming from)
- Lead Types (how your visitors are contacting you)
- Traffic Quality (measuring the time people spend on your website once they arrive)
- Bounce Rate (how long individuals stay on your website before leaving)
- Keyword Conversion Rates (discovering how various keywords are performing)
- Popular Pages (which pages are most viewed and appear most valuable to your visitors)
How Law Quill Can Help
SEO is a hot marketing term, and for good reason. Using SEO strategies can give your business an organic boost in the SERPs and cause your law firm to stand out in the sea of competition. When individuals start searching for an attorney, most people start looking online, so it is crucial that your law firm stands out and gets noticed. Once you have SEO in mind, you can move ahead, creating content and maximizing your use of on and off-page strategies. Building links, watching metrics and keeping a user-friendly, updated website are more ways you can make SEO an effective part of your law firm’s marketing plan.
We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your law firm website’s content, and how we can take these tasks off your plate! Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today. You can also email us at [email protected]
