How to do SEO properly for your Law Firm

The marketing landscape is quickly changing. Things are quickly shifting to digital marketing. With the penetration of internet and popularity of smartphones, it seems that everything will be based online. From capturing new clients to retaining existing ones—digital marketing is creating shockwaves. As a law firm, you need to leverage digital marketing tools like SEO to up your game. Remember, the competition out there is real. And the only way you are going to beat that completion is through employing a powerful SEO strategy.

What is SEO?

SEO is a powerful digital marketing strategy that aims at helping websites rank higher on Google and drive more traffic. Essentially, SEO includes things like keyword research, optimizing your content, using link building, and leveraging on video content. With SEO, you have a tool that can quickly propel your website to the first page of Google.

Why SEO

SEO is all about increasing your law firm’s online visibility and boosting your traffic. SEO utilizes several proven techniques to rank your site higher on Google. They include:

1. Local SEO

Go local. Target your SEO strategies on clients in your area. For instance, if you are based in Yale and you are dealing with criminal cases, your local SEO should appear like this: Best Yale Criminal Lawyer or Top Yale Criminal lawyer.

2. Link building

Ranking high on Google starts with getting high-quality authoritative, backlinks. Get backlinks from genuine sources. Link building is an awesome off-site SEO tactic. Being a law firm, you need a healthy link profile so that your site can get recognized by Google. Creating high-quality content shouldn’t be overlooked either. When you provide compelling content, everyone will want to share it and they’ll often end up linking to it. Besides, you could write guest blog posts which make it possible for you to reconnect with your own site. For instance, you can decide to provide law-related news to websites intended for legal professionals. Also, ensure that the source of your links is relevant to your website. 3. Improve User Experience User experience is quickly becoming a necessity—especially when it comes to page speed. Nobody will want to stick around a page that takes ages to load. Thus, lower your site’s bounce rate by paying attention to load speeds. According to research findings, sites that are quick to load have a higher Google ranking than their slower counterparts. This is a form of CTR manipulation which can hugely improve your rankings through the Google Search Engine. 4. Keyword Research Keyword research is a process of using professional tools as well as strategies to discover how people search for legal services. There are an array of keyword tools out there. Most of them are free to use. However, if you want real results, consider using paid tools. Alternatively, you can outsource keyword research services to a reputable SEO agency for lawyers. Some of the common SEO tools on the market today include:

•   Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner
•   KWFinder and SEMrush
•   SpyFu and Wordtracker

5. SEO Site Structure Your SEO site structure is an important aspect when it comes to Google ranking. Thus, ensure it’s well organized. Let the content appear in an appealing way. Logically organize your site—it makes it search engine-friendly. 6. Easy to Read Posts Format your content accordingly. Make it readable. Optimize every part of your content. Optimizing your content increases its organic search and improves readability. Follow the following tips:

•   Create shorter paragraphs
•   Mix sentence lengths
•   Use subheadings and bullet points
•   Write quality, precise content

7. Properly Indexed Pages To rank high on SERPs (search engine result pages), consider getting your pages properly indexed. Google often utilizes a complex algorithm to rank various pages for keywords. So, you should always make sure that your website is well-optimized to meet Google’s ever-changing requirements. Do this in a way that your existing and prospective clients access the information they’re looking for in a more user-friendly way. Remember, your site is the pillar of successful SEO. Typically, your legal SEO campaign must include keyword research, website optimization, and link building. Make sure that your site is user-friendly and easy to navigate. 8. Pay Attention to On-Page Content If you’re looking for ways to make your law firm business succeed, you may want to craft unique on-page content. Have a concise landing page that provides a comprehensive overview of the services your law firm offers, while linking to specific pages for each of your specialties. For instance, you could include a page describing your company’s services in general, and why customers should choose you. Link out to a different page explaining how you can help solve different legal cases- and don’t forget to mention that your services are reliable and extremely affordable. On the service page, incorporate high-level keywords that visitors utilize to search for those particular services, using geo-modifiers. Don’t forget to include a clear call to actions on every page as this makes it easier to contact you online, by phone or email. If your law firm features multiple locations, ensure that you devise a detailed location landing page describing each city or state and provides their respective office contacts. Then link to each location page and craft quality content for every location page. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity to utilize geo-targeted keywords. Get creative with your “About Us” section and avoid corporate speak. This might feel weird to you, but this approach does work like magic. You may also want to include a snippet that personalizes every attorney in similar ways. 9. Leverage Reviews and Testimonials Strategically include testimonials as well as customer reviews throughout your content instead of limiting them to one specific page. They really do influence prospective clients. According to a recent study, over 84 percent of users trust online reviews. So,   be sure to provide them accordingly. In addition, you should be keen on your page length. Google often rewards longer content. To be on the safe side, each of your pages should feature at least 1,000 words. Include an FAQ (frequently asked questions) page and utilize checklists as well as bulleted lists throughout your website.

The Bottom-Line

If you’re an attorney who’s looking to rank higher in the SERPs, you may want to consider the above tips. They’ll definitely make a big difference for your firm. Plus, if you don't have the time to do law firm SEO, hire a reputable agency to do it for you.

Related reading

• Do You Really Need to Hire an SEO Marketing Expert for Your Business
• 12 SEO Best Practices to Increase Your Organic Traffic
• The Importance Of Having An SEO Audit Done On Your Website
• Ranking Your Business through Local SEO
• generative engine optimisation