Search engine optimization is the key to ensure that law firms get the attention they need on the internet. The web has opened the doors for many law firms, however it has shuttered many of those same doors for many others. Although it is rare to find a law firm without a website, it should be pointed out that the quality of a site and the ability of potential clients to be able to find individual law firms via the Internet is completely reliant on how their site is ranked. The survival of a law firm depends on its ability to generate and bring in new clientele. Without gaining a good understanding of SEO, and including it in the marketing strategy for organization, it is nearly impossible for law firms to gain the attention they need. Here are the three top ways law firms can improve their SEO.
Understand How to Use Google to Bring in Clients
Most people who understand the general principles of SEO are aware of the substantial role Google can play in driving people to their website. The problem most people have however, it’s not understanding just how competitive it is to reach Google’s top spots. Even though 96% of the people who are looking for an attorney use a search engine, the top spots on search engine platforms are occupied by a local or regionalfamily law firms in ads that firms pay for. The actual space allocated organic traffic to singular websites is just 25%. In addition, 50% of the top 10 organic results generated are aggregator sites like Super Lawyers, Avvo and Justia.
It is important for Law firm website administrators to understand that it is a Herculean task and a near impossibility to outrank any of the aggregator sites. Administrators can however rank their firms’s profile on aggregator sites. Leveraging aggregator sites by optimizing an attorney’s profile to rank on sites like Avvo, gets their keywords ranked almost immediately when compared to other methods. Avvo also affords law firms the opportunity to purchase ads within their platform. By doing so, allows websites to bypass CPCs for legal keywords on Google’s platform and obtain traffic via Avvo. It is important for website administrators to recognize that Google is not the only place to capture organic traffic, and they must be open to pursuing other avenues.
Make Keyboard Selection Intentional
The selection of the keywords used on an attorney’s website need to have some sense of intention behind them. Just as messaging placed on a website should be distinct and purposeful, so should the keywords chosen for each posting. Keyword intention is also an essential element of keyword mapping. Family law firms should review their organic traffic and make a list of the keywords driving the most traffic to their sites. Tools like Google analytics can help with this process. Once a list is generated using this method, it can then be cross-referenced to identify which keywords yield the highest search Impressions. These results should generate a list of viable terms or phrases to target. It is a general rule to target both primary and secondary keywords and phrases. Primary keywords generate the mass majority of the content and secondary phrases relate to and support primary phrases. Generating a strategy to incorporate both primary and secondary keywords yield the best results. Generating copy which includes both primary and secondary keyword phrases in natural language format one time at the very least will help boost optimization.
Modify Websites to Optimize Service
It can’t be stressed enough just how important URL structures and navigation are to how a website is ranked. Firms that only specialize in a single service type can use exact match domain names to achieve good results. Law firms can improve their results in niche searches by adding additional service pages. The addition of more services pages to niche sites improves rankings. In the case of multiple service law firms with branded domains, a different type of strategy must be deployed. Individual pages should be added to highlight each service offered by the Firm. Additional traffic can be generated to focus on long-tail searches. By adding sub service pages. Firms with offices in multiple locations can earn greater optimization by creating separate pages for each office location. The name of the city where law firms have offices should be added to each URL. In addition, rewritten contact should be added to their sites. Duplicate contact will not add to optimization and should be avoided.
Optimize on Local Search Engines
Optimizing to appear in local searches is a very important element of organizing strategy. Law firms should go to Google My Business listing to set up and verify that addition to their accounts. Reviews should also be added to improve rankings for local searches. Reviews also help to generate prized stars in the SERP listings. Attorneys should work to obtain solid reviews on platforms like Facebook, Yelp and Google My Business. Law Firms should follow up on their reviews, and they should never let a review, whether it is positive of negative sit on their profiles without a response. It is very beneficial for law firms to use positive reviews to promote their firms and help generate more clients. Firms should reach out to people who leave positive reviews on Facebook, Google and Yelp, and ask their permission to place their review on their website. Firms should also seek to obtain reviews on sites within the legal community like Find Law Avvo and Justia.
