Google is used to search for just about everything and local SEO for law firms is becoming increasingly important to every attorney, regardless of their practice area.
A survey from FindLaw found that 38% of consumers would go online to find an attorney compared to 29% of those who would turn to friends or family members for recommendations. Whether you practice family, criminal law or employment law, implementing an SEO strategy can bring more potential clients to your law firm.
Search is a proven marketing channel that cannot be ignored. But the reality is that most law firms don’t even know where to begin. Worse is the fact that many practices end up sabotaging their own rankings due to implementing outdated or spammy techniques.
Here we show you how to implement an effective attorney SEO strategy so your legal practice can get a competitive advantage in search.
1. Target Local Keywords
Keywords are at the foundation of a local law firm SEO campaign.
Selecting the right ones can mean the difference between a campaign that drives targeted traffic and one that barely generates results. But competition in the legal industry is extremely competitive. Your practice stands little chance of ranking for head keywords (e.g. family law, personal injury attorney, etc.) without substantial resources.
If your law firm is just getting started with SEO it is important to set realistic expectations. You won’t be able to rank right away for “family lawyer” until your firm is more established with a comprehensive digital marketing strategy in place. Targeting local searches increases the likelihood of early success. Once your campaign gains more momentum you can start targeting more competitive keywords.
So if your law firm serves clients throughout Austin but is based in West Lake Hills, it makes sense to market to your immediate location to capture local searchers. Some examples include:
- Personal injury lawyer West Lake Hills
- Sunset Valley family divorce lawyer
- Crestview criminal lawyer
Use Google’s Keyword Planner tool for additional keyword ideas:
These keywords will be useful in the next section.
2. Silo Your Legal Service Pages
Choosing an attorney is not an easy decision.
Is the firm a good choice? What is their level of experience? Most importantly, can they help with my case?
Personal recommendations are incredibly valuable especially from a friend or family member. But when potential clients find you on the web, your website is the only information they have to judge your law firm. This is why it is important to devote a substantial amount of content to your pages to establish subject matter expertise.
The more information you can provide, the more confident visitors are about your services.
Using silos is an excellent SEO practice as it improves navigation and helps your site rank better for relevant terms. This is akin to breaking up your site using categories and subcategories depending on the services offered. Here are some examples:
Family lawyers
- Legal separation
- Child custody
- Property division
- Prenuptial agreements
Criminal attorneys
- DUI
- Misdemeanors
- Felonies
- Burglary
- Domestic assault
- Drug crimes
Personal injury
- Car accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Disability insurance
- Wrongful deaths
Each page should then provide more in-depth information and establish your practice as a subject matter expertise. The goal is always to focus on establishing expertise first and not simply on getting every keyword within the content.
3. Start a Legal Blog
Consider the following statistics:
- B2B marketers who blog receive 67% more leads than those that don’t
- Businesses that prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy a positive ROI
- Companies who regularly blog receive 97% more links to their site
A business blog is beneficial for numerous reasons.
It establishes your firm as a subject matter expertise and makes it easier for prospective clients to find your site online. Each post is an opportunity to drive quality leads year after year. Another advantage is that quality content also tends to attract more links. All of which contribute to better rankings in the search results.
So what should you blog about?
As attorneys think of the most common questions your practice gets asked most frequently. Then turn those into blog posts where you can share your expertise and personal experience. Then remember to work your primary keywords in the content in a natural manner.
The difference between companies that see results with blogging and those that don’t is consistency. One post is a great start and more than what most companies do. But you need to be blogging at least on a regular basis to see results.
Conclusion
To reach and convert searchers into potential clients, search engines need to be a priority. Implement each of these tips as described above in your own local SEO campaign to really drive targeted traffic and attract quality leads to your practice. SEO undoubtedly requires substantial effort but the amount you put in is equal to what you can expect to get in return.