As you create an attorney SEO strategy, employ multiple marketing techniques. This can help build your brand while simultaneously bringing in more high-quality leads.
Technical SEO can make or break your law firm’s search engine rankings. This includes factors like URL structure, security and sitemaps – each can be complex to implement effectively so many law firms opt to outsource this task to an SEO professional.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is a fundamental aspect of attorney SEO, helping identify which words potential clients are searching for your services online. By including these phrases into website content and SEO optimization efforts, keyword research can increase search engine optimization efforts and bring in more leads.
One common approach is to enter “seed keywords”, or broad one or two-word topics, into a tool and write content around those terms. Unfortunately, this strategy often backfires because search volume data can often be inaccurate; to maximize conversion rates effectively it’s more effective to focus on targeting conversion-friendly terms instead.
Look for long-tail keywords related to your area of practice that have lower search volumes but will drive relevant traffic and indicate intent, such as users actively looking for legal services.
On-Page Optimization
SEO may seem intimidating and complex, but it’s an integral component of any law firm website. Luckily, there are multiple simple strategies available to optimize your site for search engines without spending a fortune.
On-page optimization refers to any changes made to a page’s content and HTML that will increase its search engine result ranking potential, such as altering meta descriptions and title tags, using internal linking or alt text on images, etc.
These factors are all within the control of website owners, unlike off-page and technical SEO strategies which often enlist outside help. An optimized on-page is vital to getting clients and remaining visible online – especially given that most Google searches take less than 60 seconds! Ideally, make sure your page can easily be found by prospective clients who may visit in search results pages.
Off-Page Optimization
Off-page SEO refers to activities performed away from your website that help improve its search engine rankings, such as link building, social media marketing and content promotion.
Backlinks are one of the key off-page SEO factors. Backlinko’s 2020 Search Engine Ranking Factors Study revealed a direct relationship between total number of backlinks and Google rank; Google itself has confirmed using PageRank as an algorithmic ranking factor.
Off-page optimization is an integral component of an attorney seo strategy. Working in tandem with on-page optimization, off-page SEO helps your website gain more visibility and search engine rankings. Think of it like filling a bathtub full of rubber duckies; once the water begins to fill up they all rise together until one finally floats to the top!
Link Building
Link building is one of the best strategies for increasing search engine rankings. Links will naturally form when other websites recognize the value in your content and link back, but this requires time and dedication on your part to accomplish successfully. A good place to begin building links is creating link-worthy materials like ebooks, reports, charts or infographics that other sites find worth linking back to.
One effective method of building natural links is through Help A Reporter Out (HARO), a free service which allows you to register for PR opportunities that could prove advantageous for your law firm.
An effective attorney seo agency should remain current on the latest trends and algorithms related to SEO, incorporating them as necessary into their strategy. Ask about their method for identifying relevant keywords and creating high-quality legal-specific content.
Social Media
Though social media may not directly help your search engine rankings, establishing credibility with target audiences through strong social media presence is vital in building clientele and ultimately improving attorney SEO efforts.
Social media provides an ideal venue for promoting content and building backlinks – two vitally important tasks when ranking websites with high-quality links on Google. Twitter can be especially effective for blogging promotion since users can quickly share links back to your blog from within Twitter itself.
Social media can also help promote and engage potential clients in your firm. This can be accomplished using engaging videos, blog posts or even funny content shared through these accounts. Attorneys may use them to answer inquiries from prospective clients as well as address any problems that they might face.