Search Engine Optimization As A Way To Organically Grow Your Law Firm

The success and failure of your law firm will depend on the clients you can bring through the doors, and the number of clients you can retain. Law business is one of the most competitive industries in the US. There are over 1.5 million lawyers in the US alone, and they are all competing for the same clients as you.

One of the best ways of reaching new clients is through online platforms. According to statistics, over 80 percent of Americans search for legal advice online. Around 30 percent of these people hire a lawyer online as well. Given the number of people who search online for information in the US, there is a substantial untapped market online for any law firm. That’s why your law business requires having a website.

Creating and launching a law firm website is not enough. You need to market your business online as well. Different techniques exist through which you can market your business. Some of them require money, while others are free. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the free methods known as SEO.

SEO is the use of search engine to market your online business. It requires setting up your website in a way that it’s ranked by the search engine so that you can get the free traffic. Organic traffic is proven to work better than paid traffic in many ways.

Why is SEO Better for any Business?

Even though it takes time to start seeing results with SEO, the results are somewhat permanent and long-term. However, you need to know that there is a lot of work involved before there is any success with SEO. The following are some of the reasons why every law firm needs to adopt SEO strategies to their website.

Cheaper Alternative

SEO is the most affordable, if not a free method of growing your law firm website. You don’t pay for any ads, and every strategy involved is free. The technique makes it easy for any law firm that is operating on a budget to get more clients without spending any money.

Long-term Solution

The results that you get through SEO tend to be long-term compared to other marketing strategies. The paid marketing strategies will seize to be useful once you stop the campaign. However, SEO strategies tend to be effective even four years after you start the process.

Brings in Relevant and Organic Leads

Even though paid ads play a role in recruiting new clients, SEO leads the way in terms of the quality of leads. Organic traffic tends to result in extremely targeted leads compared to paid ads. People who contact your business after reading your content have an idea regarding your services and are much better than those who come as a result of a paid ad.

Requires Little Upkeep

Paid ads need you to keep paying to keep your ads active, while SEO is the complete opposite of this. Once you optimize your site with the right keywords and terms, all you need is to keep writing fresh and relevant content. The content can be written once a week and should be optimized for SEO.

Provides value to your Readers

Nothing builds trust between a law firm and potential clients than delivering value. Sharing valuable information triggers a response from your readers. It makes them reciprocate and provide something in return. In this case, your potential clients may subscribe to your newsletters to get more value from you. As a result, you end up with the email addresses that you can use to contact them later.

You get Control over your Target Niche

Paid ads are great for targeting the people you want to recruit. However, your ads may be shown to people who may not be interested in your services at that moment. However, SEO targets people who need the information you are providing and may also contact you regarding your services. That’s why you should invest in better content, which contains value to your readers. People who visit your law firm website means that they have an interest in law matters, and if you play your cards right, you may end up turning them into clients.

What are the best SEO Practices for a Law Firm?

No one can deny that effective SEO strategies require a learning curve. You also need to invest your time, as well. However, the long-term results are worth it. Here are some of the best SEO strategies that you can employ today to get maximum results with your law firm business.

Analyze your Competition

Keeping an eye on your competition will help you to avoid any pitfalls involved in SEO. Research your local competitors and see how they have structured their websites. Research the terms and keywords they are ranking on and using on their website. Write down all the keywords that show their results for future use.

You should also note the content they are publishing on their blogs and how often they write new materials. Check whether their websites have external links and which sites are linking back to them. The best way to get this information is by using a tool like Alexa. Once you get the information on your competition, it’s time to implement the same techniques.

Keyword Research

Use the keywords that your competitors are using. However, it’s essential to use a keyword tool like Google Keyword Planner to get additional keywords that are related to those used by your competitors. The Keyword Planner is crucial for showing you the search volume of specific keywords. The information will help you know the potential of combining particular keywords to your contents. It will also paint a picture of how your business will reach people you are targeting. Write all the keywords down and choose the ones you see will fit well with your business.

Use Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions

Meta titles and Meta descriptions are often used by the search engine to show in the results after someone performs a search. Make sure that you provide better information on the Meta description area, as people tend to read them before they click to your website. Avoid dull information and adopt eye-catching headlines. If you are providing workplace sexual harassment services, you can use something like this; ‘Do you feel like your employer is taking advantage of you? These are the signs of sexual harassment in your workplace…’ The description catches their attention, and they are likely to click to your website to get more details.

Use Google My Business Listing

Ever since Google My Business was introduced, people have relied on it to get in touch with businesses. Make sure you claim your spot to maximize on this. Google will require you to verify your business and may send you a postcard or call your phone number. Google My Business allows you to provide addresses, emails, and phone number to your potential clients. It’s one of the best ways of getting new clients.

Make your Website Responsive

You need to keep in mind that people search the internet with their mobile devices. Making your website responsive will make it accessible to anyone. It will also make the experience smooth and provide all the information they need in a fluid manner. Website responsiveness is taken serious by search engines when indexing your site.

Start a Blog

Every law firm website requires you to have a blog to take advantage of SEO. A blog also helps to connect with your readers and may be used to collect leads. Having a blog shows your understanding of your practice, and will set your law firm apart from the competitors. Your blog posts should be informative and be relevant to your readers. Make sure you research your content and update the existing ones to keep them up to date.

Write Regularly

Regular posting will help to keep your blog fresh and updated. A significant problem faced by many law firms is neglecting to post contents on regular intervals. Not only will this affect your ranking, but it will also reduce the number of readers on your website. Make sure to post long blogs that are accompanied by visual aids such as images and charts. You can also include some videos that summarize your posts for people who prefer watching rather than reading.

Take Advantage of Guest Posting

Guest posting is a way of spreading the word about your law firm. You should target blogs that are popular and receive a good number of visitors per month. You can reach out to bloggers through emails or contact forms. Tell them of your intention and how it will benefit both of you.

Build Links

Search engine spider uses links to index every page of your website. Internal links help to show the structure of your website to the spider, while the external links help to improve your rankings. Make sure you only link to sites with better reputation and search engine ranking. The external links also help to channel traffic from the linked website to your site. Backlinking is one of the best ways of ranking your website in current times.

Ask your Clients to Rate your Law Firm

Getting positive reviews and rankings from your clients will help to improve your business. It shows how satisfied they are with your services, and will act as a testimonial to potential clients. Getting regular five-star ratings and appealing comments from your clients will improve the image of your law firm business.

Things to Avoid when Practicing SEO for your Law Firm

There is saturation SEO-related information. Unfortunately, not all the tactics mentioned work today anymore. Due to the latest Google updates, some of these techniques may harm your SEO strategies. They include;

Regular Press Release

A press release was once a good SEO strategy. However, after Panda updates, the press release has become useless, and may even affect your SEO plan. If you must send a press release, make sure you do it once in a long time, and it’s about a significant achievement.

Avoid exchanging Links with a Spammy Website

You may be tempted to get links from a site that looks spammy but has steady traffic. Linking to such sites may get you short-term traffic, but it may have severe consequences once Google notices such activities. Avoid websites that appear spammy and only link to blogs and sites with better ranking and authority.

Don’t buy Links or Pay to Guest Post

Link building is crucial but may also take time to accomplish. Many people have been tempted to buy links as they see it as a short cut to achieve success. However, Google will likely penalize your website once they notice you are not generating links organically. The Google penalty will affect your online presence, and every SEO effort you put on your website will be wasted. Paying for guest posts is also not a great idea. If you are paying to post on a particular site, there are higher chances that other people are doing the same. The act will reduce the quality of the links you get to your site. Guest posting should be done freely.

Bottom Line

SEO is the best strategy of ranking your law firm website. It’s also one of the best ways of getting quality leads if done correctly. Adopting better SEO strategies will keep you ahead of your competition and will guarantee the growth of your business.

It takes around six to twelve months to rank on the first page of Google. However, if you post regularly and build quality backlinks to your website, it may take less than that. The quality of your content, keywords, and the quality of the backlinks to your site will determine how fast and higher up your website ranks. If you have a law firm website that hasn’t been bringing in new leads, it’s time to revamp the SEO strategies you have been using.