Does SEO Work for Law Firms?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process intended to drive more leads to a website by boosting the site’s position in search engine pages like Google or Safari. Digital marketing for law firms should include SEO to help ensure that their firm appears near the top of search engine results (preferably on the first page). In turn, more potential clients will visit their website. Law firm marketing automation can help put this process on autopilot.

Why do law firms need SEO?

According to Clio, 57 percent of legal clients find a lawyer through online search results. In other words, if a law firm appears on the first page of search engine results and a visitor clicks on the link within the results, if the site gives them basic information they are looking for, they’re more likely to reach out to learn more about the firm’s services. So although there are no guarantees that your law firm will reach the top of organic search results, SEO can help improve your chances – if it is done correctly.

How to do SEO for lawyers

Law firm SEO performance depends on several factors:

• Content. The words used, along with the images on the pages of a website. To improve user experience and improve SEO, ensure that your site features high-quality, informative content.
• Backlinks. The credibility a firm has online as compared with other firms. The number of external websites and pages directing traffic to a firm’s website determines its authority.
• User experience. When Google ranks websites, it considers page speed, title tags, and site structure, all considerations lawyers should make when evaluating their website.

SEO keywords for lawyers

When Google evaluates websites, it sends an automated bot to read the content to understand what each page is about. To help rank your website, your content must be keyword optimized, meaning your content contains the best keywords to target qualified traffic.

Many people will search by the most common keyword, but others looking for a lawyer will ask questions in natural language or enter variations of the same keyword. The goal is to create as much content as possible that addresses search inquiries related to your primary keyword. Primary keywords describe your firm’s services and areas of practice, e.g., “personal injury lawyer,” or “immigration attorney.”

Local SEO for lawyers

Local SEO focuses on what people type into search engines like Google when looking for answers to their questions. Local people use these searches to look for local products, services, or information. For example, local searches for a lawyer can range from “lawyers Chicago” to divorce attorneys near me” and unlimited alternatives in between. Local searchers can also trigger specific local results, such as local maps, which is why local SEO is important for law firms and lawyers that serve a particular geographical area. 

Google Ads for lawyers

Google ads for lawyers, commonly known as “Pay Per Click or PPC,” utilize advertising paid for only when someone clicks on it to view a website. With PPC advertising, the search engine wins because they get paid a fee for that click, the client wins because they just discovered a potential lawyer to reach out to,  and the law firm wins because they just found a targeted potential customer – for a price. Although the cost of PPC for lawyers depends on the extent to which the firm needs new clients, how competitive the target market is, and what kind of budget the firm has to work with, a typical PPC budget for a law firm can exceed $1,000 per month. 

What is an algorithm in SEO?

Algorithms are used in SEO to provide the most helpful answers to a potential client’s query (what users type into a search engine). While search engines often keep the details of their algorithms to themselves, information can often be determined by how the results have changed. Algorithms used in SEO are constantly evolving to become more sophisticated, and to rank higher in search results, attorneys must build content that is more than just topically relevant. Research indicates that longer, in-depth content that is more authoritative and comprehensive than other content in the same niche tends to rank higher overall in Google search results.

How to promote a law firm?

Lawmatics law firm marketing automation software allows law firms to see where each lead stands at a glance, ensuring that your SEO efforts do not go to waste. To learn more about how the Lawmatics platform will boost your firm’s SEO strategy, request a free demo today.