Dos and Don'ts of SEO for Law Firms

Dos and Don'ts of SEO for Law Firms

Like every other industry today, law firms witnessed the rise of modernization. They only had one thing to do: to adapt. And one way to do this is to master the art of digital marketing, particularly SEO for law firms. 

This guide aims to uplift law firms struggling to attract loyal clients and dominate their territories. Our list of Dos and Don’ts and digital marketing tips will help you optimize your website pages and content and ultimately master SEO for law firms. 

What is law firm SEO?

Law firm SEO involves improving the quality of your law firm's website, attracting readers and clients, and dominating search engines like Google. The higher your ranking is, the more clients would visit your website and try your legal services. 

Why is law firm SEO important? 

Law firms need SEO, the single most powerful tool and process to attract local clients and outsmart competitors online. It’s the best way to make a law firm visible through Google rankings and prove the credibility of its pool of attorneys. 

Dos and don’ts of SEO for law firms

SEO for law firms is a continuous process, so make sure you follow the trends and stay relevant through your content, visuals, and other offerings. Rank number one on Google and improve your client pool with these tips:

Do conduct a thorough keyword research

The best way to get the exact and effective keywords within your industry is to put yourself in the shoes of your clients or target market. You must think like how they think. Here’s how to conduct keyword research for SEO:

  1. Make a list of topics related to your law firms’ expertise and target market, then put them in a bucket.
  2. Using those topics, find the relevant words and phrases that most prospective clients say or look for when they think of your legal services.
  3. Come up with short-tail and long-term keywords to cover general and specific searches. Short-tail consists of one to two words, while long-tail keywords can go beyond three words.
  4. Narrow down the list and check the keywords’ performance on Google. SEO for attorneys is everywhere, so you shouldn’t have a hard time finding the top-performing keywords. 

Don’t just launch your homepage, improve it 

Your homepage is your client’s doorstep. Depending on how it looks and the information it offers, the client will decide whether he or she will enter or not. As such, make sure to optimize and beautify your homepage. Make it look professional, informational, and engaging. 

Focusing on SEO for law firms, make sure that your headlines carry strong and high-ranking keywords. Sub-headers, meanwhile, should be optimized with additional keywords you want to rank for. Images and title tags also play a key role, so only choose relevant images in appropriate sizes and label them. 

Do focus on client-centered content

The job of law firms is to target and help clients. Forging partnerships and connections only come second. For this reason, you must focus on content that can attract, inform, and intrigue your target clients. 

To do this, write articles that answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) by clients. Also, dare to answer controversial or complicated topics that non-law practitioners wouldn’t easily understand. Make it easier to read—like you’re explaining ABCs to a toddler. While you’re at it, pack your answers and explanations with SEO-rich keywords. Remember that a good law firm website has the ability to inform and engage clients through visual and written elements. 

Don’t ignore title tags and metadata

Title tags and metadata are crucial elements in law firm SEO since they can tell your prospective legal clients what your website is about and the legal services you offer. Further, they also connect you to search engine algorithms for ranking.

Title tags are HTML elements located in the head or upper section of your website’s HTML code. They define the purpose of the web page. Meanwhile, metadata covers the page title and meta description of every page on your website. They add clarity to your web pages. Ensure that both these elements are optimized for crawlers and readers, may it be in blogs, images, and other media content.

Do assess your competitors in the legal industry

After studying your prospective clients and their search intent, it’s time to assess your competitors. Take a thorough look at their topic buckets, published content, current keywords, and SEO for attorneys’ strategies. Study your biggest competitors before you publish content.

Do take an advantage of Google My Business 

Google My Business (GMB) is the most accessible tool used in SEO for law firms. GMB helps manage law firms’ online presence in Google and other platforms. GMB is useful in any industry, but most particularly in the legal industry. 

Create and complete your law firms’ GMB page. Make sure you provide all the information your prospective clients need, such as areas of expertise, contact information, location, and working hours. Make your GMB page look more professional by adding real photographs and logos.

For best results, law firms who are new to the game can choose to hire law firm SEO services. There are agencies that offer professional-grade SEO services with the right pool of talents and tools.

World's largest SEO event by SEOday

For those that want to boost their SEO knowledge and rankings, there is a must-attend webinar that is available in 3 different languages: English, Spanish and Portugal. 

They have global SEO experts including:

  • John Mueller: Webmaster Trend Analysis of Google
  • Lily Ray: Senior SEO Director of AMSIVE DIGITAL
  • Barry Schwatz: President Web Developer of Rusty Brick & News Editor of Search Engine Land
  • Kevin Indig: SEO Director of Shopify
  • Izzi Smith: Technical SEO Team Lead of Ryte
  • Claudio Cabrera: VP News Strategy & Audience of The Athletic
  • Aleyda Solis: SEO Consultant & Founder of ORAINTI
  • Mordy Oberstein: Head of SEO Branding at WIX.COM & Communications Advisor of SEMRUSH
  • Andrew Coco: SEO Director of Peacock & NBC Sports
  • Chris Raulf: Partner and Ambassador of SE Ranking

This webinar will take place on the 22nd of June 2022.

If you are interested in finding out the latest editions surrounding SEO that is coming next year, make sure to register for the SEOday event for free! 

Authored by Jesseca G. Flamiano

Also read top viewed Ai Legal article: The Role of AI in Legal Research.

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