SEO Strategy for Law Firms
When you run a law firm, you are going to quickly realise that your industry is incredibly competitive and at times can feel like it is crowded. That said, just because the marketplace may be busy, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do whatever you can to make sure that you stand out from the crowd.
Instead, rather than trying to shout over the noise, you are going to need to think about how you can stand out, by making an entirely different sound. This is where the idea of spending time on your SEO strategy comes into play.
To help you to make sure that you get where you need to be, here is my advice on how SEO strategy can work for law firms and get them where they want to be.
Why it pays to invest in SEO for law firms; no matter their size
Before I get into how to create the perfect SEO strategy for law firms, let’s first take a look at why it is important to think about SEO in the first place.
Cost is the first factor. Although SEO can sometimes incur costs, for the most part, it is a completely free process. This is ideal if you want to make sure that you have the best chance of being noticed, without having to worry about how you can best balance the money.
Not just this, but SEO strategy, when you get it right, can be a huge helping hand to law firms and give you the foot up that you are looking for.
How to get SEO strategy right for law firms
So, now we move onto the actual planning. How can you ensure that the SEO strategy you have for your law firm will be suitable for its intended purpose?
Appear on search results
For your website to get visitors and your law firm to secure clients, you are going to need to appear on the search engine results. Of course, you can just create a website and hope that Google is going to be able to pick it up, but do you want to leave it up to chance?
It is a much better idea to make a website that is going to come up when someone types in relevant phrases, terms and keywords into their Google search bar.
You will want to find out more about what Google is looking for when it comes to the websites that their bots are going to be drawn to, then, when you know what this entails, you need to take action on this.
Collect backlinks
When running a law firm, you desire to establish a reputable image as a knowledgeable firm that instils trust. There are several ways that you can do this, one is to collect backlinks from authoritative websites.
You can obtain these backlinks through a link-building strategy. You should list your business on directories that relate to law, appear in local listings and also by making sure that any social media profiles that relate to your law firm have a link to your website.
Research keywords
One of the main aspects of SEO (and in turn the thing that you need to try hard to get right to make it work) is keywords. These keywords will underpin the rest of your SEO strategy, and, when you get it right, you will be able to see the benefits of this effort too.
The best way to work out keywords that are going to be best to use requires research. When you research, you are going to be finding terms that will link to who you are as a law firm and the services that you provide.
Once you have the keywords you will be able to use them to write and structure your content, ensure that your pages have titles; and you can even use them to formulate URLs too. Anything that makes the most of all of these relevant words and terms for your law firm (and your clients in turn).
Add high-quality on-page SEO
SEO can be either on-page or off-page which essentially means that you have things that you can add to your page (or ensure happens off your page) which will help you to appear as high as possible in the search engine results.
There are two main factors of on-page SEO. These are meta tags and image alt text.
Meta tags are descriptions that help search engines match your website content to the queries that potential clients may have. They need to be as precise as possible, and summarise all of the key information that relates to the website page.
Image alt text is the description that can be added to websites that relate to any images that you have on your pages.
Create great content
Many people appear to believe that if you prioritise SEO and keywords, you can neglect content. However, this is not the case. Sure, the keywords that you have are going to form a large part of your website coming up on Google searches, but it is the content that is going to keep people around.
Ensure that you focus on creating content that speaks to your target audience. You should never write your content with a sole focus on SEO. Instead, it should always make sense and be well-written and easy to read.
If you can weave some of the keywords into the content that you create, then this is even better news for your website and your law firm too.
Make sure your website works
The way that your website works, and the security and functionality that it provides visitors, is a key part of your SEO strategy. Google recognises and rewards websites that are not only safe to use, but that can load quickly and are easy to navigate around.
Most importantly, you also want to make sure that your website is created to be responsive, which means that it can be viewed and used on both desktops and mobile devices too.
Never ignore local SEO for law firms
Whilst it is great to have a more national (or even international presence) you also want to consider local SEO. Many law firms know that their clients are going to be in their local area, which means that local SEO is always going to be something to focus on.
You want your clients to know who you are concerning their local area and what you can do for them when they need you.
Always work on it
When it comes to SEO, it is important to recognise that it is a process that always needs to be focused and worked on. Things change and the way that SEO works, as well as how your law firm and keywords will develop over time, means that SEO is something that you always need to have on your radar.
The best thing about this is that the more that you work on your SEO strategy and the more that you make SEO a regular part of your law firm and how you market it, then the easier it will get. You may never feel that you are an SEO expert, but you will be someone who knows how to make SEO work for them.
Some of my services:
Fractional Marketing Director and Interim Marketing
Need help?
If you would like help with your marketing then bringing on a marketing consultant with a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference. I work with B2B businesses and professional service firms in London, Kent, UK and Europe as well as specialising as a Legal Marketing Consultant. Please get in touch or book a free 30-minute consultation.
