Any individual can face a legal concern at some point in their lives. And whether it’s a minor or major problem with the law, they should seek legal advice. That is why law firms are established.
As a law firm owner, your main goal is to be of service to the people. However, it’s also imperative to put high consideration in growth. Growing your firm can be a challenge. There are many factors to work on, from acquiring more clients to scaling operations.
One of the most efficient ways to grow your client base is by applying law firm SEO best practices.
How Does SEO Work for Law Firms
Almost all businesses and organizations take advantage of the internet. You can also do the same for your law firm. Nowadays, most people rely on the web to gather the information that they need. When it comes to legal advice, 96% say that they first conduct research online. Then, 74% of these individuals proceed with contacting a law office that they also saw online. Imagine if your website contains rich content—there’s a huge possibility that an online user who is just browsing can be a potential client!
This can be attainable through search engine optimization (SEO). This digital marketing technique is designed to make your website more visible on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Applying law firm SEO best practices can help make your firm grow further.
Why You Should Implement SEO for Law Firm Websites
SEO is not magic. It demands the skills of professionals. Other law firms already apply SEO to their digital marketing efforts, so why won’t you? Here are the top benefits of SEO for law firm websites:
Offers Strong Online Visibility
For your law firm to get noticed, you need to be more visible online. This is important because, as mentioned earlier, most people rely on the internet when seeking legal advice or looking for an attorney to hire. If people easily find your website, there’s a high chance that they contact you and become your clients.
A study by Sistrix regarding the search behavior of Google users shows that 28.5% of clicks land on the first organic search results pages. Those on the second page only get 15.7%, which is a little over half the clicks on first-page results. In the same study, you can see that the click-through rate (CTR) of the succeeding organic results decreases steadily.
So, the higher your ranking is on the SERPs, the more likely people will land on your firm’s website.
Builds Credibility
SEO is not just about helping websites rank well on search engines. It will also make your website an authority in your niche. If your website is producing quality content, it contributes not only to your rankings on search engines but also to your reputation.
Again, the first initiative of people seeking legal advice is to search the internet. Of course, they’ll choose a website that offers information that is relevant to their legal concerns. And if your website is successful in providing such content, it can be recognized as an authority in your niche.
Sure, earning the credibility of people takes time. But with the correct implementation of SEO strategies, you can definitely gain the trust of prospective clients in due time.
Attracts More Clients
One important component of SEO is quality content. If your site visitors constantly find relevant information on your website, then they may consider your website to be a reliable source when it comes to legal matters.
Consequently, you will get more traffic to your site, which will gradually improve your rankings on the SERPs. As you become an authority in your niche, your firm will also attract more clients.
Generates More Revenue
When your firm gets more clients, you will also achieve higher returns on investment (ROI). A proper application of SEO best practices can help you convert leads into paying clients. Even if they don’t convert to be a client right away, there’s still the possibility of them referring your firm to their friends or other people they know.
Remember, it takes time for SEO to take effect on your website. But once your website is fully optimized, surely you’ll see more leads coming in. Along with other digital marketing strategies, SEO can generate great results for your business.
Law Firm SEO: Best Practices to Follow
Here are some tips on doing SEO marketing law firms can apply to their websites.
Work on your keywords.
Keywords play an important role in optimizing your site. The more specific your keywords are, the more likely your website will be able to attract potential clients. You’ll get a good idea of which search phrases to target by doing keyword research. List down possible words or phrases that can be associated with the niche your law firm specializes in.
Don’t just settle for broad keywords like “lawyer” or “attorney”. Try adding in the city you serve and the specialization you have. For example, you can target “divorce attorney in Los Angeles” or “New York business lawyer”.
Improve your site’s structure and design.
Even if your website has quality content, if it’s not that well-structured, online users may veer away from it. In fact, a web credibility study from Stanford says that 75% of people assess a company’s credibility just based on the website’s design. And, we’re not only talking about how the colors or the font of your website. You should also consider content formatting. Generally speaking, you should make your site easily navigable.
The goal is for your potential clients to know and find your services immediately. Make sure to add in a navigation bar that can be easily seen by online visitors. For example, you can add an “Areas of Practice” dropdown menu. This will ensure a good user experience, which sends a good signal to search engines.
Provide a good user experience (UX).
According to a study, 88% of online users admit that they are less likely to visit a certain website again if they have a bad experience with using it. That is why you must aim for your website to be user-friendly.
As a law firm, it can be tempting to add too many pages. This is understandable because your goal would be to provide more valuable content to your online visitors. One way to make it easier for your visitors to navigate through your pages is by adding a sidebar that contains links leading to specific pages. You should also include a site map, so your visitors and web crawlers can easily find and index your content.
Take advantage of local SEO.
Local SEO is an important strategy for law firms. When people need an attorney, the top qualities they look for would be knowledge and experience. Aside from these, they would be looking for someone who is practicing locally.
One good way to help your firm appear on local search results is by registering it on Google My Business (GMB). In doing so, make sure all your details—your law firm’s name, address, and all other contact information—are correct. Listing your firm on GMB also makes it show up on Google Maps searches and Google 3-Pack. The best thing about GMB is that it is free!
Build links.
The internet already has a lot of content available, and you wouldn’t want your site to be “just another website”. Give your site more authority through link-building.
In this strategy, you can acquire links from other websites to your own. Just make sure that these websites also produce quality and authoritative content and are relevant to your niche. Also, do not forget internal linking, which helps your visitors navigate your site more easily. It also establishes information hierarchy and helps spread link equity on your site.
Why Hire a Law Firm SEO Agency to Implement Your Digital Marketing Strategies
By now, you may realize how important SEO is to marketing your firm. However, though SEO may look like something you can learn, the truth is that it’s not easy to do and can’t be learned overnight. That is why hiring a law firm SEO agency is beneficial.
SEO agencies have a team of professionals who you can tap into with your SEO needs. With their help, you get to save your time experimenting on what tactics will work or not. Plus, you get to save your money on other expenses your law firm needs because SEO services are cost-effective.
Most of all, they help ensure you are following law firm SEO best practices.
Final Thoughts
Lead your law firm practice to growth by including SEO in your digital marketing plans. The proper execution of SEO allows your website to rank higher on the SERPs, makes you an authority in your industry, brings you prospective clients, and ultimately, generates higher ROI for your firm.
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