Search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential for every business. This is especially true for competitive localised businesses like law firms. Search engines will be the first place potential clients in your area go to seek their local law firm. Incorporating an effective SEO strategy can boost enquiries to your business and beat out the local competition.
SEO optimisation is an essential part of digital marketing for law firms and we’ll guide you to what it is, why it matters and how to implement it effectively.
Table of Contents
What is SEO?
Clients will search queries into a search engine (Google, Yahoo, Bing etc.) when they need legal service. These can be transactional searches where users search for a specific legal service such as this:
They can also be informational like when a user searches for information on solicitors rates like this:
SEO benefits the law firm itself by optimising web pages and online content to get to the toppest of the search engine results page (SERP) when potential clients search for these queries. The aim is for your company to rank at the very top of these searches and applying the right strategy can get you there.
Incorporating keywords into your Webcopy
The top three search results are the ones most likely to have the highest click through rates. This makes it incredibly competitive to rank for certain keywords and phrases. A law firm shouldn’t be focusing on broad key phrases like ‘injury lawyer’ or ‘family solicitors’ as there would be too much competition to rank at the top of search queries.
It’s a much better strategy to focus on targeted key phrases that are relevant to your local area. For example you could optimize your pages for ‘personal injury lawyers Portsmouth’ or ‘property lawyers Hampshire’. This way the competition will be limited to your area which will make analyzing your competitors a lot easier. Use an SEO tool like Semrush to analyse your competitors rankings for localised keywords and check their website and content to see how you can provide a better online user experience.
It isn’t enough to just fill your web pages with keywords and call it a day. A high keyword density can cause search engines like Google to penalize your site and it will make your copy read terribly as a result. As a reputable authority in your chosen sector of the law, any poorly written content will drive away traffic of potential clients.
Converting your Traffic into Leads through Content
Keywords and phrases should be peppered into your webpages and written content so you can rise up your local search rankings. It isn’t just the keywords doing the heavy lifting, the content needs to be readable, informative and professional to ensure the traffic coming to your website converts.
Adding in your keywords and phrases should seem natural in the flow of the text so it never feels like it’s being forced in. Google will notice keyword stuffing and so will any potential clients. Including additional flares like call to actions, contact buttons, and form fill outs are some simple ways to engage the user and can guide them down your lead generation funnel in a natural way.
Optimising pages for SEO is that much easier if the content is of high quality. It adds to your reputation as a law professional if you can convey your expertise and create engaging and informative content to show clients why you are the number one person to call.
Gaining Traffic through Blogs
One of the top places to generate written content is by having blogs on your company website. This is a great place to target lower-competition keywords so you can attract traffic to your particular sector of law.
These blogs can focus on:
- A how to guide to starting a law firm as you can use your own experience to show clients your experience in your chosen sector.
- General legal advice in specific practice areas; a commercial advice blog could be titled Expert advice on protecting your business with commercial agreements
- Case studies showcase proven results and builds trust with potential clients
- Recent changes to law to demonstrate your relevance in your field and how up to date you are with your practices.
When these blogs are relevant to potential clients, high quality and SEO optimised it can really help increase conversions. They can increase awareness when you write on current events in your field and build trust in clients when you demonstrate your expertise. Blogs can also gain more traffic when shared to company social media pages, as it presents an opportunity to engross with your audience and start a discussion with them directly.
Boosting your Reputation
Reputation can mean the difference between gaining a client and losing one when you’re managing your online presence. A simple way of boosting your reputation is by asking previous clients to give you client reviews. This can be showcased on your website or through a Google My Business (GMB) page.
If you haven’t set up a GMB page for your law firm it’s essential that you do so as it can help you drive more clicks to your website and help you rank for local searches. As, all you have to do is set up your company name, location, a couple pictures and some contact information and you can start creating more opportunities for clients to find you. Asking your previous clients to consent a review on your GMB page will show other clients the quality of your services and convince them to use your services.
Having more positive reviews of your services than your competitors is an easy way of building your reputation and boosting your placement in local rankings.
Keeping on Top of your SEO
Google’s algorithms are always changing and you’ll need to keep an eye out when it does. It can affect your rankings either positively or negatively but there’s always a way to adapt. With a good SEO strategy in place your firm should have no trouble with finding and maintaining rankings. Optimising for SEO is vitally important to generate new business to a law firm and you need to be keeping good control of your online presence to remain competitive in your local market. This is why you may need the best SEO expert in your team, and a recruitment agency can help you find it.
Author Bio:
James Sayers has a passion for writing on media such as music, film and video games. He works at Tillison Consulting as an SEO Campaign Manager working on blog content and SEO improvements for clients.
