What Your Agency Should Know About SEO for Lawyers

SEO for lawyers is a specialized practice focused on the optimization of a law firm’s online presence to increase its visibility in search engine results. It involves customizing website content and structure to align with search engine algorithms, aiming to improve rankings for relevant keywords. Find out everything there is to know about SEO for law firms.

Searching for a law firm is often the result of a significant circumstance, like a divorce or a copyright infringement. Regardless of the situation, deciding on legal services is a serious decision–one that leads to life-changing outcomes.

One of the first things prospective clients do is head to a search engine and browse law firm websites. That’s where legal SEO comes in. It’s a way to demonstrate authority in the field, share testimonials, and show up on search engine results pages.

That said, law firm SEO requires a strategic approach. It’s why legal professionals turn to a law firm SEO company (perhaps like yours) to build a solid online presence. After all, they’re busy helping their clients and getting the job done.

Lawyer SEO involves many moving parts, like local SEO tactics, keyword research, link building, and technical SEO analysis. Sounds like a lot? Not to worry.

In this law firm SEO guide, we’ll cover the nuances of the industry and the implications for legal marketing. Then, we’ll share how to craft a law firm SEO strategy that drives results.

Why SEO for Lawyers Is Essential for Business Growth

When it comes to researching legal-related information and discovering law firm websites, search engines are the go-to destination. Consequently, when legal firms seek professional assistance to enhance their SEO efforts, they’re seeking crucial support for their business growth.

A successful SEO optimization endeavor yields more inbound leads, attracts more clients, and facilitates the expansion of the firm. The primary goal of the SEO agency is to stimulate incoming calls and inquiries via email, thus generating new opportunities.

For law firms, investing in attorney search engine optimization presents an opportunity to:

• Appear Prominently on Local SERPs: Attaining high rankings in local searches not only drives website traffic but also bolsters brand recognition. Potential clients tend to gravitate towards the top search results, especially those accompanied by positive reviews. Therefore, law firm search engine optimization serves as a means to capture interest and enhance online visibility.

• Showcase Expertise: Crafting authoritative content enables law firms to showcase their comprehensive understanding of legal matters. This positions their website as a magnet for potential leads, encouraging visitors to take further action, such as completing a contact form.

• Connect with Potential Clients: Given their familiarity with state or region-specific regulations, law firms can leverage a local SEO strategy to establish a strong presence within the community and foster brand recognition.

• Establish Online Credibility: Prospective clients seek reassurance when selecting legal representation. Therefore, a law firm’s online presence and local reviews play a crucial role in shaping a positive impression.

What Makes SEO for Lawyers Different From Other Industries?

Law firms typically exhibit a higher level of risk aversion compared to other clients served by marketing agencies. Their reputation for meticulously attending to details, often referred to as “crossing their t’s and dotting their i’s,” is well-established. Due to several unique business differentiators, law firm SEO presents complexities beyond those encountered in running an SEO campaign for a local bakery.

Below is an outline of what sets legal SEO apart and tactics to overcome typical hurdles:

1. The Law Has a Trickle Effect on SEO-Related Efforts

To effectively develop SEO for legal professionals, agencies need to take into account state-specific regulations. According to the American Bar Association, attorneys are prohibited from implying or claiming expertise or specialization without formal accreditation in their respective jurisdiction.

Law firms risk penalties for misleading statements, such as describing their practice as “the best” or “most competitively priced.” Moreover, the legal landscape is ever-evolving, with new laws or amendments potentially impacting legal marketing strategies.

Navigating this situation is challenging. Balancing the portrayal of law firms in a positive light while avoiding inadvertent rule breaches is crucial.

So, what’s the solution? Staying informed about regulations that could impact law firm SEO services. This ensures that agencies are prepared for any legal challenges that may arise.

2. Prospective Clients Are Conducting Life-Changing Searches

“Immediate legal assistance for eviction notice.”

“Prompt legal assistance for subpoena.”

“Guidance through the bankruptcy filing procedure.”

Numerous legal issues require urgent attention, emphasizing the importance of being visible in local search results.

However, legal inquiries vary significantly. For instance, one individual may be researching divorce regulations without having finalized their decision to leave their partner. Conversely, someone experiencing a life-altering personal injury may require immediate legal representation.

Therefore, comprehending a law firm’s offerings and their alignment with user intent is crucial. This understanding facilitates effective keyword research and the creation of compelling, law-related content.

3. Legal Marketing Is Locally-Based

If you have a pending legal issue in New York, it’s improbable that you’d search for a law firm located in Toronto.

This is because many searches for law firms are location-specific, as prospective clients often require legal expertise aligned with the jurisdiction of a particular state.

Moreover, individuals may not necessarily be physically present in the location where their legal matter is pending. For instance, a CEO might have a business incorporated in California while residing on the East Coast.

As a result, effective legal marketing must consider geographic-specific terms to target the appropriate audience. This involves essential strategies such as incorporating local keywords, building backlinks, and establishing a Google Business Profile.

How To Create Effective SEO for Law Firms

The fundamental question persists: What does SEO involve for law firms? While it might appear daunting, it doesn’t need to be. Let’s delve into some practical strategies.

Understand the Sales Funnel

How does the sales funnel relate to SEO for attorneys?

Remember, selecting a lawyer is akin to completing a conversion. Naturally, such a significant decision requires time. Thus, it’s crucial to comprehend the preceding stages and how law firms can address the needs of potential clients.

As a brief recap, let’s review the sales funnel, along with the types of search keywords utilized at each stage.

Require assistance in identifying target keywords? Consider:

• Engaging in discussions with lawyers within the firm to uncover popular services and common client concerns. Utilize this insight to develop relevant terms and craft content accordingly (e.g., a blog post titled “A Guide to Creating a Will”).
• Utilizing Google and other search engines to discover related keyword phrases used by potential clients (e.g., exploring the “People Also Ask” section).
• Assessing competition levels and strategically selecting optimal target keyword phrases (which we’ll delve into further).

Conduct a Competitor Analysis

Selecting appropriate keywords is a crucial aspect of lawyer SEO. However, it’s essential to take competitor law firms into account.

For instance, solely targeting a primary keyword that’s either oversaturated or irrelevant can result in diminished online visibility or exclusion from organic search results.

Conducting competitor analysis is a strategic approach to understanding the actions of other lawyers or firms. Subsequently, leverage this information to distinguish your law firm client from the competition.

Create High-Quality Content

Just like law firms, search engines prioritize delivering high-quality results.

For attorney SEO, high-quality content is indispensable as it is essential for appearing on local search engine results pages and driving website traffic.

Google has introduced the E.E.A.T acronym, summarizing the key aspects law firm content should demonstrate: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

Here’s a brief overview of this concept and its application to law firms:

• Experience: Highlight your client’s track record of success and any quantifiable data, ideally showcased on their homepage and relevant website sections like “About Us.”

• Expertise: Showcase your client’s comprehensive understanding of the law and legal procedures through various content formats such as long-form blogs, infographics, FAQs, and videos.

• Authoritativeness: Feature significant legal cases your law firm client has handled and include mentions from reputable sources such as local legal associations and news features.

• Trustworthiness: Incorporate testimonials on the law firm’s website and inject a personalized touch to demonstrate empathy for potential clients. This approach fosters trust and credibility.

Furthermore, it’s essential to create content tailored to each stage of the sales process to address various client needs and inquiries effectively.

Pro tip: Consider recruiting team members with legal expertise to aid in content creation. For instance, The Modern Firm employs in-house copywriters with legal backgrounds, streamlining the process of developing legally sensitive marketing materials.

Optimize a Law Firm’s Website

An often overlooked aspect is technical SEO, which ensures the optimal performance of a law firm’s website.

Indeed, prioritizing user experience should be central to any law firm SEO strategy. This entails:

• Designing a user-friendly website with a logical structure and clear navigation menus (e.g., sections for “About Us,” “Services,” and “Contact Us”).

• Optimizing images and other media to enhance page load times. Additionally, incorporating keyword-rich terms in file names and Alt text descriptions (e.g., naming a file “los-angeles-criminal-defense-law-firm-office.jpg” with a relevant description).

• Including metadata, such as title tags and descriptions. For instance, the meta title f

or a page on estate planning services could be “Top Estate Planning Lawyers in Miami,” accompanied by a description like “Our Miami estate planning attorneys offer comprehensive estate management services. Schedule a consultation today.”

• Conducting regular comprehensive website audits to identify and promptly address any technical SEO issues (e.g., declining SEO Score).

How Often Should Law Firm SEO Be Updated?

Now that we’ve explored the intricacies of attorney SEO, you might be wondering, “How frequently should this be updated?”

While there may be occasional modifications to a law firm’s services, complete overhauls are unlikely to occur daily. Naturally, the frequency of updates will vary among law firms, and it’s crucial to assess individual client requirements.

As a guideline, monitor the workload your agency handles for each legal SEO client. Based on this, determine an appropriate timeframe for conducting SEO checkups (typically, weekly check-ins are advisable). However, this can vary. For instance, a law firm needing a monthly blog post may not necessitate a weekly SEO review.

Implement a similar schedule for regularly monitoring reviews and ratings. This enables your agency to stay abreast of reputation management matters and swiftly address any issues, such as an increase in unfavorable comments.

Monitor Law Firm SEO and Show Tangible Results

As we’ve discussed, implementing SEO for lawyers requires a comprehensive approach. From conducting keyword research to developing informative content, it’s an ongoing investment that delivers lasting results.

However, your agency must have a systematic method for monitoring law firm SEO performance. Following your agency’s investment in services, clients commonly inquire about:

“Have there been noticeable increases in traffic to our law firm website?”

“Have our search engine rankings experienced significant changes?”

“How successful was our recent SEO campaign?”

“Have any new reviews been received for our law firm? What about our competitors?”

Indeed, managing various SEO insights can be overwhelming, especially for seasoned law firm SEO agencies. Although this data is accessible through different platforms like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, continually logging into individual accounts is impractical, considering the numerous clients and campaigns to oversee.

Moreover, what if your agency handles more than just SEO for law firms? With additional responsibilities like managing PPC ads, email campaigns, and social media efforts, the complexity increases.

Fortunately, there’s no need to rely on manual reporting methods or juggle between platforms. Investing in AgencyAnalytics provides a comprehensive solution. This client reporting tool serves as more than just SEO reporting software—it’s a centralized hub for all your clients’ marketing metrics.

AgencyAnalytics automatically retrieves data from over 80 platforms and consolidates it into visual dashboards or reports, simplifying the process significantly.