Law firms need a digital strategy to compete in today’s online world. This is a fact.
It’s great if you have a strong referral network and do well with word-of-mouth advertising. But if you are content solely relying on these sources, you are missing out on great leads. There are two main reasons why.
- Leads you generate online can often be some of your biggest cases, and it’s silly to not even attempt to attract them to your firm.
- Even if you get mostly referrals, it’s a guarantee that the referrals will be checking out your online presence to judge if they ultimately want to trust you with their case.
If you understand the need for digital advertising for your firm, kudos to you. But the next question is: How do I get started?
The answer isn’t always simple. You should have a holistic strategy to marketing your firm that goes beyond a single avenue. But a great place to start is with SEO through your website and subsequent content marketing. The next would be paid-per-click advertising (PPC). Keep in mind, you don’t need to break the bank – PPC is only a portion of the strategy, and if done correctly, can generate high-quality leads at a low cost.
Let’s dive in a bit further on SEO and PPC and explore how these two top search strategies can work together to produce results for your firm.
Understanding the Power of Each Approach
- SEO: SEO focuses on optimizing your website and content to rank organically on search engine results pages (SERPs) for keywords relevant to your practice areas. This involves technical optimization, on-page content creation, and building backlinks from high-authority websites. Effective SEO ensures your law firm appears at the top of SERPs when potential clients search for legal services related to your expertise. The benefits of SEO are long-term, as organic rankings tend to improve over time with consistent effort.
- PPC: PPC advertising allows you to display targeted ads on search engines and other websites. You bid on keywords related to your practice areas, and your ads appear at the top of SERPs or on relevant websites whenever someone searches for those keywords. PPC offers immediate results and allows you to target specific demographics and locations. However, PPC comes with an ongoing cost, as you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
The Synergy of SEO and PPC for Law Firms
By combining SEO and PPC, you create a comprehensive online marketing strategy that leverages the strengths of both approaches. Here’s how:
- Enhanced Visibility: PPC ads immediately increase your law firm’s visibility on SERPs for targeted keywords, while SEO works in the background to improve your organic ranking over time. This creates a dominant presence that potential clients cannot miss.
- Keyword Research and Refinement: PPC campaigns provide valuable insights into user search behavior and the effectiveness of specific keywords. Data from clicks, impressions, and conversions on your PPC ads can inform your SEO strategy by highlighting the keywords that resonate most with potential clients. You can then optimize your website content and target these keywords organically through SEO.
- Improved Conversion Rates: Both SEO and PPC allow you to target your messaging to specific practice areas and client personas. By combining keyword research with targeted landing pages for both organic and paid traffic, you can increase the conversion rate of visitors into paying clients. For example, a well-optimized landing page tailored to a specific keyword like “personal injury lawyer near me” can capture leads from organic traffic and paid ads alike. And having a speed-optimized landing page through technical SEO can actually reduce your cost per click.
- Brand Awareness Building: A consistent presence on SERPs through both organic rankings and PPC ads reinforces your law firm’s brand in the minds of potential clients. Seeing your firm repeatedly when they search for legal services builds trust and familiarity, making them more likely to choose you when they need legal representation.
Developing a Winning SEO and PPC Strategy for Law Firms
Here are some key steps to take:
- Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the terms potential clients use to find legal services in your practice area and geographic location. Use this data to inform your PPC campaigns and SEO content strategy.
- Website Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and optimized for your target keywords. This includes creating high-quality content that addresses legal issues relevant to your practice areas and incorporating internal linking to relevant pages on your website.
- Landing Page Development: Create targeted landing pages for both paid and organic traffic. These pages should be laser-focused on specific practice areas and keywords, with clear calls to action to encourage visitors to contact your firm.
- PPC Campaign Management: Develop targeted PPC campaigns with clear goals and track their performance closely. Analyze metrics like clicks, conversions, and cost-per-acquisition (CPA) to optimize your bids and ad copy for better results.
- Content Marketing: Develop a consistent content marketing strategy that includes blog posts, articles, and even infographics or videos that address legal topics of interest to potential clients. This content can attract organic traffic, establish your firm’s expertise, and provide valuable information to potential clients.
- Competitive Analysis: Regularly monitor your competitors’ online presence, both in terms of SEO and PPC. Analyze their keywords, landing pages, and ad copy to gain insights and identify areas where you can differentiate your firm.
I Can Only Afford One – Where to Start
If you are just starting out or dipping your toes into the world of online advertising for the first time, you may not be ready or have the finances to go “all in.”
When you need a strategy for what to do first, we would always recommend getting your website and organic SEO in line first. Your website and SEO presence should be considered foundational to any future marketing initiatives. For example, if you start with PPC and don’t have a quality site and landing pages to send that traffic back to, you are wasting money.
And it isn’t like you can’t have quick wins with SEO. Getting your website optimized for your service areas and location, along with relevant content, will get you found by searchers quickly. In addition, setting up and fully optimizing your Google Business Profile can also be a strategy to get found in local search quickly.
Once you have your foundational SEO in line, you can branch out into paid search and other avenues to fully flesh out your online strategy.
If you have questions or need help getting started, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the professionals here at Civille. We specialize in getting firms off the ground from an SEO perspective and can layer in a full digital strategy on top of that.
