Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tried and true tactic to drive online traffic to your website and manufacture business opportunities. SEO is valuable in almost any industry — but may be even more valuable to law firms, lawyers, and attorneys. Recent data has shown that an estimated 17% of legal clients search for a lawyer online, making SEO an important piece of the puzzle for law firms that wish to increase their client base.
SEO is much more than a marketing strategy that can make your law firm more visible online — it provides a way for you to stand apart from competitors in an ultra-competitive legal environment. Content is King and well-executed SEO content will help your website rank higher on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), make your law firm stand out in the legal crowd, create leads with potential clients, and help establish your law firm as an expert in your field. And SEO is a cost-effective investment that provides an exceptional return on investment.
With that said — not all content is created equal and the SEO strategies employed by a car dealership or tech company will not be the same as SEO strategies employed by law firms. Law firms that want to invest in SEO and grow their brand may be asking — what makes law firm SEO different — and Civille is here to help answer your questions.
Civille is a premier website provider for law firms with digital marketing, lead management, and analytics services available to law firms across the United States. Contact the Civille Team today to learn more about our available services and to request a demo!
READ MORE: 2024 Beginner’s Guide to Law Firm SEO
How Is SEO Different for Law Firms?
Have you been considering SEO services for your law firm? You may be asking — what’s so special about SEO for law firms? Isn’t it just the same as any other content? SEO encompasses a broad range of online marketing aspects that include on-site SEO content, backlinks, and technical SEO. Before we highlight why SEO is different for law firms, it is important to shed a little light on the different elements of SEO that will help you drive success.
- SEO Content — SEO content includes blogs, landing pages, the text on your homepage, images, videos, and more. High-quality content works to improve search rankings of your website and will help answer questions for potential clients.
- Backlinks and Off-Page Citations — Your credibility as a law firm is vital to your success and SEO best practices highlight backlinks and off-page citations that come from external sources to add credibility to your law firm and make your law firm stand out as a trusted legal resource.
- Technical SEO — Technical SEO is a key ranking factor for Google and it includes page speed, title tags, and site structure that are all key factors of a high-quality website.
In general terms — these are elements that every business with a website should pay attention to, but when you drill down to individual business strategies, there are a few aspects of law firm SEO that are different from most websites.
READ MORE: 10 Key SEO Strategies for Law Firms to Attract More Clients
1. Law Firm SEO is Local
Law firm SEO is intensely competitive with an estimated 450,000 law firms and 1.3 million lawyers in the United States — all competing for clients. With that being said, it does not make much sense for a law firm in Wisconsin to try and reach potential clients in California or New York. This means that high-quality law firm SEO needs to be locally-based.
Potential clients who have an open case in Wisconsin will not search for an attorney or lawyer in California, and vice versa. It makes no sense. A majority of law firm searches include a local or geographic element in the search terms and law firms that employ local SEO strategies and create locally-based content will increase visibility for the potential clients that really matter in their town, city, state, or region.
2. Law Firm SEO Must Be Precise and Specific
When you create SEO for law firms it is important to be precise and specific — more so than in other industries. Did you know that according to American Bar Association Rule 7.2 lawyers cannot misrepresent themselves and imply that they are experts in a field without the proper documentation and certification? Law firms that mislead potential clients with self-assertive language may face legal repercussions.
The need to be precise extends beyond how a law firm represents itself. Potential clients who find a law firm’s content via a Google search may have very specific legal questions and it is important that the content provided on the website has accurate information that will not steer people in the wrong direction. This can be a challenge as laws may be different from state to state and laws are subject to change.
3. Law Firm SEO Keyword Intent is Important
When you craft SEO content for a law firm, it is important to examine the intent behind the content and make sure it matches the keywords that you use. Law firms that are active in multiple practice areas may find that not all client searches are the same. The same law firm may attract potential clients that want additional information about estate planning or it may attract potential clients who are about to be evicted and need legal advice as soon as possible. While both need the help of a law firm, the intent is not the same, and SEO content can help ensure that the clients that need you can find you.
This makes it important for law firms to understand the intent behind specific searches and create SEO content that matches the searcher’s intent with the law firm’s practice areas and services. When establishing an SEO strategy, it is important to create the right SEO content for the right clients with the right intent.
READ MORE: Does a Small Law Firm Need SEO and Blogs?
Are you looking for ways to improve SEO on your law firm’s website? Before you get in too deep, you may want to ask — what makes law firm SEO different? Civille has the answers to your questions and we hope that this brief overview has shed a little light on law firm SEO and if you still have questions, we are ready to answer the bell.
Contact the Civille Team today to learn more about law firm SEO and how our services can help you drive success at your law firm!
