In the digital world of today, so many people are now going online to find information and compare their options. If it’s difficult for people to find you online, you’re most likely losing out on a significant amount of potential clients.
But first, this guide focuses on SEO for law firms that are just at the beginning stages of developing an online lead generation strategy.
And a study in 2017 by AccuRanker, found the legal niche to be the most competitive when it comes to SEO.
So let’s start with definitions, so you can go ahead and work on attracting potential clients.
How SEO Works?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of driving more visitors to your law firm’s website by increasing your website’s position in search engine results pages: the links that show up after you enter something on Google, Bing, or another search engine.
In other words, if your law firm appears near the top of search engine results, specifically on the first page, you’ll get more visitors to your website. SEO doesn’t include any ads that show up in the results. Once visitors click on your link within the organic results (and if your website provides them with the initial information they need and are looking for), they’ll reach out to you to learn more about your services.
The big challenge that persists when doing SEO for law firms is to try to figure out how to get your law firm to the top of the organic search results. Although there are plenty of vendors offering law firm SEO, there are no foolproof plans or guarantees that you’ll be able to rank in the number one position of the organic search results.
Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to improve your chances of ranking on the first page of the search results. If you’re able to understand the basic factors search engines evaluate when deciding which websites hold the most value to online users, it’s easy to cut through the noise in the market and catch the eye of prospects.
Advantages Of SEO For Law Firms
Some of the advantages of SEO for lawyers and law firms include:
- Outranking your local competition
- Driving more phone calls through listing
- Generating traffic through high-quality localized content
- Collecting positive client reviews to improve online reputation
- Attracting high-volume traffic and leads on autopilot
- Turning existing and new site traffic into leads (phone calls and form fills)
- Solidifying your law firm as a reputable authority in your niche
This is not only due to the highly targeted nature of SEO, but because expert SEO works to improve conversions along with driving traffic.
Outrank Your Local Competitors
There are only so many spots in the search results, and if you aren’t in the top 3, click-throughs to your website decrease significantly. SEO works to optimize your site for your target keywords and get it to outrank your competitors.
You don’t always need to be at the #1 spot to drive traffic and leads to your site, but you do want your website to be on Page 1 and have a visible presence in local search.
Drive More Phone Calls Through Listings
While your website can take up one spot in the search results, you can also drive clicks by having an optimized Google My Business profile.
When users search for “family lawyer near me” or “Palm Beach personal injury attorney”, your law firm’s GMB profile can rank for these terms. Users can click on your website link or give you a call using the number included in your GMB profile.
Utilize local SEO to improve your local presence and create more opportunities for potential clients to find you online.
Generate More Traffic Through Blogs
Use your blog to provide valuable information to your audience, generate more traffic through keyword targeting, and convert traffic into leads.
With SEO, you’ll identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that you can turn into engaging blog topics. This content can then attract users who are searching for these terms and guide them down your lead generation funnel.
Legal content doesn’t have to be boring. You can create content around
- How-to guides
- Complete guides on legal topics
- Localized practice area pages
- FAQ pages (Good for Featured Snippets)
- Ebooks
- Checklists, and many more
Collecting Positive Client Reviews
Part of any successful SEO strategy is generating more positive reviews for your law firm. If you haven’t been proactive about this in the past, then SEO will help you gather more reviews to improve your online reputation.
Positive reviews show users that your law firm can be trusted and will provide high-quality services. If you have more positive reviews than a local competitor, this may lead you to outrank them.
Attracting High-Volume Traffic & Leads On Autopilot
While SEO is not a “set it and forget it” strategy, once it’s implemented, it can start generating traffic with little effort. This is especially the case if you work with a reputable SEO agency to optimize your site for you.
SEO can work for the long term to drive a constant stream of traffic and leads to your website. Most law firms prefer this over re-investing in paid ads or keeping up with social media posting. Think of it as a compounded investment.
Converting Traffic Into Quality Leads
A reliable SEO firm will not only drive traffic to your site but convert that traffic once it gets there. They will include compelling calls-to-action, optimize web copy, call buttons, and form fills to entice users to contact your firm.
Traffic is just one part of the equation. In investing in SEO, make sure your strategy includes lead generation so you can see a direct return on your investment.
Then, it will just become a matter of your law firm taking the call and closing the deal.
Solidify Your Law Firm As An Authority In Your Niche
By improving your online presence with SEO, you show other industry professionals that you mean business. You’ll become more visible online, thus opening the door to new partnerships and opportunities.
The benefits of SEO extend far beyond driving traffic to your website. You could land new, high-paying clients, be invited to speak at industry events, get your name in legal publications, and so much more.
When it comes to law firm SEO, don’t be afraid to think big.
Conclusion
These are the things we want you to know why Law Firms should do SEO. SEO is one of the best digital marketing strategies law firms can use to increase their website traffic and get more clients.
But the benefits of law firm SEO go far beyond traffic and lead generation; law firms can solidify themselves as absolute powerhouses in their niche.
If you have a law firm and haven’t invested in SEO, today is the day to start. You could be leaving loads of money at the table by not optimizing your website and dominating local searches.
Again, what could more traffic and clients do for your law firm?
