As a law firm, it is important to have a website that abides by the rules and regulations that have been dictated by the various state bar associations. However, that does not mean that an attorney website cannot utilize some of the best marketing practices being used today. Search engine optimization for lawyers is as simple as doing your research and writing it out.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the best ways an attorney can help drive traffic to their website. If you are marketing for your firm’s website, the SEO tips below can help increase your potential clientele outreach.
Search Engine Optimization for Lawyers: The Facts
Before creating website content, it is vital to understand the dynamic environment that makes up the world wide web. After all, 96 percent of all people seeking legal advice will begin their search using a search engine.
There are multiple search engines available for use by various searchers. However, Google is the largest in the world. In fact, Google is used to complete 75 percent of all search engine queries. As such, the majority of your SEO tactics should be geared towards increasing your Google ranking.
The Google Algorithm
Google updates it’s algorithm regularly. With each update, it tweaks and hones its ability to rank all potential responses to a query. These updates provide the basis for which your website will be ranked when a query is run. By utilizing SEO tactics, you can help to boost this ranking.
Search Engine Optimization for Lawyers: The Site
SEO tactics can be employed by anyone, however, law firms should pay particular attention to several areas of interest.
Keywords
Do not skip your keyword analysis. Keywords are one of the first things a search engine will analyze when a query is entered. These keywords, which can be short- or long-tailed, are the initial criteria that dictate how closely your content can satisfy the search query.
Having short-tail keywords, which are considered generic, is a great way to attract a large number of site visitors. (In fact, 62 percent of all legal searches fall into this category.) However, utilizing long-tail keywords are more specific. Long-tail keywords, which typically range between three and five words, have both short and long-term benefits. They may not drive the same amount of traffic to your website, however, they will direct more serious traffic to you. (Which is important when 87 percent of people who actually reach out to a lawyer end up hiring them!)
Build Appropriate Content
Knowing your audience is one of the most important factors when it comes to SEO strategies. It drives your keyword development and helps you to build the content they want to see. In order to intelligently optimize your website, for example, keywords should be used in your H1, H2 and meta description sections of your content. By researching your keywords and analyzing them, you can craft content that highlights these words and phrases and helps to truly capitalize on their relevance.
Do not ignore your local ranking! Google strives to provide relevant content to users, giving preference to the local law firm(s).
Attorney Calls to Action
A call to action (CTA) is the summation of your content. For many websites, it will go at the end of their content. However, for any law firm(s), an effective CTA works a bit differently.
For an attorney, the CTA should be located above the point at which a visitor will need to scroll. Additionally, a phone number should be prominently featured on every page. (In fact, you should provide more than one means of contact to encourage any type of outreach. This may include multiple numbers, email addresses, and contact forms.)