SEO is becoming a major digital marketing tool in the modern world. More and more firms are turning to SEO to increase their online visibilities. With SEO, you have a tool that’s not only cost-effective but also practical in terms of getting you real results. But for you to realize positive results, you should avoid making committing the following common SEO for law firms mistakes. So, if you want your site to be a big hit in your area of practice, avoid the following lawyer SEO mistakes.
Bad Backlinks
Of course, link building is one of the best strategies law firms can leverage to take their game to another new level. However, doing it wrong can get your site into trouble. For instance, broken links will piss off your site visitors. Equally, poor quality links won’t help you get more clients. So, if you want to stamp your authority on the market, get quality backlinks. If you don’t have the know-how as far as creating quality links is concerned, hire the services of a reputable SEO agency. With an SEO agency, you have a partner with the experience and knowledge required to get you the best links for your link building journey.
Short Blog Posts
Creating short blog posts is a thing of the past. Nowadays, customers are looking for long exhaustive content. So, don’t create content that is below 1000 words. Create content that is long—preferably between 1,000 to 25000 words. It is one of the best on-page SEO techniques that will help rank your website higher on Google. With long-form content, you have blog posts that can dominate search engines and bring you the hard to get leads.
Hiring an Incompetent Attorney SEO Agency
The agency you hire is very important. Get it wrong during the hiring process and dent your site’s chances of getting ranked high on Google. So, choose wisely. Look at the experience of that agency. Read online reviews. Ask fellow business partners for referrals. Conduct interviews and ask pertinent questions. Look at the testimonials. Post your queries on online forums. With this strategy, you are likely to get an SEO for law firms agency that will actualize your digital marketing dream.
Long-Term Contracts
Don’t enter hire an SEO agency that’s looking to lock you into long-term based contracts. Only sign short contracts. An agency that wants long contracts is only after your money. So, only sign short contracts—preferably after one year. From there, you can evaluate results and determine the best possible course of action.
Avoid Duplicating Content
Duplicating content can negatively affect your site’s ranking. Remember, it’s hard to cheat Google. Of course, you can employ manipulative tactics and get away with it. However, this won’t last long. It will backfire and land you in trouble. For instance, you might get banned or penalized.
Don’t Flout Google Guidelines Regarding Lawyer SEO
Google has formulated its own webmaster. So, it’s important to stick to these guidelines—otherwise, Google might penalize you or ban you. So, familiarize yourself with these guidelines and follow them to the latter.
Avoid Old Tactics
Don’t rely on old tactics. They might be outdated and ineffective. Instead, teach yourself modern law firm SEO tactics. Plus, when hiring an SEO agency, ensure that it’s using the most innovative techniques for all the SEO-related campaigns.
Keyword Staffing
Keyword density is a key element when it comes to content marketing. Overdoing it will not help rank your site higher on Google. Don’t jumble up keywords. Stick to the laid out guidelines.
Doorway Pages
Don’t create multiple, copycat web pages hoping to rank higher on Google. It’s a mistake you should avoid. As earlier stated, Google cannot be tricked. Google tools will detect copycat pages and penalize you. Instead, consider creating unique, high-quality content. Then create unique pages. It will have a positive impact on your SEO campaign.
Cloaking
Don’t show a different page to users and a different one to search engines. You will be penalized. Embrace Google’s best practices. Be genuine with your law firm SEO campaign.
Slow Loading Speed
Nothing annoys clients more than a website that takes ages to load. Plus, if Google realizes that your loading speed is slow, it will send your site to second pages on search results. Worse still, customers will not stick around for long. This means that you will be generating fewer leads and your revenues will be poor. So, work on the loading speed of your site. Ensure the loading speed is less than 3 seconds.
Mobile-Unfriendly Site
The modern client is using mobile to access information online. So, not focusing on mobile-friendly content can harm your SEO efforts. Create content that’s mobile-friendly. Also, when designing your website, be sure to create one that is mobile-friendly. Create short sentences. Ensure the paragraphs are short, clear, and concise. Make use of tags and meta tags. Create unique meta descriptions. Don’t forget to use subheadings and bullet points. They make content mobile-friendly.
Webmaster Tools Errors
Indexing errors can cost your website. Likewise, webmaster errors like penalties can dent the fortunes of your law firm’s website. So, check to ensure that you don’t have these issues on your site.
Anchor Links
Avoid spamming inbound anchor-based text links. Just like in duplicating content, spamming inbound links can lead to severe punishment—including being banned from Google. So, there should be no relationship between anchor link, HI tag, as well as the content itself. Try to be unique and original.
Over-Optimized Domains
Who said that you must have a domain featuring keywords for your site to rank high on Google? This is an allusion. With proper content as well as authority, you can rank high on Google. So, focus on creating high-quality, unique content. It will rank your site high when it comes to engine results. Also, learn how to establish authority in your area of practice.
The Bottom-Line
Avoid the above mistakes if you want your law firm to rank high on Google. Remember, the above mistakes can cost your website. For instance, trying to cheat Google with duplicated content can lead to severe penalties. Thus, embrace law firm SEO best practices when rolling out your law firm digital marketing campaign.