If you own a website for your law firm and have tried to increase the number of visitors and engagement, you might have come across search engine optimization (SEO). Optimizing your site for search engines, especially for Google, puts it among the top results on the first page. Therefore, you must consider SEO for law firm if you want to rank high on search engines.
However, ranking on search engines is not the only way to increase your law firm’s visibility. You should also optimize your content for social media using a process known as social media optimization (SMO). SEO and SMO might sound and seem alike, but they are not.
Both are governed by different rules, although ultimately, you will get the same results. So, in this article, we will discuss how search engine optimization differs from social media optimization.
Understanding SEO for Law Firm and SMO
Search engine optimization involves driving more visitors to your firm’s website by creating content that increases your ranking on search engines. Examples of these search engines are Bing, Google, Yahoo, etc. SEO is important because the more optimized your site is, the better it will rank.
So, suppose you are a divorce lawyer, and someone is searching for a divorce law firm in Greenville, South Carolina. If your firm is well-optimized, it will be the first firm recommended for such a person. As a result, your website will get many visitors, and they can later convert to paying clients.
On the other hand, social media optimization involves using social networks to manage and grow your firm’s online presence. It is another common strategy used by digital marketing agencies to help firms increase their visibility, connect with their clients, and pass their message.
Before SMO became a thing, SEO was the only way for firms to optimize content. But now, with the increased number of social media networks and users, more firms are turning to SMO. However, while SEO is more about quality leads, social media optimization does much more.
For one, it strengthens your firm’s connection with clients and target audience. With social media, you deliver content they can connect with and share with those who follow them on their social accounts.
Also, social media optimization is used on all social media platforms. It works for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, etc.
One thing SMO and SEO have in common is that both increase visibility and direct people to your law firm’s website. So, it is best to combine your SEO for law firms and SMO efforts.
Common SEO and SMO Methods
Another way SEO and SMO differs are the methods used by digital marketing agencies to give you the best outcome. We discussed them one after the other.
The standard search engine optimization methods include the following:
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Keyword Planning
It involves selecting specific keywords that target the content on each page of your website or practice areas. This way, when someone types a word or phrase in search engines, the specific page where the keyword is used will appear on the result page. As a result, it is easy for your clients and prospects to locate the information they need easily.
Also, part of keyword planning is researching the keywords to use. One crucial aspect of SEO for a law firm is that you cannot use any keyword, even if it is law related. This is because there are several practice areas, and every lawyer has a specialty. Therefore, research the keywords useful to your practice area and use them.
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Quality and Optimised Copy
Another SEO method is creating good and quality optimized copy for each page of your firm’s website. Here, it is crucial to include specific keywords that will help each page rank highly on search engines. It also helps to ensure that the copy is well-written, so if you cannot do it yourself, hire a professional copywriter.
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Meta Title and Description
Each of your pages must also have a meta title and description. The meta title tells the search engine what the page is about, and the description serves as a text snippet, and you find it below the title in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Therefore, a law firm website that wants to rank high must have a meta title and description.
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Link Building
Link building involves gaining links from other sites. Simply put, when other websites link to yours, it positions you as an authority website which causes search engines to rank you high. The more links you get from other sites, the better your website’s reputation, so you should invest in link building and do it right.
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User-Friendly Sites
Finally, Search engine optimization efforts will fail if your website is not user-friendly. Therefore, before commencing the search engine optimization process, ensure your law firm’s website is easily navigable, responsive, and has an attractive interface. If not, even if you generate organic traffic, it will not yield results, as visitors will leave immediately without performing any function.
Now, for social media optimization, the methods are different, and it includes doing the following:
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Creating Shareable Content
Content is king on social media. Therefore, if you want to optimize a website for social media to attract traffic, you must create shareable content. The latter refers to posts that people want to share or link to, and you can make a video or written content. Blog posts are great examples of shareable content.
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Make Sharing Easy
Making great content is useless if it is difficult to share. Make sharing easy by adding different social media links to your website. In your blogs, encourage readers to share the article on social media and bookmark them too.
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Reward Loyal Followers
Part of social media optimization is rewarding loyal followers. You can create a follow back or reshare their posts. You can also offer pro bono services to some of your followers to thank them for sticking with you. It is the legal version of a social media giveaway.
Are You Looking Into Search Engine Optimization for Law Firm or SMO? We Can Help
Getting the best out of your SEO and SMO efforts requires the services of a digital marketing agency. At EverConvert, our team of experts has successfully helped law firms to increase their visibility and convert visitors to paying clients.
We are confident that we can do the same for you. So, trust us with your SEO and SMO, and we will deliver satisfactory results. Contact us today to learn more about our digital marketing services.
