Search engine optimization is crucial for increasing traffic to your law firm’s website and getting first-page ranking on search engines like Google and Bing. Therefore, you must engage in SEO for legal practices and develop tactics to help you rank and increase visibility.
This article explains some SEO practices you can implement to improve your search engine ranking. It is important to note that the SEO tactics we outline can be used by everyone, from new law firms to established ones.
Do You Need SEO for Legal Practices?
You will be uninterested in any SEO tactic we discuss if you don’t think you need it. However, every law firm could benefit from having an SEO strategy.
Here’s one reason: 70% of law firms have gotten new cases through their websites. A significant reason is that more people are turning to the internet for information. Research also indicates that 85% of Americans go online daily.
Therefore, it is only logical to go where the people are. Furthermore, data shows that about 31.7% of people click on the number one search result on Google. So, with SEO for legal practices, your firm has a higher chance of not only appearing on the first page but being number one.
SEO Tactics to Use for Your Legal Practice
Now that you understand how important SEO for legal practices is, here are some tactics you can use.
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Revamp Old Content
Our first recommendation is to revamp any old content on your blog. While it is great to write new articles, updating old content can have a similar effect. Doing this is especially important because the law may have changed since you last wrote the piece.
Unlike writing new articles, you do not need to spend as much time revamping an old piece as you would writing a new one. Also, you’ll be able to add new keywords that the article did not have before.
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Make Your Website Copy User-Friendly
Many people assume that the primary purpose of SEO for legal practices is to make your website more discoverable to search engines. However, you must never forget that search engines ultimately crawl through websites to index content for humans.
Therefore, while it is acceptable to create content with search engines in mind, remember that humans are the ones who get to read your content. So ensure your website copy and blog posts are user-friendly.
Always ensure they are formatted in a way that makes them skimmable. For example, all subheadings should be bolded, while your paragraphs should be short. Four or five sentences are great for each section.
In addition to making it easy for users to skim, you can add images to your blog posts. According to a report, articles with photos get 94% more views than those without.
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Optimize Your Homepage
Your homepage is probably the most important page on your website. Therefore, you must design it in a way that makes it capable of retaining readers’ attention. Beyond that, it must have content that makes it discoverable by new users.
For example, your home page content must immediately convey who you are to website visitors. It should also contain links to other vital parts of your website, such as services, contact, and location pages.
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Improve Your Website Speed
You could have great content that is SEO optimized, but if your website loads slowly, people will not bother checking it out. There are many tools online that will show your website speed. One of the available tools includes Google PageSpeed Insights.
If you discover that your website is slow, there are some things you can do to improve the speed. One is compressing your images, as large images slow down your website speed. You can also delete all unnecessary plugins from your site.
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Target Keywords for Every Stage of the Client Journey
The client journey refers to the stages people go through before hiring your services. A typical client journey starts from the awareness stage before proceeding to the evaluation stage and culminates in the hiring stage.
Clients who need your services will fall into one of these categories. Therefore, you should create content that serves them at each phase. For example, a client at the awareness stage is looking for solutions to their problem.
Perhaps they’ve been in a rear-end collision and want to know what to do. An article on “what to do after a rear-end collision” will drive traffic from such people to your website.
Similarly, someone that needs a lawyer in South Carolina could search for “car accident lawyers in South Carolina.” Your ability to rank for these words improves your visibility to potential clients.
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Use Videos
Articles are not the only way to attract people to your website. Video is becoming an attractive option, and many people turn to YouTube to search for answers.
Fortunately, only a few law firms have started incorporating video so that you can build an advantage. You can use YouTube’s search suggest tool to discover what people are searching for and create videos based on them.
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Don’t Neglect Local SEO
Local SEO is crucial for lawyers. Lawyers cannot serve users worldwide, unlike some other businesses. You are often limited to representing clients in regions where you’re licensed to practice.
One way to do this is by using Google My Business. When optimizing your Google My Business account, there are a few things to add. This includes your accurate address, photos, reviews, and website URL.
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Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a great way to position yourself as an authority and ensure more people know about you. Identify blogs in your niche and pitch an article that resonates with their audience.
Most, if not all, websites that accept guest posts will allow you to link to your website. However, you can also link to previous articles on your website that are relevant to the subject you’re writing on. When approaching a website with a pitch, ensure it provides value to its audience.
Even when you don’t find a website directly related to yours, you can write on sites in other niches. For example, if an aspect of your practice affects insurance professionals, you can write an article on a blog they read.
EverConvert Creates the Best Tactics for SEO for Legal Practices
Many law firms understand the value of SEO to their businesses. However, not everyone implements it. While some do not know how to go about it, others are overwhelmed with work and cannot make time for it.
What if we could help you position your legal practice to attract the right clients? This would free you up to deliver exceptional service to your clients. EverConvert is an SEO and marketing agency that helps law firms get to the top of Google rankings. We are your best bet if you would like to attract and retain the right clients. So give us a call today and learn how we can help you.
