Law Firm Online Presence: Foundational SEO

In an increasingly digital world, being noticed online is more important than ever. Law firms are no exception, as more and more individuals start their attorney search online. Law firm search engine optimization, or SEO, strategies help firms be found while increasing the quality and quantity of their website traffic. Using the right SEO strategies helps law firms stand out and rank higher among the legions of online search results.
 

Defining SEO Goals

SEO helps law firms increase the quality and quantity of traffic in multiple ways. The key is to figure out who they want visiting their website. Be sure to ask questions like:

• Who is the firm's target client?
• How is the firm differentiated from others with similar services? 
• How competitive is the field for the firm's practice area?
• What are the firm's goals?
• What is the current organic traffic?
• Does the firm know how visitors to the website are finding the firm? If so, is the traffic organic, paid, or both?
• Is the law firm website accessible for all visitors (computer, mobile)?

Like all goals, it starts with knowing where the firm currently stands and where you want the firm to go. 

Keywords and Research

Keywords are the words or phrases individuals use when searching for information using a search engine, like Google. When considering keywords, think about what users would need to enter in order to find your firm. 

Some keywords, like 'attorney near me' are obvious. However, as most law firms focus on this phrase, it can be hard to 'rank' on it. Rank refers to the location on the list of results returned by the search engine. Generally speaking, being on the first page is great.

In terms of ranking, there are two categories. Paid search results which are, generally speaking, Google Ads. More on that in a future post. The second category is organic search results. This refers to the search engine results that are not paid, and the focus of today's post. 

Some keywords are highly used and may be complicated to rank on, including 'attorney near me'. Keyword research helps law firms understand how many searches are completed using any phrase. There are many paid services that give more detail, but for most law firms, using Google Trends is generally sufficient. Be sure to look for the 'related searches' to see how a broader keyword can be focused. When looking for keywords, consider the below:

• How many people are searching using that particular phrase?
• Is that phrase specific enough for the target market to find your firm? 
• Is the phrase highly used?

It's also important to conduct keyword research on each of the kinds of search terms. These include:

• Head terms: single-word keywords with lots of search volume and competition (e.g. lawyer, attorney).
• Body keywords: Two or three word phrases with decent search volume, but are more specific and have less competition (e.g. immigration lawyer, good defense attorney).
• Long tail keywords: Specific phrases that don't have too much search volume but are significantly less competitive (e.g. 'family law attorney in Schaumburg Illinois').

Researching all three types of keywords will help the firm find the ones that have the best balance between search engine traffic and competition. Make sure to focus on keywords that target the firm's ideal client. If searchers aren't looking for legal counseling, there's no point in trying to show up in their search queries.

Next week we will discuss how to optimize the law firm's website for organic traffic. After all, SEO is all about search engine results - and search engines need to have something to search. It's all about your online content which is primarily, your website and blog. 

Once all the components are planned out, be sure to conduct keyword research as follows: 

1. Understand the customer and their goals: Create buyer personas with SEO in mind. Think about what the target audience is searching for, and what words or phrases they may use.
2. Decide what topics the firm wants to be known for: Figure out the most important topic to the law firm and focus on producing content that relates to it.
3. Find out what is being searched: Be sure to identify keywords that relate back to that topic that clients might use in their search.
4. Take note of search volume and competition: Focus on the keywords that will give the best return. If there's content ranking for those keywords, emulate them in way that offers unique value.
5. Organize topic keywords into clusters: This helps structure website content for both users and search engines.
6. Prioritize topic clusters and keywords: Figure out which keywords to make content for first based the law firm's SEO goals and the search intent behind said keywords.

Conducting good keyword research creates a foundation of expertise on which the law firm's website can built. This will make it easier to create content for the website, because the keyword research provides a good roadmap.

Local SEO Optimization

Law firms may want to consider using a highly localized approach. If the law firm practices in a specific geographic area, using local SEO tools provides better results. A few local optimization strategies include:

• Building a landing page for each business location, especially if the law firm has multiple locations.
• Optimizing the website for Google My Business profile by including local citations and customer reviews that tie the law firm to a specific location. 
• Conduct Keyword research based on local search traffic. Create buyer personas based on the local audience and publish content that matches their searches.

Conclusion

Foundational SEO is just one aspect of SEO optimization. It provides the basis to further improve a law firm's online presence. Law firms that optimize the foundational SEO of their website can expect:

• A solid basis to the quality and quantity of organic visits.
• Content that helps draw traffic, therefore increasing the odds searches turn into leads.
• Realistic, time-bound goals that can be measured when achieved.

Employing even the most basic SEO strategies can help law firms of any size improve its' digital standing. Not only is SEO significantly cheaper than other digital marketing options, it also has a compounding effect. The more the website's SEO is increased, the more authoritative it is and the greater the likelihood that it will rank high in search results. Foundational SEO optimization is just the first step, but everything has to begin somewhere.

Stay tuned next week for how to further grow your law firm using online strategies.