For a law firm to be successful, it must have great attorneys, but there must also be a constant influx of new clients as well. The firm’s website needs to be marketed properly to help achieve the goal of new clients and success. A number of various ways exist to market the online site, but one of the best choices is to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) for law firms. Legal SEO helps drive organic traffic to the firm’s site, and the strength of powerful SEO produces more local clients.

With SEO, a law firm’s presence online is groomed in such a fashion that the website finds its way to a higher ranking in searches for certain keywords. With effective SEO tactics, a law firm’s name and website are put in front of potential clients at the very moment they are looking online for legal representation.

How Does SEO Help Law Firms?

Ways that a law firm benefits from SEO include:

Established Market Position

The higher a law firm ranks in search engine findings, the more trustworthy and established it appears to be. Firms that show on the second or third page of search results tend to be considered second rate and less reliable. How does a firm get into a desirable established market position? This comes by using reliable SEO tactics.

Targeted Traffic

People using a search engine generally use specific words that clearly define the object of their search. When a law firm optimizes its website by using specific keywords, it is making itself more widely visible to targeted traffic. Rather than using a pay-per-click tactic on social media where people exposed to the ad might not even need an attorney, it’s more sensible to use targeted keywords to reach the targeted audience.

Flow of Prospective Clients

When a law firm begins to rank high in search engines, organic search traffic increases, and this leads to an increase in potential clients contacting the firm. By using strong SEO tactics, attorneys will find themselves getting much more business with much less work.

More Conversions

The more contact and leads a law firm receives from prospective clients, the more opportunities there are to convert these individuals into paying clients. Additionally, when SEO drives people to a law firm, it frees the attorneys to spend more time focusing efforts on other areas of the business. Essentially this means that more time can be spent conversing with new clients, doing more research, or preparing cases without distractions.

Higher Return on Investment

No matter which practice areas constitute a law firm’s expertise field, one thing is certain – there is competition. One great thing about boosting SEO efficiently is that it easily puts the firm ahead of the competition without putting a major strain on time, money, and effort. At first, of course, there will be a period requiring a bit more work, but after the online site gets optimized and follows best SEO practices, clients will steadily appear. SEO’s return on investment is one of the best bargains where marketing strategies are concerned.

Improving A Law Firm’s SEO

Choose the Right Keywords

The major force of SEO is to use effective keywords. It would make no sense to optimize a site using a keyword that is never used in any client searches. Law firms will likely not get any results this way. Rather, analyze the competition, and then use research tools to look for keywords that apply to the legal world. To get strong results, use relevant keywords that relate to your specific area of expertise and that clients are searching for. 

Get More Online Reviews

Search engines will boost a website higher in ratings the more positive reviews there are online. Law firms should ask their satisfied clients to give written or video testimonials for use on the company’s website. Bear in mind that testimonials from highly respected sources and individuals will greatly enhance the amount of traffic coming to a site. Prospective clients who visit a law firm’s website will naturally feel a sense of trust when they see numerous reviews from past clients giving shining accolades to the firm’s attorneys for a job well done.

Stay Away From Legal Jargon

Attorneys use words to sway juries, so it is no secret that they are capable of eloquent writing. However, someone visiting a law firm’s website in advance of choosing a legal representative is not necessarily going to understand the type of legal jargon that is used in court documents. So, for increased SEO effect, the website should speak in terms that are easily understood by potential clients who have no law degree. Just pair keywords that were discovered during SEO research with high-quality content, and the firm’s website will naturally climb up the search results.

Optimize Metadata Correctly

The hidden link on a law firm’s page that is basically a name tag of sorts is called a Meta Title, and it appears in search engines. This title is extremely important and needs to embody the relevant keywords for a search engine to find. It should include no more than 60 characters.

The Meta Description comes under the Meta Title when search engine results appear. This is a brief description of the firm’s website and should be 160 characters or less. It’s really just a short summary to give the searcher a quick description of what awaits on the firm’s site. If this description is amazing enough, it can be the catalyst for high search engine rankings and greatly increase the site’s click-through rate.

The Meta Title and Description should never be misleading on the type of information its webpage contains.

Concentrate on Visual Appeal

It makes sense that a visually appealing website with an established brand will help attract prospective clients. In their ranking process, search engines like Google have now begun to place more emphasis on a user’s experience. If a site is visually appealing and the user interface is good, the website will definitely rise in search results. A law firm should make sure its site is mobile friendly and its design is up-to-date.

Videos are rapidly gaining importance as a quick and easy way for potential clients to preview the attorneys with whom they will be working. It’s a good idea for each legal representative to make a short personal video in which a few common legal questions can be addressed. The videos can also be placed on the law firm’s other social media pages.

Legal Marketing with Broughton Partners

SEO is one of the many legal digital marketing options an attorney can utilize in their effort to increase clientele. For attorneys who want a guaranteed way to find clients, Broughton Partners is here to help. Broughton Partners finds and reviews potential plaintiffs, then connects them to your law firm. We only deliver qualified retained claimants that match your case critieria.

To learn more about our services, call (800) 949-8904 or fill out an online contact form.