Law Firm SEO – Reach the Top of Google [Get More Traffic]

By: Frank DePino | September 14, 2021

Law firms work exceptionally hard to earn the trust and respect of clients. If they do it right, the right law firm will have clients coming to them every day, and even refer some new clients along the way.

If you’re looking to have new clients come to you organically, there’s one thing you must look into: law firm SEO. 

What is Law Firm SEO?

Law firm SEO (search engine optimization) is when law firms organically optimize their website and content so it ranks higher on search engines like Google. The higher your website ranks on a search engine results page (SERP), the greater your chances are of getting traffic to your website. 

There are multiple avenues law firms can take to capitalize on their SEO strategy. Here are some key things to do to make your website and content optimized and rank higher on Google. 

Step 1: Look at On-Site SEO

On-site SEO is the process of looking at your web content and seeing how you can optimize it to show up higher on SERPs. Execute these key strategies to boost your on-site SEO and get more traffic to your website. 

Optimize Your Content for Keywords

One of the most important things you should do when utilizing on-site SEO is optimizing your content for keywords. Keywords are terms and phrases people search on Google. Examples of keywords include: 

• Personal injury law firm 
• Law firms near me 
• Best law firms 

When people search for these terms, the information that provides the best answers for these terms will show up higher on Google. That’s why it’s important to create content that targets keywords in a valuable and authentic way. 

Do keyword research and see which search terms are most viable for your law firm seo to go after. 

Match Intent and Create Quality Content

When creating content that targets keywords, it’s crucial that you match the intent of that keyword in your content. 

Think of the intent as the reason why someone is searching for a term in the first place. 

If you don’t match that intent, you’re essentially wasting your time targeting that keyword. 

The best way to find out a keyword’s intent is to look at what content shows up in the top spots of the first SERP. 

For example, if you look up the keyword “what does a law firm do”, you should look at the content that shows up in the top three to five spots organically (don’t click on the ads, as that’s paid advertising as opposed to organic ranking). 

What does that content look like? Look at its: 

• Structure 
• Length
• Media (are there videos and/or graphics?) 
• Content (is it a how-to guide? General article?) 

Remember: at the end of the day, Google’s main goal is to find the best solutions for its users’ problems. Provide the best solution through quality content and you’ll rank higher on search pages. 

Create Content Based Around E-A-T

A law firm is full of people who know a thing or two about the law. Use that authority and expertise to create content that abides by E-A-T: Expertise, authority, and trust. 

EAT is one of the most important things Google looks for when determining the quality of your content. 

If the content shows expertise, authority, and trust, Google will likely rank it higher on search pages. 

EAT is especially important for law firm content and websites, since law advice and law content can impact people’s lives. 

For example, if a law firm publishes an article on what to do after getting sued, someone could take that advice and use it. In doing such, they rely on the firm’s expertise, authority, and trust to give them accurate information. 

So, how can you increase your EAT? Consider the following tips. 

• Have your content reviewed by experts (and state it’s been reviewed by an expert) 
• Interview experts and cite them in your content 
• Include credible statistics and facts in your content 
• Reach out to credible and authoritative sites to see if they’ll link to your content 
• Publish your own credible research relevant to your field and practice
• Get quoted in reputable publications to build your own reputation 

The more you can show that your content is credible and trustworthy, the better the chances are of your content ranking highly and being seen by more people. Think of the value it will bring to your audience. 

Utilize Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, and Alt Tags

Something you shouldn’t forget to do when optimizing your content and website for law firm SEO is utilizing the power of your title tags, meta descriptions, and alt tags. Let’s define what each of these are: 

Title tag: This is an HTML element that defines what the title of your content is on search pages. When you search for something online, the title that shows up on the page is the title tag; it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same as the headline of your content. 

Meta description: This is an HTML element that’s essentially a summary of what your content is about. This is the small chunk of text that shows up below the title tag on a search page. 

Alt tag: This is an HTML element that allows text to show up if an image can’t render within a piece of content or on a webpage. 

Utilizing and optimizing these elements can give your content a big advantage on Google. Telling Google what your content is in a strategic way can help boost it on search pages. Here are some key ways to optimize each element. 

Tips for optimizing the title tag:

• Make sure it accurately tells users what the content is about; don’t mislead people for the sake of getting clicks 
• Include the keyword you’re targeting in the title tag, but don’t keyword stuff 
• Don’t make it too long
• Don’t overthink it. Instead, put yourself in the user’s shoes: What kind of title tag would you want to see? What would make you click? 

Tips for optimizing the meta description: 

• Keep it a good length; between 150 and 160 characters will suffice
• Make it actionable; think of it as a quick summary inviting users to check out your content
• Keep it relevant to the content you’re producing and incorporate your keyword (or a variation of the keyword) in the description in a natural way that helps the user 

Tips for optimizing alt tags: 

• Always include them so visually impaired users can get an idea of what your content is about 
• Include your keyword (or a variation of it) in the alt text so it can help boost your chances of ranking for that keyword 
• Be descriptive, but not too descriptive; you don’t want your alt tags to be too long 

Optimizing these elements sends signals to Google about the quality and makeup of your content. Don’t ignore them, or you could miss out on key opportunities. 

Step 2: Capitalize On Off-Site SEO

Off-site SEO refers to the strategy of using online resources outside of your website to increase your ranking on search engines. Here are some key strategies for capitalizing on off-site SEO. 

Set Up a Google My Business Account

If you don’t have one yet, set up a Google My Business for your law firm. Google My Business is a tool that allows you to manage your law firm’s reputation and information online. You should include the following on your Google My Business account: 

• Your law firms’ name
• Hours of operation
• A link to your firm’s website 
• Contact information 
• Client reviews 

This helps users find relevant and valuable details about your law firm in an organized and timely fashion. Think of it as a one-stop shop for your firm’s must-know information. 

You should update your Google My Business regularly so it (and your law firm) stay relevant. You can do this by: 

• Responding to reviews 
• Posting photos of your firm 
• Providing updates on your account 

Doing these things will help your website get traffic and increase your chances of converting users to clients. 

Creating a Business Listing

Similar to Google My Business, creating a business listing helps people find your law firm’s information faster. Find relevant websites where you can list your law firm’s information and expand your online reach and drive traffic to your website. 

Get More Online Reviews

Another way to drive more traffic to your website and rank higher on Google is to get more online reviews from clients. 

Statistics show that 79% of buyers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

Online reviews are a form of social proof; the more people say your services are legitimate and provide value, the more trustworthy and authoritative you look in the eyes of users. 

The more trustworthy you look, the more likely users will go to your website and look at your services. 

Step 3: Look at the Technicals 

The technical part of your website also plays a huge factor in your SEO success. If your website isn’t user-friendly and laid out properly, your ranking will suffer.

Here are some key things to analyze when looking at the technical aspects of your website. 

Look at Your Sitemap

Sitemaps are essential for SEO because they allow Google to crawl and index your pages, which allows it to rank your content accordingly. It tells Google important information about your pages that factor in their online rankings. 

Look at your sitemap and ensure it’s optimized so Google can easily crawl and index it. 

Analyze User Experience 

User experience (UX) is also an essential part of your law firm’s SEO strategy. The better your site works for users, the more likely it’ll rank higher on search engines. 

Think about it: Google’s job is to answer users’ search queries the best way possible. 

It only makes sense that Google would want to rank content that’s easy for people to use and get valuable information from. 

Here are a couple key things to look for when analyzing user experience: 

• Site speed—your site speed should be fast and not lag. Lagging site speed and slow load times = bad user experience. 
• Mobile friendliness—if your website isn’t equipped to adapt to mobile search, your rankings will suffer. 
• Website navigation—is it easy to get from one part of your website to another? If so, Google can reward you by ranking your website higher. 

The better your user experience, the more engaged users are with your website. 

The more they’re engaged, the more it signals to Google that your website is relevant and worth finding. 

Step 4: Plan Content Marketing for SEO

Content marketing is an essential way for you to boost your marketing and SEO efforts. 

A law firm can create the most valuable content in the world, but it doesn’t do them much good if they don’t market it. 

Content marketing increases web traffic, which boosts brand recognition and your trust and authority online, on top of nurturing the relationship with your audience. 

All of these factors combined can launch your website to the first SERP. 

Take these important tips into consideration when content marketing:

• Identify your audience—who do you want to target? 
• Think about your platforms—how are you going to share your content? Which social media platforms will you share content on, and what kinds of media are you going to share (videos, infographics, etc.)? 
• Set realistic goals and benchmarks—set up realistic ways to track your content marketing efforts. Setting goals and identifying key benchmarks are the best ways to track performance and adjust strategies as need be. 

Conclusion: Law Firm SEO

Law firms must make SEO a priority if they want to have a viable online presence.

SEO helps you establish trust with users, which is essential to have when hiring a law firm. It also helps your website rank higher, which helps increase brand awareness. 

If you want to create a comprehensive law firm digital marketing strategy that works, it must include SEO to be successful. 

By: Frank DePino

Frank DePino is Principal and Founder of Mediaboom. Since 2002, Frank has led Mediaboom’s award-winning staff of creative and technical professionals building the most effective marketing and advertising solutions for its clients.