Now more than ever, clients find attorneys through internet searches. When they search organic search results they often trust the first few firm websites listed therein; therefore it’s vital for firms to optimize their websites and content for SEO so as to drive more traffic and leads.

Ask prospective SEO agencies about their strategies for keyword research, content and website optimization, link building and local SEO. Inquire further as to their experience working with law firms.

Keyword Research

When selecting an SEO agency for your law firm, ask about their process for finding relevant keywords and creating content that draws in potential clients. Also take note of client testimonials and tailored strategies they may offer – make sure it fits within the firm.

Attorneys should prioritize keyword research for their practice areas and service locations to maximize online visibility, with particular attention paid to long-tail keywords that better meet audience needs and search intent.

As an alternative to targeting generic terms like “criminal lawyer”, law firms should instead research and create content around keywords with purchase intent such as “how to hire a criminal defense lawyer”. This strategy will produce more relevant results while increasing their chances of landing new clients.

On-Page Optimization

Attorney SEO success ultimately rests upon the strength of your website. Search engines analyze websites and each individual webpage within it based on various factors which comprise its “SEO ranking signal.”

Traditionally, Google’s algorithm prioritized links as votes of trust for any given site – the more relevant and high-quality links your page had, the higher it would rank on an SERP. But since the advent of local packs and organic results, there have been other important considerations at play as well.

One such element is content quality. To be effective, content must be topically relevant, optimized for keywords, and informative – with Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) words used to ensure Google understands the meaning behind your work.

Link Building

Link building is one of the cornerstones of attorney SEO, as Google sees it as a vote of confidence that confirms the quality and relevancy of your website. That is why link acquisition should be prioritized during attorney SEO campaigns.

Attorneys can utilize various off-site strategies to build links, such as lawyer-specific directories, local giveaway websites and directories where they have profiles. Attorneys may also participate in Help A Reporter Out (HARO) requests from journalists in order to be quoted in articles which often result in links back to them.

Attorneys should reach out to businesses they work with and request they include links back to their websites, for instance if an estate litigation case requires consulting with a forensic accountant – lawyers could include this link on their site or blog as a courtesy to that expert.

Content Development

Content creation is an integral component of attorney SEO. This involves writing and optimizing website content so it’s topically relevant, engaging, and easy to read and share; ultimately establishing your firm as an authority on a specific legal service or skill set.

Content must also align with search intent. For instance, someone searching for “criminal defense lawyer Toronto” likely needs a firm that can assist them with their case. To avoid confusing Google and negatively affecting rankings by creating duplicate content that could confuse the search engine further.

Attorneys can utilize schema markup to increase their websites’ semantic search capabilities and increase SERP rankings, leading to rich snippets in Google results pages that increase click-through rates and generate traffic.

Analytics

Search engine optimization can be a time-consuming, intricate process. But with the right attorney SEO agency on board, generating organic traffic and leads will become much simpler. To begin with, identify a reputable firm who have shown great success working with similar law firms in your region – look for case studies, testimonials and comprehensive list of services so that your SEO campaign provides everything it needs.

Google constantly evaluates website content for relevance and quality, prioritizing pieces that focus on “Experience” (as defined by its E-A-T quality guidelines). Page load speed should also be taken into account; an instant website loading speed enhances user experience and increases conversion rates; so this area would benefit from consulting an expert.