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Potential clients are already searching for law firms to help them with their challenges. Most (96%) use a search engine when seeking legal advice, 74% visit law firms’ websites to take action, and 73% contact just one attorney. Being visible - as in #1 or #2 - in the search engine results pages, then, is an effective way to attract attention and grow your practice. Search engine optimization (SEO) can help get you to the top of the results. But what techniques constitute the best SEO for lawyers?

The best SEO for Lawyers Increases Visibility

1. Be User-Friendly. The irony of user-friendly websites is that Google loves them. Its goal is to return the most relevant, useful results to users. When your site caters to their needs, it reflects on your rankings. Make sure your site is easy to read, incorporates bullet points and headers, uses appropriate imagery and graphics, and is simple to navigate. If people have to stumble around looking for the information they need, they will leave your site - and go directly to a competitor’s.

2. Boost Your Speed. Any delays in speed will impact your search rankings - it is a crucial factor in Google’s algorithm. It is also important to users: they do not have the patience to wait more than fractions of a second for pages to load. Test your site speed with this free Google tool. You can also compress all images, add a cache plugin, and remove extraneous elements.

3. Use Keywords Strategically. Keywords help potential clients find you - but think like a searcher, not a search engine. What phrases are they entering? Long-tail, natural keywords like “what to do after a DUI?” or “can I sue for mental anguish?” hit your audience more effectively. And don’t forget local SEO: “personal injury attorney in South Miami,” for example, further targets people in your geographic area.

4. Make Your Homepage Powerful. Apply the same lessons as on the rest of your site in terms of user-friendliness. Take extra care to target relevant keywords (e.g., family and divorce law attorneys; South Florida personal injury lawyers, etc.) and add social proof - that is, reviews and ratings to establish trust.

You’ll also want to host content that encourages people to stay onsite - videos, images, and infographics are useful. Be sure to link to other pages in your site to keep them engaged. This boosts the likelihood that your web visitors will take action.

5. Highlight Your Practice Areas. Create a page for each of your specialities (e.g., a personal injury firm may have pages for car accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat accidents, burns, workers comp, etc.), and use one targeted keyword per page. Again, short, easy-to-read content and eye-catching visuals are key.

6. Become an Authority. Potential clients are looking for answers; they want solutions to their problems. You can build necessary trust by establishing yourself as an expert. To do this, create helpful content, such as guides, articles that break down complex legal topics into simple terms, blog posts on relevant issues, and pages of FAQs.

7. Create Video Content. Google is the world’s largest search engine - and YouTube is a close second. People look for everything from viral videos to how-to's. They also look to the site when researching potential lawyers. From client testimonials and behind-the-scenes looks at your law firm to how-to's and useful information, the best SEO for lawyers leverages video to capture the attention of your audience - and enhance your search rankings.

Make sure video titles and descriptions use targeted keywords, you have attractive thumbnail images, you include calls to action, and you promote your videos on social media.

8. Share Reviews and Ratings. We mentioned this a bit earlier, but it bears repeating! Reviews are an important search ranking factor; moreover, they provide evidence, if you will, that your firm has successfully helped clients with issues just like those searchers are struggling with. Most (85%) of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and the majority trust them far more than branded information. Leverage that by encouraging clients to leave reviews on Facebook, Yelp, Google, and Avvo.

9. Track, Analyze, Tweak. Finally, SEO is not a technique that is really ever “done.” You must track your results, analyze progress, and course correct if necessary. It is an ongoing effort to remain at the top of your game - and at the top of the search engine results pages.

This ongoing effort can be time-consuming and complex; outsourcing your law firm SEO services can save you time (and money), enhance your results, and drive you closer to your goals for growth and profitability. Contact THAT Agency today about implementing ongoing law firm SEO services.