by Allan Gregory
Running a law firm is hard. There are so many things you have to think about if you want your law firm to be successful. Marketing is one of those things that not too many people want to do, but it’s a necessity for everyone who wants their business to flourish. You may have a basic understanding of how to market a business, but do you know much about SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization. A search engine is a type of website that uses software to scan and organize data across the internet so that the engine can display this data when you are looking for something in particular.
If a person is searching for a law firm in their area, they will use certain keywords or phrases to find a firm. They will likely use a search engine to find what they are looking for. SEO is the process of optimizing a website and its landing pages to help your firm get noticed by search engines. You want your firm’s information to be displayed when a web user enters certain keywords or phrases into a search engine like Google.
The Importance of Keywords
You probably use a search engine every day of your life. One of the most popular search engines is Google. If you are looking for something, you likely enter a few keywords or a phrase in the search bar. For instance, if you are looking for a grocery store near your house, you might type in “grocery store near me.”
Your potential clients are no different. When they are looking for a lawyer or a law firm to help them with a legal problem, they will likely use keywords or a phrase to find what they are looking for. The trick is finding the right keywords to optimize on your website and landing pages so you can be the lawyer or firm they find.
For instance, if you have a family law practice in Chicago, you want to reach people in your area who are looking for a family lawyer. You might want to optimize the following keywords and phrases on your site and landing pages:
- Chicago Divorce Lawyer
- Chicago Family Law Attorney
- Chicago Adoption Attorney
- How can a Chicago family lawyer help me?
The above are just a few examples. You will want to find out what the best keywords are for your practice area and location. You will also likely have competition in your area, so you want to make sure you do everything right so you can get your firm to rank better than your competition.
The Importance of Content
Okay, so you know which keywords to include on your landing pages. That’s all you need to worry about, right? Not exactly. Your content is more important than you might realize. You don’t want to just throw up some basic information about the firm and call it good. You need to ensure that your content is actually working for you.
For instance, is your content engaging? Is it answering your website visitors’ questions? Is your content convincing your website visitors to pick up the phone and call your law firm?
Your content is extremely important. It needs to tell your story, but it also needs to convert your website visitors into leads and hopefully into clients. You need to take the time to get your content right or have a law firm SEO company like ApricotLaw write your content for you.
Take the time to think about what your clients’ key questions are. Make sure you answer those questions. Take the time to write down what your law firm is all about and what sets your firm apart from all the other firms out there. This is the type of information you look for when you are searching for services. Think about what you would want a service provider to help you with.
Website Design
Most business owners want to have a nice website. No one wants to have a site that doesn’t work well or is unattractive. You also probably want your website to do its job—convert your visitors into clients.
There is a lot that goes into website design. It’s another important aspect of marketing your law firm, and you really want to get this right. How do you know what to include on your website? How do you know where the perfect balance is between beauty and functionality?
Website designers go to school for years to learn how to build the perfect website. For that reason, a lot of businesses will hire out for website design. You might want to consider that option, as well.
Basically, you want your website to be beautiful, functional, and easy to navigate, and you want it to load quickly. You also want your website to boost your SEO. The design of a website does play a role in SEO. Your website can slow or halt your SEO efforts—or enhance them. Make sure you give website design the attention and time it deserves.
Backlinks for SEO
Another important element of SEO for law firms is obtaining backlinks. Backlinks are links from other sites to yours, and these links can boost your rankings. When other sites link to yours, this tells Google and other search engines that other people find your website important, useful, or relevant.
Just like when you see that a post has been read or shared a thousand times, you are more likely to believe that that post is interesting or worth reading. When Google sees backlinks pointing at your site, the search engine will believe that your site is worth something. They will then boost your rankings, making it easier for other people to find your site.
Obtaining backlinks is important, but it must be done right. Not just any backlinks will do. You can actually harm your rankings if you try to do things like buy backlinks. You want to make sure that you get backlinks that will help your site, not harm your site.
About the Author
Allan Gregory is an author, designer, engineer, artist, playwright, and comedy writer. His work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses the narratives of human experience. As a playwright, Allan has had his pieces performed at multiple playhouses. As an artist and illustrator, he has had his art exhibited at multiple galleries. His work has appeared on a number of online and offline outlets.
