Cracking the Code of Law Firm Search Engine Ranking
Climbing the SERPs ladder is as much of a science as an art. If you want your law firm website to rank highly, you’ll need to master the following:
Publish Compelling and Informative Content
Content is still king. Craft valuable landing pages and blog articles for your law firm website that address common legal concerns and engage your ideal audience. Ensure your website offers informative articles, resources, and relevant FAQ questions for potential clients seeking legal help. Quality, SEO-formatted legal content is vital for gaining visibility in search engine results.
Put the Right Keywords in the Right Places
After identifying your perfect keywords (find a good strategy for keyword research here), strategically integrate the primary or longtail keyword phrase into your content. Instead of forcing keywords into the text and making them stick out like sore thumbs, insert your keywords to flow with the rest of the content naturally. And don’t overdo it. Keyword stuffing is counterproductive and can land you with penalties, destroying the effort you put into achieving a higher law firm website ranking in SERPs. As a rule of thumb, using your main keyword once per 200 words of copy is more than enough.
Focus on Technical SEO for Law Firm Website Ranking
It sounds boring but is vital: for a higher law firm website ranking in search engine results, you need to get into the backend of your website and get technical (or hire someone for this job). Focus on optimizing aspects like loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and URL structure. Good starting points are compressing images, embracing responsive design, and creating user-friendly URLs. Technical optimization should be an essential component of your SEO strategy. If your website is littered with full-size images, takes forever to load, or is impossible to use on a cell phone, you won’t reach Google’s top spot. Visitors to your website will get frustrated and leave quickly.
Don’t Forget Alt Tags and Metadata
Alt tags describe the content of images to search engines and visually impaired users and can be crucial for law firm website ranking. Try to include relevant keywords in alt tags while maintaining clarity and accuracy. Metadata, including meta descriptions and keywords, provide additional information about your web pages and are often the first snippet users see on a Google search page. Engaging meta descriptions should entice potential clients to click on your website, while including keywords in descriptions can help your search engine ranking. It’s a win-win!
How to Build Backlinks for Law Firm Website Ranking
Building a network of high-quality backlinks can be tedious and time-consuming. However, backlinks are crucial for your law firm’s online credibility and search engine page ranking. Boost your website’s reputation with these tactics:
• List your law firm on reputable legal directories and niche-specific websites for backlinks and trust-building
• Write guest posts for legal blogs and publications and include a backlink to your website
• Collaborate with legal influencers, such as joint podcasts or webinars, for increased visibility
• Consider joining HARO (Help a Reporter Out) for valuable backlinks and authority-building
Leveraging Local SEO
“Buy local” is a well-loved phrase. However, many businesses forget to focus on their local visitors and potentially miss out on a vital part of law firm website ranking. Harnessing the potential of local SEO is crucial to standing out from the crowd and finding clients in your vicinity. The following strategies can help you get in front of potential clients in your city and get into Google’s coveted 3-Pack, one of the top three local business spots on the SERPs page:
Optimize Google My Business: Create a comprehensive Google My Business profile with accurate contact information, opening hours, and client reviews. This enhances local search visibility and ensures your law firm appears on Google Maps.
Create Location-Specific Content: Craft content that addresses legal concerns specific to your area. Integrate primary and secondary keywords to improve local search rankings. A location-specific keyword example is “Houston car accident lawyer.”
Encourage Client Reviews: Reach out to past clients and encourage them to leave a review on your profile. Reviews from satisfied clients are a great way to boost your reputation and law firm website ranking in SERPs.
The Bottom Line
Securing a spot on Google’s first page requires a combination of outstanding law firm website content, keyword optimization, effective backlinking, local SEO strategies, and, most importantly, time. SEO is not a “one-and-done” job. It’s a long-term commitment requiring regular fresh content, tweaking what you have, and optimizing pages that aren’t performing well. Don’t get discouraged if it takes weeks or months to see results. Stay informed about the latest trends, adapt your strategies accordingly, and regularly monitor your law firm’s website ranking. And remember, you don’t have to go it alone. I’m here to help.
