Ten Law Firm SEO Tips To Help You Get To The Top Of Google

In today’s internet-centric world, the success of your law firm is to a great extent tied to the strength of your online presence. Simply having a website is far from enough if potential clients cannot find you. You have to implement an effective law firm SEO strategy so as to get a high Google ranking. The higher you rank, the greater the likelihood that the people looking for your services will find you. Considering how competitive the legal space is, you cannot leave this sensitive aspect of the business to chance. Here are some of the best SEO strategies for law firms to help you crack the code and shoot to the top of Google search rankings.

Website Design

The design of your website is at the core of a good SEO strategy because it gives users the first impression of your legal practice. Start by organizing content in a logical way to make it easy for a visitor to find the desired information. Place the ‘Services’ section on the far left because it should have the most visibility. In addition to a good structure, make sure the site is fast and responsive. Eliminate any element that slows things down so as to reduce the bounce rate. These could include unnecessary plugins, the use of a CDN, and third-party scripts. The site should also be adaptive to different user devices including smartphones and tablets. It is noteworthy that Google uses your site’s mobile version for ranking since most users access the site on the fly. Use test tools to identify any issues with mobile-friendliness and weed them out.

Content Quality

For any site to rank well on Google, it has to have high-quality content. Great content will also keep your visitors engaged, create trust and hopefully convert them into potential clients. Create long-form content (between 1,200 and 2,000 words) that contains valuable insights into topics of interest. Comprehensive content that is original and evergreen is great for showcasing your expertise and establishing a connection with readers, as well as improving site traffic and the relevance and authority of your site. Notably, Google keenly considers your expertise and authority when you focus on such sensitive content as legal matters. Therefore, include an author bio on your content to show that you are qualified to write on law-related topics.

Content Diversity

Google loves multimedia content that incorporates elements of text, image, audio, and video. Using these different content formats also gives you greater reach into your diverse target audience. Different website visitors prefer to consume information in a variety of ways and incorporating all possible options catering to all their needs. Harness the power of videos or images to refresh older posts and give them a new opportunity to rank.

Appropriate Use of Keywords

A foundational aspect of your SEO strategy revolves around keyword research. Identify the phrases that people use to search for the legal services that you offer. Learn how to use these phrases effectively when creating content so as to improve your rankings. There are both free and paid tools designed to help you identify the most popular keywords linked to SEO for attorneys. Single out these words and choose the ones that align the most with your goals. Use one keyword phrase per content page because in most cases, a webpage will rank for just one. Choose secondary phrases related to the keyword to support the main phrase and represent subheadings.

Build Links

Both backlinks and internal links contribute significantly to your SEO ranking. One way to get high-quality backlinks for your law firm’s website is to list your services on high-ranking directories for the legal industry. A second way is to provide high-quality content that people will want to share and by extension, link to. The third option is to search for opportunities to write quality guest posts where you can link back to your services. Focus on getting such links from reputable sources as these will with time, improve your ranking on Google. Disable any links from spammy sources as these could hurt your SEO. Create internal links as well, directing users to other pages on your domain. These will help lower your bounce rate and assist Google to find and index these pages.

Optimize User Experience

Directing users to your site is great but will not necessarily get you to the top of the charts. It is equally important to capture the interest of visitors to your site so as to reduce the bounce rate. To begin with, ensure that the heading and meta description align with the actual content. If a user clicks on your site and then goes back to the search results (pogo sticking), Google will downgrade your rankings. Start with the most important information so that visitors do not have to scroll down in search for it. Use a table of contents to help them find relevant information with ease. Make your content easy to consume by using charts and images and interactive features.

Understand the Competition

During your SEO research, you will likely realize that your content and target audience closely match that of your main competitors. Carry out research to identify your top rivals who rank above you and learn from them. Use relevant tools to identify their top-ranking pages and keywords. Analyze their linking strategy and content to see what they are doing that you are missing out on. Fill these gaps to convince Google to rank you higher than your rivals.

Google SERPs Research

Over time, Google search results have evolved significantly. Previously, you would only get a standard list of results in response to a query. But today you have a variety of options including SERP features like featured snippets and “people also ask” among others. Understanding how these features work grants you multiple opportunities for high rankings across the different verticals. Provide a direct and concise answer to a common question for a chance to appear on featured snippets. These appear before numbered results and offer information without requiring a user to click on any link. Incorporate the desired snippet in your content as a subheading that asks and answers a popularly asked question. Use short, direct sentences and simple language. To land a top spot on the Google Image page, include captions and alt-tags on any images used in your content. Google does not understand visual content; always include text to go along with images, videos, and infographics.

Analyze Performance and Conduct Regular Audits

After implementing the above tips, keep track of performance and monitor the results. Find out if you are in fact ranking for target keywords and if your organic traffic is improving. Performance analysis will show whether the effort and resources invested in SEO are worthwhile. It will also let you know when and where to make changes. Once you achieve the desired effect and make it to the top of search results, regular site audits will help you stay there. Address issues like zombie pages, broken links, and slow load times as soon as possible before they take a toll on your rankings.

Enlist Professional SEO Services for Law Firm

If it seems as though getting your law firm website to the top of Google searches is a lot of work, that is because it is. The process requires an excellent mastery of relevant tools that assist you to gain relevant insights and keep track of the necessary metrics. Furthermore, it is a dynamic field that keeps evolving and therefore requires constant learning. If you have no clue where to start or would rather not keep reinventing the wheel, delegate the task to a law firm SEO expert. Letting a professional handle this rigorous job will improve your chances of capturing the coveted top spot in search results while you focus on your legal practice.