The Importance of Legal SEO: Strategies for Attracting More Clients

The next time someone searches for legal help in your area of expertise, will they find you? With millions of people turning to the internet to find legal services, lawyers need to optimize their law firm websites for Google. This is where legal search engine optimization (SEO) comes in, a specialized type of SEO that focuses on the unique needs of law firms.

Legal SEO involves various strategies and techniques, such as keyword research, content creation, and link building tailored to the legal industry. In this post, I’ll provide a comprehensive guide to law firm SEO, covering everything from the key components of legal SEO to common mistakes to avoid. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or a large law firm, this guide will help you get the most out of your online presence.

What Is Legal SEO?

Legal SEO is a specialized form of SEO that’s tailored to the unique needs of law firms and attorneys. By optimizing their websites for Google, law firms can improve their online visibility, attract more potential clients, and ultimately increase their revenue. Given the highly competitive nature of the legal industry (and the high cost of PPC ads in the legal sector), legal SEO is essential for any law firm looking to connect with new clients.

How Law Firm SEO Differs From Regular SEO

Law firm website SEO shares many similarities with regular SEO. However,  legal SEO tends to focus more on local search and may entail optimizing for specific practice areas or legal terms. Additionally, legal SEO requires optimizing for specific directories or review sites relevant to the legal industry. The tenets are the same, but some of the tactics differ.

5 Key Components of Legal SEO

1. Keyword Research for Law Firms

Identifying the keywords and phrases potential clients use to search for legal services online allows you to create content they’ll find relevant and valuable. This will improve your visibility on search engines and attract more potential clients to your website.

To conduct keyword research for law firms, start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords and phrases relevant to your practice areas and target audience. This may include keywords related to specific legal services, practice areas, or even geographic locations.

For example:

• Des Moines family law
• Brooklyn car accident lawyer
• Austin estate attorney

Once you have a list of potential keywords, use keyword research tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to determine each keyword’s search volume and keyword difficulty. This will help you identify the keywords most likely to attract potential clients to your website and rank well on search engines.

Use the following resources to find appropriate keywords and map them to your website:

• How To Do Keyword Research
• What Is Keyword Difficulty?
• How To Map Keywords
• Transform Keyword Research Into a Strategy

Keyword research services can expedite this process.

2. Content Creation for Law Firm SEO

Creating high-quality, informative content relevant to your target audience can help take your website’s visibility to the next level. Consider these different content types:

• Blogging: Blogging is an effective way to create fresh, informative content for your website. Creating blog posts that focus on specific legal topics or issues can help establish you as an authority in your field and reach more people who need your services.
• Whitepapers: Whitepapers are in-depth reports that provide valuable insights and analyses on a specific topic. Showcase your thought leadership with insights into different legal issues or trends.
• Case Studies: Case studies are a powerful tool for demonstrating your expertise and the results you’ve achieved for your clients. 
• Video Content: Video content is becoming increasingly popular and can be an effective way to showcase your expertise and provide value to your target audience. Create videos that explain legal processes or highlight case studies to inform and engage with potential clients.

When creating content for legal SEO, use relevant keywords and phrases strategically. Publish pieces that are easy to read and understand (i.e., skip the legalese when possible), and focus on providing valuable insights and analyses that can help potential clients make informed decisions.

And don’t forget to promote your content through social media and other channels to increase its visibility. Find more of our content insights here and check out our legal content writing piece.

3. On-Page Optimization for Legal Websites

On-page optimization is the process of adjusting different website elements to enhance their visibility and relevance to search engines. The following factors are critical for every website; mastering them could give you a jump start on the competition. 

Website Architecture

Website architecture refers to how your website is structured and organized, including its navigation, layout, and design. A well-designed website architecture can improve the user experience for visitors to your website and help search engines understand the content and organization of your website.

Follow these best practices for website architecture in law firm SEO:

1. Simple Navigation: Your website’s navigation should be simple and easy to use, with clear labels and intuitive menu options. This helps visitors find the information they need quickly and easily, which can improve the user experience and increase engagement on your website.
2. Clear Hierarchy: Your website’s content should be organized in a clear hierarchy, with more important pages at the top and less important pages at the bottom. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and prioritize the most valuable pages.

URL Structure

A well-optimized URL structure can improve your website’s visibility on search engines and make it more likely that potential clients will click through to your page from the search engine results pages (SERPs). 

When optimizing your URL structure for search engines, it’s essential to keep it short and descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Ideally, your URL slug should be no more than a few words and include your primary keyword. For example, if you specialize in personal injury law, your URL might include keywords like “personal injury” or “accident lawyer.”

www.lawfirm.com/tampa-personal-injury-lawyer/

It’s also important to use hyphens (-) to separate words in your URL structure. This makes it easier for search engines to read and understand your URL.

Best practices for optimizing your website’s URL structure include:

• Keeping your URL short and descriptive.
• Including your primary keyword.
• Using hyphens to separate words. 
• Avoiding the use of special characters.
• Creating unique and descriptive URLs for each page on your website.

Internal Linking

Internal linking can improve the structure of your website and help search engines understand the importance of specific pages. By linking to other pages within your website, you can establish a hierarchy of pages and help users navigate your website more easily.

To optimize your internal linking strategy:

• Link to relevant pages. When linking to other pages within your website, ensure the pages are relevant to each other. This helps search engines understand the relationship between the pages and improve the user experience for visitors to your website.
• Use descriptive anchor text. The anchor text you use to link to other pages should be descriptive and include relevant keywords. This helps search engines understand the content of the linked page.
• Link from high-traffic pages. When linking to other pages within your website, prioritize linking from high-traffic pages to lower-traffic pages. This helps improve the search engine rankings of the lower-traffic page and increase its visibility to potential clients.
• Use a hierarchical structure. Your internal linking strategy should follow a hierarchical structure with subpages pointing to your most essential pages. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and prioritize the right pages.

Metadata

Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions can significantly impact your website’s visibility on search engines. These HTML elements describe the content on a specific web page, and they appear in search engine results, providing a brief summary of what the page is about. Optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions with relevant keywords and phrases can entice more users to click through to your site and learn about your services.

When optimizing your title tags, include your primary keyword in the title tag. Keep your title tags short and to the point, ideally between 50 and 60 characters.

It’s also essential to optimize your meta descriptions. You should write meta descriptions in a compelling and concise manner and include your primary keyword. Ideally, they should be between 120 to 156 characters.

Best practices for optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions include:

1. Including your primary keyword in the title tag and meta description
2. Keeping your title tags and meta descriptions concise and to the point
3. Writing compelling and informative meta descriptions that encourage potential clients to click through to your website
4. Avoiding keyword stuffing in your title tags and meta descriptions
5. Using descriptive and unique title tags and meta descriptions for each web page on your website
6. Keep title tags between 50 to 60 characters and meta descriptions between 120 to 156 characters 

Alt Text

Alt text, also known as “alt tags” or “alt attributes,” are descriptions added to images on your website. Search engines use them to understand what the images are about. By including relevant alt text for your images, you can improve your website’s visibility in image search results and also make your website more accessible to visually impaired users who use screen readers.

When optimizing your website’s metadata, also optimize the alt text for your images. Best practices for alt text optimization include:

• Describing the content of the image in a concise and accurate manner
• Including relevant keywords and phrases in the alt text, but avoiding keyword stuffing
• Using unique and descriptive alt text for each image on your website
• Keeping alt text between 80-100 characters

4. Off-Page Optimization for Legal Websites

Off-page optimization involves building backlinks and social signals to improve the authority and credibility of your website. Backlinks and social signals indicate that other websites and users trust and value your content. 

Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites to your website, and they play a crucial role in search engine rankings. When a website links to your site, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and relevant to users. As a result, search engines are more likely to rank your website higher in search results, improving its visibility to potential clients. Follow these tips for building high-quality backlinks for your legal website:

• Partner with a quality link-building service. Offload the work and partner with an SEO agency that will handle building valuable backlinks to your website.
• Reach out to other websites in the legal industry. One effective way to build backlinks is to reach out to other websites in the legal industry and offer to guest post or collaborate on content. This can be a win-win situation, as it allows you to showcase your expertise and provide valuable content to another website’s audience while earning a backlink to your website.
• Participate in online forums and communities. Another effective way to build backlinks is to participate in online forums and communities related to the legal industry. Providing valuable insights and engaging with other members of the community to build relationships and create opportunities for backlinks.
• Focus on quality over quantity. Focus on building high-quality, relevant backlinks from reputable websites in the legal industry. Avoid acquiring backlinks from spammy or low-quality websites, as these can actually harm your rankings and reputation.
• Use anchor text strategically. Anchor text refers to the clickable text that appears in a hyperlink, and it can have a significant impact on your search engine rankings. Use relevant keywords in your internal anchor text to show search engines your content is relevant to those keywords.

Online Directories

Online directories can help improve your website’s visibility and authority by providing useful information about your law firm, such as your address, phone number, and hours of operation. Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Avvo are just a few examples of online directories lawyers commonly use. 

When creating your profiles on these directories, provide accurate and complete information about your legal practice. This includes your name, address, phone number, and website URL. You should also include a description of your law firm that highlights your areas of expertise and unique value proposition. Optimize your listings for search engines, and include relevant keywords in your descriptions and tags.

Actively manage your profiles on these directories by responding to reviews and feedback from clients to help improve your reputation and credibility in the legal industry.

Reputation Management

Reputation management involves monitoring and managing what people are saying about your business. With the prevalence of online reviews and social media, you’ll need to proactively manage your law firm’s reputation online.

One of the most crucial aspects of reputation management is responding to client reviews and feedback. Positive reviews can increase your credibility and attract potential clients to your law firm’s website. How you deal with and respond to negative reviews can also enhance your trustworthiness.

When you respond to reviews — regardless of whether they’re positive or negative — you have the opportunity to connect with the reviewer and show potential clients how you treat the individuals you’ve worked for in the past.

Thank positive reviewers for their notes and patronage, and address the concerns left in negative reviews. It may be necessary to take that discussion offline but still leave a response about your desire to resolve the situation.

5. Local SEO for Attorneys

Local SEO is essential for law firm SEO, especially for attorneys that rely on local clients. Implement these recommendations for local SEO for attorneys to improve your “findability”:

• Optimize for Local Keywords. Local SEO involves optimizing for specific geographic keywords that potential clients may use when searching for legal services in their area. This includes targeting keywords like “personal injury lawyer in [city]” or “divorce attorney in [region].” 
• Create Local Listings. Creating local listings on directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and Avvo can also help attract more local clients. These directories allow you to create a profile for your law firm and include your address, phone number, and hours of operation. This information can help potential clients find your law firm and help you rank higher on SERPs.
• Build Local Backlinks. Building backlinks from other local businesses and organizations can also help improve your visibility and authority in the local area. Reach out to other businesses and organizations in your area and offer to collaborate on content or guest post on their website. 
• Utilize Local Content. Creating content relevant to your local area can also help improve your visibility and point more potential clients to your practice. Create blog posts or other materials that focus on local legal issues or trends.
• Encourage Reviews. Encouraging clients to leave reviews on your website and local directories can help establish trust and credibility with potential clients and improve your rankings.

5 Common Legal SEO Mistakes To Avoid

1. Skipping Regular Audits

An SEO audit is like a health check for your website. To ensure you’re reaping the benefits of your hard work, run regular audits to identify potential issues that could negatively impact your SEO performance opportunities for improvement. Learn more about SEO audits and SEO maintenance here.

2. Over-Optimizing for Keywords

Keyword optimization is a foundational component of legal SEO, don’t overuse those keywords, though.

• Focus on User Experience. Create content to provide value to your target audience, not just to rank well on search engines. Use keywords strategically without impeding the content’s quality or readability.
• Avoid Keyword Stuffing. Keyword stuffing is the practice of cramming as many keywords into your content as possible, often at the expense of quality and readability. This results in a website that feels spammy and unnatural, which can turn potential clients away.
• Use Relevant Keywords. Focus on relevant keywords related to your law firm’s practice areas and services. This helps ensure your website attracts potential clients who are actually interested in your services.
• Use Keyword Research Tools. Keyword research tools can help you identify relevant high-volume, low-competition keywords for your law firm’s website. Don’t just guess what keywords to target or use broad keywords — dig deeper!

3. Ignoring the Importance of Quality Content

Quality content is essential to any successful law firm SEO strategy. Without it, your website is unlikely to rank well on search engines or attract potential clients. 

• Focus on Your Target Audience. What are their needs and pain points? What information are they looking for? By creating content that addresses these questions, you can attract potential clients and establish yourself as an authority in your field.
• Create Original Content. Original content serves to establish your law firm’s authority and expertise. Avoid copying content from other websites or using generic templates. 
• Update Your Content. Keep your website content up to date with the latest information and trends in your field. 
• Use Different Types of Content. Creating different types of content, such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and videos, can help attract a wider range of potential clients.

4. Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Neglecting mobile optimization can result in a website that’s difficult to navigate on smaller screens, which can turn potential clients away.

These aspects of mobile optimization are critical:

• Responsive Design: Responsive design ensures your website looks good on different screen sizes and devices by adjusting the size to fit any device’s screen size. 
• Page Speed: A website that loads quickly on mobile devices can improve the user experience and reduce bounce rates. 
• Mobile-Friendly Navigation: Navigation menus should be easy to use on smaller screens and shouldn’t take up too much space on the screen. This makes it easier for potential clients to find the information they need quickly and easily.
• Mobile-Friendly Content: Use larger font sizes, shorter paragraphs, and smaller images that load quickly on mobile devices. Mobile-friendly content can improve the user experience and keep potential clients on your website longer.

5. Failing To Leverage Local SEO

Failure to leverage local SEO can lead to a lack of visibility in local search results and credibility in your geographic area. By not establishing a local presence through local listings, local content, and other local SEO tactics, your law firm may appear less trustworthy and less established in the eyes of potential clients. Learn more about local SEO here.

Tracking & Measuring Success

Monitoring your website’s performance on search engines and other platforms helps you identify areas for improvement and adjust your strategy.

Analytics tools can provide valuable insights into user behavior and preferences. Gain a better understanding of your law firm’s website’s performance and make informed decisions about your legal SEO strategy. 

Analytics tools can also provide insights into user behavior, such as how users navigate your website and what content they engage with the most. Use this information to inform content creation and optimization strategies, ensuring you create and optimize content that resonates with your target audience.

An analytics tool like Google Analytics can provide valuable information about your website’s traffic. Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to see how your website ranks for specific keywords and phrases and make informed decisions about keyword optimization strategies. 

Ready To Rank Higher?

Victorious offers law firm SEO services to support practices of all sizes. Whether you operate in one city or several, focus on corporate or family law, or have two partners or two hundred, we can help you maximize your online presence and drive valuable organic traffic to your website. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.

Dive into the different components of a winning SEO strategy and download our SEO checklist.