If you are a senior partner in a law firm, then keeping an eye on the volume of work coming into your business will be a key priority. Long gone are the days when firms could simply rely on networking and the local press to promote their services and generate new business.
In this increasingly digital age, the law firms which are doing well are those which invest in a longer term marketing strategy that places a large emphasis on search engine optimisation (SEO) in order to maximise the impact of their website and its ability to generate new leads.
So how can having an SEO strategy work for you?
What is SEO and why should it matter to law firms?
Put simply, SEO is the process of optimising your website, in terms of its technical setup, its content and its reach so that your website pages appear high up on a search engine results page for the keyword terms that your clients may commonly use. The ultimate is to be found on page one for any relevant search in Google.
For example, a prospective client looking for advice on divorce in their local area might then type “divorce lawyers Birmingham” into Google.
And if that’s one of your legal specialities and a geographical area you cover, then you need to be found for this. Because that prospective client may not otherwise contact your firm; especially with a search results page full of alternative firms to contact instead.
How does SEO work?
A well optimised site will not only have all the fundamental technical elements set up properly (such as H1 & 2 headers, meta data, good site speed, no redirect errors and low click depth etc.) it will also feature regular and original copy, which is of high relevance to the reader.
Google and similar search engines reward websites that offer the user a good experience. That are easy to navigate. That work well on a mobile device. That load their pages quickly. And that contain engaging content.
How can law firms improve their SEO?
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is the solid foundation on which to build an effective structure for your web content, in order for it to be found in any search.
So it’s making sure, for example, that your site has well thought out page titles, navigation and relevant meta data (meta titles, meta descriptions) which use the keywords your prospective clients are using in their searches.
Optimising your technical SEO is straightforward and done properly, will result in the content you write on your webpages being found by Google in a search.
SEO content strategy
However, writing this content is the other side of a successful SEO strategy – and it’s the side that usually takes more time. And it’s very often the side that’s neglected by businesses who mistakenly believe that having a website alone is enough to successfully drive traffic and generate new business leads.
Whilst it might seem easy enough to write an article on divorce, the real skill lies in knowing which keywords to include, which come from understanding exactly who your clients are and researching what they search for online.
But beware of writing an uninspiring piece of copy that is stuffed full of these keywords – and little else. Successful and effective articles need to engage the reader and offer real value – or else they will leave the page very quickly and your webpage will experience a high bounce rate, which will in turn negatively affect your rankings.
How to write refreshing and engaging web content
Content marketing is still one of the quickest and most direct ways to reach your clients with key information.
So once you know who your client is and what they search for in relation to your offering, it’s important to develop a content plan that covers the main service areas your firm offers.
For example, if you offer conveyancing, then a good starting point would be to review the existing content on your site and see if it can be better optimised. After that, you can produce new content on all relevant aspects of conveyancing, such as ‘Why do I need a survey when buying a house’ or ‘Buying freehold and leasehold property.’
Anticipate what your users will want to know more about – and write optimised content to address this.
Continue this across all aspects of your business – for example, family law, commercial, wills and probate etc.
The more good content you can produce, the better!
Develop an outreach strategy to gain online credibility
Once you have well optimised content on your website, you can turn your attention to obtaining good quality, off-site backlinks for your company’s website.
Known as outreach – or link building – this in turn will enhance your organic visibility on Google and other search engines. Backlinks remain one of Google’s strongest ranking factors and serious consideration needs to be given to earning these links.
A well thought out SEO strategy will ensure your law firm is found online
As with most things, it is worth remembering that no one thing in isolation will immediately put you on page one of Google. Beware of anyone offering that.
There’s no substitute for hard work – in planning, creating and producing high quality, relevant content.
However, a properly considered SEO strategy will go a long way to making sure your law firm and its various offerings are found online by exactly the kind of people you want to attract.
Done well, your conveyancing department (or personal injury, wills and probate or family law – in fact, whatever you specialise in) should be kept busy carrying out billable work, rather than having to rely on, for example, paid referral schemes or costly advertising.
Would you like help differentiating your law firm online?
If you would prefer to spend your time on law rather than marketing your legal services, then contact us at The Ideal Marketing Company for more information on how we can create a digital marketing strategy that works for you.
The Ideal Marketing Company is a full service digital marketing agency. Contact us for more tailored advice about how The Ideal Marketing Company can help you grow your business.
Call us on 01858 374 170 or email info@idealmarketingcompany.com.
