When it comes to law firm search engine optimization (SEO), many attorneys simply don’t know where to turn. Some believe that they need to hire outside help, however, this can easily amount to a waste of money more quickly than most would like to admit. Others still choose to tackle SEO on their own, which is a great idea if the right approach is taken.
With so many different conflicting mindsets as to how SEO should be approached out there, it can be difficult to know what is good practice and what isn’t for marketing law firms.
Still not sure where to start? Here are three tips for law firm SEO that you can’t afford to ignore, all of which can help to take your search engine optimization efforts to an entirely new level.
1. Your Website Needs to Provide Useful Content
One of the biggest mistakes attorneys make when trying to incorporate principles of SEO into their websites is “keyword stuffing;” that is, writing with keywords in mind instead of focusing on readability.
Keywords matter, but they should never dictate the content in ways that might affect its quality. Instead of looking for opportunities in which to stuff as many keywords into your blogs and web pages as possible, stick to creating content that is high in quality and considered useful to potential clients-—doing so can pay off exponentially over time.
Effective content marketing for attorneys is one of the best tips for successful law firm marketing we can give you.
2. Use Long-tail Keywords
A second of our effective SEO tips for lawyers is to use long-tail keywords. While keywords shouldn’t drive the content you develop, the ones you do use need to be highly targeted in order to be as effective as possible. This is where long-tail keywords come in. Attorneys often assume that searches are typically short and truncated—”DUI Lawyer Houston,” for example. More often than not, however, ranking for SEO means shooting for long-tail keywords that are more direct and targeted in nature.
Take, for example, the idea of focusing on the phrase, “Where Can I Find a DUI Lawyer in Houston?” This is not only targeted but far more likely to lead someone to the results they’re looking for—-just make sure the quality of the content backs up whatever keyword or phrase you choose to focus on.
Long-tail keywords improve effective digital marketing for law firms, and they help you remain focused on how your potential clients think and search.
3. Build a Knowledge Base
Another strategy for marketing law firms is buy developing a substantial base of information relevant to the areas of law your firm practices.
A highly effective way to both position your firm as a collection of thought leaders and boost SEO is to build a robust knowledge base of useful information for current and prospective clients to learn from. Building a knowledge base takes a fair amount of time and effort, but doing so will allow you to work from targeted keywords to create geographically focused content that positions your firm for success.
The most effective law firm knowledge base is one that addresses a wealth of questions that someone might have about a particular practice area, each of which can be the subject of its own blog post. Don’t focus on post length or frequency—quality is the most important factor to consider when building a knowledge-base of blogs and articles.
Our experience with SEO and digital marketing for law firms have given us tons f insight into strategies and law firm marketing ideas that are proven to be successful.
So don’t just assume that law firm SEO is all about hitting the right keywords and stuffing them into random pages. Create quality, targeted content, and the rest will fall into place on its own.