Digital marketing strategies and techniques can appear to be similar between various industries from the outside. There are indeed certain similarities when we look at the big picture. However, there are some industry-specific aspects that we need to focus on, especially when it comes to the nitty-gritty of digital marketing and SEO.
In this post, we will discuss some of the good practices for SEO and marketing of law firms. We will also talk about some of the industry-specific opportunities that can be used to improve SEO for law firms on their websites. There are certain restrictions as well when it comes to marketing and advertising legal practices. We will highlight those for the convenience of law firm owners and marketers.
Keyword Research
The first step towards optimizing SEO is to ensure that the website contains the required keywords with commercial intent. For example, people might be using phrases like “New Jersey personal injury attorney” on Google to look for legal practices. These people are not just looking for information on the subject but are actually in search of legal services.
Keywords with commercial intent are necessary, but so are the ones with informational purposes. These keywords are usually in the form of questions that begin with how and why, or they are long-tail keywords. These keywords can be ideally optimized through targeted content and blog posts.
Some keywords can guide interesting topics for blog posts, such as ‘New Jersey marijuana laws’ or ‘New Jersey divorce laws.’ These keywords usually have high monthly search volumes. Therefore they can be used to attract a large chunk of website traffic. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can be used to find keywords and their respective search volumes.
Content Creation
Continuously uploading fresh content helps with Google’s ranking signals and provides opportunities to increase traffic by using targeted keywords. Some of these keywords may not have a large volume of monthly searches, but they can invoke conversations from target customers.
Marketers should also remember that the search volumes indicated on keyword research tools are national, and the figures may vary between states. However, the engagement metrics can still go up even when people from other states read the content and help in search engine ranking. That is why SEO strategies for law firms should try to target various types of audiences, such as:
- Potential clients with legal requirements
- Site visitors who can contribute to the engagement metrics
- People who may use the post to recommend legal services to friends or family members
- Users who can share it on social media to widen the content reach
- Provide backlinks to the content which can improve site authority
Local SEO
Law firms should include unique pages for each location that has been optimized for local searches. That way, they can increase their chances to appear on Google’s 3-pack results that highlight local businesses related to a user’s query. These are some aspects that can help law firms improve their local search rankings:
- Create or claim a Google My Business (GMB) account
- Verifying the GMB listing.
- Ensure that business information such as name, address, phone number, and other details are accurate and match those provided on the law firm’s website.
- Rectify any discrepancies and delete duplicate GMB listings.
- Request existing and past customers to provide online reviews on Google.
SEO Link Building
Link building is the second most important factor for Google search ranking. Therefore, law firms should ensure that they have quality inbound links to their website.
However, they should remember that not all links contribute equally to SEO and search ranking. One of the easiest ways to ensure quality inbound links is to acquire them from reputable law-specific websites and directories. Some of the best ones are:
- FindLaw.com
- BestLawyers.com
- LawGuru.com
- Lawyer.com
- Lawyers.USLegal.com
Law firms should ensure that the websites they try to get inbound links from should have a high domain authority score. They should also compare their link-building strategy to their competitors to discover useful backlink sources.
Ethics and State Laws
Law firms and attorneys have to abide by certain limitations when it comes to online advertising and content. The laws can vary between states, so law firms and marketers should check them before formulating their SEO and advertising strategy.
Website content, blogs, digital advertisements, and email marketing are all subject to the laws of each state. For example, digital marketing for law firms in New Jersey is governed by the Rules of Professional Conduct. That includes:
- All digital communications related to lawyers services
- Advertising
- Personal or professional contacts with prospective clients
- Certification or practice related communications
- Names of law firms and their letterheads
There are nationwide rules of different forms that refrain from the use of words like "best" in advertising for law firms. Therefore, digital marketers cannot use a phrase like “best divorce attorney” in their marketing campaigns. There are also limitations in describing the areas of practices for law firms and attorneys as expertise or specialties.
The attorney using such descriptions should possess the necessary educational qualifications and experience. There are several other legal restrictions that law firms and marketers should be aware of while indulging in SEO and digital marketing.
There is a lot of generic advice about SEO and marketing on the Internet. While they might be good enough for most businesses, law firms need a more specific approach for certain aspects.
They should also look for useful information on tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to create efficient strategies. These strategies may also need tweaking from time to time to achieve the desired results in terms of website traffic and conversions.