This blog of SEO for law firms was born out of a case study done based on the SEO performance of a law firm based in Edmonton, Canada. I’ve divided the blog into two parts:
A case study showing how law firms can benefit out of SEO
How You can implement these priniciples
This is a SEO case study on how North Media Digital Marketing deployed strategies for an Edmonton-based law firm to attract organic traffic and generate leads.
Over the course of the first 4 months of engagement, North Media was able to increase the website’s organic traffic 2.5 times, resulting in a substantial increase in leads and revenue for the law firm.
Specifically, the organic traffic to service pages – promoting the different areas of legal practice – saw a staggering 553.72% increase.
Data-based approach to solving the problem
The first step to solving the problem was determining the level of demand for these services online – identifying how many people were searching for these services and the level of competition.
The second, third and fourth steps were about comparing the law firm’s online authority with its competitors. And, the last step was about putting forward a timeline to generate new leads through inbound marketing.
- Demand/Search volume for these services
- The level of competition
- Current state of website – including the search terms it was ranking for, performance, etc.
- The state of the Google Business Profile, and its ranking for various search terms
- Timeframe for lead generation
Understanding the demand
Understanding search volume is crucial for SEO because it helps in identifying keywords or phrases that are popular among users and have the potential to drive a significant amount of organic traffic to a website. By optimizing the website pages keywords with high search volume, lawyers and attorneys can increase their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more relevant visitors to their website.
Here’s a snapshot of search volumes (monthly) for a few search terms related to the law firm’s services in Edmonton:
Identifying focus areas
Once the demand was determined, the goal was to prioritize the practice areas that need to be worked on first. It was determined that real estate lawyer-related services were of top priority.
Here’s a list of broad areas of the firm’s legal practice:
- Real estate Law (Residential and Commercial)
- Commercial Finance,
- Business Law
- Family Law
- Immigration Law
- Employment Law
How the law firm achieve top rankings & lead generation
The main goal of the first 4 months of the engagement was to help generate leads for real estate law-related services. North Media worked on improving the law firm’s presence on the ‘local map pack’ and the organic search results section.
For helping the law firm rank on the map pack and the organic search results, North Media deployed a variety of strategies including:
- Doing a technical SEO audit to clean up pages, and ensure junk pages/backlinks were flagged
- Creating local service pages on the website, that addresses the searches coming from Edmonton for specific services, like ‘commercial property lawyer Edmonton’
- Optimizing the Google Business Profile
- Doing Press Releases to increase mentions of the law firm on various local & national publications
- Managing the law firm’s reputation on various platforms
- Publishing posts on the law firm’s Google Business Profile
- Doing aggressive Backlinking, which serves as the ‘horsepower’ to boost rankings over time
- Getting citations from local directories
- Improving website performance
Improving lead generation by adding highly relevant ‘call to actions’ on top-traffic pages
‘SEO doesn’t always need a long time frame’
Here’s what was achieved for the law firm after 4 months of engagement, which began in the last week of December 2022.
The focus was on improving traffic to the different service pages, each targeting a specific area of legal practice. Here’s a look at the organic traffic for the law firm (website traffic coming from search engines)
What drove this huge jump in organic traffic to the website? The website started rankings for a lot of relevant search terms related to the different areas of practice.
Here’s a look at the total no. of keywords/search terms that the website was ranking for.
Here’s a breakdown of the different service pages and their organic traffic during the period, comparing it with the previous 4 months (pls create a new infographic that shows the increase better, also highlight the increase in terms of percentage too)
You can replicate these SEO tactics for your law firm too
By harnessing the power of SEO, you can 4X-5X lead generation by being in front of potential clients who are actively seeking legal advice. In this blog, we will explore the significance of SEO for lawyers and guide you on leveraging its potential to generate more leads. It is through effective SEO strategies that your law firm’s name can appear prominently when individuals search for legal assistance on platforms like Google and other search engines. Consider it the cornerstone of your marketing endeavours, offering boundless opportunities in your current city and for expanding your business to other locations.
Why Does Search Engine Optimization for Law Firms Matter?
As we alluded to earlier, the way people choose law firms is changing. Instead of opening up a phone directory, asking friends or family for a trusted law firm, or giving you a call by getting your phone number from a billboard, most people nowadays rely on the internet to find the right law firm for their needs. The convenience of having a smartphone or a laptop and the internet has made it easier than ever for your potential clients to find you. Here are some reasons why SEO for law firms matters:
High-Quality Leads and Better Conversion Rate
Law firm SEO allows you to get better leads by targeting specific keywords that are relevant to your specific area of legal expertise. This means that your law firm shows up when someone is searching for a specific legal query. This serves as a first line of qualification as only ‘high-intent’ users are coming to the website.
Relevant traffic = better quality leads = higher conversion rate.
Stronger Credibility and Better Visibility
Credibility and trust are the two most important attributes if you are practicing law. If you have a strong and well-curated online presence then you are going to appear credible and trustworthy. The new law of the jungle is that the higher your ranking on the search engine, the more credible and trustworthy you must be. This is how potential clients that find you on the internet are going to see it. Investing in law firm SEO is going to help you increase your visibility by improving your ranking in search engines for specific keywords and it is going to provide credibility to your business.
Gain a competitive advantage
Other law firms in your city (your competition) might already have an SEO strategy in place. But it is never too late to start. The industry has cut throat competition and you need to stay ahead of your competition in order to succeed. Investing in law firm SEO is going to help you get better visibility and potentially outrank your competition, which is why it’s important to have an experienced law firm SEO agency by your side then they can help you strategize and position your value to the market.
The Most Effective ROI
Numerous studies and industry reports have consistently shown that SEO can provide a substantial return on investment for businesses across various industries.
Here are a few key points to consider:
- Search Engine Journal reported that SEO has the highest ROI of all digital marketing channels, with 70% of marketers stating that SEO generates better ROI than pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
- According to a study by BrightEdge, organic search (which SEO focuses on) drives 51% of all website traffic on average, surpassing other channels like paid search and social media.
- The Search Engine Optimization Professionals Organization (SEOPRO) found that companies with strong SEO strategies experienced an average of 28% growth in organic traffic year over year.
- A study by Moz revealed that the top organic search result on Google receives an average click-through rate (CTR) of 31.7%, highlighting the potential for increased visibility and user engagement through SEO.
- HubSpot’s State of Inbound report mentioned that inbound strategies like SEO tend to have a 61% lower cost per lead compared to traditional outbound methods like cold calling or direct mail.
It’s important to note that the ROI of SEO can vary depending on factors such as industry competitiveness, target audience, keyword selection, and the effectiveness of the SEO strategy implemented. Regular monitoring, optimization, and adaptation are also crucial for maintaining and improving SEO performance.
An Ever Changing Landscape
While SEO for law firms is a surefire way to achieve the growth that you desire, it has to be said that without expertise in the field of SEO, you might find yourself a little lost. Search engines are always updating and tweaking their algorithms which means that you need a marketing agency with expertise in law firm SEO services to stay ahead of your competitors.
Battle-tested SEO Blueprint for Your Law Firm
Now that we have covered why SEO for lawyers matters. Let’s talk about how you or your marketing team can do it. We are familiar with law jargon and have a deep understanding of the legal profession. Our SEO blueprint is battle-tested and we have proof that it works.
Here are the components that go into law firm SEO:
Showcase EAT Across Your Law Firm Website
EAT stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Some of the ways you showcase EAT are:
- High-Quality Content
- Gaining Authoritative Backlinks
- Guest Blogging and Thought Leadership
- Obtaining, showcasing Client Testimonials and Case Studies
- Showcasing professional accreditations and certifications
- Getting media mentions and press coverage
- Having an active social media presence
- Transparency and About Us Page
Local Citations and Directories
You will have to maintain accurate and up-to-date information across all online directories, such as Yelp, Avvo, Justia, and FindLaw. This will make sure that your law firm’s information (name, address, and phone number) is consistent across all platforms, as this helps search engines recognize your firm and boosts your local search ranking.
Optimizing the Google Business Profile
Claim, verify, and optimize your Google My Business listing. Ensure your law firm’s name, address, phone number, and website are accurate and up-to-date. Add high-quality photos, select relevant categories, and encourage clients to leave reviews. This helps improve your firm’s visibility on Google Maps and in local search results.
Mobile-Friendliness
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as most local searches are performed on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly website helps keep potential clients engaged and boosts your local search ranking.
Online Reviews
Implement a strategy to encourage clients to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, BBB and other relevant platforms. Respond to both positive and negative reviews professionally and promptly. Online reviews can greatly impact your local SEO and overall reputation, as potential clients often rely on reviews to make decisions about hiring a law firm.
Keyword Research
Identify and target location-specific keywords related to your legal services and incorporate these keywords into your website’s content, meta tags, headers, and content. This helps search engines understand the focus of your website and improves your local search rankings.
Social Media
Utilize social media platforms to engage with your local audience and share location-specific content. This will allow you to be active on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and participate in local groups and communities. Social media engagement not only helps build your law firm’s online presence but also fosters connections with potential clients in your area.
On-Page Optimization
Optimize your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags with local keywords. Include your location and practice areas in the content, particularly in headings, subheadings, and the footer. Use the appropriate page-specific Schemas. These help search engines recognize your website’s relevance to local search queries.
Local Pages Required for Law Firm SEO
The main purpose of Local SEO is to target potential clients from a specific area or region. To achieve this objective your website is going to have to need some informative, relevant, and above all well-optimized local pages.
Here are some of the local pages that are required to improve local SEO for lawyers:
- Landing Pages That Are Location Specific – Your website is going to need separate and targeted landing pages for each specific legal area of practice that you cover.
- Location–specific About Us page – The purpose of this page is to highlight the members of your team that serve a specific area. This page will include all the usual information about your law firm such as your area of expertise, services, and mission statement.
- Local Services Page – This page is going to be an in-depth description of the services that you offer in an area and which of your lawyers will be available for these services.
- Local Contact Us Page – Here you will be able to provide local clients with contact information specific to the area. It should include local landline numbers, emails, and working hours according to the local time zone.
- Reviews and Testimonials – This page might take some time to build but it is going to be one of the most important ones for local SEO. When it comes to SEO for lawyers nothing helps more than positive reviews and testimonials by locals of an area. This will be the best way to build a strong sense of credibility in the local area for your law firm.
- A Local Blog – Blogs give you the opportunity to connect with your potential clients and talk about local developments such as events, industry news, etc. It is the best tool that you can use to optimize your website for specific keywords. They open multiple doors through which potential clients can come in contact with your website. It also helps with building authority over certain search terms and ultimately helping recognizing your expertise over the subject.
- FAQ page – A local FAQ page is again a great tool to answer frequently asked questions related to your law practice for a specific area, it is going to naturally include keywords that will boost your local SEO rankings.
Law firm SEO might be a lot of work but as you can guess, it is worth the effort. If you want your law firm to grow in this digital age then you need to invest in law firm SEO. It is the best way to get quality leads, build credibility, and beat the competition. With the right law firm SEO agency, you can expand and grow at an unprecedented rate.
