A 2017 study conducted by AccuRanker found the legal niche to be the most competitive when it comes to SEO.
After analyzing more than 300,000 SERPs across a wide range of industries, the study showed that law firms have the most barriers when it comes to generating traffic for their websites.
What this indicates is that not only is having an effective SEO strategy a necessity but that local SEO is especially important for attorneys and law firms.
Law firm SEO necessitates taking a tailored approach to traffic generation that considers the unique struggles lawyers face in attracting local clients.
In this guide, we’re covering why SEO matters for law firms and how lawyers can get started generating more traffic for their websites.
SEO Is One of the Best Lead Generation Strategies for Law Firms
Localized businesses (i.e., those that acquire clients or customers within a specific geographic location) need SEO to target users in their area.
Since most law firms serve clients within their city, county, or state, they need local SEO to stay competitive with other local firms.
Through local SEO, law firms can target users within a geographical location, reducing the amount of competition compared to targeting at a national level.
They have a better chance of ranking for terms like “top personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles” (keyword difficulty: 63%) than “top personal injury lawyers” (keyword difficulty: 71%).
By targeting localized keywords, law firms can catch the attention of potential clients who are:
- In their area.
- Looking for the services they offer.
This makes SEO one of the best client acquisition strategies for law firms.
How SEO Works
When people start their hunt for legal services, they are likely to use search engines (mainly Google and Bing) to find law firms in their area.
They use queries (keywords) to search for specific services, types of law firms, answers to their legal questions, and more.
Law firms can reach these users by optimizing their websites for these keywords, incentivizing search engines to rank them in the search results.
The higher their website ranks, the more likely a user is to click on their website to learn more about their services.
Benefits of SEO for Law Firms
The benefits of SEO for law firms are vast.
Beyond increasing a law firm’s rankings in the search results, SEO works to draw in more traffic that’s likely to convert into qualified leads.
Some of the benefits of SEO for lawyers and law firms include:
- Outranking their local competition, improving click-through to their website.
- Driving more phone calls through Google My Business and other local listings.
- Generating new traffic through high-quality localized content.
- Collecting more positive client reviews to improve their online reputation.
- Attracting high-volume traffic and leads on autopilot.
- Turning existing and new site traffic into leads (phone calls and form fills).
- Solidifying their law firm as a reputable authority in their niche.
If law firms want to generate more traffic and leads online, SEO is one of the most effective ways to do so.
This is not only due to the highly-targeted nature of SEO, but because expert SEO works to improve conversions along with driving traffic.
Outrank Your Local Competitors
There are only so many spots in the search results, and if you aren’t in the top 3, click-throughs to your website decrease significantly. SEO works to optimize your site for your target keywords and get it to outrank your competitors.
You don’t need to be at the #1 spot to drive traffic and leads to your site, but you do want your website to be on Page 1 and have a visible presence in local search.
Invest in a strategic content and SEO strategy, and more potential clients can find you and choose your firm ahead of your competitors.
Drive More Phone Calls from GMB & Local Search
While your website can take up one spot in the search results, you can also drive clicks by having an optimized Google My Business profile.
When users search for “family lawyer near me” or “Palm Beach personal injury attorney”, your law firm’s GMB profile can rank for these terms. Users can click on your website link or give you a call using the number included in your GMB profile.
Utilize local SEO to improve your local presence and create more opportunities for potential clients to find you online.
Generate More Traffic Through Your Blog
Legal content doesn’t have to be boring.
Use your blog to provide valuable information to your audience, generate more traffic through keyword targeting, and convert traffic into leads.
With SEO, you’ll identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that you can turn into engaging blog topics. This content can then attract users who are searching for these terms and guide them down your lead generation funnel.
Some SEO content ideas for law firms include:
- How-to guides.
- Complete guides legal topics.
- Localized practice area pages.
- FAQ pages (Good for Featured Snippets).
- Ebooks.
- Checklists.
- Interviews with industry professionals.
- Local event guides.
Collect Positive Client Reviews to Boost Your Reputation
Part of any successful law firm SEO strategy is generating more positive reviews for your law firm. If you haven’t been proactive about this in the past, then SEO will help you gather more reviews to improve your online reputation.
Positive reviews show users that your law firm can be trusted and will provide high-quality services.
If you have more positive reviews than a local competitor, this may lead you to outrank them. Plus, users will be more likely to choose your firm over one with negative (or no) reviews.
Attract High-Volume Traffic & Leads on Autopilot
While SEO is not a “set it and forget it” strategy, once it’s implemented, it can start generating traffic with little effort. This is especially the case if you work with a reputable SEO agency to optimize your site for you.
SEO can work for the long-term to drive a constant stream of traffic and leads to your website. Most law firms prefer this over re-investing in paid ads or keeping up with social media posting. Think of it as a compounded investment.
Convert Traffic Into Leads
A reliable SEO firm will not only drive traffic to your site but convert that traffic once it gets there. They will include compelling calls-to-action, optimize web copy, call buttons, and form fills to entice users to contact your firm.
Traffic is just one part of the equation. In investing in SEO, make sure your strategy includes lead generation so you can see a direct return on your investment.
Then, it will just become a matter of your law firm taking the call and closing the deal.
Solidify Your Law Firm as an Authority in Your Niche
By improving your online presence with SEO, you show other industry professionals that you mean business. You’ll become more visible online, thus opening the door to new partnerships and opportunities.
The benefits of SEO extend far beyond driving traffic to your website. You could land new, high-paying clients, be invited to speak at industry events, get your name in legal publications, and so much more.
When it comes to law firm SEO, don’t be afraid to think big.
Proof SEO Works for Law Firms
Most law firms that have yet to invest in SEO will see a slow trickle of traffic to their site.
This is especially the case for firms that have a lot of local competitors that have clearly invested in their own SEO efforts.
Case Study – SEO Content Creation
In the case study below, we took one law firm that was generating little to no traffic to generating upwards of 5,000 organic sessions per month in the first few months.
Within 24 months of starting SEO, they were generating over 12,000 organic sessions per month.
“The site referenced below is mine, and I was constantly ripped off by so-called SEO companies. [Investing in SEO] has been the best business decision we have made in regards to our websites.”
– lawyer, Fort Lauderdale
What could 10,000 new visitors and an influx of qualified leads do for your law firm?
It’s never too late to invest in law firm SEO for your website.
Case Study – Veteran’s Disability Law Firm
When we took over the SEO for this firm’s site in April 2017, it ranked 900 keywords, and the value of its organic traffic was less than $300.
After adopting a holistic SEO strategy, today, it ranks for more than 28,000 keywords and is worth nearly $200,000 in monthly organic traffic value.
This green chart shows the corresponding increase in phone calls to this law firm.
By tracking phone calls, we show law firms that we’re not only growing their website but that our efforts are turning into actual phone calls and signed cases.
Key Takeaways
SEO is one of the best digital marketing strategies law firms can use to increase their website traffic and get more clients.
But the benefits of law firm SEO go far beyond traffic and lead generation; law firms can solidify themselves as absolute powerhouses in their niche.
SEO matters for law firms in more ways than one.
If you have a law firm and haven’t invested in SEO, today is the day to start. You could be leaving loads of money at the table by not optimizing your website and dominating local search.
Again, what could more traffic and clients do for your law firm?
Featured Image Credit: Paulo Bobita
