Why Law Firm Blogs Need SEO

Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website and blog so they appear as high as possible in search results for specific keywords or phrases that are relevant to the legal services your firm provides and the issues your clients face. In general, sites that appear higher in search results will receive more traffic, with the site in first position reaping the biggest benefits.

There are numerous benefits to appearing in higher positions of search results. Not only will your firm’s site see more traffic, but the traffic will be of a higher quality. Below are just some of the reasons why search engine optimization should be a highly prioritized part of your law practice’s marketing investment.

Search Traffic Converts at a Higher Rate

Traffic coming from search engines will convert into actual clients and revenue at a higher rate than any other form of traffic. Industry estimates put the conversion rate for leads generated through SEO at 15%. Other traffic generation methods, like paid advertisements, typically show a 2% to 5% conversion rate.

The natural starting point for most consumers these days is a search engine. Even if a potential client already knows your firm’s name and blog URL, they will search before they go directly to your site. They will look for stories and updates, and other information in the results to help them decide if your firm is the one that will best suit their needs.

When more pages are indexed, and appearing in good positions within search results, you have more control over what potential clients will see as they search. And there’s nothing that consistently adds more valuable pages to a site than blog posts. Every one of your pages that appears in the results is another opportunity to convince someone that your law practice is the one they are looking for.

Whether your firm is taking advantage of SEO, your competition most certainly is. Without effective SEO in place you’re not just on an uneven playing field, you’re stuck in the locker room at risk of forfeiting the game.

High Search Result Positions Instill Trust

Google and other search engines are very public about the fact that they try to make sure top search results are relevant, trustworthy and authoritative. Web surfers know that the farther they go down the list of results, the less relevant those results tend to be.

When your pages appear on the first page of results, viewers are not only more likely to click through to your site, they’re more likely to trust what they see when they get there. This makes a tremendous difference in visitor to client conversion rates.

Blog posts really shine here as they showcase the author’s expertise and understanding of the prospect’s issues. And, the comments and shares provide social proof.

SEO Is a Long-Term Strategy

Unlike paid advertisements that stop running when you stop paying, SEO results can last weeks, months, or even years. Pages that rank well will continue to bring a return on your investment long after the writing and optimizing is done.

If you continue to optimize your blog posts, your SEO results will grow as your firm’s site grows. The long-term return on investment you get with good search engine optimization outperforms all other digital marketing methods.

It should be clear by now that SEO for your law firm blog is not just a good investment, but a crucial investment in your law firm’s online presence. It’s important, however, to remember that results of a strategic SEO effort will take time to materialize. Your firm’s blog is not going to appear in the number one spot overnight. It’s a long-term investment that will ultimately bring long term results and benefits if you stick with it.