Law Firm SEO Strategies to Outrank Your Competitors Online

If you’re a newly established law firm and you haven’t taken full advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) yet, you’re missing out on online lead generation opportunities. Practicing proper SEO is one of the most effective ways you can grow your practice online. Your law firm SEO is directly related to how well you rank on Google and whether or not you rank ahead of or behind a competitor, so you’ll need to strategize to keep your firm ahead of the competition. Here are some of the best law firm SEO strategies that your firm can implement to stay ahead of your competitors:

Perform SEO Audits

In order to figure out how to outrank your competition, you’ll first need to know where you stand. Doing an SEO audit for your law firm’s website will help you to understand where your website excels versus where it can improve. Everyone has to start somewhere, so don’t worry if your numbers aren’t as strong as you hoped. By having a solid understanding of where you can improve, you’ll have the knowledge necessary to take the next steps!

Create Authoritative Content

This is probably a given, but it’s also one of the most important parts of your law firm’s SEO and increasing visits to your website. Once you get people to access your website, you’ll want them to stay there. It is important your content either answer a common question, inform them of your services or just increase their general knowledge on a topic. A plethora of content is one of the best ways of getting your readers to stay on and engage with your firm’s site and since Google deems dwell time as a ranking factor, take note!

Use the Right Keywords

Keywords are vital to determining whether or not your firm’s website shows up early in a Google search. Choosing the right keywords is a combination of knowing what your target audience wants to learn about and knowing the services you intend to promote. For example, if you’re a law firm that specializes in copyright law, “copyright” has to be one of your keywords! In addition, you’ll also want to target those keywords that have low competition. This means that not a lot of law firms are utilizing it, which will make it easier for your firm to appear higher in the search results. To help you conduct SEO keyword research, there are some keyword research tools you can take advantage of.

Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

In the age of smartphones and tablets, mobile is an increasingly popular way of browsing the internet. No matter what practice area you’re in, mobile users are going to take up a big chunk of your website audience. You don’t want to drive prospects away with a website that’s clunky and hard to navigate on mobile, so take some time to make your interface more accessible to mobile users.

Use HTTPS Instead of HTTP

This may seem like a small and unimportant detail, but it’s actually a lot more important than you might think. Google has been shown to favor websites that are securely encrypted with an HTTPS connection, instead of those with just http. That single “s” could be the difference between appearing at the top of the search results and being a few pages back. Google has even started to block content and pages that do not have an HTTPS connection. Read more about Google’s strict security policy in our blog post, Google Will Block Mixed Content – What Does That Mean for Law Firm Websites?

Optimize Your Images

Images are a whole lot more than just the pictures that appear on your website. They can and should be optimized to increase your website’s traffic. If you think that the file name and description of the picture isn’t important to the website, you’re wrong. In fact, the file name can be optimized to further enhance your law firm SEO and increase traffic to your pages. Make your file name a keyword related to your image, and treat the description the same way. It seems like a small detail on the surface, but it can do a lot to increase your website’s visibility.

Make Your URLs SEO Friendly

This means that you shouldn’t have a long, complicated URL that doesn’t completely relate to your law firm’s services. Instead, keep things simple! The domain should tell your audience everything they need to know at a surface level. If you can make it the name of your firm, do it. If the domain name is taken for whatever reason, you can modify the original or factor in a keyword that most closely relates to your law firm. People will be less likely to click on a URL that’s very long, so make sure you keep it short and simple to increase your audience’s trust.

Build Quality Backlinks

Backlinks, or inbound links, are essential to improving your law firm’s credibility and search engine ranking. Google views backlinks as endorsements from other reputable websites, which can boost your site’s authority. Focus on obtaining high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within the legal community. You can do this by participating in guest blogging, getting cited in legal publications, or collaborating with other trusted sites. Remember, quality over quantity is key when it comes to backlinks.

Improve Page Load Speed

A fast-loading website not only improves user experience but also boosts your SEO rankings. Google uses page load speed as one of its ranking factors, and a slow website can detract potential clients. Optimize your site’s load speed by compressing images, using browser caching, and minimizing unnecessary code. There are several tools, like Google PageSpeed Insights, that can help you identify and fix issues impacting your site’s speed.

Use Schema Markup

Schema markup is a form of microdata that you can add to your website to help search engines understand the context of your content. Using schema markup can enhance your search engine listings and improve click-through rates by providing more detailed and relevant information to users. For example, adding schema markup to your attorney profiles can help display additional information like practice areas, office hours, and client reviews directly in the search results.

Regularly Update Your Content

Search engines favor websites that consistently provide fresh, relevant content. Regularly updating your blog, refreshing outdated content, and adding new practice area pages can signal to Google that your website is active and up-to-date. This practice not only keeps current clients engaged but also attracts new visitors in search of the latest legal information.

Leverage Social Media

While social media is not a direct ranking factor, it can significantly impact your SEO efforts. Sharing your content on social media platforms increases its visibility and can drive more traffic to your website. Moreover, social media engagements can result in more backlinks and build your law firm’s online reputation. Ensure that your social media profiles are complete and consistently link back to your website for maximum benefit.

Takeaway

The most important lesson you can learn when optimizing your law firm’s website for SEO is that you shouldn’t overlook the small details. Most of the strategies listed above seem like small fixes and details at a surface level, but when you add them all together you’ll realize how important they are collectively. Fine tune the small details, and you’ll increase your website’s traffic to stay ahead of your competitors.

If your firm needs help with SEO, contact us today for a consultation and free high-level SEO audit. And, learn more about how you can utilize the power of AI for your law firm’s SEO strategy in our recent webinar with Jasper AI – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on SEO.