More potential clients are turning to search engines like Google to find legal services. One recent survey found that 64% of people go to Google when looking for a lawyer. So, law firms now have to keep website search engine optimization (SEO) in mind when building their websites. SEO for lawyers is the process that legal websites use to improve their search engine visibility.
SEO is an implemented series of strategies that improves your website’s visibility in search engine results. Effective SEO ranks your firm higher for relevant search terms. That means your firm’s website ends up higher when people:
- Directly search for local law firms
- Ask legal questions that you can answer
- Seek legal advice on search engines
SEO for lawyers is a bit different than other kinds of SEO. It requires that you understand search engine algorithms, but also that you understand how they rank sources of important information. Google’s EEATs guidelines mean they will reward the law firms that are the best at establishing:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authority
- Trust
Simply being the best at what you do, within a specific area, goes a long way. But you also need to signal your qualifications to search engines through your website content. That means you need to craft a comprehensive online strategy that includes strong communication and SEO technical skills.
In this guide, we will explore the essential components of legal SEO. Whether you’re just starting with SEO or looking to refine your existing strategy, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in the digital landscape.
Main Takeaways From This Article
- SEO for lawyers is similar to SEO for other professionals, but with a focus on the unique needs of search engine users seeking legal advice and services.
- Law firm and personal professional websites need to leverage on-page, off-page, and keyword optimization to be more easily found by locals online.
- Legal SEO is largely about maintaining a genuine message and a good online reputation.
Understanding the Basics of SEO for Lawyers
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of enhancing your website to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
For lawyers, SEO is about attracting potential clients who are searching for legal services or advice online. The foundation of SEO involves several key components, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and off-page strategies.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of identifying the search terms potential clients use when looking for legal services. These keywords should be strategically incorporated into your website’s:
- Written content
- Meta descriptions
- Titles and headings
- URLs
- Image alt text
When you want to capture traffic from a specific keyword, remember to consider the search intent behind that search. What are people typing this keyword into Google looking for? Are they searching for information, giving your firm a chance to establish its authority? Are they actively searching for legal representation due to a recent incident?
Search intent is often very intuitive and doesn’t require much thought on your part. But sometimes it helps to use SEO tools to find out for sure. Some tools will tell you what actions users take after making a search, such as reading, making a purchase, or other actions.
Pro tip: Focus on both short-tail keywords (e.g., “divorce lawyer”) and long-tail keywords (e.g., “affordable divorce lawyer in New York City”) to capture a broader range of search queries. This signals that your firm is a strong local legal authority, and offers special expertise in certain areas of the law.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization refers to the elements on your website that you can control, such as:
- Content quality
- Site structure
- User experience
Some on-page optimization steps are difficult to implement, especially if your site’s back-end is messy. But a simple checklist to get started should include steps like:
- Ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly
- Getting Web Core Vitals and overall load speed lower,
- Making the site easier to navigate with transparent and well-organized navigation interfaces
- Creating high-quality, informative content that addresses the needs and questions of your target audience
Off-Page Optimization
Off-page strategies for lawyers, like others, are primarily focused on building backlinks. The next most common tasks include managing activity outside your website that influence your search engine rankings. Overall, off-page optimization includes:
- Earning links from reputable websites
- Engaging in social media marketing
- Managing online reviews
Backlinks are votes of confidence from other online authorities. They signal to search engines that your content is reliable and trustworthy. Google sees content as reliable when its users use and share that content more often, especially other experts in the subject matter.
Backlinks are more useful when the other site also has higher authority. For example, a backlink from a Forbes article is highly valuable, while a backlink from an online casino flagged for malware can be actively harmful.
What you can control far more easily is online reviews. While online spaces can lean towards negativity, using a review management system can easily encourage happy clients and others who interact with your firm to leave great reviews. Great reviews are a form of user-generated content, which signals to Google that your website is valuable to its users.
Keyword Research and Optimization Strategies
Now you understand the basics of keywords. But actually capturing traffic from a common legal keyword can be challenging. So, use this step-by-step guide to maximize your ability to get potential clients onto your firm’s website.
1. Identify Search Terms Your Potential Clients Use
These are the terms that people use when they end up on your site. In an ideal world, you want more people using terms specific to your practice and geographic location. For now, get on Google Search Console to see where your current traffic is coming from.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush can help you discover high-volume, low-competition keywords that are most likely to drive traffic to your website. Focusing on low-competition keywords will naturally steer you toward:
- Searches about more specific legal issues that your firm is ideally suited to handle
- Local searches for potential clients in your area
Some possible examples would be:
- Motorcycle injury lawyers in Westbranch Houston
- Defamation defense lawyers orange county
- Best divorce attorney in Orlando FL
2. Strategic Keyword Integration
Once you have identified your target keywords, the next step is to integrate them strategically throughout your website. Keywords should be used often but not spammed throughout your pages. You want to integrate your target keywords in:
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Headings
- Body content/main text
It’s important to use your target keywords naturally. Avoid the practice of “keyword stuffing”, which is now outdated and can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, informative content that naturally weaves in your target keywords.
3. Corner the Most Valuable Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are particularly valuable in SEO for lawyers. Think of the more specific phrases that potential clients might use when considering consulting an attorney. These include most generic terms.
Long–tail keywords often have lower search volumes, but lower competition. But they also offer higher conversion rates, making them essential for attracting qualified leads.
4. Local Search Optimization
Optimizing for local search is also crucial for law firms. Ensure your practice is listed accurately on Google My Business and other local directories. Include your location in your keywords to improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
On-Page SEO Strategies for Legal Websites
On-page SEO strategies optimize the website elements that you can control. They ensure that search engines and users find your content valuable and accessible. Most good on-page SEO is about sending clear signals that make it easy for humans and search engine crawlers to understand your website content.
Here are some steps you can follow to get your on-page SEO in order:
1. Start With Content
Create high-quality, relevant content that addresses the specific needs and concerns of your potential clients:
- Blog posts
- FAQs sections
- Case studies
- Detailed service pages
- Comprehensive guides
High-quality content demonstrates your expertise and authority. Use clear, concise language and make your content well-organized and easy to read.
2. High Level On-Page Tag Optimization
Include primary and secondary keywords in your high-level tags. These tags provide search engines with a summary of your page content. They are often the first things potential clients see in search results.
Header tags (H1, H2, H3) help structure your content for human readers. Headers communicate your content’s hierarchy to search engines. Use your keywords naturally here to add to the context that search engine crawlers are looking for.
3. Optimize for Speed
A fast-loading website provides a better user experience. If users experience faster responsiveness, they will interact with your site in ways that signal greater value to Google. To improve your loading speed:
- Optimize your images
- Leverage browser caching
- Use a content delivery network (CDN)
- Declutter each page’s HTML
- Be careful with using too many WordPress plugins
4. Mobile-friendly
Almost two-thirds of users will access your site from mobile devices. Ensure your website is responsive for those users. Mobile-friendliness means your site adjusts smoothly to different screen sizes. Information is presented clearly and is easy to navigate through on a phone.
5. Internal Linking
Appropriate, contextual hyperlinks add a lot to each page’s SEO by:
- Helping human readers find more useful information
- Helping search engine crawlers gain more context about the meaning of your content
The on-page strategy to use is internal linking. Linking to other relevant pages on your site helps search engines understand the structure of your site and can keep visitors engaged for longer periods.
Building High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are hyperlinks on other websites that lead to a page on your website.
Backlinks serve as endorsements of your content’s credibility and relevance. Search engines like Google use backlinks as a significant ranking factor. So, acquiring them from reputable sources can greatly enhance your site’s authority and visibility.
To build a strong and authoritative backlinks profile, follow these steps.
1. Shareable Content
We already touched on how high-quality content is more important than simply providing more content. But a big part of “high-quality” in web content is how worthy it is of being shared with users on other websites. So, think about how your content fits into subtopics relevant to your legal practice.
Legal content is often inherently valuable and worth sharing. To make your content more shareable, include:
- Legal guides
- Contextual information that would be useful to business owners
- Insights into local legal news events
- Infographics and statistics
- Answers to important questions that local individuals and businesses would have about your legal field
High-quality content naturally attracts links because other websites see it as a valuable resource worth referencing.
2. Backlinks Outreach Strategy
Normally, building an effective backlink profile requires significant outreach. So:
- Identify authoritative websites, blogs, and online publications within the legal industry
- Reach out to prospects with personalized messages
- Offer to write guest posts or collaborate on content that includes links back to your website
Establishing relationships with industry influencers and thought leaders can also lead to other opportunities. But backlink-building should always be a consideration for legal SEO purposes.
3. Local Directory Citations
Local citations and directory listings are particularly important for law firms. Ensure your business is listed accurately on major directories like Google My Business, Yelp, and legal-specific directories such as Avvo and FindLaw. These listings not only provide valuable backlinks but also improve your local SEO.
4. Social Media Sharing
Social media platforms can also be an effective way to gain backlinks. In some cases, sharing your content on social media leads users to share it and improve its authority. So, engage with your audience on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to build your online presence and attract more backlinks.
Review Management and Reputation Management
Review management and reputation management are essential components of a successful SEO strategy for law firms. Online reviews significantly influence potential clients’ (and search engines’) perceptions and decisions.
The first step to getting more positive online reviews is providing excellent service. But after a customer experiences excellent service, it usually takes a polite nudge to get the review. This is when a polite request for feedback.
After anyone leaves a review, your job isn’t over. Respond to all your reviews promptly, whether they are positive or negative. Thank clients for positive reviews, showing appreciation for their feedback. When addressing negative reviews, respond professionally and empathetically.
Utilizing a review management tool like Reviewshake streamlines all reputation management and review processes. Reviewshake can help you by:
- consolidating reviews from multiple platforms into a single dashboard
- Tracking and managing your online reputation.
- Automating review requests
- Helping you gather more positive feedback from satisfied clients
- Sharing positive reviews across all social media platforms
Legal SEO: A Summary
Legal SEO is an ongoing corrective process of fixing technical issues and improving your website content’s quality. So, you need to simultaneously:
- Offer genuine, high-quality content relevant to your potential clients
- Audit your site for technical issues that can harm your search engine visibility
- Track the performance of your SEO efforts with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and specialized SEO software
- Manage your online reputation with a tool like Reviewshake to gather more positive user-generated content
Analyzing data is what allows you to identify which SEO strategies are working and which need adjustment. For instance, if certain keywords are driving significant traffic, you might focus on creating more content around those terms.
Conversely, if some pages are underperforming, you can investigate potential issues such as slow load times, poor mobile usability, or weak content.
With a robust, multifaceted approach, legal SEO can easily become your most powerful outreach method.
