Dan Hodges
If you are a law firm looking to grow, generating new enquiries from your website is likely one of your digital marketing goals.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) for law firms is therefore going to be a necessary strategy. SEO for law firms isn’t just about adding keywords to your content; it involves optimising your website and online content to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, creating a backlink profile that shows your law firms authoritativeness and trustworthiness as well as having well-optimised content in your service pages, contact pages and blog posts. In turn, this increases visibility and drives organic traffic.
But which elements of SEO for law firms are important, and how can you use them to generate new enquiries?
Conduct Keyword Research
Although I said SEO isn’t just about adding keywords to your content, it is still a very important part of the process. By adding keywords that users are searching for, you can increase the chances of your content being found in the SERPs. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to find keywords that potential clients are using to search for legal services. By including a mix of long-tail and short-tail keywords, you can increase your law firm’s online visibility and then drive traffic to your website, which will help to generate new enquiries.
Optimise On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is the next step of a successful law firm SEO strategy. One of the reasons for this is because a well-optimised page is usually going to have a better user experience, which means a user is more likely to convert. In addition to this, optimising your meta titles means your content will be easier to find. You want to write clear, keyword-rich meta titles and descriptions for each page. These elements are often the first things users see on SERPs. As well as this, you want to use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure content logically, and include keywords naturally. A final thing you want to ensure you check off the list, is optimising your website URLs too to include relevant keywords.
Implement Technical SEO
Once you understand on-page SEO for your law firm, technical SEO is the next element you should take a look at. This is, again, because a law firm website that prioritises technical SEO will provide a better user experience to clients, meaning they will stay on your website and hopefully fill in a form to convert
Firstly, you want to ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a large percentage of searches are done via mobile or tablet devices. In addition to this, you want to ensure that your website page load speed is quick, as many people won’t stay on a website that takes more than a few seconds to load! This helps users convert, as navigating your website will be quick and convenient. Another thing that makes it easier to navigate your website is including a sitemap. This also helps Google to index your site more effectively meaning your content will appear in the SERPs.
Focus on Local SEO
Local SEO is another great tool to ensure your law firm is utilising. Local SEO includes your Google Business Profile (GBP), local directories and citations, your NAP (name, address and phone) pack and local content such as optimising contact pages for your different offices and posting local content and events on your website and social media profiles.
You need to ensure this information is kept up to date and regularly check for Google Reviews, which can be a huge help in generating new enquiries for your law firm as they help with local SEO, but they also show your law firm’s trustworthiness.
If your law firm hasn’t verified it’s Google Business Profile or Bing Places profile yet, have a look at this blog post to find out how to do so.
Build Quality Backlinks
The final stage of a law firm SEO strategy is creating a robust backlink profile. This involves writing guest posts for reputable legal or business-related websites or blogs to earn backlinks and increase exposure. Alternatively, you could use digital PR to seek opportunities to feature your law firm in local media or industry publications that can help to increase your domain authority but also showcase your law firm to your target audience which will increase brand awareness. Finally, ensure you are using internal linking, too, to related pages within your website to improve user experience and spread SEO value.
Track and Analyse SEO Performance
The final step in any successful law firm digital marketing strategy is analysing the performance of your marketing to see what is working and where there are areas for improvement. Google Analytics and Search Console are great tools to track traffic sources, user behaviour, and keyword rankings to help identify which areas of your SEO lead generation are working. You should also consider regular law firm SEO audits to identify issues and opportunities for improvement.
By following these steps, you can create a robust SEO strategy that increases your law firm’s visibility, drives organic traffic, and ultimately generates new enquiries and leads. Don’t forget that SEO is a long-term investment, so consistent effort and ongoing optimisation are key to achieving sustained results.
If you want to discuss your law firm’s SEO strategy or learn more about implementing an SEO audit to see how your law firm’s website is performing, we can help! We have over 20 years of experience in helping law firms become more successful online. Get in touch with the team at sales@conscious.co.uk or 0117 325 0200.