Do Law Firms Need SEO? Here's How To Increase Your Rankings

Many business owners, including law firms, overlook search engine optimization (SEO) because they see it as a mystery, something they won’t use because they don’t understand it. However, the truth is that SEO should be a main focus of any marketing strategy, and it doesn’t have to be a complicated mystery. Maybe you’re thinking, do law firms need SEO? Don’t they usually build their businesses by referrals and word of mouth? 

The answer is YES. Law firms need SEO if they expect to grow their business at all in this digital age. We live in a time where the competition is fierce, regardless of the internet, and if you really want your business to succeed, word of mouth isn’t enough. Read on as we talk about what SEO even is, and why your law firm needs it. 

Your Easy Guide To Why Do Law Firms Need SEO

Let’s first discuss what SEO is so that you have a better understanding of why it’s important for your law firm. 

What Is SEO?

Here’s how SEO works. Google and other search engines are constantly crawling web pages and categorizing them. Basically the internet is a giant library of information that search engines have created. When you search for something on these search engines, you’re putting in a request to that library. With machine learning and artificial intelligence, Google will break down your search term and then provide web pages relating to that search term that hopefully, you’ll find useful. 

This is where SEO comes into play. SEO helps your search engine to categorize your website so that it can be properly indexed and found more easily. When you optimize your website in specific ways, adding bits of code and organizing information and attaching keywords, it makes it easier for search engines to understand your website and pull it up when certain terms are searched for.

It’s important to note that SEO isn’t one single tool or simple process. Real SEO is also not a bunch of tricks or secrets to fool search engines. There are no short cuts that you can buy. In fact, search engines and Google in particular, are becoming more and more sophisticated. This means they are better at providing real results instead of lower quality web pages stuffed with keywords or cheap backlinks. Instead, search engines now are actually penalizing these techniques and reward sites that are truly and correctly optimized. 

Your Clients Use Search Engines

The main reason why law firms really do need SEO is that your clients, and prospective clients, are using search engines. All internet uses rely on these engines to provide answers to their questions. They’re looking to learn more about products and services and they also use them to find companies, like law firms in their area. If your law firm is local and you’re seeking local clients, then these potential customers will use search engines to look for reviews and directions to your business. 

It’s also important to note that customers are also using engines to find you, even if they are already familiar with your business. Instead of remembering your domain or website address, they’ll just type your name into Google to find your information. Make sure that you’re giving your business it’s best chance to succeed with optimized and accurate information.

SEO Increases Traffic

We’ve alluded to it above, but SEO really can increase your traffic. If you’re providing valuable information on your website, and you’re making it easy for search engines like Google to find that information and organize it, you’ll be rewarded with higher rankings. Higher rankings mean increased exposure, which means more visitors to your website. 

The goal with most marketing campaigns is to get your content in front of as many eyeballs as you can. Especially when you’re audience is looking for the information that you have, then SEO is a great tool for targeting. 

It Brings You More Qualified Leads

Search engines have a job to return results to users who are actively searching for a term or phrase. If you want to get to the top of that stack, then that means your website needs to provide accurate and valuable information to those who want it. 

Unlike other advertising strategies, you aren’t trying to shove information or products at people when they aren’t looking it at. SEO is great because you get an active audience, without having to pay to get your content to them.

SEO Tips For Law Firms

SEO might be the most reliable and profitable marketing tactic for law firms. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t think you should ditch all of your other advertising efforts, but you should give SEO a considerable amount of your time and energy too. We’ve heard it described that SEO is similar to the stock market, and keywords are your stocks. You pick these keywords and keyword phrases based on the information you have at the time. Then, you and your SEO expert will watch and watch for the returns on your investment, and tweak your strategy as necessary. SEO is a slow-moving game, and it could take anywhere between 3 months to a year to gather steam. 

Just like a stock market, results can fluctuate, for things as simple as seasonal consumer behavior. That’s why we recommend having an SEO expert to help you watch and maintain your digital strategies. There are a few strategies we thought we would mention here if you’re thinking about hiring an SEO guide to help you get started. 

Keyword Research & Analysis

To start, in-depth keyword research and analysis is critical for any internet marketing campaign. Build your SEO strategy around appropriate keywords that your clients are actually searching for when they are looking for legal services. 

Website & Content Optimization

Maximize your SEO by building your website correctly from the very start. You want it structured in a way that search engines will be able to effectively crawl and index your site to improve your ranks. That means applying proper title tags, metadata, blog content, and keywords. 

Offsite SEO & Link Building

At Fuel Web Marketing, we also help you engage in off-page optimization strategies including local optimization, inbound linking, offsite blog, and more. A successful online presence requires getting involved in many different areas of the internet. 

Competitive Analysis

Lastly, in order to rank higher than your competitors, you’ll need to do some competitive analysis. That means analyzing your competitor’s online strategies and help you gain the advantage so that you don’t lose clients to other firms. 

Do Law Firms Need SEO? YES

So, do law firms really need SEO? The answer is yes, yes they do. In today’s digital age, there is no excuse for law firms not having a great website that helps their clients and potential clients find the information they need. However, we know that it takes more than just a well-built website to attract clients. We want to help your firm become a competitive force online, which is why we will create an SEO strategy to help your website climb the ranks and stay visible online.

At Fuel Web Marketing, we’ve got SEO experts who understand how to implement proven SEO methods to ensure you’re being found by the right people online. Every law firm has different long-term goals and different budgets, but at the end of the day, all law firms should want their marketing campaign to maximize their profits. With our SEO services, we’ll help you achieve your goals and help you grow your firm. 

Reach out to us today and let us help you find the strategy that works best for your business.