Did you know that 96% of people seek legal advice using a search engine? By mastering local SEO for lawyers you can help your firm get seen in local map searches.
As such, building a strong online presence for your brand is critical when it comes to succeeding within the legal sector. After all, not only can this help you to present yourself as an industry leader, but it also makes it much easier to connect with potential clients.
There are many different ways in which you can ensure you capture the attention of your target audience through your web presence, such as by mastering local SEO (Search Engine Optimization). After all, with local searches accounting for 46% of all Google searches, nailing your SEO strategy can help you to effortlessly grow your client base.
4 Tips for Mastering Local SEO for Lawyers
Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to master local SEO as a practice owner. For example, you should:
- Claim local business listings
- Think about website structure
- Share your success stories with local outlets and agencies
- Optimize content for local market
Claim local business listings.
One of the easiest ways to master local SEO for lawyers is by claiming your law firm’s local business listings. This includes Google My Business, Bing, and Yahoo. Doing so means your business will appear more frequently in local searches, such as ‘law firm near me’ or ‘law firm [town name].’
Not only will this help to boost your law firm’s visibility, but also it legitimizes your business. For example, a recent study found that “businesses with complete Google My Business listings are twice as likely to be considered reputable.”
However, it often isn’t enough to simply claim the listing; you need to be sure that the information presented is both up-to-date and optimized for the niche services you are offering. For example, you should include the following information:
- Business name
- Contact details (Phone number, email address, etc.)
- Business hours
- A link to your website
- Detailed SEO-optimized descriptions of your services
You should also ask that your previous clients leave reviews on these platforms where possible. This, again, can help you to present your law firm in the best possible light.
Think about website structure.
Improving the structure of your website is another great way to improve your local ranking. This is because web structure and accessibility are some of the key ranking factors considered by search engines. For example, you should ensure that the name of the town/area you are serving is featured in titles (H1) and subtitles (h2) on your site alongside the body of text accompanying them. This helps the search engines to categorize your site, as it shows them that you’re providing users with the exact information that they are looking for.
Share your success with local outlets.
Simply put, PR for lawyers has become an extremely effective strategy for helping build your brands authority. Sharing your success stories with local news outlets and PR companies is another great way to improve your local SEO ranking while also helping to build your name for yourself as a lawyer. After all, this backs up your claims relating to the quality of services that you offer within your firm.
While you cannot share confidential information through these platforms, there are still plenty of ways to share success stories. Another great avenue is guest posting and helping contribute to existing articles.
Guest posts that allow you to share your expertise with readers and ensure that your firm is the very first firm they think of in the future when seeking legal counsel.
Editing existing articles as a subject matter expert is also very effective as it helps bolster your authority on content pieces that are seasoned and legitimized.
However, in any case, you should ensure that all articles and posts contain backlinks to your own site. This way, it’s easier than ever for readers to find your website and learn more about what you offer.
Optimize content for the local market.
Another way in which you can become a local resource is by ensuring that your content is optimized for both the specific kind of services you offer and the local market. This is achieved through embedding the relevant keywords and keyword phrases into your content.
This likely means that you need to refine your keyword strategy, ensuring that the words your audience is using in searches are the words featured within all web content, from your landing page to any blogs you may write. You should also be sure to put out local services ads, which can once again boost your visibility and drive traffic toward your site.
Final Thoughts on Local SEO for Lawyers
If you’re struggling to build your clientele within your law firm, a lackluster online presence could be one of the key reasons why. After all, in the digital age, an online search is often the very first thing we do when seeking out new services – and if you aren’t ranking highly, it becomes near-impossible to capture the attention of a local audience.
Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to master local SEO for lawyers, and put your business (quite literally) on the map. From claiming your business listing on sites such as Google My Business, Bing, and Yahoo to refining your keyword strategy to maximize visibility, there are various strategies that you can deploy that will bring forth tangible results for your firm. While any one of these strategies alone will work well, it’s best to try a combination! Not only will this help you to capture the attention of new, local clients, but it can also help you to present your firm in the best possible light.
If SEO is something you’re looking to tackle, don’t worry. This is not necessarily something that you have to deal with in-house! At Joseph & York, we have years of experience working with law firm owners to boost their online presence through a wide range of services, including SEO services packages, local services ads, and digital PR for lawyers.
If you’d like to find out more about our services or are ready to become a local superstar thanks to our SEO services packages, please do not hesitate to get in touch today. Our law firm marketing experts are happy to answer any questions you may have. Remember, conversations are always free!
