Why You Should Invest in SEO Services for Lawyers
By Hibu |
You’ll run across dozens of acronyms when you dabble in digital marketing.
ROI. CPC. CTR. CPM. SEM.
And you’ve almost certainly spotted the term “SEO,” but you may not know that it stands for “search engine optimization.” Suddenly, those three letterssound a lot more daunting...or like a greater opportunity for your law firm.
It would be nice if SEO techniques were super simple and quick to grasp. However, SEO is a complicated concept, and a full-time job to implement and monitor. And when you run a law firm, mastering it — or at least understanding it — is vital to attracting new clients.
So let’s take a look at what SEO is...what it can do for your legal practice...and what it takes to do it well.
[Related: Today’s SEO: How To Dominate the Search Results]
SEO Marketing for Lawyers: Seeing Results
So, why should you invest in SEO services for lawyers?
Well, when you make an investment in SEO, you amplify every other part of your digital marketing efforts.
You might have a high-quality website, top-tier social media marketing and snazzy display ads. But those important channels won’t do you much good unless they appear on the first page of search results. That’s why when you establish local SEO, lawyers like you expand your reach and bolster long-term success.
And because SEO is one of those skills best left to the pros, it makes sense to do exactly that. In other words, it’s smart to leave the SEO work to digital marketers and the legal work to lawyers.
Let’s explore SEO services to see why they’re key to digital marketing. We’ll also offer some tips on how to find the ideal SEO consultant for lawyers.
[Related: How To Make the Right Marketing Investments Online]
Understanding On- and Off-Page SEO Services for Lawyers
SEO involves including keywords and phrases in your digital marketing, like in your website copy, social media posts and ads.
When clients search for things via Google, Yahoo and Bing, those keywords return relevant results. Ultimately, SEO services determine how relevant your content is, and how highly your content ranks in those search engine results pages (or SERPs).
And we probably don’t have to tell you — appearing on the first page of search results is pivotal. Most of your clients don’t click past the first page. As the joke goes, the best hiding place in the world is on the second page of Google.
You especially need relevant keywords embedded both on and off your website — aka on-page SEO and off-page SEO. And those keywords will likely need to be adjusted over time to stay potent because search algorithms are constantly shifting (and your competitors are constantly targeting many of the same keyword phrases that you are). Having skillful on-page and off-page SEO is critical to your digital marketing success.
In the end, the combination of on- and off-page SEO is what keeps your digital marketing alive. (And that’s one more reason to partner with the best SEO company for lawyers.)
Let’s look at on-page SEO and off-page SEO a little closer.
On-Page SEO
As the name suggests, on-page SEO involves including keywords on your website. But that’s not the end of it. SEO also plays a huge role in how your website functions and reflects how your digital marketing company built your site.
Elements like metadata, tags, headers, alt text, on-site blog posts, HTML and more come into play when you’re talking about on-page SEO. As if that’s not enough, specialists need to optimize on-page SEO continually to match the evolving algorithms — and beat the competition.
[Related: SEO Terms Your Small Business Should Know]
Off-Page SEO
Essentially, off-page SEO includes any work you’re doing outside of your website. And it’s just as valuable as its on-page counterpart.
Off-page SEO involves how you’ll drive traffic to your website. This includes social media posts, image captions, hashtags, backlinks and all other text you use to advertise your practice.
Think of off-page SEO as all the signs, indicators and maps guiding clients toward your website.
[Related: The SEO Solar System: Different Spheres of Influence]
Why Local SEO for Lawyers is Important — Really Important
As you can see, SEO is multifaceted and indispensable. It’s certainly not a one-and-done service.
To stay on that first page of search results (or as close to it as possible), you have to dig deeper.
Local SEO services for lawyers keep your keywords razor-sharp and relevant. And because the digital marketing world moves so fast, you need those keywords and phrases to keep pace.
That’s why local search is integral. In a nutshell, “local search” is how clients use search queries like “lawyers near me.”
In 2021, a whopping 77% of people used Google search (including voice and mobile search) to find local businesses. And that number continues to rise. What’s more, when people find a site, they spend an average of 45 seconds there before either exiting or exploring further.
Implementing an SEO strategy helps you get in front of those people where they’re looking (before your engaging, professionally designed website keeps them on your site for more than a minute).
SEO services put all your firm’s efforts front and center. You’ll see real benefits — in both the short and long terms — when you invest in SEO services for lawyers.
We’ll expand on that for a moment. Because SEO is methodical maintenance, not a one-and-done makeover, you shouldsee both immediate and gradual returns on your investment.
For example, when you have greater visibility, you should garner more website visits (and hopefully more clients) in the near term. And when those clients boost your firm’s business over time through word of mouth, social media, reviews and more...you should see long-term benefits of an effective SEO strategy too.
Overall, local SEO for lawyers kick-starts a cycle that rolls in a lucrative direction — as long as specialists tend to its moving parts.
[Related: The Extraordinary Results of Integrated Digital Marketing]
Local SEO Tips for Lawyers and Law Firms
The top SEO companies for lawyers truly act as a partner for your law firm. You’ll work together to find the keywords that lead people directly to your digital channels — and eventually to your list of clients.
Stay in touch with your digital marketing specialists (they should keep you in the loop, too). Make sure they keep your marketing channels active and synchronized with each other to help you generate more site traffic and increased online engagement.
Finally, double-check that those specialists regularly research shifting search algorithms to maintain (and keep boosting) your search ranking.
And of course, those specialists should handle both on- and off-page SEO. That’s how you’ll see continual gains.
A Few More Tips To Get the Best SEO Service for Lawyers
To get you started (or help you continue), here are a few more tips about SEO marketing for lawyers. We recommend running through them with your digital marketing partner:
- Optimize your client reviews (because they influence your SEO ranking, too)
- Implement a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that includes social media and content
- Make sure your website is primed to appear when clients search via voice and mobile
- Save costs with custom solutions for your firm, whether it’s large, small or somewhere in between
- Follow a checklist to guarantee your digital marketing ticks all the crucial SEO boxes
Here are just a few examples of what an integrated digital marketing plan has done for other law firms:
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
[Related: 5 Things You Need To Know About SEO]
Find the Best SEO Company for Lawyers Here at Hibu
With Hibu Local Ranking, your legal practice can gain the visibility you expect on Google and more. You’ll appear where it matters most — right where local clients are looking for an attorney — and dominate the organic search results.
Call us at 877-237-6120 or complete our Get Started form to request your no-obligation consultation.
