Although pay-per-click (PPC) ads can quickly gain the attention of prospective clients, organic search engine optimization (SEO) traffic can fill the gap in your small law firm marketing efforts. PPC ads tend to be disruptive marketing, although not always, whereas SEO traffic brings in a highly engaged audience. After all, these clients are actively saying that they have legal issues and need answers or help. Cost per client acquisition expense is also lower since the return on investment (ROI) on SEO is tremendous. It is also an investment for your law firm since your content will primarily live on your website versus using other platforms. Ensure that your law firm website gets in front of competitors by investing in a robust SEO strategy.
Follow these eight simple SEO tips to grow your small law firm's website traffic.
SEO Tip #1: Analyze Your Competitors
Before diving into on-page and off-page SEO implementations, take a look at other lawyers and law firms in your area to see how they structure their website, which keyword terms they are using. SEO, in some ways, is relative to your practice area and geographic location. Capitalize on your competitor's efforts by monitoring what they are doing.
SEO Tip #2: Conduct Extensive Keyword Research
After establishing your competitors' strategies, it is time to research keywords you noted and obtain ideas for extra keywords you can use on your firm's website. Keyword research takes a little time and focus but is well worth the results.
Tools you can utilize to conduct keyword research for your law firm include:
Moz Pro
SEMrush
AHrefs
Google search
Competitor research
Some of these tools may require extensive SEO knowledge to operate at full capacity. Before paying hundreds of dollars for keyword research tools, ensure that you will get the most out of your investment.
SEO Tip #3: Do Not Forget About Title and Meta Description Tags
Areas of focus that often get excluded are the optimizations of your title and meta description tags. The page title is the most valuable on-page element, and your meta description lets prospects know what to expect from your website during their Google search. These elements are prime opportunities for occupying competitor keywords.
SEO Tip #4: Claim Your Google My Business Listing
Claiming your Google My Business listing is critical to the success of your local SEO efforts. Your Google My Business listing is the standout card that shows up when someone searches your practice area and location.
SEO Tip #5: Stay Consistent with Your Details
Consistency is essential when it comes to SEO. Different spellings, unclear addresses, and multiple telephone numbers can confuse search engines and data aggregators. Establish how you want to list your name, law firm address, website address, and phone number, and then stick with these guidelines. Doing so will save you significant time and effort in the long run.
SEO Tip #6: Ask Clients for Reviews
Once you have your Google My Business profile set-up, it is time to start asking past and current clients and colleagues for reviews. These reviews will help your website stand out. Plus, you can use specific tools and widgets to embed your Google rating, which can help you obtain "review" search engine ranking positions (SERPs).
SEO Tip #7: Optimize for Mobile and Desktop
Google has been reminding us for several years to design for mobile-first. The vast majority of traffic comes from mobile searches. However, do not ignore the appearance and functionality of your desktop and tablet sites. Ensure that all three mediums look great by testing them. Make any changes that improve their appearance at the device level.
SEO Tip #8: Start a Blog and Post Regularly
While blogging can be time-intensive, it will signal to search engines that your website should be crawled on a regular basis. By publishing quality content, you will establish expertise and authority within your law practice while building trust with potential clients.
Final Thoughts and Considerations
Colorado lawyers and small law firms are wise to invest in SEO to grow law firm website traffic. One of the most important and valuable tips that we can offer is that small law firms should maintain a detail-oriented approach when adding content to their websites. Inaction or a lack of planning can seriously derail your efforts and result in SEO consequences that get you banned from search engine listings. Ensure that you know what you are doing when implementing any tactic or strategy to gain new audience attention.
Meranda M. Vieyra is the owner of Denver Legal Marketing LLC. She is one of the most visible legal professionals in Colorado law with over 20 years of service in the Denver legal community. Her award-winning marketing firm has earned a strong reputation as the go-to for impactful, cost-effective legal marketing strategies. She has helped her clients secure coverage by well-known publications and has obtained local, national, and international awards on their behalf. Meranda enjoys working with solo practitioners and small law firms helping them attract recognition, promotion, and visibility to their practices. She also advises medium-sized and national law firms on business development and marketing strategy. Meranda is a lecturer and author on issues related to marketing including how lawyers can use LinkedIn effectively, how to develop a personal brand, and the promotion of legal services through community service. In 2018, she was honored to be named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Denver Business Journal and to be given the 10 Under 10 Award by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Alumni Association (top 10 alum of the decade). In 2019, Meranda was named in the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and in the Top 100 young professionals in Colorado through the Gen XYZ Awards published by ColoradoBiz Magazine.
For more information, go to www.DenverLegalMarketing.com