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A lot has changed about the way people search for lawyers over the last 15 years. A 2005 survey showed that 65 percent of individuals searching for lawyers depended on family and friends for referrals. Seven percent of respondents said they searched the internet for an attorney. In 2014, thirty-eight percent of the participants in a similar study reported using the internet to find a professional to meet their legal needs. Twenty-nine percent of people polled said they relied on the advice of family and friends.

Law firms who want to stay ahead of the curve will need a marketing campaign that includes SEO tactics to ensure they rank high with search engines.

SEO Basics

Search Engine Optimization is the tool available to website owners that makes their website more attractive to Google and other search engines. The goal is to place your website as close to the top of the search rankings as possible. A personal injury attorney that is on page eleven of search results is unlikely to be seen by individuals relying on internet searches to find lawyers.

Optimizing your website will make it easier for search engines to match your content to relevant searches by potential clients. Your website will move up in search engine rankings as you build more authority through your SEO practices.

One analogy to put things in perspective is to think of your website as a book in a library. If you know the name of a book, you can find it on the shelf. However, if you only know the subject you want to read about, you can type the subject in a library computer and a list of relevant results will be provided to you. Likewise, your website needs to include the keywords potential clients will use to search for the services your firm offers.

SEO Goals

The primary goal of SEO is to attract more visitors to your website. Once a visitor is on your website, the goal is to convert them to clients. To do so, your website needs to be informative, persuasive, and easy for visitors to use.

Improving SEO Rankings

Google and other search engines are secretive regarding their method for ranking websites. However, there are factors that are known to increase both search engine rankings and client conversion odds.

  • Keywords – A good SEO campaign will identify the words potential clients use when performing internet searches and create content that uses these words.
  • Content – Quality content that is keyword rich will improve your rankings with search engines.
  • Link Building – Creating links to other relevant information or websites will increase your website’s authority rating and move you forward in search engine rankings.
  • Google My Business – Google will include your business in local searches for law firms if you create a Google My Business page.

Getting Results

A good SEO campaign is not intended to provide immediate results. However, implementing your SEO campaign and sticking to it will surely lead to more visits and conversions for your law practice.