As a lawyer, the vast majority of your clients are going to be coming from your own locale. As such, when it comes to marketing, it’s important for you to pursue local SEO, in particular.
The question is: what does local SEO for lawyers entail? The answer: quite a bit. Let’s get into the specifics below.
You Have to Localize Your Keywords
If you’re going to rank for a specific keyword on Google, you have to use that keyword on your website. But when it comes to local SEO, using a keyword like “law firm” or “divorce lawyer” isn’t enough.
To indicate that your law firm is located in, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma, you have to attach “Tulsa” to your original keyword, either before the keyword or after it. In other words, you have to localize your keyword.
Using this example, the keyword would be either “Tulsa law firm” or, say, “divorce lawyer in Tulsa”. These keywords denote not only that your website represents a law firm but that said law firm is, indeed, located in the city of Tulsa.
Creating Consistent Content Can Help
Generally speaking, it’s important to show Google that your website is active. Otherwise, Google will look at your website as being irrelevant or outdated and will refuse to rank it on the first page for a given keyword.
How do you show Google that your website is active? You have to create content on a consistent basis, primarily in the way of informational blog posts or relevant news.
We recommend posting to your website at least twice a month, though 4 to 6 times a month is ideal. In your posts, try to answer questions that potential clients in your area may have. This way, you’ll start showing up for related keywords and will be able to demonstrate your expertise to those who come across your site.
You Should Take Advantage of Social Media
Social media marketing and SEO are different things in general. However, they can help to bolster one another. The more you share or post on social media, the more relevant your law firm will become and the more visitors your website will see.
The more visitors your website sees, the more seriously Google will take it and the more credibility it will assign to it. You should be posting on social media platforms at least twice a week. Note, however, that daily engagement can help to build a network rapidly.
Local Citations Are Key
If you want your law firm to rank locally, you need to obtain local citations. Local citations are simply mentions of your law firm. They consist of a name, an address, and a phone number, and should be consistent from citation to citation.
At the very least, you need citations on popular listing sites like YellowPages, Yelp, and the like. However, you also need to get citations in local sites like, say, your area Chamber of Commerce site.
In addition, you need to obtain local citations on law-related sites. The more niche-specific sites you can get your information listed on, the more Google will associate your law firm with, well, the law.
It’s also important to get citations in organic sources, like, for example, the local newspaper. These show that your law firm is relevant in the real world and help it to build clout with Google.
Some of these citations will come naturally. However, most involve work by you. If you need help obtaining local citations, call up your local legal SEO company.
Google My Business Is Vital
Local SEO isn’t just about websites anymore. A huge part of modern local SEO is Google My Business.
This is a platform that enables businesses (like law firms) to appear at the top of Google searches for specific services. These businesses appear within a box that’s separate from the standard search engines but which is highlighted to gain the most attention. If you can land your law firm within the top 3 law firms inside of this box, you can gain substantial traffic for your website.
Now, how do you get there? Well, first of all, you have to sign up for Google My Business and fill out a profile. Fill out as much of the sign-up information as possible, and make sure to add profile pictures as well.
You might also consider adding videos and other marketing materials, as every piece of information can help your profile to gain more clout with Google.
Apart from this, you just need to post to your Google My Business profile frequently. Not only should you produce your own posts on the platform but you should also respond to those who have reviewed your law firm on the platform. The more engagement you have with Google My Business, the better your law firm will fare in the long run.
You Need Backlinks
Just as with global SEO, local SEO requires obtaining backlinks. The more and higher quality backlinks you can get, the better your website will rank.
As a law firm, you should be trying to get backlinks from law-related websites, or websites that exist within your niche. So, if you’re a divorce lawyer, for instance, you should try getting backlinks from divorce-related websites.
Now, how do you get backlinks? There are all kinds of strategies, from guest posting to swapping links with other website administrators and more. Note, though, that getting backlinks consistently can be difficult.
If you want high-quality backlinks on a regular basis, you should think about hiring a local SEO company. Specifically, search for a company that does SEO for attorneys.
Do You Need Local SEO for Lawyers?
Are you looking to find more clients through search engines? Do you need local SEO for lawyers? If so, we here at Bipper Media are the people to see.
We’re well-versed in helping lawyers to rank locally on search engines. Regardless of your location, we can bring more local traffic to your website.
Contact us today to get the process started!
