As a law firm, it is essential to make sure that you are doing everything possible to rank higher in your local community. In order to do this, you need to understand local SEO and how it works. In this guide, we will discuss the best ways to improve your ranking and attract more clients from your local area. We will also provide tips for law firms who are just starting out with their SEO efforts. Let’s get started!
What is Local SEO for Law Firms?
Local SEO is a type of web marketing that focuses on your local area. You want to make sure you are ranking higher in the search results and attracting more clients from your local area. There are many different strategies for doing this, but let’s talk about some of the basics first.
Local SEO can be done at any time, and it doesn’t even require a website! “Local” refers to anything within 30 miles around where you live or work.
One of the most important things to remember is that location matters in local SEO. When you are targeting a specific area, you need to make sure your website and content are relevant to that area. You can do this by including the city and state name on your website, as well as in your content. Another great way to show Google that you are a local business is by adding a Google map with your address on it.
You can also increase your ranking by claiming and verifying your business listing on Google My Business. This will help improve your visibility and give potential clients more information about your law firm. In addition, make sure to list all of your practice areas so people know what kind of law you practice.
Why is Local SEO is important for Law Firms?
There are a number of reasons why local SEO is important for law firms. First of all, it allows you to target potential clients in your local community. This means that you can reach out to people who are already interested in legal services, and you don’t have to compete with firms from other areas. Local SEO can also help you to improve your reputation in your community and attract more qualified leads. Finally, it can also help you to stand out from the competition.
How to Improve Your Local SEO
Now that you understand the basics of local SEO, let’s talk about how you can improve your ranking. Here are some tips:
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
More and more people are using their phones to search for businesses, so it is important that your website looks good on all devices.
Optimize your website for local search.
One of the most important things that you can do to improve your local SEO is to make sure that your website is optimized for local search. This includes adding your city and state name to your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags. You should also include a map of your location on your website, and make sure that all of your contact information is accurate and up-to-date.
Do keyword research for your website.
One of the most important aspects of local SEO is keyword research. When targeting local clients, it is important to use keywords that are relevant to your area. For example, if you are a law firm based in Chicago, you would want to target keywords like “Chicago personal injury lawyer” or “Chicago bankruptcy lawyer”. By using the right keywords, you can ensure that your website will show up in local search results for those terms.
It’s important to know what keywords people are using when searching for your law firm. A good way to do this is by doing keyword research on Google AdWords. You can use a free tool like SpyFu or Ubersuggest, which will show you the top 10-20 most popular phrases that people are typing into Google along with average monthly searches and competition level in the local area. This information is invaluable because it tells you what terms people are actually looking for, as opposed to just guessing.
Claim and verify your business listing on Google My Business.
One of the best ways to improve your local SEO is to claim and verify your business listing on Google My Business. This will help you to stand out from the competition and give potential clients more information about your law firm.
To claim your business listing, you first need to find it on Google Maps. Once you have found it, click on “claim this listing” and follow the instructions.
To verify your business listing, you will need to provide Google with some information about your law firm, such as your address, website, and phone number. You can also add a logo and photos of your office. Once your business is verified, it will show up in the “Google My Business” directory, and you will be able to manage your listing from the Google My Business dashboard.
Get listed on Google Maps.
One of the best ways to improve your ranking in local search is by getting your law firm listed on Google Maps. This can be done by creating a free Google My Business account and filling out all of your business information accurately. You can also add photos of your law firm’s office and courthouse to help people locate you. Make sure to include accurate and up-to-date information about your hours of operation, address, and phone number. You can also add a link to your website to help people learn more about your firm.
List all of your practice areas on your website.
People who are looking for a lawyer will want to know what kind of law you practice.
Make sure your website is updated regularly.
Google likes fresh content, so make sure to add new blog posts, articles, and videos on a regular basis.
Engaged with your local community.
Law firms should make sure that they are actively engaged with their local community. This includes participating in events and organizations related to your field of practice, as well as creating blog content and articles about topics relevant to your area. By building strong relationships with your local community, you will not only improve your SEO ranking, but you will also gain valuable referral sources.
Engage in citation building.
Another essential element of local SEO is citation building. Citation building is an essential aspect of local search. It provides evidence that your law firm has a physical location, and in turn helps you to rank higher in local searches for attorneys or law firms.
Citation building is one of the most effective ways to improve your ranking on Google Maps and other websites which list businesses such as Yelp or Yellow Pages. Through citation building, you can submit articles about your company on different directories across the internet including blogs, forums, and industry-specific directories like Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory or Avvo.
Engage in link building.
In order to rank higher in local search, you also need to build links from high-quality websites. This helps to show Google that your law firm is a credible and authoritative source of information. The best way to do this is by targeting local publications and websites which are relevant to your community. One way to achieve this is by building citations on reputable sites like Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places for Business. Make sure that all of your business information is accurate and consistent across all of these platforms. You can also reach out to other businesses in your area and offer to exchange links with them.
Track Your Results
One of the best ways to measure the success of your local SEO efforts is by tracking your results. This means tracking your website’s ranking on different search engines, as well as tracking the number of leads that you generate from local searches. By tracking your results, you can determine which aspects of your local SEO campaign are working the best and make necessary adjustments.
There are a number of free tools that law firms can use to track their local SEO rank. Here are some of the most popular tools:
Google My Business Insights: This tool allows businesses to see how their website is performing in local search results. It also provides information about which keywords are driving traffic to your website.
Yelp Insights: This tool shows you how your business is ranking on Yelp, as well as how many views and clicks your profile has received.
Bing Places for Business: This tool allows you to track your website’s ranking on Bing, as well as see how many leads you are generating from Bing searches.
SEO for Law Firms: The Bottom Line
Local SEO is an essential part of any law firm’s marketing strategy. It can help you rank higher in the search results and attract more clients from your local area. If you are just starting out with your SEO efforts, make sure to focus on the basics like keyword research, citation building, and link building. By tracking your results, you can fine-tune your strategy and continue to improve your ranking.
