Local SEO is one of the best tools that law firms have at their disposal. Potential customers are routinely using search queries like “family lawyer near me” or “criminal lawyer in Tampa Bay”. When we say “local business” we usually picture a mom-and-pop shop or a coffee cart. But it doesn’t get any more local than a law firm.
Clients need a law firm that’s nearby for convenience reasons but also because local lawyers know their struggles and, of course, the local laws better than anyone.
If you don’t have a local SEO strategy in place for your law firm, you’re missing out on a lot of business. Let’s see how you can fix that.
Don’t Ignore Google Maps and Google My Business
Searches that end with “near me” often display results on Google Maps or similar services. Make sure that your profile is complete and updated.
While you’re there, you also want to make sure that the address and phone number you have listed are identical to those on your website, your Facebook profile, and any other platform you are using. Consistency is very important in local SEO.
Google My Business is a business directory that’s linked to Maps, so make sure your profile is updated and verified. Encourage your clients to leave reviews on Google My Business (and Yelp, Facebook, and any other platform you can think of) and don’t forget to reply to every review to boost your ranking.
Did you know that you can also post on Google My Business? Every time you write a new blog post or publish any type of content, don’t forget to post it on Google My Business, too, not just Facebook or YouTube. It will help both your ranking and your reputation!
Go Mobile
60% of organic clicks are from mobile. If your website doesn’t offer a stellar mobile experience, your potential customers are going to bounce back to search results and they’ll be gone forever.
Most people looking for a lawyer aren’t in a cheery disposition. They have a problem that needs solving and they don’t have the time or the patience to deal with a website that’s not mobile responsive.
Create Authority Content
Authority content is the type of content that speaks volumes about your expertise. It positions you as an authority in your field (hence the name). But in order to achieve that, your content has to be:
- Well-researched: never state something you can’t back with evidence, just like you wouldn’t in a court of law.
- Referenced: get your information, your facts, and your statistics from authoritative websites and link to them. Outbound linking helps your SEO and your trustworthiness.
- Compelling: let your knowledge shine. Don’t be afraid that potential customers will fight their own legal battles if you give them too much information. That rarely happens and you’ll be winning more clients than you’ll be losing this way.
Authority content is an excellent source of leads. But it also needs to be discovered. No matter how great your content is, it will be useless if it’s the world’s best kept secret. For that to happen you need SEO:
Create Content that’s Optimized for Search Engines
The beauty of local SEO is that it’s fairly easy to get your website ranking for keywords that have the potential to bring in new business. They are low competition and it’s easy to pack them with search intent.
Allow me to explain.
A lot of my agency’s clients come in through our virtual doors and ask us for content that helps them rank for short, generic keywords like “best lawyer” or “lawyer in San Diego”. Not only are those keywords incredibly hard to rank for, they are also pretty useless business-wise.
When someone searches for such terms, they’re not usually looking to hire a lawyer. They may be researching their competition or trying to see how much a lawyer in a given city makes a year.
When someone really needs a lawyer, they will be more specific: “divorce lawyer in Las Vegas”, “DUI lawyer in Chicago”. This is where your golden opportunity lies.
You need to create content that addresses specific needs. The sales funnel becomes pretty simple when you do that: a potential client searches for a long-tail keyword looking to get help with a specific problem. They stumble upon your website. They read your authority content and decide you know what you’re doing. They call you. That’s it!
For long-tail keywords like the ones mentioned above, blog posts are the surefire way to attract customers from organic searches. Since you have so much information in the keyword you know exactly what to write about:
- What Do I Do if I Get Arrested for a DUI in Chicago?
- How to Find the Best Divorce Lawyer in Las Vegas
- How Does the Newly Passed Law Affect DUI Arrests in Chicago?
- 10 Questions to Ask Your Las Vegas Divorce Lawyer.
Blog posts like these are the ideal answers to the queries mentioned above. Show your potential clients that you have answers to their questions even before you meet and they’ll be half ready to sign the retainer.
Your Law Firm Needs SEO Content
Think about SEO as a first-time meeting with a potential client. You want to project trustworthiness so that they understand you can solve their legal problems.
The same goes for your SEO content strategy. You want your expertise to shine through every line you write. Coupled with a reviews-backed stellar online reputation, you will have won their hearts even before they get to meet you.
No time to write legal content that ranks and convinces? We’ve got your back! Get in touch with my team of expert writers and let’s make local SEO work for your law firm!
