Three Letters That Can Make or Break Your Business
SEO. Those three letters often create confusion and dread as you craft your marketing plan. The pros at Media Caffeine will show you why your law firm needs an SEO strategy and help you draw up a roadmap that leads clients right to your door.
SEO is Challenging, But You Can’t Afford to Ignore It
Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing process involving many steps, from research to results analysis. That alone sounds daunting. And, no doubt, when the subject comes up, you inevitably hear stories about Google constantly changes its search algorithm, rendering previous optimization work obsolete.
First of all, don’t buy into the horror stories. Google’s last major algorithm rewrite was in 2013, with some tweaks in 2016 that boost local results based on a searcher’s location. That’s particularly useful for someone looking for a firm in their area.
Second: A study released in April 2020 shows:
- 92 Percent of American consumers turn to Google when they’re looking for information
- On mobile devices, that number jumps to 98 percent
With numbers like that, why would you play Hide and Go Seek with prospective clients? If someone is looking for a law firm, chances are they’re already distressed. With a well-thought SEO strategy, you can ease the pain of trying to find the right firm (yours) to help them solve their problem.
How People Search for Lawyers Online
Often, when SEO comes up in discussion, people talk about sales funnels. The same concept applies to law firms.
Top of the funnel searchers uses broad terms to help them define the specific service they need. For example, suppose someone is the beneficiary of a pension fund. In that case, they may need help understanding the tax implications. They may be unsure if they need to talk to a tax attorney or an estate lawyer.
Searchers in the middle of the funnel are more inclined to search by specialty to compare services. Using our beneficiary above, let’s say this person took the cash in a lump sum and is now worried about facing a huge tax bill. So, now they are looking for a tax attorney to help them navigate tax planning.
Bottom of the funnel users often know what action they need to take, and they’re looking for the right firm to help them. Our beneficiary wants an experienced tax lawyer specializing in dealing with the IRS and their state on individual tax cases. They need to know your firm will help them avoid a big bill or unsnarl them from problems they face with tax debt and penalties.
Logically, the money with the bottom of the funnel searchers. But don’t ignore the people at the top and middle of the funnel. If they see you as an authority in your niche, you stand a greater chance of building a relationship with them.
Anatomy of a SERP
Okay, the first question you’re probably asking is, “What’s a SERP?” In this context, SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. Although we focus on Google, most search engines, including Yahoo!, Bing, and Duck Duck Go, follow a similar structure. Pages are generally broken into sections and vary depending on what a user is searching for. Someone searching for a law firm is likely to see:
Sponsored results are essentially paid ads that appear at the top of the search results.
Local results often appear right below the paid ads. Your firm stands a good chance of appearing in the Local Pack if you’ve completed your Google My Business profile.
Related searches (a.k.a. People also ask) offers additional queries related to their search.
And finally, we arrive at Organic search results. This means someone searching for a law firm will do a lot of scrolling down the page before they see any organic results.
This is Why You Need an SEO Strategy
While getting your law firm ranked high on a search engine results page may seem like a Sisyphean task, an effective plan can nudge your name toward the top. Our SEO experts will help you optimize your search profile by:
- Helping you create content that
- Boosts your page and domain authority with search engines
- Shows readers how your firm can help them solve their problem
- Using long-tail keywords to increase your site and page ranking
- Completing and optimizing your Google My Business profile boost your firm’s chances of appearing in the Local Pack
Someone Needs a Lawyer Right Now. Let’s Help Them Find Your Firm
Now that you understand why your law firm SEO strategy needs to be a major part of your digital marketing approach, you may be wondering how you’ll find the time and resources to develop and execute it as part of your marketing plan. If you don’t know your Site Map from your Schema, don’t worry. The team at Media Caffeine is here to help your firm weave all of these pieces together to create a cohesive SEO strategy that brings the right clients to your site. Call us today for a consultation.