What Attorneys Get Wrong About Law Firm SEO

Law firms don’t need massive marketing budgets to increase their online presence.

Attorneys already have the skill set needed for a winning SEO strategy. The problem is that they make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Almost every practice has a law firm SEO plan in place, but many of them are making mistakes that are fixable mistakes.

Here are some common mistakes made by law firms, how to fix them, and some food metaphors for good measure.

Picking The Wrong Keywords When Engaging In Law Firm SEO

Keywords are the phrases in content, like blog posts, that Google looks for when sending searchers to a page.

Finding the right keywords is the most important step for law firm SEO. Luckily, it’s also the easiest.

All it requires are research skills and about five minutes of time.

Google’s autofill is a great tool to use. If an article is about slips and falls, go to Google and type “slip and fall” into the search bar. Below it, suggestions will pop up that show the most searched terms.

Make keywords local. Look at DeSalvo Law, for example. They practice in Chicago, so instead of their keywords being “slip and fall lawyer” it can be “slip and fall lawyer in Chicago.”

Pick one of these for the keyword, and sprinkle it into the article. Not too much: around four times for every 500 words or so. It’s like putting spice on a steak; don’t overdo it.

Don’t Turn Blogs Into Infomercials

Writing content for a web page might seem like the perfect time to sell a service, but it’s not. Articles are about getting information out there and drawing people to a site.

If someone clicks on an article about steps to take after a car crash, and the answer is “contact xyz law firm” they aren’t going to be happy.

That doesn’t mean that law firms can’t sell themselves. The important thing is that the content doesn’t suffer for it.

Answer the question that the article is discussing first.

It seems simple, but a lot of content suffers from self-promotion. A good formula to follow is 90/10.

Ninety Percent of the article should give information about a specific topic. The other 10%, the closing paragraph, is where the selling takes place.

What’s the best use of the last paragraph though? A call to action.

Not Having A Call To Action Is A Major Law Firm SEO Mistake

What’s the best way to get people to do something? Ask them.

The end of every piece of content should be a call to action. Some good CTAs are signing up for a newsletter, visiting other articles in a blog, or contacting a lawyer for a consultation.

This step lets potential customers know what they can do next when interested in a service. It’s a way to engage the reader and move them closer to signing up for a service.

If law firm SEO strategy was a meal, content/blog posts are the steak, keywords are the spices, and the call to action is dessert. It comes last, but it’s everyone’s favorite.

Speaking of a call to action, here are more articles with SEO tips and tricks that will help any legal website!