What Are the Best SEO Strategies for Law Firms in 2022?

With Google processing more than 5 billion searches every day, your next client will likely use the search engine to find you online. Why not speed up the process by using the right SEO strategies for law firm? By optimising your website for Google and other major search engines, you can direct a steady flow of potential clients to your law office. 

Why Invest in SEO?

Search engine optimisation is an effective tool that can ensure the growth and success of your practice. As more and more people rely on Google and other search engines to find the products or services they need, getting found easily online can do wonders for your marketing efforts. Not only does SEO help you stay visible in search results, but it can also help you improve engagement, build trust, and attract more leads for your law office. 

Besides the benefits mentioned above, SEO can also help you: 

• Discover new service areas and markets.
• Improve your industry authority and credibility.
• Give your reputation a boost.
• Provide your audience with valuable resources.
• Outperform the competition, including the major players.
• Know your target audience better.

What Google Looks For in a Top-Performing Website

Google utilises a number of ranking factors to determine a website’s placement on search result pages. Essentially, the search giant uses the same ranking signals for law firms as those for other types of businesses. Besides Google, no one knows exactly what those ranking factors are. However, many SEO experts agree, including us at Kinetic Traffic, that to rank high on Google, your website should at least: 

• Be secure and accessible.
• Pass Google’s page speed test.
• Be mobile-friendly.
• Have a good domain age and authority.
• Feature optimised, valuable, and relevant web content.
• Have robust technical SEO.
• Provide a better user experience.
• Have quality backlinks.

Strategies for Achieving a Better Search Ranking in 2022

There are various SEO strategies for law firms you can use in 2022 to meet Google’s basic requirements and secure a better placement for your site on search result pages. Let’s take a look at some of them: 

Conduct keyword research

Keyword research lets you identify the search terms potential clients are using to find services similar to yours. Once you determine those search terms, you can incorporate them into your site and web content to make them search engine-friendly. Keyword research also helps you get to know your prospects better, allowing you to create content they would find valuable and interesting. 

When conducting keyword research, you can:

• Use keyword tools to quickly find the search terms you can optimise your site with.
• Brainstorm keyword ideas according to the legal services you offer, your location, the type of clients you have, the areas you serve, etc.
• Find keywords semantically related to your main search terms.
• Consider your competitors’ keywords.

Optimise your site’s on-page elements

On-page SEO is a vital aspect of the optimisation process as it ensures that every onsite element of your website is Google-friendly. It also serves as the foundation of your SEO strategy, so it would be wise to get started with on-page SEO as soon as you’re done with keyword research. 

Here are a few pointers on how to optimise your site’s onsite elements for Google and other prominent search engines: 

• Add your focus keyword to the H1 tag, title tag and meta description of your web pages.
• Ensure that your meta descriptions offer an accurate and concise description of your pages.
• Whether you’re writing a blog post or content for landing pages, ensure that they contain relevant keywords.
• Do not force keywords into your content. They should appear as natural as possible.
• Get rid of duplicate content and ensure that your web copy is always original to avoid a Google penalty.
• Incorporate internal links into your content to connect them to relevant pages and posts on your website. This strategy will make it easier for Google’s search bots to crawl your site. Additionally, it encourages visitors to stay longer on your site by helping them discover related content.
• Make sure to optimise images, too. Reduce their file size so they won’t affect your page’s loading speed. Also, use a descriptive file name and an optimised alt text.
• Ensure that your pages are free from broken links by setting up 301 redirects.

Optimise for local search

Optimising your law firm’s website for local search should be part of your overall SEO strategy if you’re targeting clients in a specific area. With local SEO, you can drive more targeted traffic to your site, which has a better chance of being converted into actual clients. 

Here are some local SEO strategies you should consider: 

• Claim your Google My Business (GMB) to drive more traffic and leads for your site.
• Always respond to reviews posted on your GMB page.
• Post your law firm’s information on local business directories to gain backlinks and attract traffic.
• See that your NAP (name, address, and phone number) details are consistent throughout.
• Create localised content to target local audiences.

Build links

Also known as off-site SEO, link building lets you build your site’s authority. When many relevant websites link to yours, it gives Google the impression that you’re a reliable source of information. This helps increase your search ranking.

Here are some off-site SEO strategies for lawyers you should implement: 

• Create quality web assets (articles, guides, videos, infographics, etc.) other sites would want to link to organically.
• Consider publishing guest posts on authority sites relevant to yours.
• Publish your business details on reputable online directories.

Start Optimising Your Law Firm’s Website Today

With billions of people using search engines to find the services they need, optimising your site for SEO can help ensure a steady flow of potential clients to your law practice in 2022. As such, consider the tips discussed above to ensure that your site is Google-friendly. 

Don’t have the time for SEO? We are happy to help! At Kinetic Traffic, we have a team of highly experienced law firm SEO specialists who can develop effective strategies for better online visibility and higher search rankings. Please speak with us, and we’ll create an SEO plan tailored to your legal practice.