It’s no secret that when people are looking for something–anything–they go online to find it. They research for the best price, the best options, the best features. They’re looking for something to solve their problem and make life better.
How do they find it? SEO.
If you’ve done any research into marketing, you’ve seen the term SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. The simple version is that it’s writing copy—for your website, landing page, or content—in a way that’s not only appealing to your potential leads and clients but also to Google and other search engines.
Digital marketing levels the playing field for businesses of all kinds, including law firms and legal practitioners. SEO does three things:
- Tells the search engines what you’re about so they can retrieve your site when someone is searching for what you offer
- Tells potential clients what you’re about so that they will read more on your site and discover if your services match their individual needs
- Offers them content that gives them additional information that helps them and builds trust before they ever decide to call
In other words, when someone is looking for a lawyer, law firm, or other legal services, they usually engage with a search engine–Google, Bing, Yahoo, or another. They’ll type in what they’re looking for, with terms like:
- Traffic ticket lawyer in Tucson, AZ
- Entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles
- DUI defense attorney in Cincinnati
- Adoption lawyer in Austin, TX
- Social Security disability lawyer in Atlanta
- Divorce lawyer in Seattle
- VA disability appeals lawyer in Richmond, VA
- Disability lawyer in Tallahassee, FL
- Financial services lawyer in New York City
Search terms like these are known as “long-tail keywords,” and they’re what a person looking for legal help will type into a search engine. When your website has the right keywords and key phrases, your leads and prospects can find you much easier.
Keyword Stuffing Is Out
No, using your keywords to excess is not the best way to get people to your website. This practice used to be popular but is now seen as “black-hat SEO.” It also tells the search engines that your site is spam, and there’s a good chance you’ll see your rankings drop. Google will penalize your website and may even drop it from rankings.
Your website should be the place where people come to learn what you can do for them. It should engage, educate and serve visitors, build trust with them, and offer the social proof that you are the answer to their legal problem. Your keyword density should be enough, but not so much that it interrupts the reader’s train of thought.
Have you ever heard someone pepper their sentences with a word such as “like?” When every other word is “like,” it becomes difficult to follow their train of thought. The same is true for web copy with excess keywords:
An estate planning attorney can help you write your will, create trusts, and manage your probate. You can find an estate planning attorney in a directory of attorneys that feature estate planning attorneys. Make sure your loved ones are covered when speaking to an estate planning attorney before you become ill or incapacitated. Don’t forget to contact your estate planning attorney before you head to the hospital.
There’s a much better way to write your copy.
Why You Need SEO
Whatever field of law you practice, your clients need to find you—now. SEO helps put your website in front of the clients who need you, no matter the size of your firm.
If your content is too old, the search engines won’t index it anymore. Your clients may be able to find your website if they have the URL, but it won’t show up when they do a search for it. Neither will anyone else. They’ll click on the link for the attorney or law firm that comes up and tells them exactly what they’re looking to find.
Search Engine Optimization is exactly that—making sure that anything related to your brand is written so that Google, Bing, and other engines find it and deliver it to someone searching for it. Once your prospect picks up the phone or sends a note, they become a lead, and you take it from there.
In other words, you’ll work smarter, not harder. You can concentrate on your clients instead of thinking as much about your website.
You can read more about SEO and why your website needs it in my free download, 7WebsiteMistakesMadebyattorneys.
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