Getting the Best SEO Services for Attorneys: What You Should Know

Search engine optimization (SEO) is akin to art as it is a science. There’s no secret sauce or strategy, and what works for one law firm won’t be a guarantee that it will work with yours. Regardless, you should make sure that the digital marketing tactics you implement will help boost your firm’s success. 

You should know the most important concepts of SEO that will help you think like a marketer and make your law firm’s website rank better. However, you need to remember that nothing in SEO is black and white, and it can be a huge burden for you if you do it yourself while practicing law. So, it makes sense that you let the professionals do it for you.

This article will help you find the best SEO services for attorneys.

What Is Lawyer SEO?

Generally speaking, SEO is a strategy in digital marketing that is used to garner more traffic from several search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For your law firm, you don’t have to pay these search engines to make your website more prominent in search results. This differentiates SEO from pay-per-click (PPC)

SEO lawyer marketing will boost your profit since more people will know about your firm’s website and be convinced to avail of your services. 

SEO Can Affect Two Parts of the Search Results Page (SERP)

For starters, SEO can help your site to get featured on the local map pack and rank higher on organic listings by employing several strategies. Although rankings for these two areas can overlap, they are slightly different, and your law firm’s website can be featured on one and not the other. 

Other Elements of the SERP That You Can Leverage

Google is incentivized to make SERPs as easy to use and quick as possible since more users will be enticed to make more searches. So, it’s come to a point where the search giant would attempt to present answers to all of the user’s questions without making them leave the SERP. They often do this by adding question-based phrases or more commonly known as the “People Also Ask” box. 

A good measure of a successful law firm SEO campaign is when your content is included in Google’s featured snippets and knowledge graphs. These are sections of the SERP where Google presents a definitive answer to a user’s question. However, your content will only be included in these sections if its algorithm detects that you are a reputable source. As a result, you will see more traffic coming into your site, giving you more leads to prospective clients.

Most People Nowadays Use Search Engines to Find a Lawyer

artist’s impression of someone looking for lawyer services

Hiring a lawyer or getting legal advice is not something that most people normally need. There’s also a certain level of anxiety that people have come to associate with it. Based on a report by National Law Review, around 96% of people get their legal knowledge from using a search engine, while 74% visit a law firm’s website to avail themselves of legal services. Aside from these, some people also find attorneys through referrals from their friends and family. 

But people often do both since they may get more than a few recommendations. 

Expect a Certain Level of Return from Using an SEO Agency

Normally, the results you get from implementing an SEO strategy snowballs over time. This is the return on investment (ROI) that you should expect when working with a digital marketing agency for law firms:

  • 2x – Your law firm will break even.
  • 3x – The return is roughly equivalent to the standard referral fee for lawyers.
  • 5x – This rate of return is enough for your law firm to grow.
  • 10x – The normal ROI peak for any law firm that can be sustained year over year. 

So, if your law firm is planning to spend around $50,000, the lowest return that you should expect is around $150,000 in legal fees. But four main players need to work together to get greater results.

  1. SEO Agency – Like law firms, some agencies are better than the competition.
  2. Law Firm – Even though two law firms have similar practices, identical rankings, and around the same monthly leads, they can still produce two very different outcomes. To be honest, some law firms are just better at closing leads compared to others. 
  3. Competition: The competition in the legal industry is intense. Also, not all law firms keep track of their returns. Some are spending too much on marketing, which can hurt the business.
  4. Google (and other search engines) – Search engines, especially Google who in Q1 2020 was responsible for 96% of mobile searches and 92% of combined mobile and desktop searches, make the rules—and it can make or break your SEO tactics. What’s worse is Google isn’t always transparent about the rules or the changes they’ve rolled out. They can also change their algorithms anytime they want, and no one would know. They hold the keys, and you just have to deal with it. 

Honestly, even though you work with an agency that offers the best SEO services for attorneys and is the best at converting leads, you may still not get the ROI that you’re looking for. Most law firms will still pursue using SEO strategies as long as it remains one of the best ways to get more leads. Although it is frustrating for both parties, you should still be willing to fight together and you must trust your partners in growth. You can learn more about SEO for attorneys and lawyers by visiting Ardor SEO’s website. 

Verdict

It’s clear that search engines are almost ubiquitous in everyone’s lives, and most people use them to find an attorney. Arguably, the most important part of your SEO campaign will be in choosing an agency that offers the best SEO services for attorneys and generates a decent ROI for your firm. So, when you hire an agency, make sure that they have all the solutions to get your legal practice in front of your clients. 

If you want to learn more about how to grow your business, check out our other articles!