How To Know If Your Law Firm SEO Strategy Is Actually Working

Search engine optimization (SEO) can help your law firm get more online exposure. But how can you tell if your law firm’s SEO is actually successful?

Law firms can look at several things to see whether their SEO efforts are paying off. Some will say that if your law firm is on the first page of Google, your SEO is working, or that you have increased web traffic.

But that may not mean your law firm is actually generating more leads or new cases.

Several factors can help you determine whether your law firm SEO is successful. Here are some key indicators. 

1. Increased Organic Traffic to Your Law Firm 

One way you will notice that your SEO is starting to show results is when you get more organic traffic to your website. However, just because you are getting more traffic doesn’t mean it’s always a good thing. 

Your site’s traffic can come from many different things, but here are a few examples.

Let’s say you have a personal injury law firm, and your SEO gets you ranked #1 on page 1 for an article about nationwide traffic accidents. This can help you get more web traffic, but you probably won’t see as much lead generation as you would from your specific car accident attorney practice area page.

Things to measure: Have GA4 (Google Analytics 4) set up on your website so you can start measuring this type of information. Start to see if you’re gaining traffic to your practice area pages, attorney pages, or even location pages.

Make sure your SEO efforts attract the right people to your website, not just anyone. 

2. Strong Keyword Rankings 

There are certain keywords that you want your law firm to rank for. Of course, you want to be on page one of Google for the best keywords.

But let’s assume your law firm is ranked #1 for a keyword that is very informational. While this can drive more traffic to your site, it may not convert into leads or new cases. If your law firm ranks #3 for “Chicago commercial litigation attorney,” you could gain a lot of business from that alone.

Target keywords that fit your practice and clientele that you want to attract.

Things to measure: As stated before, monitor your keywords for your practice and locations. You may not notice you’re gaining traction in your SEO if you’re only targeting a few keywords. Check a list of keywords that correlate with each other.

Another great resource you can use is your Google Search Console. This will allow you to see what queries your website is getting traffic for.

3. More Qualified Leads

Once you gain more organic traffic and see your rankings grow, you should start noticing more qualified leads coming into your firm. If you aren’t seeing an increase in qualified leads, your law firm may not be using SEO to its full potential. Maybe you are not getting the right clients coming to your site.

Your SEO efforts could (and should) be bringing in the people your law firm wants to represent.

Monitor organic search lead generation, whether it’s from your contact form, phone calls, or live chats. Try to separate what type of leads you’re getting from your website. You could be getting 30 inquiries, but they’re not for what your law firm practices. Always correlate your numbers to your organic traffic as well.

4. More Traffic From Your Google Business Profile

As your law firm continues SEO, you want to see more results from your Google Business Profile (GBP). This will also help your law firm stand out to local clients.

When someone searches for “divorce attorney near me,” you can expect to see a map and businesses listed above organic results. This is why you want to ensure your firm is visible on this type of search query.

Optimizing your GBP can increase traffic to your site. That said, monitor how often your profile drives website visits, phone calls, and directions. There are many things you can do to optimize your Google Business Profile to drive more local SEO, such as always encouraging clients to leave you a review, keeping your business information accurate, and making sure your categories are selected correctly.

Similar to ranking on Google, you’ll want to see a trend of more exposure for your Google Business Profile. Don’t just check whether your firm is on page one, because someone else could rank higher on page one due to their location.

5. Content on AI Search Results

There are now many ways you can be seen on AIs such as Google, ChatGPT, and more.

You want to rank on page one of Google, but also in AI-powered results. People will ask AIs these questions instead of doing their own research and searching multiple websites.

For example, suppose a client asks what to do if their insurance denies a personal injury claim. They may type that question into ChatGPT or Google, and if your law firm shows up, it could lead that potential client to you.

Accordingly, check if your law firm is showing on the various AIs, your content is being pulled, and you’re driving traffic to your website from AI.

6. ROI Is Starting to Show 

When you run an SEO campaign for your law firm, you want to see it pay off.

Calculate your average price per client. Let’s say you spend $3,000 per month on your SEO campaign and your law firm gains six new clients. Your average price per client would be $500.

Once you gain a new client, you start making money from them. You can then calculate your ROI for SEO. Monitor all your SEO spend and see what type of traffic your site is receiving. Always track your SEO-acquired clients and calculate your cost per client.

Some of these clients may have searched for your site organically but decided to come back to your firm later. There are various ways to measure whether your law firm’s SEO is successful. Gather as much data as you can.

7. Growth From Your SEO Campaign 

Lastly, your SEO should be growing over time. Your law firm’s SEO will take time to grow, though. Like other marketing methods, it won’t happen overnight.

Compare your results month-to-month to start seeing growth; always compare your SEO report to what your previous months were. Keep in mind that your clients could be searching different queries based on the season. Many factors play into this, but you should see growth in your overall SEO campaign.

What Should Your SEO Report Contain? 

You should receive more than just a list of keywords and their position on Google. The person or people handling your SEO campaign should be telling you what you’re doing right and what you’re not. At the very least, you should receive information on:

• Your organic traffic and what pages are driving it
• Keywords you’re targeting and their position 
• Lead generation and new clients 
• Your Google Business Profile 
• Clients you’ve gained from SEO 
• Any new SEO tasks you’re completing, and what you plan on doing next

If you’re getting monthly reports that only show impressions and traffic, it may be time to reassess whether your SEO efforts are working.

Are You Getting the Best From Your Law Firm SEO?

Law firm SEO takes time, but it’s a great way to increase your firm’s exposure. It’s all about bringing the right clients to your website and converting them into new business.

PaperStreet knows how to take your law firm SEO to the next level. Learn more about our legal SEO services and see how we can benefit your law firm. Contact us today.