SEO for Law Firms – 7 Quick Tips
By Peter Boyd on February 12, 2018 in SEO for Law Firms
From 2000 to approximately 2008, the focus of SEO consisted primarily of on-page factors. In fact, title tags and content were the main rank drivers, and including just a few backlinks in your copy could propel you to the top of a search engine results page (SERP). Yet, as all things do, SEO has evolved. From 2008 to 2015, backlinks were at the forefront of SEO campaigns, along with the need to create more (and more relevant) content. We carefully strategized and built links over time – and they were producing satisfactory results.
However, today, things have changed – once again. So what can you do in this day and age to rev up your Internet marketing strategies? We’ve got the answers. Check out the following seven tips that we believe are most helpful to law firms seeking to get the most out of their SEO campaigns.
- Link Quality – Overall, we do not recommend purchasing links, renting links or getting low-quality links. That has been out of style for years now. The sites that link to yours should be relevant, high quality and should have a purpose to link back to you.
- Natural, Permanent Links – Ideally, seek to obtain permanent links that outlast your SEO campaign. If PaperStreet builds a backlink, it is permanent (or at least as permanent as anything on the web). An exception to this is paid directories, for which you must pay yearly to keep your listing information online. Additionally, some websites will remove content from time to time, as each site has their own individual guidelines. We never remove any links once you stop using our service, but if you fail to renew your directories, those companies may drop your listing.
- Best Directories – It is important to make sure you are signed up for the best 50 legal directories/citations and that the information is claimed, accurate and completed. Most likely, these sites have set up a listing for you; however, you should still confirm your listing and make sure it is correct. And if you let your Findlaw, Martindale, Avvo, Yelp and other directory subscriptions/citations lapse, you need to re-subscribe. Why? Because those directories 100% matter and Google still says that its top three factors are authority, relevancy, and now RankBrain (your website metrics).
- NAP – Moreover, your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) needs to be the same on all online profiles and ensure that you are properly categorized in each directory and/or citation. This is important because consistent NAP information, verified citations and reviews affect how you appear on the maps and also aids in having a good website that is properly tagged.
- Article Outreach – Further, you should have an article outreach plan that results in getting listed by the local media and obtaining great press mentions. Those are positive backlinks that always help (plus, you may get mentioned in a magazine and/or article, too).
- Content Marketing – Finally, I highly recommend investing in content. Stop producing 300- to 500-word blogs. Instead, produce a 2,500-word master thesis on specific legal topics. Become a guide for all your practice areas and let your reader know what to expect. Long-form articles rank high.
- Disavow – What to Expect – We submit a new disavow request on our own site every few months, as there are always bad backlinks that we find the need to request removal for. The disavow tool lets you basically ask Google not to count certain links directing to your site, especially low-quality links or those you believe may be negatively affecting your rankings. However, we never remove any good links through a disavow. Still, a disavow can help you remove prior poor quality backlinks and is fine to upload from time to time.
Have any more questions about SEO? We’re happy to help! Contact us today to learn more about how PaperStreet can assist you with your law firm Internet marketing. And, if you have any tips you’d like to share about your law firm’s SEO tactics, we’d love to hear them! Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
