What Law Firms Get Right (and What They Get Wrong) About On-Page SEO

Law firm marketing presents many different challenges and opportunities when it comes to connecting with potential clients. One of the most important factors for any law firm website is on-page SEO, which, in the most basic terms, is optimizing each page on the site with the appropriate keywords and content to provide relevant information for both users and search engines. There are, of course, other aspects of on-page SEO, including title tags, meta descriptions, and internal linking, which we’ll cover later in this post.

However, when it comes to on-page SEO, there can be things that law firms get right and things they get wrong. At PaperStreet, we’re here to guide each firm we work with through the potential pitfalls of SEO, ensuring every client understands how to set their sites up for success.

What Law Firms Get Right

Law firms often get several aspects of on-page SEO right from the outset, whether they’re setting up a brand new site or revamping an existing site. Everything from keywords to meta descriptions can be easy to set up, but there can be room for improvement once the initial optimizations are complete.

Understanding the Importance of Keywords

The fundamental concept of using relevant keywords is something every firm can grasp, whether they’re a personal injury lawyer, an estate planning attorney, a tax lawyer, or something else. Keywords are vital to any SEO campaign, and are the starting point of any new or updated site.

There are often opportunities for expanded keyword research once the initial set up is done, moving from broad keywords such as “personal injury attorney” to more specific, long-tail phrases such as “motorcycle accident attorney” or including the location in the phrase, such as “Orange County car accident attorney.” This helps dial in the SEO to be more focused and relevant to potential new clients.

Listing Practice Areas

Most law firm websites clearly outline their practice areas on dedicated pages, outlining what services the firm offers and what a potential client can expect in terms of representation, should they reach out to the firm.

Within these pages, however, it’s important to have detailed and informative content, not just a list of what the firm offers. Potential clients want to understand what their options are in terms of legal services, as well as why they should choose this firm over another.

Including Location Information

Every law firm typically understands the importance of including their city and service areas on their site. This includes their physical office location, phone number, and contact information, making it easy for potential clients to get in touch.

With this location information, it’s essential to have consistent Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) information across the site. If one page has the address without a suite number, while another page does, this can create issues for local SEO rankings and connections to Google Business Profiles, maps listings, and more.

Basic Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions are optimizations that are added to a site’s individual landing pages and what appears on search engine result pages (SERP) such as Google and Bing. They are the first thing a potential client sees when they search for a certain keyword and a firm’s site shows up in the SERP. 

Most firms can set up basic title tags and meta descriptions, complete with the appropriate keywords. However, what can be more important is crafting compelling title tags and meta descriptions that not only include the right keywords, but encourage potential clients to click on the site and view the relevant pages.

Where Law Firms Commonly Go Wrong

Many law firms, either on their own or with some guidance from a marketing company, can set up their site to reach potential new clients and begin driving leads from SEO traffic. Unfortunately, this initial setup is where many firms stop, and it can also be where things begin to go wrong, either due to a lack of knowledge or an incomplete understanding of SEO.

Thin or Generic Content

We get it – writing website content can be a time-consuming endeavor. Many law firm practice area pages lack in-depth, valuable content that lets potential clients know what a firm does and establishes that firm’s expertise in a certain area. This can happen when a firm sets up a new page with basic information and contact details, and hopes for the best.

It’s important for every firm to have substantial and unique content that answers client questions and showcases the firm’s knowledge in each practice area. This type of content can help a firm stand out among its competitors and increase SEO rankings.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is a concept that many firms understand, but some will still try to cram as many keywords as possible into their content, ignoring natural usage and potentially harming their rankings. There are a number of reasons for this, from a misunderstanding of how many times a keyword should appear on a page to incorrect guidance from an SEO provider.

Whatever the case may be, keyword stuffing should be avoided at all costs, with the focus being on using natural language and incorporating keywords where they make the most sense. Pages should be written for humans first!

Poor Header Tag Usage

Header tags, including H1s, H2s, H3s, and so on, are important for structuring a page’s content logically and helping users understand the different sections of content on a page. Where law firms can go wrong is using header tags for stylistic purposes, rather than for organizing a page’s content into sections. This can lead to confusion for both users and search engines, as there’s no hierarchy or order to the page.

Proper header tag usage signals key topics on a page to search engines and helps potential new clients understand what the page is about and what information they should take from the page. When header tags are used randomly, on-page SEO can suffer, as can rankings.

Ignoring Internal Linking Opportunities

As a new law firm website is being built, there are often clear opportunities to link between the internal pages. Subpages under a certain section, such as car accidents or personal injury, can not only be linked to through menus and site navigation, but also within the specific page content. If a law firm ignores these opportunities or fails to add these links, it can hinder both user experience and a search engine’s understanding of the relationship between different pages on the site.

Internal links are an easy addition for any site, and including them can enhance both user experience and search rankings. By choosing the right anchor text for an internal link and using those links strategically, a law firm’s site can become a well-orchestrated web of interconnectedness.

Elevate Your Site Visibility

On-page SEO is an essential aspect of every law firm website. Many firms get several things right when it comes to SEO, but there are also mistakes that can be made, leading to decreased SERP rankings and poor site interaction. With the right keyword usage, page content, internal linking, and more, any law firm site can see improved user experience, conversion rates, and qualified client leads.

At PaperStreet, we offer exceptional SEO services for lawyers, as well as content marketing that can boost a law firm’s site profile and online presence. Connect with our team today to get started.