Does your legal website appear on the first SERP when searching for lawyers or law firms nearby? Getting your law business at the top of those localized Google searches is no mean feat. You’ll need to stick to an effective local SEO strategy that gives your firm the digital foundation it needs to be found by internet users in area-specific searches. dNovo Group specializes in law firm marketing and can help you identify ways to keep your firm showing up in local searches for a long time. By using localized keywords strategically and following best practices to implement them on your website, you can reach out to users who need your firm’s experience and professionalism.
How does Google prioritize other law firms in search results?
To appear in search results, the search engine needs to think of your law firm as a good match to the query. It looks at three things to determine if your law firm website is a good match:
- Prominence: Prominent web pages have certain elements more than others. These include more customer reviews, high-quality backlinks, local listings, inbound links and more.
- Distance: Are you close to where the searcher is searching. If the searcher is not within your geographical area, then the chances are that other law firms will be prioritized on the search results.
- Relevance: To determine relevance, search engines will look at your law firm’s content to see whether the information displayed is relevant to the user’s query.
Claim your listing on Google My Business
First things first, ensure you claim all your local listings across different platforms such as Google My Business, Facebook and Yelp. Update your law firm’s information and make sure details such as your name, phone number, website URL, location and service areas are consistent across all listings. Even a slight discrepancy on one listing can undermine your local search efforts. These listings have to be consistently maintained to ensure everything is well updated.
Get more reviews on your law firm website
Online reviews are a key factor that helps your law firm rank better for local searches. A rule of thumb is to never buy reviews. Instead, use the following ideas to get more reviews on your website:
- Create a review section on your website where clients can quickly leave their feedback.
- Implement an automated email or text that asks clients for reviews at the end of each transaction/service received.
- Create an email or SMS campaign requesting clients to send a review.
Final Thoughts
To shine in local search results, consider going back to the basics. Investing in local SEO will provide a good baseline for your digital strategy. As more people look for legal services online, this type of marketing will give your law firm more eyeballs that translate to more calls and deals closed. Keep in mind that local SEO is not a “one and done” strategy. It requires consistent effort for your law firm to get the most benefits.