Marketing has always played an important role in increasing a company’s brand awareness and in helping them acquire new customers to reach their corporate financial goals. Law firms are no exception. The days of relying on walk-ins and word of mouth to propel your business to the next level are gone. In this new digital era, where all the information you could want is at your fingertips, people are turning to online sources before spending the money on a consultation fee. Due to the increasing competitiveness among law firms, it is extremely important that lawyers understand the fundamentals of marketing in a competitive marketplace, as well as consistently reviewing your digital marketing strategies. These digital marketing strategies for lawyers should include looking at your website performance and content, SEO practices, and any PPC (pay-per-click) advertising you may be using.
When people are looking for legal counsel there are usually two paths they take: going straight to the lawyer or doing independent research online. Establishing an online presence will create a sales pipeline and will also promote your business as a highly credible firm. Credibility is everything, especially in the law industry.
SEO for Lawyers
Did you know that 96% of people will turn to a search engine when searching for legal advice. Being amongst the first few results can go a long way for your business. This is where SEO comes into play. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of tuning your website to achieve higher rankings on a Search Engine Results Page. This results in higher visibility in the unpaid results section of Google and increased organic traffic to your business’s website. The best way to stay on top of SEO is by understanding Google’s algorithm and what they value out of a website. Since algorithm is always changing, staying on top of SEO will surely put you ahead. Keep in mind that SEO is an investment and will take time to see results. The main components of SEO include technically optimizing your website, creating targeted content, and generating backlinks.
Optimizing your Website
Half of all internet traffic is mobile, so your website needs to be mobile friendly. In order for your website to rank higher it’s important that you have a responsive design that keeps your website navigable from device to device. The law firm’s website is the number one factor, when deciding whether a firm is credible or not. All of the elements of your website should be tailored to deliver a sense of trust, credibility, professionalism, authority and friendliness. Page loading times are also a huge factor in bounce rate, which is an active component in Google’s algorithm. It’s imperative that you keep page loading times under 2 seconds if possible. You should also have clear and concise titles and meta tags for your web pages. Good standards to go by are 60 characters for a title and under 200 for a description.
Case Studies & Testimonials
One of the leading deciding factors for clients to choose a lawyer to represent them are testimonials and case studies. It’s important that you show people that you are a reputable lawyer who has served clients well. You can do so by hosting testimonials on your website, having clients share their opinion of your services on your Facebook page and asking your clients to leave you reviews.
Pay Per Click Ads
PPCs are online ads you pay for when people click on them. These are the ads you see at the top of your Google search. One important thing to note with PPC is that you should always link to a designated landing page that is specific to the ad you are using. Your landing page should reflect what your ad offered. For example, if your ad is for employment law services and clicking on your ad sent your potential client to a page about estate planning services, they’d probably lose interest and you’d lose the business of someone looking for an employment law attorney.
Keyword Research
You need to focus on how to deliver content to a person. Keyword research involves figuring out what people actually type when searching for answers. Try including relevant keywords, especially vague ones, in your content. Do not overuse keywords or use overly broad ones as it will not be effective in targeting the converting audience. Your website and content need to be highly relevant to your search terms if you want someone to click on you, otherwise it could be considered spam to the audience and Google. Long tail keywords is one of the best ways to accomplish using keywords. Longtail keywords are search terms, typically 4+ words in length, that are much more specific. This will help you target the right audience.
Google My Business
Claiming your Google Business profile is an important way to get noticed online, given the amount of people who search for attorneys through Google over legal directories. This is a way to get a noticed without paying for ads. Boost your SEO by keeping your profile updated, getting and responding to reviews for your firm, and adding a FAQ section to your listing.
The Importance of Social Media
The more engagement a business receives, the more likely people will want to join in on the conversation. This can be achieved through social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, an Instagram. These platforms are the largest platforms for advertising. Social media can also be used to engage with and learn more about your clients on a more personal and genuine level. By being active on social media and being within arms reach of messaging, you instill confidence in the client and seem more personable to approach. Social media can also serve as a content publishing platform where you can host the same content you are producing on your website. Social media’s major purpose is to increase visibility. It boosts your social media presence to directly generate prospects and establishes your online credibility.