Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to by the mysterious acronym SEO, is pushed at lawyers every day, often in the form of spam comments to blog posts, unsolicited e-mails from self-proclaimed SEO experts, and fear.
The fear is a fear of the unknown. SEO can be hard to understand, and it can be even harder to implement well. Add to this the constantly changing rules imposed by Google and other search engines, and many attorneys have no choice but to throw money at the problem. Throwing money at the wrong “SEO expert” can have dire consequences, particularly if those experts use questionable linking schemes and other black hat practices that can penalize law firm websites.
Here is a ten-minute video with SEO tips that any lawyer can implement on their own website, created by Google (they know this stuff):
Lawyer SEO Tips
Here are main tips:
- Go to Google Webmaster Tools: There’s a ton of stuff to check out there, including a sample crawl by Google’s “bots” which check the site for keywords and malicious redirects. Ask Google to “submit to index” whenever you create a new page.
- Use Google Analytics immediately.
- When designing a new website, think about the overall site navigation, and provide a logical menu scheme.
- Every page needs a “call-to-action.” For law firms that is a “contact us” tab or a “free book here” link.
- Avoid legalese: use common language.
- All pages, whether static pages or blog posts,, should have a unique title, and hyperlinks should use descriptive anchor text (that is, a link to my main car accident page should be something like Baltimore Auto Accident Lawyer).
- Make sure you rank first for your company name–a unique firm name can help. Secondary websites and blogs can also help you to claim and enhance your firm’s name.
- Use social media to help boost your Google credibility.
If you have questions about any of these tips, contact us at 443.850.4426, or visit our online contact form.