Lawyer SEO for Small Firms

SEO levels the playing field for small law firms.

In Google’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if you are a large practice with 10 partners, or a solo practice with just you and a paralegal. In the world of search engines, all websites are created equal. Or rather, all sites have an equal chance to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) if their content is relevant. SEO makes your content relevant to your intended audience in your intended market. This helps your site rise through the SERP rankings.

SEO boosts brand image and awareness.

With a small investment of time, effort and money, you can brand yourself as being just as capable as the big guys. Your brand image online can be equal to or better than your competitors at bigger law firms. And you can position yourself as an attorney who offers personal service and individual attention. You can also build strong social proof without a big budget.

Lawyer SEO helps you grab market share.

Your competition is investing in search engine marketing (SEM) and paid ads. You need to invest in search just as a baseline cost of competing online. But if you know how to use SEO tools like a pro, then you can be smart and exacting in your approach. So much so that you can take market share from your competitors. You can go on the offensive or defensive to target the exact audiences, services and markets you want to dominate.

SEO grows qualified leads.

SEO helps you penetrate various markets and close the search visibility gap with your competition. “Markets” can mean surrounding cities or other service offerings. As you optimize search for each market you want to target, your leads will grow. The more markets you penetrate, the more clients you’ll serve, and the more referrals you’ll receive.

SEO is always on.

Unlike TV ads or paid Google Ads, organic search engine optimization never stops. You don’t have to turn it on or off. Organic SEO doesn’t “run out” like pay-per-click campaigns do when budgets run dry. The investment you make in SEO is evergreen and the results will last far into the future. With SEO covering all your digital bases, you can rest assured knowing potential clients will find you exactly when they search for your services in their city.

SEO creates a solid base to build from.

Organic search should be the foundation of any digital presence. Once you have decent organic search fundamentals in place and you’re generating enough leads to keep you afloat, then you can add in other extras. That’s when you can jump into social media or sprinkle in other digital marketing services, depending on what’s a good fit.

Lawyer SEO offers the best ROI.

The more you invest in search engine optimization, the more you will penetrate your market. It is a self-perpetuating cycle, and the benefits keep stacking up over time. Your competitors may be pouring money into paid ads, but as soon as their budgets run out, so do their ad campaigns and visibility. It’s like the tortoise and the hare. If you wisely invest in organic search, you’ll slowly and steadily overtake your competition in visibility and leads.

SEO done right has the cheapest cost per qualified lead.

Unlike highway billboards, TV ads or expensive pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, organic SEO is a bargain for the number of leads it generates. Unfortunately for paid Google Ads, the more competitive the keyword, the more costly the click. And not all clicks on paid ads convert to legitimate leads. Organic searchers, on the other hand, convert at a higher rate because they’re seeking precisely the services you offer.

Small Law Firm SEO can be tracked and measured.

With phone tracking and Google Analytics, you can find out which traffic sources are generating the most qualified leads. Your metrics can tell you if a potential client found you via Google or Facebook, and even which page of your website they called you from after a search. This information helps you tweak and optimize your digital presence to try to repeat the best outcomes. Over time, analytics will help you understand your market’s behavior and consumer trends.

SEO is your law firm’s referral network insurance policy.

Let’s say a global pandemic or personal issue keeps you away from your office for a while. Or a colleague, who was a reliable source of referrals, moves or retires. Or maybe a competing attorney joins your local networking group and your leads are suddenly cut in half. If you have SEO in place, none of these circumstances would be a cause for concern. SEO would keep working for you, month after month and year after year, generating a steady and reliable source of leads.