As a law firm, it is important for you to know how to market yourself online. The majority of people begin looking for a lawyer by conducting a search on their phone. If you are looking to generate more business for your law firm, then SEO is a proven strategy that must be used to your advantage. However, it is easy to make mistakes when implementing an SEO strategy for the first time. Here are several common SEO mistakes to avoid in 2019:
Making SEO an Afterthought
Many law firms will begin thinking about their SEO strategy after a website has launched. It is understandable because most lawyers are busy practicing the law, not researching the proper way to create a website.
However, when you begin analyzing a website for SEO, you will likely find that a lot of changes need to be made. You can avoid going back and redoing major parts of your site by addressing SEO from the beginning.
Using Incorrect Keywords
A major part of SEO involves performing keyword research. Keywords are important because they help search engines understand the subject matter and goals of your content. Many law firms will perform little to no keyword research when creating content. Therefore, they wind up ranking well for keywords that have very little search traffic.
To remedy this, you should conduct keyword research while you are writing content for your website. It is important to look for keywords with high traffic and low competition. This will give your website content a better chance of ranking on the search engines.
You should also take a few minutes and determine your target audience before creating content. Often times, attorneys will write content that focuses on a generalized view of their client base. If you can, then you should aim to be as specific as possible. This will help you connect with the clients that are most likely to retain your legal services.
Having Poor On-Site SEO
Unlike other aspects of SEO, your on-site optimization is where you have the most control. Addressing issues related to on-site optimization begins and ends on your website. There are several ways that you can improve your on-site SEO:
- Keeping track of Google algorithm updates. Once or twice a year, Google will issue algorithm updates that change the way they rank search results. If you miss out on these changes, then you are forfeiting a chance to maximize your potential SEO.
- Optimizing your website for mobile. The majority of people searching for an attorney online are doing so with their mobile device. It is important to make your site as mobile-friendly as possible. You can do this by using responsive design and dynamic page elements that work well across all platforms.
- Improving your page load time. Most lawyers assume that keyword rankings are determined by your keyword choices and quality of content. While these are important, Google also takes into account other factors like your page load time. If it takes a while for your pages to load, then your keyword rankings will reflect that. You can check your website page speed by taking advantage of Google’s PageSpeed Insights Test.
Failing to Establish a Social Media Presence
There is no better place to promote your content than on social media. Many law firms are making a huge mistake by not engaging consistently on major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Of course, social media is not only good for boosting your website traffic. The majority of digital marketers agree that having a strong social media presence will also help your content rank better on the major search engines. Websites with higher levels of social media engagement tend to rank better than sites with less social media engagement.
Looking to Improve Your SEO? Contact Our Digital Marketing Firm Today
Real Legal Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency for lawyers. The company recently formed a strategic partnership with MediaSmack, an Austin-based legal marketing agency. This partnership will help our agency expand its promise of providing goal-based legal marketing that drives real case intake.
If your company is in need of digital marketing or SEO services, then please contact us today at (866) 546-5668 for a free initial consultation.
