Great lawyers do not need advertising – wrong. It is a common misconception about marketing that many licensed professionals continue to practice. Even if you are a widely publicized lawyer because of you won a big case, a time will come when the public will forget your name. Thus, lawyers need to learn how to market themselves, but it doesn’t have to be hardcore marketing. The Internet, along with its search engine optimization (SEO) capability, has given lawyers the better option to market their services and competencies in a subtle yet effective way.
Benefits of SEO
There are currently about 40 billion of mobile users worldwide and this number is expected to rise even more in the coming years. This mobile phenomenon reflects that the people nowadays can easily refer to Google when they need a good attorney. Investing in SEO helps you gain a good spot in the Google search results page and even in Google maps results. Your increased visibility can result to an increased client base.
Then again, the importance of providing good services should not be neglected. It’s also easy nowadays to check your profile and the reviews of your previous clients. A negative online presence does not help your law career or your firm’s reputation at all. Considering how tight competition is getting these days, clients can easily shift to another lawyer or firm if they read something negative about you.
How to Improve Local SEO
The use of backlinks and keywords still work, but this has been used by strategists only to complement their other marketing tactics. Google has rolled out their new algorithm which automatically detects your location even without the using keyword qualifiers. In this case, it is critical for a law firm or a self-practicing lawyer to focus on the information that the Google algorithm uses as reference.
NAP
The building block of your local SEO strategy should be your NAP, which is your name, address, and phone number. It should be consistent across all platforms including your website. Other firms commission the help of online directories where their NAP is published and of professional bloggers who contribute to the increase of their online presence.
Your NAP’s consistency allows Google to think that your business is legitimate and credible. The more that it is mentioned online, the more that Google thinks your services are in high demand and so your NAP gets the front seat in their ranking. So make sure that the information is exactly the same all throughout as even the use of ‘&’ instead of ‘and’ in your firm’s name – Ben and Associates – already makes a difference.
Relevant Content
Content is king and even in the realm of local SEO, content still reigns. Mentioning your local region or city multiple times in your website does not fool Google easily. It is possible that you still won’t make it to the cut. Here’s what you can do – improve your blog content. You can try writing about the significant events that happen in your local area using your blog. You can write about legal-related events like a new ordinance implemented or even about local celebrations like the town’s charter day or upcoming elections. Through this kind of engagement, Google will believe that you are indeed based in that locality. You are, therefore, credible.
If writing is not your forte or if the task of finding the most interesting angle or significant story is time-consuming, you have the option to seek the help of a local SEO consultant. This investment will bring any attorney to greater heights in his career because a consultant will be able to create a holistic online marketing campaign for you and your firm.
Client Reviews
Reviews matter, no matter what industry you are in. In fact, Google and other search engines regard reviews as the strongest signals of a business’ credibility. So don’t be afraid to encourage your clients to write reviews for you. More so, do not be disheartened when you see one or two negative feedback. After all, no attorney or law firm is perfect, and Google knows this. That is why apart from authenticity of reviews, Google also looks at balance.
On the surface, all these tactics can appear complex and overwhelming. It adds to your workload, especially if you have a big case on hand or a long throng of clients to attend to. Do not shy away from the idea of enlisting a SEO consultant’s help or of hiring a dedicated marketing specialist. Remember that sales and marketing is an organization’s bread and butter, in any field. No attorney is an exception.