Generally, when prospective clients look for certain businesses in the service industry, they Google it. According to statistics over the search in the state of Chicago, 88% of people turn to the internet first. Based on the state population, that is an estimate of about 2 million people who practically use this form first hand.
This implies that if a business does not rank highly on the organic search, it’s a loss of potential clients. Running a local Law firm would mean that people around probably know of your presence. However, for the other millions of Americans who might be miles away, you need to make an appearance to them in one way. This is where the point of improving your law firm’s search ranking becomes a top priority.
Here, we are going to show you in steps just how to make these improvements with ease.
1. Creation and update of Google My Business Account.
The first step of improving your firm’s online presence is to create/claim and update your Google my business account. This step is important due to how practical it is for most people. If you have ever used the internet to search for a good or service, there are always several options.
At the top, there are businesses in that industry with their contact information. It will come as no surprise that the businesses at the top are bound to get most of the customers. That top is exactly where you want your law firm to be mentioned. The results produced from the search are from each business’s Google my business page. It is not strange for people to already have their businesses online.
However, if in this case, it’s a law firm, Google may not always provide the most accurate information. This is why the need for claiming your business is important. It gives you access to add and edit the information further. Hence resulting in a more tailored law firm for when people search. For example, Google may simply put the business as a regular law firm. Editing it to specify what branches of law you specialize in puts you on a better path to being at the top.
2. Analysis of top law firms in the region.
To improve local search rankings, you’re also required to understand the actions your competitors are taking. To be able to properly analyze your competitors, you must first know the law firms you’re competing with. Knowing them makes it easier to gather information about them and their operations.
The first kind of information you want to look out for is the keywords difference between yours and theirs. Keywords help you get in the heads of your prospective clients and use the exact words they use when searching for your service. If your competitors already use those words, it’s probably a factor that improves their visibility on the internet. Although it is not the only factor applied here, the type of content they put out is also a factor. Using top-rated content that is well researched in addition to specific keywords will help get your page to the top.
Doing a well-rounded analysis will prove that these are not the limiting factor being used by the competitors. Factors like social media presence, general appearance, and the agency used could be inclusive. There are several agencies across the US, with a major one being an SEO agency in NYC. This should trigger innovative changes in your firm’s website to further help get you to the top of the search results.
3. Creation of region-specific web pages.
Just as the earlier cited population of the state of Chicago and how its residents use the internet, so does it apply in other states. When your prospective clients search in the line of your business, the results are usually based on location. Google, being the most popular search engine, brings out the options closest to the person searching.
What this tells us is that even though you might have a global brand, you need location-specific web pages. This will not only help with the comfort of the people searching, but it will also improve your overall visibility as the local SEO boss. This process will further broaden your firm in the long run.
4. Making use of good content law-related blogs.
Most of the individuals on the internet are mostly attracted to the content of certain pages on the internet. This applies majorly to individuals who may require the particular service of industry. In the case of a law firm, this principle also applies the same way. People who are generally interested in legal matters are most definitely interested in legal articles.
Articles like daily lawyer tips or anything else that could specifically apply to other lawyers. Therefore, publishing articles and write-ups about the matter of the law are making attractive qualities to get you to the top. This is because the constant buzz on your website by different people actively searching for it automatically takes you to the top.
5. The power of client testimonials.
One of the things new to the 21st century is the power of reviews. Back in the old days, reviews did not carry as much weight. This was probably because people did not have a general data bank for checking reviews. Right now, people go on the internet to check reviews before making use of any service. This also applies as a major improvement factor in the local SEO for lawyers.
As long as the regulatory board in charge of conduct does rule against it, making use of reviews can only be helpful. As a lawyer, you should urge your clients to leave good reviews on your online platforms. This should apply particularly to your Google my business page. Doing this greatly improves solo SEO and by extension your local search rankings. Also, you can include the testimonies of pleased clients by yourself to hasten the process.
Bonus Tip: Using Backlinks from Major Websites.
Backlinks are just as important as any of the other factors mentioned above. This is because they are also a part of inline SEO methods. Backlinks are links from other major websites that lead to your firm’s website. The best way to achieve this is from websites with authority. Spamming never gets you anything besides irrelevant content or bad quality.
Conclusion
The major aim of working on local SEO is because of its power to attract clients in the region. This is a tool that many law firms and small businesses, in general, have been using for years. In a broader range of SEO campaigns, more factors that are less related to the location are employed. This makes the whole process harder and expensive.
Local SEO is majorly tied to several factors. Among them include location and the important data on your Google my business page. The main point here is that following these strategies will help secure your position at the top of the list.
