In today’s competitive market, every attorney needs to be a rainmaker. From the solo attorney to the junior associate climbing the ladder to the managing partner who relies on his book of business, lawyers have seen that one way to secure your position within your firm / steady your stream of revenue is online marketing.
The numbers vary according to the report, but one truth remains steady: prospective clients turn to a search engine (Google most often) as their first source for finding and vetting attorneys. So how can you take advantage of the world wide web to build your practice?
First, it is important to understand the goal of your online marketing campaign. It is to drive new clients to your site? Strengthen your online presence so that referrals don’t have a choice but to call? This post will discuss the first objective (which will also benefit the second): lead generation. To learn more about the second, how to build your brand, click here.
What is SEO?
Let’s face it, if you’re not on Page 1 of a Google search, you may as well accept the fact that new clients are unlikely to find you online. Over 80% of online searches will not go past Page 1 of a search to find what they are looking for, 
including an attorney. So let’s discuss how you can use SEO to promote your law firm’s website, improve its online visibility, generate quality leads, and get you to early retirement (if that’s your thing).
- Local Keywords. Internet marketing is extremely competitive, particularly in the more populated areas (Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Baltimore…) and it important to understand that you may not show up on Page 1 for the hottest keywords immediately. One way to speed up the process? Focus on branding yourself in your local area. Be consistent with your blogging (aka content marketing), get social, and wait for the leads to call in.
- Online Directories. There are dozens of well-respected online directories, many of them free, where you can list your firm name and contact information. Additionally, consider listing yourself on some of the more popular lawyer review sites. Make sure that your contact information is the same across the web in order to avoid sending mixed signals to the search engines and / or prospective clients.
- Website Content. Prospective clients are visiting your website to learn more about you and to determine whether you may be able to assist them. Make it easy for them by clearly listing your practice areas and providing content that explains that area of the law. Each page of your website should be filled with high-quality, unique content that informs the reader of your qualifications and experience. Effective content marketing can generate three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing.
- User-Friendly Website. Is your website well-designed, professional, ethically-sound, and easy to navigate? Many law firm websites we see might hit 1 or 2 of these requirements. No matter how much traffic you drive to your website, if it is outdated or difficult to navigate, these visitors will not convert to calls. In our digital age, a law firm’s website is often the firm impression a prospective client will have about you, which begs the question: What is your website saying about you? Your firm is out of touch? Outdated? Un-relatable? A law firm website redesign can be a great way to freshen up your website and your brand and ensure that those potential leads are not clicking off your site and onto your competition’s.
For more information on the importance of SEO, or how to implement an effective SEO campaign for lawyers, contact the experienced legal marketing team at WebPresence, Esq. today.
