Law Firm SEO Guide | Strategies for Dominating Search Results (2024)

Table of Contents
A How-To SEO Guide for Lawyers What is Law Firm SEO? Why SEO? Why PaperStreet? How Should I Use This SEO Guide? Chapter 1 - How SEO Works 4 Key SEO Ranking Factors Some Big Keys to High Rankings Strategy: Keyword Research & Knowing Your Practice Areas Content: What to Write and How to Structure Technical Law Firm SEO: Let’s Get Nerdy about Code Google Page Speed XML Sitemap WordPress Flat URLs Featured Snippets Links & Authority: Get More Mentions for Your Law Firm Online User Experience (UX): User Visits Matter Local SEO for Attorneys: Ranking on the Maps Analytics: Success Through Improving Chapter 2 - Why and Who of Attorney SEO Why Should I Care about Law Firm SEO? DIY SEO Option The SEO Agency Option for Attorneys Why PaperStreet for Your Law Firm SEO Chapter 3 - SEO for Lawyers Checklist Chapter 4 - Law Firm SEO Questions and Answers Why Does My Law Firm Need a Website and SEO? Do You Have an SEO Process Chart? Do You Offer Any Guarantees? Does Paperstreet Handle Everything for Lawyer SEO Campaigns? How Is SEO Success Measured for Law Firms? Does SEO work for law firms? Do law firms need SEO? How much do law firms spend on SEO? How can I improve my SEO law firm website? How Does Paperstreet Decide Which Keywords to Use? Does PaperStreet Outsource? Can You Work With My Design / Development team? Does PaperStreet Adhere to White Hat SEO Principles? Does PaperStreet Offer Google Penalty Recovery Services? Do You Pay Attention to Google Algorithm Updates and Do They Matter? Which SEO Tools Do You Use? How Does Paperstreet Aid in Our Law Firm’s Local SEO? Will You Share All of the SEO Changes You Make to Our Site? How Often Will You Deliver Reports? Will SEO Help My Law Firm? How Long Will SEO Take? Do You Have a Google Analytics Quick Guide? Do You Have a “Best Practices Guide” for Obtaining Online Business Reviews? Where Are You Based? What is Local SEO for Lawyers? What are SEO Keywords for Lawyers? Who is the Best Law Firm SEO Company? Do You Have a Law Firm SEO Guide? Are You a Law Firm SEO Company? How Do You Market a Law Firm? Why Do Lawyers Need SEO? Why Focus on SEO vs. PPC? Chapter 5 - Law Firm SEO Resources FAQs

A How-To SEO Guide for Lawyers

If you’re here you need more high-quality leads. Perhaps you’re getting phone calls, just not from the right type of client. Or perhaps you’re not getting phone calls at all. Either way a well-structured and organized law firm SEO plan can help sustain and expand your law firm with a consistent influx of new, well-suited clients.

This is a beginners SEO guide for those who want to rank high in search and grow their practice. We also include more advanced tips for those who know more.

What is Law Firm SEO?

The scientific process of improving your law firm’s website in search results of Google, Bing, and other search engines, by researching keywords, writing content, obtaining links from other websites, improving your website code, and iterating on that continually.

Why SEO?

It works. We have hundreds of clients who get leads daily from SEO and paid ads. Google is the dominant search engine in the United States and most countries. This is a guide of all our 20-years of working with law firms.

Why PaperStreet?

With over two decades of experience, PaperStreet has been worked with hundreds of law firms in nearly every area of law, helping them structure their website and content to gain more phone calls. Our process is the result of years of refinement and evolution. We've meticulously curated the steps, best practices, and strategies required to consistently achieve top rankings. As seasoned law firm SEO professionals, we offer these services at a flat-rate cost, ensuring transparency in your monthly expenditure. Say goodbye to billing surprises—you'll always know what to expect.

  1. Get Proven Results on a Flat rate Basis - Get results that will sustain and grow your business all for a flat-rate monthly cost. No billing surprises.
  2. Exclusive to Your Area - PaperStreet doesn’t work for your competition. Our services are exclusive by practice area focus and geographic area.
  3. Experts & Proven Results - On our campaigns you work directly with the subject matter expert (multiple people on our team). From design and writing to social media and planning, the PaperStreet team can help.20 Years of Testing: The PaperStreet Law Firm SEO Process

How Should I Use This SEO Guide?

Our SEO Guide has five parts:

  1. How SEO Works
  2. Why and Who of Attorney SEO
  3. SEO for Lawyers Checklist
  4. Law Firm SEO Questions and Answers
  5. Law Firm SEO Resources

If you are new to SEO for lawyers, please read our How SEO Works guide. It is short and will fill you in on what you need to know. We also have valuable resources for further reading. If you already know about SEO, then you should peruse the “do-it-yourself” or “hire an agency” sections. Finally, if you are an SEO expert, then you may want to take a look at our handy SEO checklist to make sure you, or your agency, have everything covered.

Let’s get started.

Chapter 1 - How SEO Works

4 Key SEO Ranking Factors

There are hundreds of factors in the Google algorithm. But the key four are the following:

  • Content - Content is the key to ranking. You must write about your practice and convey your expertise. You start with researching what your core practice areas are and how people search for them. Sometimes attorneys know their practice, clients, and target keywords really well. They write regularly because they are experts in their field. Their articles rank high because they are the seminal guide on a practice area. Other times, you need help in creating a publication chart of what pages to publish, when to publish, and where to publish. The key though is to write about your practice areas very in-depth.
  • Links - Links are similar to votes. When you get a link from another site to your site, that is a vote. Sites that have more votes will prove to Google and other search engines that it is authoritative and deserves higher rankings. Often firms that have been around for a long time have acquired natural backlinks from reputable sources for free. This can be because they won a big case or have appeared in the news for years. For newer or smaller firms, you need to build backlinks by setting up the best legal directories, local citations, and secure high quality mentions on other relevant sites.
  • Website Structure & Technical SEO - Title tags, page headings (H1, H2, etc.), paragraphs, website speed, broken links, structured data, rich snippets, and XML sitemaps all play a role for ranking high in search results. For the technical aspects of the site, some law firms created a solid website in WordPress years ago and keep it updated. Their site is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. Their site passes all user metrics and has a low bounce rate and high time on site, then you are set. For other firms, your website may need help. Check out the Google page speed insights to see how your site scores. Try browsing your website to find information and see if you can in a few clicks. Run some informal, or formal, user testing.
  • UX & Rankbrain - Google tracks just about everything happening on the search results page. Based on this data, Google revises its rankings based on actual user feedback. Do clients go to your site and then go back to the search results? This means your page is not helpful and will rank lower. Do clients spend several minutes on the page and not conduct any other searches? Then you could rank higher. RankBrain is a machine-learning artificial intelligence system that’s used to help process Google’s search results. It sorts through the billions of pages it knows about and finds the ones deemed most relevant for particular queries that are difficult for Google to comprehend.

Some Big Keys to High Rankings

Home Page Writing

The home page is often the first impression potential clients have of your law firm. It should provide a clear and concise overview of your services, expertise, and location. Effective home page writing includes incorporating relevant keywords naturally and engagingly, making it both user-friendly and SEO-friendly. We work content first, so we will iron out what we want to say and ensure the page is optimized, before we make it look beautiful.

Core Content Writing

Core content refers to the primary pages on your website, mainly practice area pages. You need to have a page of content with substantial text for every keyword you want to rank for in Google. PaperStreet has a team of all attorney writers who craft informative, well-structured, and keyword-optimized pages that showcase your legal services.

Web Development

Web development encompasses the technical aspects of building and maintaining your website. This step ensures that your website is fast, mobile-responsive, secure, and optimized for search engines. It may involve coding, programming, and database management.

Blogging

Blogging is nonnegotiable. It is 100% necessary to regularly publish informative and relevant articles that address common legal questions and concerns in your practice areas. Blogging helps you establish authority in your legal niche, attract organic traffic, and engage with potential clients. Our monthly packages include a certain number of blog posts each month.

Link Building

Link building is the process of acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites. These backlinks signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and valuable. Effective link building can boost your website's authority and search engine rankings.

Social Media

Social media is a valuable platform for promoting your law firm's content and engaging with your audience. Sharing blog posts, legal insights, and updates on social media can help drive traffic to your website and build a community of followers interested in your services.

Strategy: Keyword Research & Knowing Your Practice Areas

Start by determining what keyword phrases will be more effective by looking at past searches. You can use Google Keyword Planner as a great resource (you just need a free Google account). Narrow down your keywords by selecting those that are within reach AND will help your law practice grow in the practice areas you care most about.

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. It involves identifying the specific keywords and phrases potential clients use when searching for legal services. And they are not always what you think, which is why this step is so critical.

The research helps you understand the search intent of your target audience and discover valuable keyword opportunities related to your legal niche and location. The goal is to choose keywords that have sufficient search volume, align with your services, and have reasonable competition.

Start with the basics - your practice areas. Then multiply those practice areas by your geographical cities where you want to rank. Then add in the base terms of lawyer, attorney and law firm. So a quick matrix could look like this:

Practice Areas

Estate Planning
Probate
Guardianship
Wills
Trusts

Cities

Fort Lauderdale
Miami
West Palm Beach

Root Terms

Lawyer
Attorney
Law Firm

You can then use a merge word function to see all the possible combinations (45 in this instance).

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You can then go to Google Keyword Planner, enter the keywords and see the results that most people search for which would be probate and then estate planning. With the largest search volume coming from Miami, then Fort Lauderdale, and then West Palm beach.

Now this is the most simplistic research you should do. It does not take long but gets you on the right path. You can do more advanced searches for additional terms and long-tail keywords, as well, in order to cast a wider net with your attorney SEO techniques.

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Content: What to Write and How to Structure

Site architecture refers to the structure and organization of the pages on your website. It includes creating a user-friendly navigation/menu that allows visitors and search engines to easily access and understand your content. Proper site architecture ensures that your website's pages are logically grouped, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.

Search engines rank websites higher that offer relevant information. You need to make sure your main practice areas have between 2,000 and 5,000 words per topic. Become THE dominant resource online. Are you a probate lawyer? Then write about probate and all its intricacies. Are you a personal injury lawyer? Then don't just write about injuries, but very specific injury types - like truck accidents or specific medical conditions.

We recommend setting up a chart of all the pages on your website. Then match them to specific keyword phrases that you want to rank high. Each page should have a primary keyword phrase and secondary keyword phrases (or related terms). Make sure that every page has a focus though.

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For length, you will want to write enough to be the dominant resource. If there is no one in your industry, then you can get away with 500-word shorter pages. If you have lots of competition, then you may need to produce an ultimate guide of 2,500 to 5,000+ words. Here is one we wrote for a firm in Arizona that rank high for “Arizona Car Accident Guide

The key is to answer the questions users are searching for. So always check out related searches or the featured snippets, and featured questions of Google search and write for those specific terms. For example:

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Technical Law Firm SEO: Let’s Get Nerdy about Code

You need to organize your law firm's website to be search-friendly and easy to navigate. Keep your site as close as possible to a flat site architecture, with a pyramid of pages. You also need to create friendly URLs, meta tags, and code. Your website should be automatically uploaded to Google Search Console via an XML file. You also need to make sure your site is mobile-friendly and fast to load. Review your site using PageSpeed Speed Insights.

Yes, code matters. Just because your website is built in WordPress on a new template, does not mean that it's optimized code. In fact, it is probably NOT optimized code if you are using a theme or template. WordPress is known for bloating code and being slower. But there are workarounds, by pruning plugins, optimizing the code to make it more efficient.

Google Page Speed

Run your site through Google’s PageSpeed Speed Insights to see if it's fast. If it is not, follow the advice that Google provides below the score results.

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XML Sitemap

Upload an XML sitemap to Google Search Console to help keep Google’s index informed about any content updates or page removals on your website.

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WordPress Flat URLs

When creating your site, you can update the site settings to allow WP to have a flat architecture, versus nested URLs. It is often better to have pages closer to the root URL, vs. buried deep in subdirectories.

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Featured Snippets

You can adjust your website code to help get your question and answers shown in Google’s featured snippets and the “People also ask” section. Also, you can take advantage of their rich snippets for certain types of webpages that contain a job posting, recipe or event.

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Links & Authority: Get More Mentions for Your Law Firm Online

Google ranks sites based on their content but also based on the authority they have on the web. Authority is determined by backlinks - someone linking to your site. Obtaining links will ensure you are well-positioned to rank high.

Law firms can do this in several ways: 1) legal directories, 2) business directories, 3) local listings, 4) writing content and publishing offsite, 5) getting PR / media mentions, 6) getting social media mentions, 7) sponsoring local events, 8) sponsoring national events, 9) outreach to bloggers, and 10) building such a great website that people want to link to it as a resource.

We have put together a good starting point that every law firm should have: Best Legal Directory Listings. We suggest you review that list and get all that apply to you. Then start a content marketing plan and outreach plan to write informative content about your practice areas to obtain links through outreach and networking.

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User Experience (UX): User Visits Matter

Google uses user activity to see if your site is a valuable resource. Does a potential client stay on your site long? Do they go back to search results and visit your competitors' site and stay longer? Did the searcher contact you? Did they visit multiple pages? All of this information matters. Your law firm needs to have a website that is easy to navigate and answers the users' questions in full.

Sign up for Google Analytics or use your own server logs. The key metrics that we always look for are:

  1. Sessions - As a metric to see total traffic
  2. Pageviews - As a metric to see the total amount of pages viewed from traffic.
  3. Unique Pageviews - To make sure that traffic is not all coming from a few people.
  4. Avg. Time on Page - To make sure that pages are not 30s or under, or some low metric for long-form pages.
  5. Bounce Rate - This ideally will be less than 50% but depends on the type of website you have. If you have a high bounce rate, you may have relevancy or technical issues with the page.
  6. Exit Rate - Showcasing where people exit.

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Take a look at your logs and identify pages that have high traffic, but high bounce and improve them. Also, improve pages that have a low Avg. Time on Page and pages with a high exit.

Local SEO for Attorneys: Ranking on the Maps

Getting ranked on the map can easily bring in more traffic. Currently there are three potential slots for the “map pack.” The rankings are dependent on the amount, quality and consistency of your citations which include your business name, address, and phone (NAP). Local rankings are also based on your distance to the city center, reviews on Google, website content, and of course overall backlinks. You need to claim your listing on Google maps, properly optimize it, and collect client reviews.

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If you have a good number of reviews, located in the city you are targeting, and are writing content about your practice areas, you have a chance to rank high. The final item in this aspect of lawyer SEO is that you need to get citations and links to your site featuring the name, address, and phone (NAP). Pay attention to duplicate listings and also your specific address, as misspellings or oddities in the address matter.

Want to know more about local listings? Check out our blog post about local listings and its checklist for law firms.

Analytics: Success Through Improving

Are there other factors? Of course. Factors such as social media, guest posts, and videos all decide how well your law firm's website performs. We have even written a 10,000 word complete SEO Book for Law Firms. Nevertheless, the process above is the basis for any high-performing attorney SEO campaign. The key to ranking high long term is using analytics to improve along with monitoring your rankings and site visits. See what pages are important and which are failing. Review your data often and focus on improving pages that are underperforming.

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Chapter 2 - Why and Who of Attorney SEO

Why Should I Care about Law Firm SEO?

You may not need SEO. What? Huh? An SEO company telling you that you may not need an SEO campaign for your law firm? Yes, it's true. There is no one secret to SEO for lawyers. You can learn how to create a high-performing SEO campaign by reading this article.

If your law firm's website is properly built in the last few years, you publish regularly, have existing backlinks, and your content is not a mess, then you may not need much, if any, SEO. Perhaps only a few tweaks to optimize your results.

If you are in the other camp though, where your business is new, you don't know what you are doing, you have no content, no one links to your domain, and your site's organization is a mess, then you may need to either train yourself in law firm SEO practices.

DIY SEO Option

If your law firm's website is properly built in the last few years, you publish regularly, have existing backlinks, and your content is not a mess, then you may not need much, if any, SEO. Perhaps only a few tweaks to optimize your results.

You can absolutely conduct aN SEO campaign yourself. It takes time though. You will need to write. You will need to get the top directory backlinks. You will need to post regularly and set up an outreach program to gain more backlinks over time.

The SEO Agency Option for Attorneys

For many lawyers, your law firm's website is the key factor to your financial success. Sure, your legal expertise is how you win your cases, but a website is how you gain clients and grow. How can you market your firm?

Creating an appealing web design is only half the battle. If your site isn't on the first page of Google, you are potentially missing out on hundreds of leads per month because potential clients aren't considering you.

Reasons for an SEO agency include:

  • Poor Rankings - Your search results show on page two or below. In short, you are not getting any traffic and you need to rank higher for more organic search visibility.
  • New to the Game - You’re just learning about best practices and want to start off with good content and good links.
  • Trying to grow beyond word-of-mouth references - Happy clients help grow your practice but they won’t reach the audience that SEO can.
  • Penalized - You had great results, but suddenly fell out of favor with Google. You probably need help with a disavow file, backlink cleanup, or a copy edit to stop over-optimization.
  • Going Broke - You are wasting money monthly on a team and want to know how you can improve.
  • Too Busy - You want to be practicing law, not worrying about writing about the latest news in Corporate Law or reaching out to journalists to pick up backlinks.

Maybe you need to get a few more backlinks. Perhaps you need to sign-up for a few more directories or confirm your information. Maybe you need to publish a long piece of content like an Arizona car accident guide to rank #1 for a new practice. Or maybe you need help in organizing your site or simply making sure it runs fast or is mobile friendly?

Why PaperStreet for Your Law Firm SEO

For PaperStreet, the idea of an SEO program was born in 2002 when one of our web design clients asked how one of their competitors ranked high in searches for “Maryland employment lawyer.” At that time, we did not know anything about SEO.

But we have always been a bold and innovative company. Our founder is a self-taught computer geek, in addition to being an attorney. We love challenges. We told the client we would figure it out . . . and we did. Two weeks later, we had our client ranked #1 for the same phrase. Our SEO program for law firms was born.

Fast forward 20 years and much has changed about SEO and getting law firms ranked high. However, our results have not changed. We are a Premier Google partner now and here to help. Some of the reasons to choose us for your law firm's SEO campaign include:

  • Work Only With You, Not Your Competitors - Many SEO agencies will gladly take on your business and your competitors. You can't both be #1. Get an agency that is exclusive to you.
  • 20 Years of Experience - We started our SEO program in 2001 with one of our first web design clients. We became industry experts soon after, consistently ranking sites after launch.
  • 100+ Current Campaigns Under Management - We currently help solo practitioners, to firms with 100+ attorneys. Our practice areas range from personal injury to the more niche vaccine law.
  • Expert Advice - You can check out our 10,000 word Guide on Law Firm Marketing and our blog covering SEO, web design and more. We've also been published in dozens of publications such as Forbes, DotCom Magazine, Attorney at Law Magazine and more.
  • Happy Clients Long-Term - We have long-term clients. We have 10 clients who have been with us for more than 15 years. We have over 125 firms that have been with us for over 10 years.
  • 90% Retention Rate on a Monthly Basis - After our initial term, our contracts are on a month-to-month basis. This means we need to earn our clients' business monthly and keep clients happy.

We pride ourselves on our results, our exclusivity, and our transparency. We like to showcase our proven results; we offer exclusive agreements by working for only one law firm for each particular practice area per region for most of our advanced packages, and we uphold full transparency in the work within your attorney SEO campaign - we involve our clients in all aspects of our process and provide full disclosure in all work completed within the campaign.

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"Collectively, between all sites, and with both SEO and PPC, we are getting over 1000 conversions a month! Our intake people are definitely seeing a major increase. ”
– Searcy Law searcylaw.com


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"Since launching the website, and since effectively setting up these campaigns, there has been an explosion of conversions and traffic to the firm. We continue to be busier than we have ever been and we could not be happier with PaperStreet and all that we are doing. I'm generally a very skeptical guy - especially with some of the things that I have to entrust with others - and not only am I no longer skeptical, it was one the best business decisions I ever made to trust PaperStreet with it ”
– Emmett Irwin from ebilaw.com


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"We are getting so much more business that they needed to hire more internal help. ”
– Stafford Trail Team staffordtrialteam.com

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Whether you want to read our brief guide below, read our complete SEO Book, or just talk to us, we are here to help.

Chapter 3 - SEO for Lawyers Checklist

The following are a minimum number of things that need to happen for an SEO plan:

Research & Strategy

Start by determining which keyword phrases will be more effective by looking at past searches. You can use Google Keyword Planner as a great resource (you just need a free Google account). Narrow down your keywords by selecting those that are within reach AND will help your law practice grow in the practice areas you care most about.

Site Architecture & On-Page Changes

You need to organize your website to be search-friendly and easy to navigate. Keep your site as close as possible to flat, with a small pyramid of pages. You also need to create friendly URLs, tags, and code.

Authority

You also need to obtain links, thus ensuring that you are well positioned to rank high. Law firms do this in several ways: 1) legal directories, 2) regular directories, 3) local listings, 4) writing content and publishing offsite, 5) getting PR / media mentions, 6) getting social, 7) sponsoring local events, 8) sponsoring national events, 9) outreach to bloggers and 10) building such a great website that people want to link to it as a resource

Content

Search engines award points to websites that offer relevant information. You need to make sure your main practice areas have between 2,000 and 5,000 words per topic. Become THE dominant resource online.

Social Media

Not only should you publish content, but you also need to make sure that others notice it. Digital marketing for social media evolves every day and more and more platforms need to be utilized.

Analysis of Campaign & Consulting

Search rankings change constantly. Each month you should review your bounce rate, impressions, time on page, exit pages, and of course sessions.

Master SEO Checklist

We have our comprehensive list of SEO items that we do as part of an SEO campaign. Take a look to make sure you are doing all of these.

Strategy & Onboarding

  • SEO Project Kickoff call
  • Research and select effective keyword phrases

Initial Technical Setup & Review

  • Check mobile-friendly version of the website exists
  • Check website for any mobile UX issues
  • Make sure Google Analytics is set up and on every page
  • Make sure Google Search Console (GSC) is set up
  • Submit XML sitemap to Google GSC
  • Check for any messages or notifications from Google in GSC (e.g. manual actions or security issues)
  • Set geographic target area within GSC appropriately
  • Merge/sync Google Analytics and GSC
  • Make sure schema markup (Local Business) has been applied to the NAP information
  • Add Knowledge Graph schema markup

Content Analysis & Optimization

  • Outline and finalize site architecture and keywords
  • Content audit on the website based on selected keywords
  • Check if a law hub exists
  • Apply on-page optimization
  • Recommendation of long-form content
  • Check for an In-depth “About Us” page with a mission statement, company directory and other signs of legitimate business
  • Robust Contact and/or Customer Service Information
  • Fetch as Google and submit all linked pages to the index
  • Authoritative outbound links are included in the content
  • Internal linking has been included within the content
  • Main content (purpose of the page) is not below the fold

Technical SEO

  • Exclude traffic from us & firm IP address in Analytics
  • Google Analytics: Exclude all hits from known bots/spiders
  • Navigation and page copy is visible/functions without JavaScript
  • Error pages return proper error status codes
  • All URLs work with HTTP or HTTPS, but not both
  • Setup appropriate conversion goals in Google Analytics
  • Google Analytics is capturing internal search (if applicable)
  • Run broken link check to make sure that all links are functioning
  • Google Analytics - Add domain to referral exclusion list
  • Google Analytics - Add segment to filter out referral spam
  • Apply update to capture Google Translate usage data
  • Run Screaming Frog report
  • Check for redirect chains using Screaming Frog
  • Check for duplicate titles and metas using Screaming Frog
  • Check for canonical errors using Screaming Frog
  • All relevant images have optimized alt tags applied
  • No “splash” entry pages/doorway pages
  • Internal technical duplicate content check
  • Duplicate content is not returned by other websites
  • Check for multiple URLs parameters with the same content
  • Hidden text does not exist
  • Keyword stuffing does not exist
  • iFrames, flash or JS links are not being used on the website
  • Confirm no more than 300 links per page exist
  • Confirm no more than 25 footer links
  • Address clearly listed on each page in header or footer
  • Copyright and Blog date stamps are applied
  • Use rel=”canonical” for duplicate pages or check that it should be “noindex; nofollow”
  • 301 redirects for alternative domain names and old pages
  • WWW used only (and the non-www redirects)
  • SEO friendly URLs - short, extension-less, close to the URL, less than 74 characters
  • htaccess file is established (if on Apache server)
  • Check/setup browser caching for .htaccess
  • Custom 404 error page exists
  • Broken URLs redirects to 404 page
  • Robots.txt file configured and XML sitemaps are listed
  • Make sure an extensive sitemap page is created
  • Generate a Sitebeam report
  • Site Speed has been checked
  • Safe Browsing Site Status Check

Content Writing (Initial and Ongoing)

  • Initial content writing for the project
  • Editing of existing pages on the website
  • Ongoing content writing for the project

Link Building & Reporting

  • Backlink Analysis
  • Ranking report update after the launch of all new websites
  • Baseline Ranking Report
  • OpenSiteExplorer.com Baseline Report
  • Check for Broken & Lost Links
  • Submit Specified Links
  • Submit Local Listings
  • Competitor analysis
  • Submit General Business Links
  • Recommend Paid Listings
  • Article Submissions
  • Recommend Local Community and relevant sponsorship opportunities
  • Check for Brand Mentions
  • Consult with client about HARO

Analysis and Consulting

  • SEO Content Manager Starts Blogging
  • Quarterly check on campaign keywords
  • Periodically check bad backlink profile and disavow
  • Quarterly check on the mobile speed of the website
  • Periodically check Online Business Reviews and Ratings

Social Media

  • Google Local/Business Page listing Setup & Claiming
  • Google Maps Link is listed on contact/city pages
  • Facebook set up and optimized
  • Twitter setup
  • LinkedIn setup
  • Social media pages include Design branding
  • Check all social media icons are present on the website
  • Provide social media logins & strategies
  • Open Graph metadata has been added
  • Check if engaging (not just posting) on social media

Other Checklists

We also have several checklists for you to take a look at:

  1. Conversion Checklist - 67 Things to Checkout
  2. Website Launch Checklist - Must do when launching a new site
  3. Local SEO Checklist - Questions and Best Practices

Chapter 4 - Law Firm SEO Questions and Answers

We have been doing attorney SEO for over 20 years now. We have been asked and answered a lot of questions. Here are some of the highlights:

Why Does My Law Firm Need a Website and SEO?

The best-looking website won’t bring in any clients if no one views it. SEO puts your website at the top of the search engine results page so when a potential client is looking for a lawyer, your website is what appears.

A good SEO campaign also does more than that. Examining criteria such as bounce rate, conversions and traffic helps you to see what specifically on your website is helping to secure potential clients and what needs some assistance.

Do You Have an SEO Process Chart?

Of course. View our SEO Process Chart here. We believe the initial setup process should be as collaborative as possible. The more insight you provide about your goals, practice areas and let us learn about your business, the better we'll be able to customize our research and strategy. Our detailed process of setting up an SEO campaign consists of hundreds of steps but they can fundamentally be shortened down to: Keyword Analysis and Strategy, Content Development, Authoritative Link Building, and Reporting with Consultation.

Do You Offer Any Guarantees?

While we do not promise any guarantees, we work aggressively to maintain a retention rate of 90% and higher of all SEO clients. We view all campaigns as a symbiotic relationship and our success is your success.

Does Paperstreet Handle Everything for Lawyer SEO Campaigns?

As with any legal marketing, success is derived from partnerships of the same common goal. While PaperStreet will handle the overwhelming majority of the work, partnerships are critical to the success of your campaign. The more your law firm is involved, the higher you will rank.

How Is SEO Success Measured for Law Firms?

The simple answer: getting a return on your investment. Once we obtain top rankings, translating these rankings first to traffic on your website; then, most importantly, to conversions from the website. Conversions for attorney SEO campaigns are typically a phone call, live chat or contact form submission.

Does SEO work for law firms?

Yes, SEO can be highly effective for law firms. By optimizing your website and online presence (think directories, Google listings and social media channels), you can improve its visibility in search engine results pages (ahem, Google) to attract more organic traffic, and ultimately acquire more clients. If law firm SEO was a gimmick we wouldn’t have job, nor would we be a successful business after two decades.

Do law firms need SEO?

No,not all law firms need their website to convert new clients. Some law firms get their clients from referral sources and just need a web presence to verify their reputation. If you’re a plaintiffs attorney, you need law firm SEO. While we have campaigns for clients in all areas of law, personal injury, criminal defense, family law, and estate planning are some of the most common types of lawyers looking for SEO assistance.

How much do law firms spend on SEO?

Our law firm SEO campaigns start at several thousands of dollars and vary depending on several factors, including the size of the firm, its geographical location, the level of competition in its legal niche. For example, Miami personal injury is a much more cometetive market then Des Moines estate planning. A more competitive market means more content and referring links and, therefore, requires more a higher budget.

How can I improve my SEO law firm website?

You can improve your law firm SEO by adding new content to your website on a regular basis. Once SEO best practices are established, content makes the biggest difference. You should be posting several times a month (perhaps several times a week), and also include core content on your website about the terms/phrase you want to rank for in Google.

How Does Paperstreet Decide Which Keywords to Use?

At PaperStreet, we rely on in-depth keyword research to determine which keywords will be the most relevant, most competitive and most lucrative for your law firm. Some of our steps for this process include:

  • Establish your geographical area. Determining the region you want to focus on -- whether it’s a specific city, county or sometimes even nationwide -- is the first step to creating an effective list of keywords.
  • Identify keywords based on content. Content-based around keyword phrases is viewed as more relevant by search engines and will help improve your rankings.
  • Add keyword suffix terms. Don’t just focus on one term! In the legal industry, there are so many options available to you. Use the terms “lawyer,” “lawyers,” “attorney,” “attorneys,” and “law firm” for the best results.
  • Use suggestion tools. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and other sites like Ubersuggest.io or Keywordtool.io are great resources for generating ideas you might have missed.

Does PaperStreet Outsource?

No, we do not outsource our work. We do all our own research, strategy, writing, editing, development, design, link building, reporting, analytics and consulting.

Can You Work With My Design / Development team?

Yes, our team can work with any design and development team. We have worked on SEO-only campaigns with attorney marketing teams. Of course, we are also a web design and development team, so can assist as needed too.

Does PaperStreet Adhere to White Hat SEO Principles?

Yes. We have never (and never will) resort to the unscrupulous SEO tactics that have caught up to some companies, getting them blacklisted by Google. In fact, we have helped many firms that have come to us for assistance in cleaning up their websites and getting rankings restored. While it might take more time and effort, these techniques can and will achieve long-term success. We focus on high-quality backlinks; original, reader-friendly content; heavily-researched keywords and more to ensure results for our clients.

Does PaperStreet Offer Google Penalty Recovery Services?

Yes. If your website has low-quality backlinks, Google may have noticed this also. As such, these backlinks can be pulling down your website in rankings. We offer services to disavow and remove manual action penalties caused by these low-quality backlinks.

Do You Pay Attention to Google Algorithm Updates and Do They Matter?

Yes and yes. We continually monitor any changes, however minor they may seem. Any changes within any algorithm can potentially affect change and we want to make sure that we stay on top of any updates that can affect our campaigns.

Which SEO Tools Do You Use?

It's important to make sure the technical aspects of the website are in good shape. This ensures Google can easily access the website and understand it completely. We use applications such as Google Analytics and Search Console, Screaming Frog, XENU, MOZ, Ahrefs, and Agency Analytics to name a few.

How Does Paperstreet Aid in Our Law Firm’s Local SEO?

By focusing on your local SEO marketing goals. We optimize your website to ensure it has all of your local information according to best practices. We work with our clients to create local content such as city pages and local blog posts. We claim and update all major local listings and provide recommendations on backlink opportunities including sponsorships and publications to dominate within a local market.

Will You Share All of the SEO Changes You Make to Our Site?

Yes. We never arbitrarily make updates to a website without approval. All changes and updates will be approved first before being made online.

How Often Will You Deliver Reports?

Our reporting is done through an online, interactive application. This will allow direct user access for your campaign. As opposed to sending monthly reports, this access provides the availability and transparency of viewing real-time updates and progression in the campaign, instead of just a snapshot in time.

Will SEO Help My Law Firm?

Yes, so long as you follow the best practices guidelines, an SEO strategy can help your site. You can also seriously mess up your website and hurt your rankings if you try to scheme/scam Google.

How Long Will SEO Take?

The attorney SEO process can take anywhere from 60 days to over a year. The time it takes depends on your existing website, its content, its authority and the same for your competitors. Niche keyword phrases can be ranked higher typically quicker than the most highly sought after competitive phrases.

Do You Have a Google Analytics Quick Guide?

Want to know how to quickly use and understand Google Analytics? Learn more about Google Analytics.

Do You Have a “Best Practices Guide” for Obtaining Online Business Reviews?

Yes, if you are not sure how to obtain online reviews for your business, you can learn more about our strategy here.

Where Are You Based?

We are a Florida-based company that works with clients throughout the United States and worldwide. (Our staff members are located across the country, too.) We have clients in about every state and in 10+ countries. Let us help you with your SEO campaign for your law firm.

What is Local SEO for Lawyers?

Local SEO is the process of gaining citations, reviews, links, content, and name/address/phone for your Google Business listing. The goal is to rank on the map pack for Google and promote your law firm.

What are SEO Keywords for Lawyers?

SEO keyword phrases are basically your practice areas X geographic areas X the base terms lawyer, attorney, and law firm. So you end up with a phrase like Fort Lauderdale Probate Lawyer or Miami Trademark Attorney. Create all possible keyword phrases by taking all your practice areas, geographical areas, and lawyer/attorney/law firm and merging them together.

Who is the Best Law Firm SEO Company?

PaperStreet is one of the top SEO companies that is great at SEO. We are transparent and have a 90% retention rate on a month-to-month basis.

Do You Have a Law Firm SEO Guide?

Our comprehensive SEO Guidelines and Best Practices for Law Firms. You can also read the full article in digital form below or download a free digital ebook version of this book by clicking here.

Are You a Law Firm SEO Company?

Yes. 95% of our clients are law firms. We do have some business clients too. Most are referrals from our lawyer clients who need us to help their clients.

How Do You Market a Law Firm?

We have been creating some of the best law firm websites online since 2001. The big year of 2022 is here, so what are some of the best practices for law firm marketing in 2022? Check out the top 214 ideas. Check out our law firm marketing guide here.

Why Do Lawyers Need SEO?

You don’t always need SEO. If your site already ranks high for relevant keywords, then you won’t need SEO. But for most firms, you will need some help with either content, links, or the site setup itself. You need SEO to rank high in search results, which allows you to receive traffic and conversions to help grow the firm.

Why Focus on SEO vs. PPC?

Google showcases search results in several areas now: organic search results, paid search results, local search ads, and the various featured snippets. If you want to get clients from search, you basically have two ways - 1) build a better website with content and links, or 2) advertise with Google. Both can work. But we have found that SEO can be more cost-effective long-term if you rank high. This guide will tell you how to make SEO work for your firm.

Chapter 5 - Law Firm SEO Resources

You can see our Best practices guide below:
Google Analytics and Reviews for Law Firms: A Best Practices Guidebook.
Link Building and Local Search for Law Firms: A Best Practices Guide.
Domain Names for Law Firms: Best Practices Guide.

Conversion Rate Optimization for Law Firms: A Best Practices Guide (Part 2: Bounce Rates, Tracking, and ROI).

Law Firm SEO Guide | Strategies for Dominating Search Results (2024)

FAQs

Law Firm SEO Guide | Strategies for Dominating Search Results? ›

We recommend setting up a chart of all the pages on your website. Then match them to specific keyword phrases that you want to rank high. Each page should have a primary keyword phrase and secondary keyword phrases (or related terms). Make sure that every page has a focus though.

What are the top 5 SEO strategies? ›

Table of Contents
  • Maintain a Fast, Mobile-friendly Website.
  • Target Long-tail Keywords.
  • Optimize Local Listings.
  • Create Helpful Content (and Optimize It for SEO)
  • Re-optimize Past Content.

What is one effective SEO technique you have personally used to improve search rankings? ›

Always use descriptive links by linking keywords—it not only improves search engine optimization, but also adds value to your readers, including those with disabilities or who are using screen readers.

What are the most effective SEO practices to optimize online content? ›

SEO Best Practices
  • Add Your Main Keyword Early On In Your Content.
  • Write Unique Titles, Descriptions and Content.
  • Optimize Your Title Tag for SEO.
  • Improve Your Site's User Experience.
  • Optimize Your Site's Loading Speed.
  • Track Your Results With The Google Search Console.
  • Optimize Images for SEO.
  • Use Internal Linking.
Feb 21, 2024

How much does lawyer SEO cost? ›

You can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 per month to a lawyer SEO agency. The exact cost will depend on where your law firm's website rankings stand, the competition in your locality, and your practice area.

What are the 4 P's of SEO? ›

Integrating the 4 P's-Product, Price, Place, and Promotion-in your SEO strategy is crucial for improving your online visibility and attracting targeted traffic. This approach ensures that your offer not only matches what your target audience is looking for, but is also optimally presented in search engine results.

What are the 3 C's of SEO? ›

Simply put, the fundamentals of SEO can be boiled down to The 3 Cs: content, code and credibility.

What are the three SEO tactics? ›

3-step strategic SEO process

To develop an effective SEO strategy, we need three distinct steps: Step 1: SEO research – Keywords, competitors, currently ranking content. Step 2: SEO strategy – How to do something different or unique to stand out. Step 3: SEO planning – The execution plan to deliver your strategy.

How to dominate Google search results? ›

  1. Step #1: Improve Your On-Site SEO. ...
  2. Step #2: Add LSI Keywords To Your Page. ...
  3. Step #3: Monitor Your Technical SEO. ...
  4. Step #4: Match Your Content to Search Intent. ...
  5. Step #5: Reduce Your Bounce Rate. ...
  6. Step #6: Find Even More Keywords to Target. ...
  7. Step #7: Publish Insanely High-Quality Content. ...
  8. Step #8: Build Backlinks to Your Site.
Mar 14, 2024

How to dominate SEO? ›

8 tips to build an effective SEO strategy
  1. Write for humans first and search engines second. ...
  2. Use targeted keywords in all the right places. ...
  3. Focus on user experience (UX) ...
  4. Focus on building relevant links. ...
  5. Format content for Featured Snippets. ...
  6. Remove anything that slows down your site. ...
  7. Pay attention to Google algorithm updates.
Nov 22, 2023

What is not a best practice for optimizing content? ›

There are a number of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques that do not work. Some of these techniques are: Keyword stuffing: This is the practice of including too many keywords in a piece of content, often in unnatural ways.

What is a SEO checklist? ›

This on-page SEO checklist is your ultimate companion.

On-page SEO is the process of optimizing individual page content to rank higher on Google. Activities include optimizing title tags and URL slugs, adding header tags, and much more. Complete all 11 tasks (and three bonus tasks) in this checklist, in any order.

What does SEO stand for law firm? ›

A law firm's website needs to be finely tuned to cater to potential clients' needs. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in handy.

Why local SEO is important for law firms? ›

Local SEO is especially important for law firms because most people who need legal services are looking for someone nearby. They want a lawyer who understands their local laws, regulations, and culture, and who can easily meet with them in person.

How to do SEO for agency? ›

9 steps to ace SEO for creative agencies
  1. Determine goals and KPIs. ...
  2. Build customer personas. ...
  3. Research how your competitors are running their agency. ...
  4. Keyword strategy but not like old times. ...
  5. Create blogs and landing pages. ...
  6. Set up a comparison keyword strategy. ...
  7. Analyze your content plan. ...
  8. Keep on-page and technical SEO in check.

How to do SEO professionally? ›

How to Become an SEO Expert
  1. Learn the Fundamentals of SEO. When trying to gain SEO experience and become an SEO expert, one of the most important things to do is to learn the basics. ...
  2. Master These Soft Skills. ...
  3. Gain Practical Experience. ...
  4. Stay Updated on Industry Trends. ...
  5. Continuously Improve and Adapt.
Dec 1, 2023

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