A Guide to the Importance of SEO For Law Firms

There are over 1.3 million active lawyers in the US. Even though each lawyer and each firm has different areas of specialization, that still equals a lot of competition for you.

If you’ve never considered the importance of SEO for your firm’s website, take a few moments out of your busy day to read this article.

We’ll explain exactly what law firm SEO is and why it needs to be a vital part of your digital marketing strategy.

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It includes a long list of factors (both on and off your website) that impact how well you rank in search results.

When you optimize your website, you increase your visibility on Google and other search engines. This involves complex algorithms and dozens of factors that we won’t get into here. The most important thing you need to know is that without proper SEO, your law firm’s website will simply disappear into a blur of a billion other websites.

If you don’t already have a marketing specialist for your law firm SEO, consider partnering with a company like Cardinal Concepts. They’re not just marketing experts — they’re also lawyers themselves!

Why Does Law Firm SEO Matter?

Let’s start with the obvious: the competition. Not only are you up against an endless number of other law firms, but legal keywords are the most difficult (and most expensive) to rank for.

Another reason is that most searches for lawyers and law firms are unbranded. Unless someone is already familiar with your office, they’re going to search for something like “best lawyer near me” or “divorce attorney San Francisco.” If your website isn’t optimized for generic search terms like those, you won’t show up in search results.

Here’s something else to consider. Over 50% of users will click on one of the first three listings under organic (non-paid) search results. By the time you reach the tenth result, that percentage drops to 2.5%

But wait — it gets worse.

Three in four users never scroll past the first page of search results. If your law firm appears on pages two, three, or four, you’ve got a 75% chance of not being seen at all.

The goal of SEO is to get your website in front of people who are searching for your services right now. Lawyers who prioritize SEO receive more leads, more phone calls, and ultimately more clients.

Don’t believe us? Here’s one more stat to conclude our discussion: 72% of people who contact an attorney only call one law office. If yours isn’t on that first page of search results, chances are it won’t be yours! 

The Importance of SEO in Law Firm Marketing

As a lawyer, search engine optimization probably isn’t your specialty. Still, you need to understand the importance of SEO, especially if you’re trying to grow your law practice.

Work with a digital marketing agency that specializes in law firm SEO. Your investment will be well worth it when you start edging out the competition in search results!

Would you like to learn more about the latest SEO trends and other business topics? Keep browsing our site for other informative articles like this one.