“I want to start SEO”
“I want to develop new customers without relying on referrals.”
Isn’t this what you think?
Even if you were previously able to receive projects through referrals, you may feel that you have to utilize the web.
However, just publishing your homepage or blog does not automatically attract customers.
You need a marketing strategy to help clients find your homepage or blog.
One of them is “SEO”.
If you do SEO correctly, you can attract customers without spending on advertising and it will lead to long-term branding.
In this article, we have explained SEO in detail for lawyers who are worried about attracting customers.
If you are a lawyer who is wondering whether to start SEO or not, or what specific measures you should take, please refer to this article.
Table of contents
What is SEO: A means to get your homepage/blog found?
SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization.
SEO is one of the ways to get your website found.
When we find a page on the Internet,
- Search engine (natural search)
- SNS
- advertisement
- External site
There are several routes.
Of these, SEO can increase traffic from search engines.
Generally speaking, on search engines such as Google, the higher a page appears on a page, the higher the chance of it being clicked, and conversely, the lower the search ranking, the lower the probability of being clicked.
In other words, even if you run a homepage or blog, if it is not displayed at the top of search results, it will be difficult to be found.
Therefore, SEO aims to appear at the top of searches for specific keywords.
I will explain the details later, but in order to rank high, you need to make your website convenient for search users and search engines, and create useful content.
Two reasons why lawyers should engage in SEO
As of 2022, there are two reasons why SEO is important for lawyers and law firms.
I will explain them one by one.
Reason 1: 40% of people search for a lawyer through internet searches
The graph below is the result of a joint survey conducted by Bengo4.com Inc. and Macromill Inc.
When asked, “If you have a legal problem in the future and want to consult a lawyer, how will you look for one?” 40.2% of respondents answered “Search on the Internet.” .
In addition, in response to the same survey’s question, “Specifically, what kind of information about lawyers do you check on the Internet?” the following results were obtained.
・Law firm homepage…91.0%
・Lawyer’s blog…29.2%
・Facebook…8.9%
Looking at these results, you can see that in order to increase customer attraction, it is important to display your homepage or blog at the timing when a requester searches.
Reason 2. A pull approach is possible
SEO is a pull approach.
- Pull type: Wait for the requester to actively obtain information
- Push type: Work directly with the client
Lawyers are often called “sensei” and are recognized as a profession that requires “decency.”
Aggressive marketing and sales tend to be avoided because one wrong move can lead to a negative image.
However, SEO is a “pull-type” approach that prepares to provide the necessary information when a person with legal concerns or troubles takes action.
When many people encounter a legal problem, the first thing they do is search to find out how to solve it themselves.
By simply providing useful information and information that can solve their problems at that time, there is a possibility that they will recognize your agency and rely on you.
SEO measures for law firm/lawyer websites
So, what are the effective SEO measures for law firm/attorney websites?
Here we introduce six measures.
1. Select compound keywords for search by requester
The results of SEO depend on which keywords you aim for high rankings.
Select keywords by calculating backwards from the question, “What keywords do the targets (requesters) search for?”
If you are a small to medium-sized law firm, we recommend that you initially aim for compound keywords (combinations of multiple words).
For example, keywords such as:
- “Ebisu divorce lawyer”
- “Who should I consult about inheritance?”
- “Traffic accident compensation, minor injury”
- “Unpaid overtime pay and attorney fees”
Normally, single keywords such as “lawyer”, “debt consolidation”, and “damage compensation claim” are popular keywords that rival sites are also targeting, so it is not easy to rank them high.
However, compound keywords also reduce the difficulty of SEO because the number of competitors aiming for high rankings is narrowed down.
Compound keywords also have the characteristic of easily leading to conversions (legal consultation, requests, inquiries, etc.).
This is because the greater the number of search keywords, the clearer the searcher’s purpose and the deeper their concerns.
You may want to use a keyword expansion tool to find candidate keywords.
Specific methods for selecting keywords are explained in the article below.
Please use this as a reference if you are thinking, “I want to start SEO by selecting keywords myself.”
How to choose important keywords for SEO | Explaining 5 selection procedures and effective strategies
2. Separate pages by consultation content
Create separate pages for each consultation and business content.
For example, depending on the content of consultation/work,
- “divorce”
- “criminal matter”
- “Debt Sorting”
- “Traffic accident”
- “Debt sorting”…
If there are such items, create separate pages (categories) for each instead of explaining them all on one page.
By doing so, you will increase your chances of being displayed at the top when searched for keywords such as “Lawyer divorce (consultation content)” or “Lawyer divorce Ebisu (region name)”.
This is because narrowing down your page to one theme will increase its relevance to search keywords.
Google determines search rankings by considering the relevance of pages and search keywords.
reference: Ranking Results – How Google Search Works
By setting one theme (keyword) for each page and taking measures, you can increase the degree of matching with the keyword.
Separating pages for each consultation content also has the advantage of making it easier for site visitors to find the information they need.
3. Increase your E-A-T
When it comes to SEO in the legal field, it is also important to increase “E-A-T”.
E-A-T is a concept that Google has emphasized in SEO in recent years, and is an acronym for the following three words:
- Expertise: Is the content creator an expert with experience and knowledge about the topic?
- Authoritativeness: Is the content, its creator, and website operator recognized by many people in the field?
- Trustworthiness: Is the content, its creator, and website operator worth trusting?
Lawyers are qualified legal experts, but they must clearly communicate this to Google on their homepages and blogs.
Specifically, let’s increase E-A-T in the following ways.
Let’s increase the “E-A-T” of the entire website by being aware of the items mentioned above.
4. Create content that answers searcher questions
To put it simply, a search engine is a huge Q&A system.
Search users search for solutions to their own concerns and questions.
Therefore, in order to rank high in SEO, it is essential to prepare content (=answers) that solves the problems and questions of search users.
For example, let’s consider the keyword “How to sue for slander.”
It can be assumed that search users have the following questions:
- How to sue for slander?
- Can you sue for slander?
- How should we deal with slander?
To rank high in SEO, you need content that answers users’ questions like these.
To infer the intent behind a search keyword, use sources such as:
Always create content based on search keywords and search intent.
5. Create a title with keywords in mind
One of the factors that greatly affects search ranking is the page title.
The words in the title affect which search keywords the page is displayed for.
Therefore, be sure to use the keywords you want to rank high in the title.
For example, if you want to rank the top page for the keyword “Shinjuku lawyer”, use the keywords “Shinjuku” and “Lawyer”.
If you are looking for a lawyer in Shinjuku｜〇〇 Law Office
Also, by putting keywords in the first half of your page, it will be more likely to catch the attention of searchers and increase your chances of being clicked.
However, be careful of the following two points.
6. Keep your Google Business Profile complete and up-to-date
Google Business Profileis a free service that allows you to manage your business information displayed on Google Search and Maps.
By enriching the information in your Google Business Profile, you can increase your chances of appearing higher in the map frame of search results, as shown below.
When looking for a restaurant, you may have checked the “opening hours”, “address”, “menu”, “photos”, etc. in search results or Google Maps.
Clients who want to actually visit a law firm may also refer to this kind of information from the firm.
Please note the following points when entering information into your Google Business Profile.
Where should I start? How to start SEO for lawyers
Some of you may have read this and thought, “I should tackle SEO myself,” while others may have thought, “It’s difficult to tackle it on my own.”
From here, we will explain the specific actions that should be taken by dividing the situation into the following three patterns.
- If you want to take measures yourself
- If you want to request SEO from a professional company
- If you are confused about other marketing measures
1. If you want to take measures yourself
If you want to start taking measures on your own, please first check whether you are implementing the six measures introduced this time on your own homepage or blog.
If you have not taken any measures yet, prioritize each measure and take measures starting from what you can.
2. If you want to request SEO from a professional company
If you want to request SEO, ask an SEO or web marketing expert.
When considering a client, it is important to compare multiple companies.
Measures costs, scope of measures, contract period, etc. vary depending on the company.
In addition, the results of SEO will vary depending on the skills and track record of the person in charge, and since it is a medium- to long-term measure, compatibility with the person in charge is also important.
To be able to assess this, get estimates from multiple companies before choosing the one you want to hire.
3. If you are confused about other marketing measures
There are various ways to attract customers on the web, including SEO, MEO, listing advertisements, and SNS operations.
“I understand about SEO, but is it the best way to attract customers for my law firm? Is there a more cost-effective method?”
If you think this way, please consult with a web marketing support company.
From among the many ways to attract customers online, we should be able to suggest the best strategy for you.
[Summary] SEO for law firms and lawyers is a means to get your homepage found
We explained SEO for law firms and lawyers who are having trouble attracting customers.
Please refer to the contents of this article and consider your SEO efforts.
By properly implementing SEO, you can increase the exposure of your homepage and increase the number of inquiries from clients.
Competition among lawyers is becoming more intense year by year, so it is important to take measures to attract customers as early as possible.
