Yes, SEO works for law firms. However, your satisfaction level depends on your expectations. SEO will increase your findability on search, meaning that people searching for you by name, will be more likely to find you. Example, if somebody is searching your firm by its name, ex., “Acme Partners”, then SEO can help put your law firm atop the search results, so you’re found. Plus, solid SEO can improve how your law firm appears in Local Search results, i.e., Google Maps, Bing Maps, etc. However, if you’re hoping to grow your organic traffic from 300/month to 3,000/month (or 30,000/month), you’ll need to compliment your SEO tactics with content marketing.
In our experience, we’ve optimized a client’s new website for search, and saw organic traffic grow from 30/month to 180/month, within a few days. However, when we added 6 content articles, their traffic jumped to 1,800/month, and they even saw leads come in, which were directly related to the content article topics.
So, content makes things grow bigger. By combining a Search Optimized Website, Content Articles, and Youtube videos, we see clients’ traffic grow dramatically. From 0 to 3,000/month in 11 months, and from 30/month to 75,000/month in 19 months.
Bottomline, SEO works for law firms. But SEO + Content Marketing will achieve the results you’re probably expecting.
How does SEO help law firms?
SEO helps law firms by making your law firm’s website more findable via Google search. The most basic strategy is the one described above: If the law firm’s name is “Acme Partners”, then SEO can make it more likely that searchers typing in “Acme Partners” or “Acme Law Firm” will see your website in search results.
Secondly, most of the time that we talk about SEO, we’re also hoping to get traffic from secondary searches. Searches like “law firm near me” or “probate lawyer los angeles”. If people are finding your website because they’re searching things like “probate lawyer los angeles”, then your SEO strategy is becoming a lead generation strategy. Leads and revenue are likely your law firm’s marketing goal.
Thirdly, Advanced SEO and Content Marketing together are what tend to meet and exceed attorneys’ marketing expectations. These are situations where a searcher may be typing “what is cumis counsel” or “family trust embezzlement” — and this is where content marketing makes a dramatic impact. Once a law firm has created a library of 30+ content articles and videos, we see lead generation exploding. While all our clients see dramatic organic traffic growth, those that continue creating articles and videos for 12-24 months will see results that change the way they think about lead generation. For example, one of our law firms went from doing 10 consultations a month to over 200 consultations a month — in 19 months of SEO and Content Marketing. At that point, content marketing will dramatically outperform AdWords, legal directories, email marketing, and every other kind of law firm lead generation strategy.
Do lawyers need SEO?
Lawyers surely need basic SEO to ensure that people looking for them (by name or firm name) can find them. Do attorneys need advanced SEO and content marketing for lead generation? Not necessarily. If a lawyer works for a large firm, and lead generation is a non-issue, then “no”, that attorney doesn’t need advanced SEO, nor content marketing.
However, if a lawyer or law firm is looking for lead generation marketing, then “yes”, they need advanced SEO and content marketing. Why? Because over time, it will outperform every other kind of lead generation marketing, and probably by 10x or more.
How do lawyers do SEO?
Lawyers do SEO by working with an SEO expert consultant or an SEO agency. An SEO expert will optimize a law firm’s website, targeting specific practice area terms. Plus, they’ll properly name and tag things throughout the website to help Google better understand who the law firm is, and what they practice. The cost for this basic SEO will be around $2500-4000, and should take about 2-3 weeks total.
If your law firm wants to see effective lead generation, then you might find an advanced SEO and content marketing partner. While it’s preferable to find an SEO firm nearby, a national firm that offers effective communication and a repeatable content marketing process is also fine.
Have questions? We help law firms like yours, every day.
hello@seolos.com
About Seolos
Seolos is an advanced SEO and content marketing agency in Los Angeles, CA. We serve law firms and attorneys in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Denver, and nationwide. Across practice areas, from probate litigation to complex business law, our past and present clients have all seen dramatic organic traffic growth quickly. Our best-in-class strategies include Advanced SEO, Content Article Writing, Youtube Video Creation, Law Directory Optimization, and Website Design. Have questions? Schedule a free consultation or email: hello@seolos.com