Local SEO

Local SEO is similar to a bridge. When built correctly, it can provide you a stable and strong way to bring potential clients to your law firm. It is important to remember, your future clients are actively using their computers, smartphones, tablets and other devices to help them locate a lawyer with your skills and experience. If your website isn’t showing up for local searches, then the potential client is going to cross a different bridge – one that leads them directly to a competing law firm.

However, if every component of your local SEO campaign is executed properly, it can help you construct and solidify your bridge and lead many new clients directly to your firm.

The Evolving Nature of Local Search

In the past, it was possible for your website to show up in local searches just by including a certain location as often as they could in the website’s meta data, page titles and body content. Today, these types of strategies are considered spam and your site is penalized for such actions. Google has worked (and is working) to improve its algorithm so that the search engine knows where someone is when they are searching. It also knows what local results are more likely to meet the searcher’s needs – even if they don’t use any geographical qualifiers in the actual search query.

Why is local SEO important?

As a lawyer, you may wonder what this means to you and why it is important. You have to work to construct an incredibly strong bridge by using all the local signals Google is looking for. When you do this, it can significantly enhance your law firm’s ability to rank well – not only in the organic search results on Google but also on Google + and Google Maps.

What Makes Up an Effective Local SEO Strategy for Your Law Firm?

There are several components to any successful local SEO strategy. These include:

• NAP – Your Name, Address and Phone Number: Your NAP has to be consistent across the web – down to the last detail.
• Local profile: There are hundreds of online resources providing you a place to create a business listing. At the very least, create a Google + Local page for each one of your office locations.
• Client reviews: It is important that you acquire reviews from actual clients. These are considered extremely strong local signals.
• Locally relevant content: Don’t just include your city name, you have to include content that makes it locally relevant, such as participating in local events, new employees, etc.
• Citations: These are mentions of your law firm on a website besides your own that includes NAP information, logo and a link to your website.

Benefits of Local SEO

The main benefit offered by a local SEO campaign that is done properly is that it improves visibility for local searches on Google. It can also help to strengthen your brand, manage your online reputation and connect with clients in your local area.

You cannot gain traction in the search engines and get real clients coming to your law firm, or calling, without investing time and money into local SEO.