As a lawyer, your clients provide the revenue you need to run and maintain a successful business. However, building a sustainable client base can be a challenge, and many lawyers struggle, especially early on. Fortunately, there is one area you can invest in that will help you solidify your success: SEO. Here are a few reasons why SEO or search engine optimization is so essential for lawyers:
Table of Contents
Building a Web Presence
Word-of-mouth advertising can be a great tool, and more traditional forms of advertising are often useful. However, nearly all businesses today have a website, and this is especially true in the legal field. The first step of SEO is having a place to direct visitors toward, and the work you put in will give you a website that will serve you well for years to come. Furthermore, your website helps you establish yourself as an expert, and it can become a centerpiece of various marketing efforts during your entire career.
Sustainable Traffic
While paid advertising online may end up being an invaluable tool for attracting clients, these campaigns tend to be somewhat fickle over the long term. SEO, on the other hand, gives your web presence the vital support it needs to attract clients over the long term. Although many SEO efforts require some ongoing maintenance, they still set a baseline upon which you can build. Furthermore, the age of your website will help establish its credibility and help you thrive with your SEO and advertising efforts.
Long-Term Return on Investment
Pay-per-click advertising and other methods of reaching out to potential clients can deliver excellent short-term results. However, many provide nothing for the long term. SEO work, on the other hand, is designed with longevity in mind. When you invest in SEO, you can expect a steady stream of traffic to your website. This is especially relevant in the legal field: advertising online for legal services can be expensive, and it can be easy to lose a significant amount of money on campaigns that fail to work out. With SEO, you can be better assured that your investment will pay off.
Finding Clients Where They Look
When looking to hire a lawyer, potential clients turn to one resource more than any other: the internet. Did you know that 92% of searchers will pick companies on the first page of local search results? When you invest in SEO, you target the most powerful means of finding clients where they first look. Again, traditional advertising has a role to play, and SEO shouldn’t be your only means of finding clients. That said, no amount of billboard or radio advertising can replace having the top result for legal services in your area. SEO is about sustainability, and it’s the most powerful tool for internet-based marketing.
Play an Active Role
One of the most powerful tools for SEO marketing is providing top-quality content. As an expert in legal issues, you can provide this information and improve your SEO efforts. Furthermore, articles on your website and social media that point to your legal practice can be valuable tools for showing your expertise and care for your clients. This content also helps set you apart from your competitors. It’s important to project a professional image, but you’ll also want to add personality to your online outreach efforts. When done in conjunction with SEO work, the content you create does double work, allowing you to use your time more efficiently.
Gain a Competitive Edge
Although SEO is a powerful tool, many lawyers still don’t utilize it for building their practices. Because of this, those who invest wisely in SEO services prepare themselves to gain a competitive edge. Research shows that people searching the web rarely look beyond the first page of results, and most people stick with only the top few websites that pop up. By positioning your website on top of popular search engines, you can be assured of regular traffic that your competitors miss out on. Over the years, this placement will help you attract clients that would have otherwise gone to a competing practice.
Improve Other Outreach Efforts
SEO is powerful on its own, but it also helps you improve your other online resources. If you plan on having a social media profile, for example, SEO helps you attract followers and build an audience. Furthermore, SEO helps with pay-per-click advertising as you might get better rates if your website ranks higher. SEO helps with word-of-mouth advertising as well. If people looking for legal services have heard of your practice from others, they might be more likely to click on a link to your website when searching. Effective advertising builds on other types of effective advertising, and SEO serves as a wonderful foundation.
Search engines remain the most common means through which people find information online. However, positioning your resources effectively typically requires expertise, especially in competitive fields. Fortunately, the money you invest up front and overtime is likely to pay off if you provide value to your clients. Ensure you make SEO a priority when looking to build a base of clients.
