According to Lawyernomics, around 22% of people in need of a lawyer will start their search using the search engines.

If you want your law firm on that front page of the major search engines, getting exposed to that massive search volume, then implementing a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy designed for prospective clients is essential to turning locals into paying clients.

Performing SEO for lawyers and law firms requires a slightly different, peculiar approach that involves using a different set of tactics, as opposed to most other professions.

With this said, there are three specific tactics lawyers looking to improve their online presence should keep in mind.

1. Target Local Keywords First

Performing online marketing in the legal world is insanely competitive. So before you think about targeting smaller local outside communities or entire cities, solidify your brand's presence and market to the locals next door.

If you're firm is located in a bigger city, then you need to approach SEO with realistic expectations. In other words, you can't expect to be sitting on Google's first page for keyword terms like "Chicago DUI attorney" anytime soon.

The keywords you optimize your pages and websites for are how prospective clients will find you, so you need to target the keywords and people who are in your immediate vicinity.

For example, if you're a personal injury attorney whose office and home are located in Fort Worth in the Dallas--Fort Worth--Arlington metroplex, and you plan on targeting prospects within that entire area, you need to start with your immediate location first.

So while you will naturally want to target one of the thirteen counties that make up the area, you need to walk before you run, and that means targeting keyword phrases like:

• Fort Worth accident lawyer

• Fort Worth law firms

• Personal injury attorney in Fort Worth

To get the best results as soon as possible, you have to capture nearby residents. While getting prospects county or even country-wide might be part of your long-term marketing strategy, focusing on your own physical location first puts your firm on a strong step in the right direction.

2. Make Use of Google Places and Other Local Directories

Submitting your business to Google Places gives your brand an immediate spot in the biggest search engine's local directory. Google Places gives companies prominent spots on the front page for local search queries and even within Google Maps. It includes your company's name, address, and phone number.

Google Maps will play a major role in acquiring new clients since it's a catalyst for large amounts of web traffic. Most people will want to your exact location before even dialing a number. With this said, since a bulk of web traffic will go to local listings whose businesses appear in the first few Google Places results, you definitely want to be as close to the top as possible.

A good way to get to the top is to use local and national attorney directories. These legal directories allow you to build citations that point to your website's which will, in turn, improve your relevance, importance, and in the end, your ranking in Google Places.

3. Silo Your Websites by Practice Areas

In terms of online marketing, siloing content refers to making a website that contains multiple related topics more easily understood by the search engines. The goal of siloing is to clarify a site's topics by creating sub-sections within a website with plenty of content devoted to each topic.

Think of your company website as a book where each chapter contains content that is subject-specific. Siloing helps readers, as well as the search engines, digest content to have a clearer understanding of everything you offer.

Applying the silo technique to your law firm's website involves devoting lots of content to the specific areas of law you practice. People in need of legal help are always looking for more information related to their specific situation, so the more content you can provide on each practice, the more likely it is that they will find what they are looking for and the more likely you are to rank higher for the various keyword terms you're targeting.

As mentioned above, it is advised to create silos for each practice area, such as:

• Personal Injury

• Car collisions

• Bike accidents

• Brain injury

• Injuries at work, etc.

• Criminal

• Petty theft

• Grand theft

• Homicide

• Breaking and entering

• Driving while intoxicated

• Trespassing, etc.

• Family

• Child custody

• Divorce

• Adoption

• Visitation

• Parent Relocation, etc.

Applying search engine optimization to lawyer's and legal firm websites requires a strategic, disciplined approach. What works for websites of other professions probably won't give you the results you need.

Need help applying SEO to your legal site? Need guidance in the right direction? We have you covered. Feel free to contact us today for more information.