Want to Land More Locals Seeking Legal Services? Leverage These 15 Local SEO Tips for Law Firms

This will likely come as no surprise to anyone, but modern consumers regularly seek out businesses of all types — law firms included — via online searches. (In fact, a majority of today’s purchase journeys start with an internet query.) 

As we noted in a previous Brandon blog article on digital advertising tactics for lawyers, local SEO can be critically important for law firms seeking to attract clients from within their own geographic area. This, of course, can be especially true for smaller firms lacking a large geographic footprint, as these law practices often depend almost entirely on attracting and working with local clients.

15 local SEO & digital marketing tips for lawyers

Wondering just what your law firm can do to ensure that its name appears prominently when a local consumer looking for legal services performs an internet search for “lawyer near me”? Consider taking the following 15 powerful steps, all of which are top tactics geared toward local online marketing for lawyers. All of those, if instituted, are sure to help your practice rank higher on the results page when local residents seek out your services online.

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile

A claimed, built-out and well-optimized Google Business Profile facilitates ease of discovery and access for prospective clients seeking legal services, and it can also significantly impact a law firm’s local search rankings. By ensuring accurate and comprehensive information such as address, contact details, operating hours, and service offerings are provided in this free-of-charge business profile, your law firm can bolster its credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of Google’s algorithms and potential clients. Further, by optimizing your Google listing with relevant keywords, compelling descriptions, and high-quality images, your firm can significantly boost its chances of appearing prominently in local search results, thus increasing your likelihood of attracting local clients who need legal assistance.

2. … and add regular posts there

Beyond claiming and optimizing your firm’s Google Business Profile, regularly posting updates, news, and relevant content to it can elevate your local search rankings and your overall online visibility. Consistent posting not only signals to Google that your firm’s profile is active and engaged, but it also provides valuable information to potential clients searching for legal services in the area. And by sharing offers, updates, events, and videos to its profile, your law firm can capture consumers’ attention and increase engagement with them. Further, frequent posts help to keep your firm top of mind for users who have interacted with the profile before, increasing the likelihood of them choosing your firm when searching for legal assistance.

3. Get more good reviews

Google and other search engines place significant emphasis on customer reviews when determining the relevance and reliability of a business. Positive reviews signal to search algorithms that your firm is trustworthy and reputable, driving higher search rankings and they can also influence potential clients’ decision-making process. Positive reviews also serve as social proof, instilling confidence in potential clients and increasing the likelihood of them choosing your firm over competitors. Therefore, by actively soliciting and cultivating good reviews from satisfied clients, your firm can directly impact its online visibility, reputation, and ultimately, success in attracting new clients.

4. Build out your local citations

“Local citations” refer to online mentions of your law firm’s name, address, phone number, and other relevant details across various online directories, review sites, and local business listings. These citations not only help to validate your firm’s legitimacy and existence, but they also provide search engines like Google with consistent and accurate information about your location and services. By ensuring that your law firm is listed accurately and consistently across a wide range of reputable directories and platforms, you can improve your visibility in local search results and enhance your chances of being discovered by potential clients looking for legal services. Building out local citations can also contribute to establishing trust and credibility with search engines and potential clients, ultimately leading to higher rankings, increased traffic, and more clients for your law firm.

5. Ensure NAP accuracy in local and legal directories

Building on the entry above, consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information reinforces the legitimacy and credibility of your law firm in the eyes of search engines like Google and also enhances the user experience by providing accurate and reliable contact details to consumers. Alternatively, inconsistent NAP information can confuse search engines and potential clients, leading to lower rankings and missed opportunities for your firm. By meticulously auditing and updating NAP information across all relevant directories and platforms, your firm can signal to search engines that it is a reliable and authoritative source for legal services in your local area. This consistency also helps to establish trust and credibility with potential clients, ultimately leading to more inquiries, clients, and business success.

6. Optimize your web pages with local keywords

By incorporating relevant local keywords — such as your specific city name, neighborhood name or other regional identifiers — into the content of your web pages, your law firm can significantly improve its visibility to users searching for legal services within your geographic area. Localized keywords help search engines like Google understand the geographical relevance of your firm’s website, increasing the likelihood of it being displayed prominently in local search results. Further, optimizing web pages with local keywords allows your law firm to target potential clients who are actively seeking legal assistance in the vicinity, thereby increasing your chances of attracting qualified leads and converting them into clients. Additionally, integrating local keywords into your meta tags, headings, content, and URLs can enhance the overall relevance and authority of your website, further bolstering its position in local search rankings.

7. … and/or build local landing pages

If your law firm has multiple locations, building local landing pages can allow you to tailor your content to each specific location, such as by incorporating relevant keywords, addresses, contact information, and unique offerings for each of your offices or service areas. By creating dedicated landing pages for each location, your firm can optimize its online presence to align with the needs and preferences of local users, increasing your visibility and relevance in local search results. Additionally, local landing pages provide an opportunity to showcase testimonials, case studies, and other relevant information that resonates with potential clients in each location, helping to build trust and credibility within each local community. Further, by optimizing these pages for local SEO factors such as on-page optimization, local citations, and NAP consistency, your multi-location law firm can enhance its chances of ranking higher in local search results and attracting qualified leads in each target area.

8. Engage in local link building

Local link building involves acquiring backlinks from reputable local websites, directories, and community organizations within your firm’s service area. These local backlinks not only signal to search engines like Google that your firm is a trusted and authoritative source within the community, but they also enhance your firm’s relevance and visibility in local search results. By earning links from local news outlets, business directories, legal associations and other relevant websites, your law firm can strengthen its online presence and improve its chances of ranking higher for local search queries related to legal services. Further, local link building can help you foster connections with other businesses and organizations in the community, potentially leading to referrals and collaborations that can boost your visibility and reputation even more.

9. Get Google Screened

Google Screened is a certification program that verifies the legitimacy and trustworthiness of businesses, including law firms, by conducting background checks and verifying licenses and insurance. Law firms that successfully pass the screening process get to display a badge next to their listing in Google’s search results, indicating to users that they are a reputable and reliable choice for legal services. This badge can enhance your firm’s credibility and trustworthiness and it can also increase its visibility and click-through rates in local search results. Additionally, Google Screened status can serve to set your law firm apart from competitors and instill confidence in potential clients, ultimately leading to more inquiries, consultations, and clients.

10. Step up your social media presence

Social media platforms can not only provide your law firm with additional channels to engage with its audience, but they can also play a significant role in enhancing your online visibility and credibility. By regularly posting informative content, updates about legal developments, case studies, and client testimonials and engaging with followers on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, your law firm can establish itself as an authoritative voice within the local community and the legal industry. Further, when a firm participates on social media, that signals search engines like Google that your firm is relevant and engaged, potentially leading to improved rankings in local search results. Additionally, social media interactions can generate valuable backlinks and citations from reputable sources, further boosting your firm’s SEO efforts. And a robust social media presence also allows your law firm to connect with potential clients on a more personal level, helping you foster trust and loyalty, and ultimately driving more inquiries and clients.

11. Incorporate attorney schema markup

Attorney schema markup is a structured data markup language that provides search engines with additional information about your law firm, including details such as attorney names, practice areas, contact information, office locations, and client reviews. By implementing attorney schema markup on its website, your law firm can improve the way search engines understand and display your content in search results, leading to enhanced visibility and relevance for local searches related to legal services. Further, attorney schema markup can enable rich snippets, which can make your firm’s listing stand out in search results, increase click-through rates, and ultimately drive more traffic to your website. Schema markup also helps search engines better match your law firm’s content with user queries, improving your chances of appearing in local search results for relevant keywords and phrases.

12. Leverage Local Services Ads

Local Services Ads are a prominent feature in Google search results, appearing above organic listings and map results, making them one of the first things users see when searching for legal services in their area. By running Local Services Ads, your law firm can increase its visibility and reach potential clients at the exact moment they’re searching for legal assistance, thus driving more qualified leads to your practice. Further, Local Services Ads provide a level of trust and credibility to users, as Google verifies the credentials and background of your law firm before displaying its ads. This verification process helps to instill confidence in potential clients, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions. In addition, Local Services Ads offer flexible budgeting options, allowing your firm to set its own budget and only pay for leads that match your criteria, making them a cost-effective advertising solution.

13. Kick up your local content

Generating more local content can help your law firm establish itself as an authoritative source of information within your community, helping you showcase your lawyers’ expertise in specific legal matters relevant to your locality. By creating blog posts, articles, case studies, and other forms of content that address local legal issues, recent developments in local laws or regulations, or frequently asked questions from local clients, your firm can demonstrate its relevance and understanding of the local legal landscape. Additionally, creating content that incorporates local keywords, landmarks, events and references to the community can help you optimize your firm’s website for local search queries, improving your chances of appearing in local search results. Generating more local content can also provide added opportunities for your firm to engage with its audience on social media platforms, share valuable insights, and foster meaningful connections with potential clients, ultimately driving more traffic to your website and increasing your chances of converting leads into clients.

14. Sponsor local events

By sponsoring local events such as charity fundraisers, community festivals, or educational seminars, your law firm can increase its visibility and brand recognition among local residents and businesses. These sponsorships often come with opportunities for branding, signage, and promotion, all of which can help you raise awareness of your firm’s services and expertise. Further, sponsoring local events can enable your firm to demonstrate its commitment to giving back to the community, fostering positive associations, and building trust with potential clients. Sponsoring local events can also lead to coverage in local media outlets or event listings, helping you generate valuable backlinks and citations that can boost your firm’s local SEO efforts.

15. Track your results … and adjust as needed

By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates, your law firm can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of its local SEO efforts and identify areas for improvement. Tracking results enables your firm to understand which tactics are driving the most traffic and leads, enabling you to allocate resources more effectively and prioritize strategies that yield the best results. Further, by regularly analyzing data and performance metrics, your firm can identify emerging trends, capitalize on new opportunities, and stay ahead of competitors in the ever-evolving landscape of local search. Ongoing optimization of local SEO efforts also involves refining website content, updating business listings, acquiring more local citations, and adapting strategies based on performance data. And by continuously optimizing its local SEO efforts, your law firm can maintain and improve its rankings in local search results, attract more targeted traffic, and ultimately, generate more leads and clients.

Looking to lead in the local law firm search? Brandon is here to help

With a law-school graduate and Certified Brand Strategist leading the C-Suite, Brandon understands the unique challenges law firms can face in reaching the right local audiences in need of their services at the right time — and we’re pros at overcoming these challenges by providing local online marketing services for lawyers. When your firm is ready to grow its local client base, get results by tapping into our deep understanding of the marketing landscape and the legal profession. We can put your practice at the top of the “lawyers near me” search results … fast.

Further, as a fully integrated marketing firm, our team of certified brand strategists and data-driven marketing professionals can cover the full spectrum of your firm’s marketing needs. From digital marketing, e-commerce, influencer marketing, email marketing, and SEO to social media, media, creative, analytics, public relations, brand strategy, web design, and more, we can cover all of your marketing needs in one place. To get started with help ranging from simple website analysis to a comprehensive strategy tailored to boost the performance of your marketing campaigns, contact us today.