According to statistics, there is a meteoric rise in the number of law graduates which equals greater competition on the market.
Although this profession hasn’t changed much over the last few years, currently we can observe the implementation of many new technological solutions. Law offices are much more eager to use dedicated IT management tools. They contact clients through emails and video calls. An increasing percentage of the companies operating in the legal industry appreciate the possibilities offered by the Internet. This can be evidenced by the growing number of emerging websites and blogs related to law.
The more Internet users, the more companies decide to go online. The fact that the majority of people browse the net to search for information and answers to their questions makes being displayed high in the search results particularly lucrative.
Illegal and permitted methods of advertising your brand
Due to the fact that lawyers are subject to the state court and bar association rules, it may be rather difficult to successfully advertise a law office. The law clearly states that attorneys shouldn’t use any false or misleading forms of advertising as well as shock advertising to gain trust of clients and encourage them to use their services. Methods of advertising the legal industry are limited and restricted by law regulations. Attorneys shouldn’t publicize any details and cases that are subject to professional secrecy. However, now they’re generally allowed to use Google Ads or billboards to promote themselves or their services. Moreover, legal persons need to remember that texts or messages they publish should neither contain any statements like “we’re the best” or “we’ll win every case”, nor allude to their rivals on the market. It’s also important to mention that the law principles differ from country to country and from state to state, therefore, you need to scrutinize which law rules are binding in your location before performing any marketing activity. For example, in New York print ads are allowed to provide only the address, phone number and print specialties of a given law office. There isn’t much space for the competition when it comes to the legal industry. One of the allowed methods is informing about the activity by hanging a board on the headquarters building or running a website. Currently it doesn’t happen quite often but you still may also encounter various printed booklets like leaflets or Yellow Pages advertisements. But is there any more effective place to present your services than Google search results? After all, lawyers are also entrepreneurs who want to build brand image and be recognizable. SEO gives you the possibility of gaining new prospective clients and improving your brand recognition without violating the advertising principles. Being active in social media and running a company blog will help you not only to position yourself as an expert but also to inspire trust in your potential clients. However, if you want SEO to meet your expectations and bring satisfactory results, you need to remember about a few very important aspects.SEO benefits both the algorithm and the user
First and foremost - content!
It’s not brand new information that unique and quality content can work miracles. Your content informs Google that you regularly create and publish new texts which makes you worthy of being displayed high in the search results. When it comes to the legal industry, providing information comprehensively so that it’s understandable for a total layman is a big assetwhich can help you attract new clients who after reading your blog entry or the FAQ section may be more eager to take advantage of your services. Therefore, it’s worth running a company blog which will accompany your website and provide contact details or information about your law office. Don’t be afraid of running out of subjects! You can describe various case studies (without providing clients’ personal data), you can guide people how to deal with disputes or outline meditation principles. Write about current affairs such as law amendments or upcoming changes that may affect an average person. In the legal industry, similarly to other market sectors, it’s advisable to be specialized in a given field. So if you’re a real patent law expert, evidence it by your content! This will help you attract more people who are really interested in these specific services on your offer. A newsletter is another way of providing your potential clients with up to date information and knowledge. Subscribing to it is optional, therefore readers need to agree to be presented with news and revelations. This medium allows you to do more. Newsletters enable including information about the company that won’t be treated as advertising but at the same time will encourage clients to use your services. Create your own mailing list as it can generate many leads. Many lawyers are fans of being active in social media. It's a very effective and affordable way of building trust and recognition of your company. Publishing posts regularly and linking to blog entries or recording educational InstaStories will support your other activities which aim at gaining new clients.Content equals appropriate keywords
It’s a good idea to take advantage of the offered tools such as SEMSTORM, Google Search Console, SEMrush or Ahrefs before selecting keywords you want to do SEO for. Remember that the chosen phrases shouldn’t be too general because then it’ll be less feasible to reach the top positions in the search results as your competition will probably be too powerful. Instead, it’s recommended to go for keywords that are more specific and tailored to the legal field you specialize in.Getting to know the phrases your rivals do SEO for is the real key to success. Keywords should be constantly monitored and adjusted to new subpages and entries published on the site.Technical aspects of SEO
Remember that despite all the elements displayed to the users, it’s Google robots that determine your position in the search results. In order to facilitate the process of rendering the website, you should keep in mind a few aspects of technical SEO.- Site map and redirects. These are the paths that robots use to navigate the website. The more trouble-free they are, the more likely it is that Google will perceive the site as valuable.
- Website loading time and mobile friendliness. Nobody likes waiting. Nowadays people search for information on various devices, therefore, it’s a good idea to ensure that your website adjusts to the screen resolution and is properly loaded just after users click on the link. This is one of the Google ranking factors.
- Internal linking and friendly URLs.A URL is appropriate if users are able to enter it manually. The correct internal linking ensures convenient and intuitive website navigation. Thanks to it, you’re ranked higher in Google and appreciated by users.
- Graphics optimization. It’s about adjusting the appropriate descriptions and keywords to the photos on the page. The robots can’t analyze graphics but they see descriptions. It’s also a solution that will help you improve the visibility of your graphics on the website.