You know your law firm needs an online presence. However, establishing one is harder than it sounds. You need to do a little more than put up a website. Even advertising on Google isn’t enough. You need to start mastering SEO to improve your firm’s online visibility.
Okay, so on top of dealing with your client’s legal matters, you also need to find time to learn SEO. Learning SEO isn’t something you can tackle in between court dates. You need a lot of time and plenty of expert guidance. Even though outsourcing your law firm’s SEO needs is probably your best option, it doesn’t mean you don’t have questions.
While the answers to your questions aren’t going to help you completely master SEO, it can make it easier to find the right service provider.
What is White and Black Hat SEO?
Have you ever heard of white and black hat hackers? You know, the individuals who spend time trying to get into protected websites. White hat hackers typically work to identify potential security breaches and resolve the problem. Black hat hackers work diligently to exploit any perceived weaknesses.
SEO also comes with white and black hats. You also want to go with white hat SEO. This helps ensure you’re getting someone familiar with the best SEO practices and always puts them to use. Black hat SEO uses practices that try to get around search engine algorithms and usually end up hurting your online presence.
In a nutshell, white hat SEO works within Google’s terms of service to help ensure the absolute best results.
Does My Law Firm’s Website Need Long-Tail SEO?
You’re probably wondering what in the world long-tail SEO is and how it applies to your law firm’s website. Long-tail SEO refers to keywords that are actually phrases or questions. An example of long-tail SEO as a phrase can be ‘law firms near me’.
Typically, a long-tail keyword is made up of at least four words. In comparison, short-tail keywords are typically only one or two words.
Your law firm’s website should include both types of SEO keywords. Search engines like Google crawl webpages hunting for both SEO practices. AN issue common with short-tail keywords is getting them to rank on your webpage. Competition is often fierce, especially with higher-ranking keywords. You may be competing with other websites and this can make it harder to rank higher on search engine result pages.
Long-tail keywords are usually easier to rank for. Best of all, creating engaging content around long-tail keywords is usually easier than focusing solely on shorter ones. Remember, your overall goal is to increase your firm’s online visibility.
How Long Should I Pay Attention to an SEO Campaign?
Some advertising campaigns have a definite starting and ending date. A great example is Black Friday sales.
Typically these sales last through Thanksgiving weekend before prices go back up. SEO campaigns are a little different. There’s no set starting or ending date. SEO is an ongoing process that lasts as long as your law firm has an online presence.
SEO best practices are constantly changing. So are search engine algorithms. Google tends to update theirs at least once a year though this varies. If you start slacking off as soon as your law firm’s website hits the desired rankings, it’s not going to last. Before you know it, your law firm’s website is dropping in the search engine results. This means you’re not connecting with all online browsers.
SEO is more than a long game, it’s one that never ends as long as you want your website to pop up at the top of search engine results.
When Will I Start Seeing My Law Firm’s Website Improve in the Rankings?
Remember how we said SEO is a long game? This also applies to when your law firm starts seeing noticeable results. In other words, you’re not going to wake up the next morning and see your website moved from #25 up to the third spot.
Google and other search engines are almost constantly crawling web pages. However, this doesn’t mean you’re going to see improvements every single day.
On average, it takes anywhere from two to six months before you start seeing results. This is something your SEO services provider should explain at the start of the project. If this little tidbit of information is glossed over, you may want to look for another SEO partner.
Do I Need Meta Descriptions?
Meta descriptions or tags are a key part of SEO. This is a brief snippet of text that describes the content on your web page. Like everything else in SEO, meta tags come with pretty specific parameters.
The tag shouldn’t exceed 160 characters. This includes spacing and punctuation. Anything over 160 characters is often reduced by the search engine algorithm. Since the algorithm doesn’t care where the tag is shortened you can be left with an unintelligible snippet. Whenever possible, try to include relevant keywords and even locations in your meta tags.
Can I Post Too Much Content?
You really can’t post too much content. This is a key part of SEO. Search engines love seeing fresh content popping up on websites. When search engines are happy, your website usually moves up a bit in rankings.
With that being said, don’t go crazy and start posting just about anything. You want your content to be relevant, informative, and engaging. This usually means sticking within your industry or niche. Since this is a website promoting a law firm, you probably don’t want to post content on the latest make-up tricks and tips.
Your content may not be immediately penalized by the search engines but eventually, they’ll figure out the webpages aren’t matching the online site. You’re also going to confuse site visitors.
If someone goes to your website looking for information on your state’s statute of limitations, you don’t want them landing on a post describing how to apply mascara.
Let the Professionals Master SEO
You have enough on your plate handling your clients, you don’t have time to master SEO. Even coming up with content ideas can be more than you have time to handle.
For best results, it’s usually best to partner with an SEO service provider. This way, you can focus on what you already know, defending your clients’ legal rights.
