We thank the Lawyerist.com team for this guest post.

When it comes to search engines, it’s important to know where you rank for search engine optimization purposes. For instance, a whopping 75% of clicks go to websites that appear on the first page of search results. The first ranking gains about 33% of the clicks, the second gets 15%, the third gets 9%, and then the clicks drop off quickly thereafter.

In sum, if you want your law firm’s website to do its job properly, SEO matters.

SEO: What It Means for your Law Firm

SEO, or search engine optimization, improves your organic search engine rankings. At the core, it helps your law firm stand out from your competition online, giving you the opportunity to increase your impressions and gain those highly coveted clicks.

SEO has many benefits for your firm, including:

• Teaching search engines what your website is all about, which helps search engine ranking,
• Getting in front of an audience that is interested in what you offer,
• Planning your site structure and content, and
• Tracking what you’re doing to see if it’s working.

How to Improve your Law Firm Website’s SEO

If you have a basic understanding of SEO, it’s easy to arrive at the conclusion that optimizing means choosing a few keywords to use on your website and content. But, for true SEO, it takes more than a few keywords to make it work.

Content

Google places high priority on websites that are relevant and of quality to what a reader is looking for. This means that content stuffed full of keywords won’t cut it. Instead, you should create website content that is regularly updated, informative and useful. When you use keywords, use them naturally throughout your content. Utilize blog posts, tutorials and guides that answer your audience’s questions.

On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization includes optimizing your individual website pages. After your initial keyword research, to take advantage of the best on-page optimization, your keywords should be strategically placed:

• In your website page’s URL
• Near the top of each page
• Naturally and seamlessly into the page’s copy and in headings
• In title tags that show up in browser tabs
• Meta descriptions

Readability and Navigation

Your law firm’s website should be easy to navigate and read whether your reader is on their laptop or mobile device. Make sure you’re directing each reader where they should go simply. Keep your menus as simple as possible. Use your whitespace, headings, bullet points and more to space out your content, making it easier to read.

Voice Search

Nowadays, individuals are searching using their voice thanks to AI-assistants like Siri and Alexa. Keep this in mind when writing your content, answering questions as quickly as possible and optimizing your website for voice search.

Improve Your Website’s SEO & Your Firm as a Whole

Improving your law firm’s SEO is just the beginning of improving as a whole and remaining competitive. If you’re ready to find areas that could use improvement and gain insight into your firm, take the Lawyerist Small Firm Scorecard™ today.

VIEWS AND CONCLUSIONS EXPRESSED IN ARTICLES HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF FLORIDA BAR STAFF, OFFICIALS, OR BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FLORIDA BAR.