SEO For Solicitors

SEO for solicitors can be tricky. It is not that SEO strategies are different for lawyers over every other industry in the world. It is just that lawyers have rules to follow. These rules can be strictly enforced causing a lot of problems for the solicitor.

This does not mean SEO for solicitors cannot be done. It is just that some of the SEO strategies need to be tweaked to make sure the rules are followed and the solicitor remains on the right side of the rules.

What this means is that solicitors need SEO help as their industry can be very competitive and it is difficult finding clients who need their services. Online websites are like billboards for solicitors and they need to be good.

Can Solicitors Advertise

This is something that every lawyer or solicitor needs to check into. First, it is permissible for solicitors, in the UK, and lawyers, in the US, to advertise. They just have to be careful as the rules are quite specific about what they can or cannot do.

The reason this is mentioned here is that the websites, the content, and other SEO strategies must follow the same rules. You can check those rules at this link and this one.

SEO strategies for solicitors are not as easy or as straightforward as it is for say the retail industry. This means that any solicitor or lawyer, who wants to have a website must abide by those rules in their banners, content, and any other statement they make on those web pages.

That means the SEO consultant that they hire must know and understand these rules in order to develop a strong SEO strategy for their legal clients.

SEO For Solicitors: Key Strategies

Now that the rules are understood and the rules are important as they help build trust between the client and the solicitor. The strategies used by any solicitor or consultant they hire should meet SEO rules as well as the legal rules governing the profession.

There are different SEO rules that should be met with every website. Here are a few of those rules:

1. Keyword Search

One of the lynchpins of every SEO strategy. Solicitors need to use great keywords if they want internet users looking for legal services to find their websites.

It is not hard to find those top keywords. All a lawyer has to do is look at their practice and see what type of legal services they offer. If they do property law, then their keywords should focus on property and its legal issues.

If they practice family law, then those keywords should focus on different aspects of family law. You should get the picture with those two examples. If you are not great at picking out good keywords to use don’t fret.

There are a lot of great keyword-generating tools available online. Most have free trials so you can test them out before signing up for the paid subscription

2. The Content

Content is still king but for the solicitor, the content cannot violate Paragraphs 8.9 and 7.1(c) of the Standards and Regulations governing solicitors and how they approach the public.

Those Paragraphs prohibit direct or target approaches, etc., by the solicitor to the public. This means that any content must be carefully worded to not violate those rules.

The other aspect that makes content for solicitors tricky is that sometimes lawyers can get very verbose. It is best to keep the content simple, easy to understand, and concise.

The website’s visitors’ eyes will glaze over if there is too much legal terminology in the content or if the content goes on and on. The content on a solicitor’s website needs to meet the visitors’ understanding and knowledge.

Or those website visitors will simply move on to a solicitor’s website so they can understand and easily get the answers they are looking for.

3. Keep It Local

When people are looking for a solicitor, they are looking for one in their area who knows local laws and customs. They do not need a national advertising lawyer as that may not fit their legal problem.

Search engines put a lot of weight, at this time, on local SEO practices. You will want to develop a good local SEO strategy so you can pick up clients in your town or city.

For example, if a potential client was living and injured in Liverpool, they do not want to see websites for lawyers working in Manchester. They want to find Liverpool lawyers.

Having a strong local SEO campaign means you can reach your neighbours easier and faster. There is no point in going after clients in cities where you do not have your office.

Keep the local SEO very strong to reach more potential clients. Then make sure your content focuses on your local community for the most part.

4. Off-site SEO

This is important as it allows you and your office to be found easier. Plus it helps search engines understand the type of legal work your office does. This means you should be listed in pertinent legal directories in your area or legal association.

Or either do guest blogs on other legal websites or backlink to them. This will help people find your website, read your content, and see that you know what you are talking about.

Getting your website in the right places is essential to ranking and gaining more traffic.

SEO For Solicitor: Website Construction

Now that you have a good idea of the right SEO for solicitors, you need a good website to put all of those strategies to work. How you construct your website says a lot about you and what you think of your website’s visitors.

One of the keys to good website construction is navigation. You need to make sure that navigation is quick, simple, and direct. There is no room for slow-loading web pages or hard-to-find navigational buttons.

Here are some other keys to good website construction:

1. Service Pages

One of the more important keywords you can use for ranking is related to the services you provide. These pages should contain all the key information your clients need to know about the services you provide.

You will want to have the content that is concise and will put your website’s visitors’ minds at ease. Also, use your office phone number on these pages in a call to action.

2. About Page

Clients want to know something about you so they can start to build a little trust in your expertise. Also so they can tell if you are able to help them or not. An About page is good for ranking at this time as well.

Make sure to have a good photo of yourself or your partners and associates on this page. Plus, a little biography of each person will help as well. These biographies should include qualifications, awards received, and a little about their specialities.

Clients want to see if your office can handle their problems well. It helps to put contact information under each bio to help potential clients contact your office quickly and easily

3. Content

You can focus on cases you and your partners have won or participated in, local laws or changes to the laws and how they affect the people in your city, and so on.

What you are trying to do with any blog posts you make on your website is to establish your office as a legal authority in the minds of your website’s visitors. Plus, the quality of the content should build trust in your visitor as well as bring traffic to your website and eventually your physical office.

Then make sure your content provides solutions to your visitors’ problems. That is why they are searching in the first place and if you can provide the right answer you may have won a new client.

Also as your content generates more traffic to your website, you are also getting more opportunities to get more clients.

4. FAQ Page

This is a strong way to rank, at this time, as well. This is a page where you can place answers to common questions. This will help your website’s visitors get the answers they are looking for as well as build some trust and establish you as a legal authority.

The key to this page is not to speak in legalize but to answer the questions in as simple language as possible.

Some Final Words

When you want good SEO for solicitors to help your law practice, give our office a call. Our company has over 10 years in the SEO consulting industry and we know the rules for solicitors as well as top SEO strategies.

While you are an expert in the law, you may not be one in SEO practices. Hire the experts in SEO to make sure your website does not violate any rules wherever they are found. Call us today.