SEO for Lawyers: Your Top 15 SEO Questions, Answered

SEO is a big deal. It’s a topic we often discuss on this blog and it’s one we get a lot of questions from lawyers about. Do you have questions about SEO for lawyers? Read on for the top 15 SEO related questions along with their answers.

SEO for Lawyers

1. What does SEO stand for?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. You engage in SEO when attempting to get a website page to rank higher in a search engine’s SERPs (search engine results pages), with the ultimate goal of increasing organic traffic targeted to that website. page.

2. Which SEO techniques are popular?

Where to start? By building connections. Search by keywords. Authoritative content. Site audit. On-page SEO. Everyone is important. Download our free eBook, SEO for Law Firm Websites, if you want to understand all of these techniques.

3. How much does SEO cost?

SEO for lawyers costs nothing and you can do it yourself if you know how to do it. However, if you wish to hire an expert or agency to help with your endeavors, the cost can vary.

Like many things, it varies a lot depending on several factors. Marketing agencies that offer low prices tend to cut corners, while high-quality partners will require more investment. The commissions you pay to an agency are for their expertise, ethics and years of experience.

4. When I begin SEO, how long will it take to see results?

It is important to know that SEO is not an overnight strategy. Activities in the first few months are focused on making updates that crawlers will index. Depending on the complexity of your site and the changes required, you should see new rankings in 3-9 months.

5. When can I expect increases in traffic?

Traffic is typically a direct result of rankings. As your rankings increase, your traffic will also increase. Again, this process will take a few months.

6. Which is better, SEO or SEM?

SEO is just one of the disciplines embraced by SEM (Search Engine Marketing). SEM includes PPC and SEO. If it’s in the search engine, you can assume it’s search engine marketing.

7. Should I do PPC along with SEO?

Google Pay per click (PPC) ads are a great way to complement your SEO efforts. PPC can help improve overall relevant traffic faster than SEO. The downside is that it is much more expensive. PPC makes sense to some companies more than others, so check with a reputable agency for a holistic digital strategy.

8. What is domain authority? What is my domain authority score?

Developed by SEO software company Moz, domain authority is a search engine ranking score that predicts a website’s ability to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). The domain authority ranges from a score of 1 to 100. The higher your score, the better your website will rank. You can check the authority of your domain with Moz’s free tool.

9. If I already have good rankings, why should I continue SEO?

Reaching the rankings is only half the battle, and SEO for attorneys is constantly evolving. As algorithms change often, rankings can change quickly as well. Maintaining a strong ranking requires constant research, updates and testing.

10. Can we just buy links?

Link building is very important, but it’s not the same as buying links. Purchased links and links from spam websites or “bad neighborhood” sites can actually hurt your rankings. This practice is called “black hat seo”. Google recognizes and is always on the lookout for black hat SEO techniques like link buying. Too many of these incorrect links will lead to a Google penalty from which it can be difficult to retrieve a lawyer’s website.

11. Will blogging help SEO?

Yes, as a lawyer you should blog. Each new content you create is another opportunity to rank for a target keyword related to your law firm. The more high-quality blogs you create, the wider the network you cast on your industry’s organic search results.

12. I want a guarantee of my rankings – can marketing agencies provide that?

Agencies with integrity know they cannot guarantee something based on factors they cannot control. If a company claims they can provide such a guarantee, you should be wary of them. Beware of any company that claims to have a special relationship with Google or that can “prioritize” Google to secure rankings.

13. Can you help me get ranked for general terms such as “lawyer”?

General terms like “lawyer” are very competitive and extremely expensive to rank on. It is not even a practical strategy. It is more important to rank for relevant terms that align with your particular geographic area or specialist practices. For example, “New York Child Custody Attorney” or “Philadelphia Motorcycle Accident Attorney”.

14. Which search engines get the majority of searches?

Google gets the most search traffic, with around 67% of total searches, with Bing in second place with 17% and Yahoo and a few others behind those.

15. How often do search engines update their algorithms?

This is a fairly common question we get about SEO for lawyers. Only the technical minds working on those search engines know for sure, but Google’s head of Web Spam, Matt Cutts, was quoted as saying that more than 500 updates are made every year. It is important to assume that search engines will change without your knowledge. That’s why working with an agency whose sole job is to understand algorithms is the most effective strategy.

There you have it, answers to a lawyer’s top SEO questions. SEO for attorneys is complex and it’s only natural that you have questions before you commit to the significant time and budget resources needed to move the needle. These are the 15 most frequently asked questions we get from SEO lawyers, but if you have any other questions, let us know in the comments below!

This post has been edited and reposted since December 15, 2020.