Local SEO
The Importance of Local Optimization
Your law firm offers a valuable service to your community. Often, when someone in your community needs an attorney, the need is urgent. Because of that immediate need and the potential confusion of where to go and what to do, the first place your potential clients will typically begin their search is the internet. Moreover, because so much searching is done on the run these days, your website must also be mobile-friendly.
In fact, recent statistics show that the majority number of potential clients turn to Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines to locate an attorney that can meet their needs. And when they do locate attorneys, they research them – often by perusing their websites. That means that your online presence must be polished, professional, and easy to navigate; and it must provide accurate, informative content. This validates that your firm is trustworthy.
Defining “Local SEO”
Local SEO focuses on providing search results that are most relevant to the searcher based on their location. Local SEO has grown significantly in recent years. According to Google, one in three mobile queries in the United States is now local. Understandably, Google has a vast amount of data. For Google and other search engines to provide users with the most relevant information, returning local results will become far more prevalent.
Local SEO can help your business stand out in the SERPs – or Search Engine Results Pages. Local ranking factors – including your firm’s name, address, phone number, and customer reviews – will help you rise to the top of organic results. And consistency is very important. For example, you must have your name, address, and phone number on every page of your website.
Things to Remember When Going Local
Here are a few points that can help your law firm rank high consistently:
- Use appropriate keywords. Include the word lawyer, lawyers, or law firm since that is your business.
- Optimize your law firm’s information by referencing keywords. Include your firm name, the targeted keyword, and the location.
- Make sure your listing is in the right category. In other words, narrow it down – clearly define the firm’s practice areas to site visitors.
- Use a consistent format. When listing your address, for example, make it exactly the same everyplace it appears.
- Ask for reviews. Since reviews can help to validate your credibility, make sure to ask satisfied clients to provide reviews. Reviews may be one of the biggest SEO ranking factors. Listings with reviews stand out.
- Make sure each of your physical locations is listed. You can optimize the pages on your website to be more visible in local searches. Plus, listing each of your physical locations ensures that searchers have the details for your nearest office when searching locally, and you have more opportunities to increase your rankings.
- Claim your Google Business Profile page. It is important for you to claim your Google Business Profile page. This can help your firm get more exposure if you are optimized enough to show up in Google’s local three-pack.
Local SEO is an important component of any SEO campaign. Local search results are changing faster than any other, so it is essential to know where you rank, and to do everything possible to stand out and capture those who need your services.
Premier Legal Marketing Can Help Your Firm Rank Locally
To learn more about how our SEO Company can help, contact us online for a complimentary consultation, or call us at 856-320-2016. At Premier Legal Marketing, we have a vast range of experience in the legal industry, and we can put it to work for you.