Digital marketing is important for every industry. Gone are the days of the big Yellow Pages book that people went to when they needed services from a local business. Today we log onto the internet and search Google.
For businesses, you must invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The SEO strategy deals with keywords, linking, metadata, and more. These tactics are how users bring up the best results for the words used to discover your law firm from the search bar inputs.
Attorney search engine marketing, SEO techniques focus on reasons people need a lawyer. I.e., divorce, personal injury, product defects, etc. You’ll want strong keywords for law practices and keywords for the type of law your firm specializes in. Next, you’ll focus on keywords for your physical location.
Following are six tips you must know when creating a search engine marketing plan. Keep reading to learn more.
1. Use Sound Measurables for Attorney Search Engine Marketing
Too often, people create marketing campaigns based on what they think of their business instead of what customers need. For example, we see attorney digital marketing that shows attorneys in designer suits walking gallantly down the courthouse steps. This imagery is symbolic of strong, confident attorneys after winning a case.
What potential clients want to know is your case record, what types of cases di you win, and can you get a victory for them.
Your search engine marketing techniques will need to respond to the user’s questions in the search bar. Queries include ‘personal injury attorney near me’ or ‘attorney who is experienced in workplace harassment’.
Set realistic measurements to ensure your search engine marketing ads are what people see firsts. Unlike social media, where you’re looking for likes and shares, search engine marketing gets people to click on your ad.
2. Utilize Data Analysis to Rate ROI
One important factor of law firm search engine marketing is understanding the results of your investment. If your firm is spending $5,000 a month on digital advertising, you’ll need to know if you’re getting a good return on investment.
Let’s say you’re spending $10 per click. This means every time someone clicks on the ad, your account gets charged $10. Before the end of the month, you’ve already exhausted your monthly budget, but you haven’t gained any new clients.
By reviewing your Google Analytics and data from other sources, you’ll get a clear picture of who clicks on your ads and what behaviors they engage in. The data includes visits to your website, pages they browsed, or whether they closed the window without taking any action.
Use the information to tweak your ads, messaging, content strategy, or just overall strategic direction.
3. Invest in GEO-targeting
Law firms are generally located in and service-specific areas. Attorney SEO services use geographical information to create ad campaigns. Your advertisements need to be targeted unless you’re a large law firm with offices in multiple cities or states.
Why run ads in all of Texas when your practice is in Houston? With geo-targeting, you narrow the search down to a precise location. You can show the ads to people in Houston only, Harris County, or specific close targeted cities.
For attorney search engine marketing, geo-targeting can also focus on specific area codes, IP addresses, or other criteria.
4. Understand Leads vs. Clicks
Search engine marketing can be confusing to those not experienced in creating digital campaigns. An important factor is to understand the difference between leads and clicks.
Of course, you want people to click on your ad. However, a click that doesn’t create the next step in the funnel has zero ROI.
Instead, you want to focus on lead generation. This means your ads are targeted towards people looking for your area of practice in a service area the firm services.
Having gimmicky ads doesn’t generate leads. You only want people clicking on your ads that need and want to see if your firm can help.
5. Always Have a Call-to-action
Your attorney SEO campaigns should always have a call to action. CTAs are how you tell your audience what you want them to do next. ‘Click here for more information, follow the link to learn more, reach out to our legal team to ask your question,’ are all examples of CTAs.
Once the user follows the CTA, be prepared to offer further assistance. Have an about page that introduces your firm and its attorneys. Utilize the contact page to allow the user to call, email, leave a message, or visit your office. Use a chatbot to interact with the user immediately to understand their need.
If someone clicks on your ad and has no clear understanding of what you want them to do next, they may close out the ad. This then becomes a missed opportunity. Too many of these become loss revenue because you’re paying for every click.
6. Build Campaigns Using Specific Keywords
We talked earlier about keywords and why they are vital to attorneys’ Google ads. Building campaigns around specific keywords allows your firm to run multiple ads at once. Sometimes these ads are similar, and other times they are geared towards different aspects of the firm.
The attorney SEO techniques you use could be to target clients for specific reasons. A law firm might have great success when it comes to personal injury lawsuits resulting from car accidents. However, they want to increase visibility for workplace accidents.
Create various ad campaigns using keywords focusing on the different types of cases your firm handles. This option allows for creativity to reach a wider audience.
Is It Time to Call a Pro?
Building an attorney search engine marketing strategy isn’t as easy as it may appear. Don’t spend thousands of dollars experimenting, only to learn that you need a professional marketing person.
Before you embark on this journey, please speak with a firm specializing in helping law firms reach their target audience. Click here to get in touch with one of our attorney marketing experts.
