How To Rank Your Law Firm at the Top of Google

Search engine optimisation, often known as SEO, is one of the most important ways to get more eyes on your business through the power of search engines.

But how does law firm SEO differ from standard SEO?
How can your law firm make the most of SEO and get to the top of Google?

By the end of this guide, you’ll know the answer to those two questions, and you’ll have plenty of actionable insights into how to improve your law firm’s SEO

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How much do law firms spend on SEO?

According to a study by Call Rail, law firms invest 17% of their marketing budget into SEO (on average).

It might be worth reviewing your budget to ensure you’re allocating enough to SEO. Check out this video, which explains how to get the most from your digital marketing budget.

3 Free Ways to Get Your Law Firm More Visibility on Google

Here are three of the best ways to get your law firm’s website to the top of Google and in front of more potential clients.

These give you a basic overview of the strategy needed to improve your SEO in each area. You can learn more about each task later in this guide, where we’ll go into more detail.

Before we start, it’s important you realise that SEO takes time. If you create the best piece of content for a certain search term, you won’t rank in a few hours. Or a few days. It might take a few weeks or months.

But the wait is fully worth it.

According to Advanced Web Ranking, the page in position one on Google gets 33% of all the clicks made by searchers for the term it ranks top for. Position two only gets 16% of the traffic.

This is why we’re focusing on getting your law firm to the top of Google.

1. Organic search results

The organic search results are the blue links, featured snippets, maps, videos and other elements that appear for a search term. We’re not including ads here.

Here’s an example of the organic search results for the search “conveyancing solicitor near Nottingham”.

Most of the page is taken up by map results, which are powered by Google Business Profile. Later in this guide, we’ll explain how your Google Business Profile can help your law firm reach the top of search engine results pages.

As we said, 33% of the traffic to search engines click on the first organic link. So that’s the space you want to be in.

If you’re not on page one for the term you want to rank for, you’re getting 1% or less of this traffic.

So, you need to figure out which keywords you want to rank for and then work towards getting on page one for those keywords.

To do this, you’ll need to:

Conduct keyword research
Conduct competitor research
Create content
Get backlinks to your website and content.

If you’re on page two or lower down page one, this isn’t the time for complacency. You should still be aiming for that top spot.

What’s awesome about search engines is that they level the playing field — your law firm can compete no matter how much money you can invest in marketing.

You just need to create the best content for that search.

Keep reading to learn how to do high-quality law firm content marketing that will get you leads and traffic.

Get to the top of Google

Learn how to get your website to the very top of Google (and turn that traffic into revenue).

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2. Local Google search results

Since lawyers work in a local area, a crucial part of law firm SEO is having a great local search presence.

Examples of local searches include:

Law firm Atlanta
Divorce Solicitor London
Family law Utah
Conveyancing Solicitor Nottingham
Lawyer New York.

You can rank for these terms by having dedicated pages on your website targeting these areas. You should also optimise your Google Business Profile. This will help you appear in the map pack, which is super useful for potential clients who want to see how close you are to them.

We helped our client Lockings Solicitors reach the top of the map pack. The results? Website clicks doubled, in part thanks to the map pack.

To improve your law firm’s SEO, you need to:

Conduct local keyword research
Conduct competitor research
Optimise your Google Business Profile
Create local-focused content
Get featured by local publications.

Local SEO is one of the most important types of SEO for lawyers, so don’t ignore it. Keep reading to learn how to optimise your Google

Business Profile and dominate the local search results.

3. Website features

Appearing on other people’s websites is an important part of SEO. It shows Google that your website is credible.

Credible enough that other site owners want to link to you.

In the SEO world, this is called “backlinking” or “link building“.

Backlinks are the links on other people’s websites (that link back to you), and link building is the act of getting these links.

Here’s an example of a backlink in a relevant article we secured for a client.

The blue text links to our client’s website. Not only does it signal to Google that the website being linked to is credible, but it also gives Google information about what type of website it is.

If a website is being linked to by multiple articles that talk about law and legal services, it helps Google understand that it’s a law-related website.

Finally, backlinks help you get more traffic to your website through referrals. If someone reading this article clicks through to your website, this counts as referral traffic.

To get more backlinks, you need to:

Compile a list of websites you’d like to be featured on
Compile a list of websites competitors are featured on
Produce a study, highlight something newsworthy about your law firm or create some great content that these publications will want to link back to
Offer to write guest posts for these publications.

This can be a difficult process that takes a long time, but with patience and good content, you can get links from various websites.

Don’t take shortcuts — buying backlinks in bulk is never a good idea.

Quality over quantity.

Keep reading to learn more about link building for your law firm later in this guide.

How to Do Law Firm SEO

We’ve given you the quick and dirty version of law firm SEO, so now it’s time to dive deeper into the different tactics and strategies you can use to get your law firm to the top of Google.

First things first — any good SEO strategy starts with keyword research.

Keyword Research for Law Firms

To get your firm to the top of Google, you first need to know which searches you need to be at the top of. The words people use in their searches are known in the search engine optimisation world as keywords.

Terms like “law” and “lawyer” are a no-go. They’re too competitive, and people searching for terms this broad are probably just looking for information about law as a whole rather than looking to hire a lawyer.

Even terms like “lawyer near me” might be too broad, especially if you specialise in one type of law.

That’s why we take the time to research each of our client’s industries and niches to help us find the best keywords for them.

How to do keyword research

Start by listing topics and phrases related to your law firm. Do this even if you already have a keyword list – you might find something new.

These topics and phrases will be things like your location and specialities, for example:

Law firm Ohio
Divorce Solicitor Manchester
Family law Michigan
Conveyancing solicitor Cardiff
Lawyer Houston
Real estate attorney.

Even “Lawyer Houston”, for example, could be too broad. Especially if you only specialise in one type of law. You’ll get a lot of traffic from people who don’t need your services.

“Family Attorney Houston” could be a better fit. You might even want to focus on an even smaller part of a large city, targeting “Attorney South Central Houston”.

Once you’ve made a list of keywords, use a keyword tool like the one in Semrush (which you can try for free for 14 days with our link) to see how much search volume they get.

Generally, you want to target keywords with a higher search volume but not so high that it would be impossible for you to rank. But don’t ignore low-volume keywords either.

Top Tip

If you offer a niche type of law, keyword tools might report that no one is searching for your keywords.

These tools aren’t always accurate with lower search volumes, so take what they say with a pinch of salt.

If you know people are searching for these terms, go ahead and target them!

You can also use keyword tools to see which terms your site is already ranking for.

You may find that some pages are ranking on page three for a term you want to be top for, or they could be ranking for irrelevant terms that you don’t want to rank for at all.

Another type of keyword you need to add to your list is questions.

This could be questions leads and clients ask you quite often, or it could be questions you find using a tool like AlsoAsked or Answer the Public.

By typing “personal injury law” into AlsoAsked, we got some great questions that potential clients are searching including:

Should I use a solicitor for a personal injury claim?
How long does a personal injury claim take to settle?
What is the average payout for personal injury claims?

Local SEO for Lawyers

Local SEO helps searchers, and Google, understand where your firm is located.

Google uses this information to show your law firm’s website to people who have their location enabled on the search engine or who include a location in their search. This helps the searcher find what they need fast.

If Google shows a law firm based in Australia to someone in New York, the user won’t have a good experience.

There are a couple of ways you can improve your local SEO.

The first is including the places that you offer your services on your website. Include them on your “About” page and create pages tailored to each area.

The second is fully filling out your Google Business Profile.

Get to the top of Google

Learn how to get your website to the very top of Google (and turn that traffic into revenue).

Download my free copy

Setting Up a Google Business Profile for Your Law Firm

A Google Business Profile is an account set up by you where you add information about your law firm, such as location, opening times, reviews and more.

You can also give searchers the option to book an appointment through this profile. It’s pretty handy.

Here’s how the Thinkplus profile looks.

Google uses this information to place your law firm in map packs. It also often appears when someone searches the name of your law firm directly so they can get some important information about your firm without having to leave Google.

This might seem like a negative (less traffic to your website), but it’s actually a positive. It means more of the traffic on your website will be qualified.

Searchers won’t be coming to your website to find out your location, opening times and the services you offer and then realising you’re not right for them and leaving. They’ll do that all in Google.

That’s why it’s crucial you fill out as much information in the Google Business Profile about your firm as possible.

No Google Business Profile? This guide from Google explains how to set yours up.

If you’ve been holding off creating one or fully filling it out because you’re worried your traffic will drop, then don’t be. We’ve seen website clicks double for law firms thanks to a great Google Business Profile.

Here’s a list of steps you can follow to improve your law firm’s local SEO.

Optimise your Google My Business listing. Completely fill out your GMB profile with accurate info, good photos, service list and regular posts.
Get more Google My Business reviews. Ask satisfied clients to leave detailed 5-star reviews to build credibility. Respond politely to any negative reviews.
Ensure your name, address and phone number (NAP) are consistent. Use the same business name, address and phone number across directories, websites and profiles.
Build local citations. Manually submit your NAP to 50+ directories like Yelp and YellowPages.
Create location pages with unique content. Make location-specific pages with office details, attorney bios, FAQs and community involvement.
Target local keywords. Research local terms like “personal injury attorney Los Angeles” and optimise for them.
List your service areas. Include all areas, cities and counties you serve for discovery.
Measure location insights. Check Google Analytics for geographic data on traffic sources, conversions and rankings.

How to Optimise Your Law Firm’s Website for SEO

You’ve done your keyword research and optimised for local SEO.

Now it’s time to optimise your website for these keywords.

Some keywords will need new pages created. These could be service pages or blogs, depending on the type of keyword. Others can be served by pages you already have on your website.

Shorter keywords are often best served by service pages, whereas longer keywords and questions are better served by blogs.

Let’s use the keyword “Employment law solicitors” as an example of a keyword that will be served well by a service page.

The page should have a strong H1 header. For a service page, it can be as simple as “Employment Law Solicitors”. You may want to include your location in this heading, too.

Next, you want to write a paragraph explaining exactly how you can help the reader. It should include your USPs, too.

For example: “Need legal help in the workplace? We can offer advice on grievances, discrimination, termination of employment, unfair dismissal and settlement agreements. Our family-owned law firm has over 30 years of experience in employment law, and we offer no win, no fee deals.”

This can then be followed by an H2 header for a new section which explains more about the services offered.

Top Tip

It’s important to avoid too much legal jargon. Consider the terms your audience will understand. They’re not lawyers, that’s why they need your help!

Remember to include a CTA too.

One of our legal clients, Patino Law Firm, includes a free consultation form on its service pages. This makes it clear to the visitor that this is the next step they should take.

Your CTA doesn’t have to be a form. In a blog, you might decide that the reader won’t be ready to become a client just yet, so your CTA might be to sign up for a mailing list, download a guide, watch a video or visit another page to learn more.

How to improve your service pages

Include service pages for all key practice areas. Make sure you have dedicated pages for your main services so they can rank well in search engines.
Craft compelling titles and meta descriptions which draw the reader in and make your page a must-click in search engines (without exaggerating)
Break up blocks of text with descriptive headings and bullet points to make it easy to skim.
Explain your expertise and experience. Provide details on your firm’s history, credentials, case results and clientele for each practice area.
Add attorney bios and headshots. Introduce the lawyers who work in each practice area with photos, backgrounds and credentials.
Include a call to action. Have a clear CTA like “Book your free consultation today” so visitors know what action to take next.
Update content frequently. Add new FAQs, success stories, trends and developments to give visitors fresh content.
Promote services content. Link to services pages from other site pages and mention in outreach to drive visits.
Analyse traffic and conversions. Track visits, time on page, and leads generated to see which service pages perform best. Use that data to improve your pages.

Following the above steps will help keep your service pages consistent, too.

Content Marketing for Lawyers

Content is not only a big part of SEO, but it’s also a tool for educating your ideal clients.

There are two main knowledge camps your ideal clients will fall into.

The first is people who have a problem but don’t know that legal help is the solution.

The second is people who know they need legal help but are scared and don’t know how to get started.

It’s important that your law firm educates both these audiences through content marketing.

We’ve already discussed the type of content you need to include on your service pages, so in this section, we’ll focus on blogs, backlinking and digital PR.

Creating a quality blog for your law firm’s website

Your blog should be used for attracting and helping potential clients rather than for company news — unless that news is relevant to clients, of course.

You should have found some questions that potential clients ask during your keyword research. Blogs are perfect for answering these questions.

Here are our top tips for writing blogs:

Start with a strong title/heading that includes your keywords, but don’t sacrifice an easy-to-read title just to shove keywords in there. This title should use an H1 heading.
Next up is your introduction. We’d suggest writing this last, as it should summarise what you will discuss in the guide. If you cover pain points, you should also paint an image for your reader — highlight their pain and show them you understand their feelings.
After the introduction is the main bulk of your blog. It should be split into sections, using H2 headings at the start of a new section and H3 headings to break up those sections.
Use images and videos throughout. If possible, make graphics using a platform like Canva. These graphics should all be consistent and have a similar design style.
Where possible, use examples of how you helped a client solve the problem described in the blog. It shows you have the experience to answer their questions and potentially help them with their legal case.
Include calls to action (CTAs) throughout your guide. It’s important that these CTAs are relevant to the content you’re writing.

Remember, the overall goal is to create a blog post that is easy to read, informative and engaging.

Keep paragraphs concise, use a mix of text and visuals and consider your target audience’s preferences and needs. These preferences and needs will influence the CTAs you use in your blog.

Digital PR strategy for law firms

Digital PR, or digital public relations, is the strategic use of online platforms and communication channels to manage a brand’s reputation, build relationships with online audiences, and generate positive visibility.

You need a combination of online media outreach, influencer collaborations, content marketing and social media engagement to establish and maintain a good online presence for your law firm.

One popular way to get featured by publications is by sharing data in an interesting way. As a law firm, you’ll have plenty of insight into the most common crimes committed, the cases with the highest win rate and more, and you can share this with the world in a way that grabs people’s attention.

A report by the FBI included useful infographics that publications can easily share in their stories about the report. It also helps publications understand the data, making it easier for them to report on it.

As a result, this FBI report was linked back to over 6000 times by 3000 different websites — a fantastic turnout.

Here’s what you need to do to run a successful digital PR strategy for your law firm.

Identify your target audience and create client personas. Understand who you want to reach with your campaign, for example, existing clients, potential new clients or referral sources.
Set clear goals and KPIs. Examples could be increasing website traffic, generating more leads or improving brand awareness. Having specific metrics to track makes it easier to measure success.
Create a list of the publications you want to appear in. Consider their audiences and the content they already write. This will be important when you pitch them.
Promote expertise and thought leadership. Position attorneys as experts on industry topics and have them author bylined articles or offer expert comments to journalists.
Pitch to publications. Make it clear what the story is and why their audience will enjoy reading about it. Publications want to know what the benefit is to them and their audience.
Don’t be afraid to use paid opportunities. Many publications charge to feature you, but if the publication is a great fit, then this can help your digital PR campaign massively.

The more digital PR campaigns you run, the better you’ll get at it. Don’t be afraid to start small, either. Many local publications are on the smaller side but are likely a perfect fit for your law firm.