SEO; what is it, and why does it matter?
You probably know that SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, but the definition is the art of ranking high on a search engine in the unpaid section, also known as the organic listings.
Wondering what that means? Here’s a definition that I love from Neil Patel;
“Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your online content so that a search engine likes to show it as a top result for searches.”
This means that all aspects of your website will be affected by SEO.
Does the language matter? Yes. Design? Yes. Links? Absolutely!
SEO is about organic search ranking, and it’s the best way to acquire solid leads cost-effectively. According to the National Law Review, 96% of people seeking legal advice use a search engine in their research process, and 74% of consumers visit a law firm’s website to take action.
SEO is unlike other marketing strategies
You optimize your firm’s website content to target your prospective clients, and in turn, your search rank increases for those search terms in Google, Bing, etc. This is what we would call ‘earned media,’ the objective is to show up on search engines like Google or Bing organically. Ranking with SEO takes hard work and patience. So knowing how to accommodate SEO is vital.
For law firms, it’s no surprise that most of the leads you will acquire will find you on search engines. Although word of mouth, billboards, and social media play a particular role in attracting new clients, most people search for the services they need. This means standing out on search engines is incredibly important. Studies have shown that 53% of website traffic comes from organic searches, and while paid search is also essential, SEO is something you can build for your firm that will be a cost-effective strategy. It’s more important now than ever to have a significant presence online, and when your law firm is found through search engines, you want to make sure you’re at the top of the SERP (search engine results page.)
How Search Engine Optimization will help your firm
While 53% of website traffic comes from organic searches, over 99% of those searchers click on one of the links in the first SERP. A common joke on the internet is if you ever need to hide a dead body, you should place it on the second page of Google search results. This sentiment expresses how important it is to rank in those top searches. On the first page alone, the first five organic results account for 67.6% of all the clicks. This means when someone is looking for your firms’ website, you want your website to pop up for the user as often as possible organically. So Knowing what tools are needed to accomplish your goals is crucial.
Although a tech-savvy individual can monitor their SEO, I would suggest hiring an expert to help you with the tools needed to accomplish your goals within Search Engine Optimization.
Who should help with your firms’ SEO?
You should be looking for someone who wants to help your law firm for the long haul. There are no quick, cheap, or easy ways to win at the SEO ranking competition.
If the marketing agency you’re looking into starts making promises or guarantees on rank or time, that’s a red flag. No marketing agency, no matter how good they are, can 100% guarantee results. There are no guarantees in marketing, but SEO specialists can help you get to where you need to be on search engines.
Be cautious about allowing an inexperienced SEO operator to navigate your marketing. It takes knowledge, experience, a competitive nature, time, and commitment to rank in SEO properly. If you hire an inexperienced individual or work with someone internally that you think can do the job, and they fall short, this can hurt your SEO tremendously in the long run. Just as someone may be able to handle the paperwork for most of their taxes, if things get a bit more complicated, you want an expert to help you make sure you’ve ticked all the boxes.
How Swell can help your Search Engine Optimization strategies:
First Month (Elite)
Directory Profile Setup
As a business, you want your target customers to find you when they perform an online search; this is what a directory profile setup will accomplish. As we add your business to online directories, this forms a web that helps you connect with your target customers.
Google Business Listing Setup
We will set up your Google Business Listing so that your clients can easily find your business and all of your company’s most crucial details. Google Business Listing setup includes; hours, location, phone number, and website.
70+ Directory Listings Submissions
70+ Directory Listings to help optimize your website. Directory listings provide your website’s URL in link form so they can send users to your site.
Website Audit
A website audit is a complete analysis of all the factors that affect a website’s visibility in search engines. This standard method gives an exclusive insight into any website, overall traffic, and individual pages.
Competitor Research
Competitor research involves identifying your competitors, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their goods and services.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of uncovering the keywords your target market uses when conducting searches.
Google Analytics Setup
Google Analytics allows you to track and understand your customer’s behavior, user experience, online content, device functionality, and more.
Google Search Console Setup
Google Search Console Setup will help us monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results. GSC will allow us to understand how Google views your company’s website.
NAP Optimization
NAP is an acronym for Name, Address, and Phone number. The NAP for your business needs to be correct and consistent when optimizing your website because Google values accurate information for its users.
301 Page Redirects
301 Page Redirect indicates the permanent moving of a web page from one location to another. This redirect lets the browser know that the page has moved and won’t be moving back to its original location.
Broken Link Audit
A broken link audit will reveal any non-working links on your website; this includes anchors, images, CSS links, and java.
Robots.txt Optimization
Robots.txt is a text file nestled within the directory of your website. It informs crawlers (robots) within search engines which pages to crawl and which to disregard.
XML Sitemap Setup
An XML sitemap is a file that lists a website’s essential pages, making sure Google can find and crawl all of them. It also helps search engines understand your website structure.
Fetch & Render Website in GSC
‘Fetch and Render’ fetch the requested URL, display the HTTP status, and renders the page based on the specified platform (desktop, tablet, or mobile). This can be any visual differences between how a user would see your page compared to how Google would see your page.
Second Month (Elite)
- Targeting for 40 Keywords
- Directory Profile Optimization
- Initial On-Page Optimization (40 pages)
- Optimized Title Tags
- Optimized Meta Descriptions • Internal Linking
- Outbound Linking
- Optimized Image Alt Tags
- Optimized Image Title Tags
- Four 500-word Piece of Content
- Toxic Backlink Audit & Disavow
- Broken Link Audit
- 301 Page Redirects
- Monthly Progress Report
Third Month (Elite)
- Targeting for 40 Keywords
- 70+ Directory Listings Subscriptions
- Directory Profile Optimization
- Four 500-word Piece of Content
- On-Page SEO
- Toxic Backlink Audit & Disavow
- Broken Link Audit
- 301 Page Redirects
- Fetch & Render Website in GSC
- Monthly Progress Report
