Deciding to hire an SEO specialist is a big decision, but one that is necessary for many law firms to boost their online presence and attract more clients in the digital age that we live in. Before deciding on a Lawyer SEO provider, you should understand what SEO is, know what your goals are and figure out your budget.
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What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization is the art of understanding what search engines are looking for, then fixing a site so it gets the best search engine ranking possible. This includes tag editing, content writing, and link building, among many other things.
SEO services are provided by people who know about all the aspects of Search Engine Optimization. SEO is unlike traditional advertising in that placement is not fixed. Just like laws, the algorithms that search engines use to make their calculations are always changing; the SEO’s knowledge and skills have to be constantly evolving as well.
What are your goals?
What do you need from the SEO service, what did you hope to gain by hiring them? For a law firm, that answer is typically going to be to gain more traffic and clients.
You will know if the SEO is working for your site if you have an increase in traffic and clients, it’s that simple. SEO can be quite costly, but to many it is worth it in sheer terms of revenue gained, which ends up making it quite cost-effective in the long run. If you maintain site rankings, the initial investment could still be profiting you years later.
And Your Budget?
SEO is definitely one of those areas where you get what you pay for. Your budget could end up greatly affecting which services you are able to afford. If you want analysis and statistics on your visitors’ behavior, you should expect to pay a lot more than you would had you hired someone to link build, or content write. Some SEO focuses on marketing and some on providing high search rankings, you could end up spending more if your focus is marketing.
The cost your SEO provider quotes you also depends on how competitive your niche is. More competition means more services are needed for optimization. Law is generally a highly competitive field, and many lawyers are optimizing their sites.
Basic services include adding keyword rich content, making the site “crawlable” for search engines and link building. More competitive niches require ongoing services such as measuring visitor behavior and constantly acquiring new links. SEO companies will charge a monthly fee for these services that can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the site and the competition.
When you are ready to decide on a SEO provider, make sure they seem trustworthy and are ranking in the same search engines they claim they will improve your ranking in. Also look for proof of their knowledge in the form of content and testimonials. Once you find someone you like, you can sit back and watch the traffic.
Marketing is an investment
For every business marketing is an investment for better future, for the growth of business. When a lawyer starts practicing privately, he generally has no choice but to accept every client that approaches him. Over the time an effective marketing plan can place a lawyer in a position where he can choose his client, that is, he can be selective while working for a client. However, the concept of marketing has changed a lot for small businesses like law firms.
Internet marketing for cost cutting
From print media to internet, lawyer marketing has advanced one level further. Online attorney marketing is now a cost-effective tactics that you can utilize to promote your law firm as well. Internet provides a strong, widespread yet cheaper platform for promoting any kind of large and small businesses. Private law firms and lawyers practicing privately can instantly reach millions of users who are looking for legal assistance on the web. A website can be the gateway to reach millions of users instantly. However, lawyer marketing via internet also require a well-designed plan that will channelize your time and activities to build relationship with prospective clients and maintain it for a longer term.
SEO for lawyer marketing on internet
While making a plan remember that neither a glossy brochure nor an impressive website can drive your potential client hire you. These are the basic tools for promotion. In the end it’s all about projecting the service you offer, online or offline; it’s about identifying your prospective clients and bring them to your website. This is where a lawyer requires professional SEO (search engine optimization) service.
Law Firm SEO entails targeting the popular keywords/key phrases with which people usually search internet when they look for legal assistance on a particular matter, for instance, ‘personal injury’. If you are a personal injury lawyer you need your website to be on the top in search engine result pages, unless it will reduce the chances of your website getting visited by users. Your keywords should effectively be able to draw traffic which is the ultimate goal. So, when it comes to internet marketing lawyers should invest their time and money carefully for a specific target-oriented marketing campaign to get the highest ROI instead of going for mere show business.
