Ok, so you already know about the importance of having your practice on Google and already have a My Business page. That’s great, you’re on the right track!
Still, there are a few things you don’t exactly understand about local optimization, like why your firm appears very well in SERPs when you’re performing searches from your office, while when you’re doing it from how it’s way lower.
Don’t worry, we’re going to cover that as well since today we’re talking about the way local search rankings and lawyer’s SEO work.
It’s all about proximity
Your phone isn’t the only one telling Google where you are. Your desktop or laptop’s browser do the same thing. That’s why when you’re performing a search, you see on the map the locations which are closer to you.
In this case, proximity is key. It really doesn’t matter what size a business has – in this case, a firm -, since Google can help it rank very well if the My Business profile is set up correctly.
On the other side, it is also possible for your firm to rank very well even for local searches performed in areas that aren’t necessarily in the office’s vicinity. But this depends on quite a few factors.
Reviews value a lot
While Google’s algorithm is probably one of the best-kept secrets, there are a few things included in a lawyer’s SEO strategy which can help you a lot.
As mentioned above, some factors can influence local results. One of them is reviews. Their quantity and quality, that is.
Simply put, a firm with good reviews can rank higher than others with just a few. That’s why it’s highly recommended to let your pride behind and ask for an honest review from some of your best clients, at least, for starters.
Links still matter
When it comes to lawyer’s SEO strategy, links play a very important role, even in 2020. We’re talking about – you guessed it – their number and, most important, quality.
Link building is one of the key components of an SEO strategy so if your firm manages to obtain a few good ones, it can translate to a significant boost in SERPs, no matter where the search for your keywords is made.
How to get them? This is a whole different discussion. But you can at least start with joining free or paid legal directories, leave comments on law-related blogs or even offer to write guest posts on other blogs.
There aren’t any shortcuts
At a first look, nailing local search rankings for your firm seems easy. After all, everything you need to do is optimize your Google My Business page, get some good reviews and obtain some backlinks, preferably from reputed sources, like authority law websites.
Technically speaking, this isn’t a bad strategy, but it takes time and dedication. And there aren’t any shortcuts. Any method of trying to trick Google instead of offering users a top experience will get you penalized. That’s why we’re recommending to take things slowly and start building your brand the right way: by offering quality services and useful information constantly. Do this and positive reviews and, why not, some good links will come!
Or you can just let professionals help you with your SEO strategy.
IB Systems offers complete digital marketing solutions for lawyers, including reputation management, thus helping you achieve reviews. Schedule a call and see how can your firm benefit from our services!