Whenever you type a query in the Google search bar and press “Enter”, you land on a particular page listing all the relevant results. This is the search engine results page SERP. Websites on this page or pages are ranked by an algorithm that evaluates content based on a number of factors, including effective SEO. The better and more relevant Google’s algorithm thinks a website is to a user’s query, the better it ranks in response to particular keywords and searches.
For businesses, especially law firms, ranking higher on SERPs is important for many reasons. Given the extensive competition in the marketplace, a higher ranking builds credibility for your firm. At the same time, most visitors never bother to look at the second page of the search results, which means that the only plausible chance of getting online clients is by ranking high on the first page. Also, since most people start their search for a law firm with online discovery, a higher SERP ranking means greater web traffic and a better chance of finding customers regularly.
Having established the importance of ranking higher on SERPs, the next question to ask is how to achieve this milestone. Here are a few tips and tricks to get the job done:
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1. Seek professional help to develop a game plan
In case you are new to the concept of SEO and SERP rankings, it is best to enlist professional help to facilitate your firm in drawing up the basic framework. You can opt for either counseling or hiring a reliable external expert like Lawyerra.com to manage pay-per-click advertising or other aspects of digital marketing and SEO effectively. There are many benefits of starting off by going to an expert, especially when you don’t have extensive knowledge of the field previously.
SEO and SERP ranking may seem like simple tasks, but they are quite comprehensive and complex. Most of it has to do with the fact that Google’s algorithm for ranking results is constantly upgraded to make it more efficient and error-free. This means that only someone with extensive knowledge about the subject and an in-depth understanding of the algorithms will be able to advise your law firm about the steps that will yield the best results. Without professional help, trying to rank higher on SERPs is like firing arrows in the dark; you’re never sure what you’ll hit.
2. Use targeted law keywords
The path to ranking better on SERPs is systematic. The most important part of the process is to identify high-traffic keywords that are specific not just to your field of business, but also to particular fields of the law that your firm specializes in. These keywords will serve as the anchor for your entire campaign because, at the end of the day, Google relies on keywords to match user queries with relevant results. Google Keyword Planner is a comprehensive tool to facilitate your keyword research as it offers a variety of other metrics like search volume and changes over time to help you make the best possible choice.
If you are based in a particular area and specialize in certain types of cases, it is best to incorporate these factors into your keyword search. For instance, going with a California motorcycle accident lawyer is a brilliant choice as it encompasses all the words that a person would include in their Google search if they wanted to find such a lawyer in their area. And while these keywords can be incorporated into the SEO campaign for particular landing pages, you can optimize blogs on a host of legal problems for which people are often looking for solutions online.
3. Perfect on-page SEO for your website
Effective on-page SEO includes several things like optimizing images on the website to load faster, ensuring your primary keywords are included in the title tags and are placed preferably in the beginning, your content includes internal links, making sure your firm’s URLs are optimized for relevant SEOs and your keyword placement is top notch.
There is a difference between on-page and off-page SEO. The former involves optimization of the firm’s website pages themselves. This means you are essentially working on the content on your website. On the other hand, off-page SEO also exists where you leverage the standing of external sources like high-credibility blogs and social media pages. Together, these two form a powerful force that can propel your website toward the top of SERPs.
4. Enhancing the shareability of your content
Social media sharing and networking can greatly improve the ranks of your online content and links. You may enhance internet exposure and generate buzz for your legal business by sharing your content on social media platforms. Facebook is one of the best for sharing material for law businesses because it has dedicated communities and groups that discuss almost every issue about daily life, including legal ones.
5. Long-form content like blog posts help a lot
Blog posts have long been and will remain relevant for SEO and Improving SERP rankings. Through blogs, companies are able to tell stories that connect with audiences and also answer pertinent queries visitors might have. The benefit of blogs is that when customers visit your website and find the answer they are looking for, they become inclined to explore your services further. This interest eventually leads them to try your law firm.
Conclusion
Ranking higher on SERPs is not difficult, but in light of the competition that exists on the internet today, it can require painstaking and elaborate efforts. This includes starting by consulting a competent expert to perform an SEO audit of your law firm’s website and then advising accordingly on which aspects need to be evaluated and improved. Next, you need to identify keywords relevant to your business and the services you offer, followed by incorporating these keywords into your on-page SEO strategy. At the same time, through social media sharing and writing long-form blog posts, you can drive your website higher on the SERPs.
I’m a writer, artist, and designer working in the gaming and tech industries. I have held staff and freelance positions at large publications including Digital Trends, Lifehacker, Popular Science Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN, The Xplore Tech, and others, primarily covering gaming criticism, A/V and mobile tech reviews, and data security advocacy.