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E TOP WYER
O, SIRI AND ALEXA ARE
SIRI,FINDvoice search SERPs, you’ll need to be at or near the top spot. But how do you get there?
EHRSONAL JURY
AEAR ME.”
leads.
Google My Business listing can give AIs an easier way to understand whether you’re near- by when a searcher is looking for a law  rm in your practice area.
If you’re not listed at all or you’re not listed properly, AIs might not realize that you per- fectly answer the query, “Divorce lawyer near me,” for example.
BE MOBILE-FRIENDLY
Smart speakers are booming, sure. But smartphones are still far more common, and they’re capable of voice search.  at means your law  rm’s website must be mobile- friendly.  is is good practice for both tra- ditional SEO and optimizing for AI-assisted voice search.
Put simply, mobile friendliness is a ranking factor, and your site will need to be mobile- friendly to rank high enough for Alexa and Siri to notice your content.
KEEPING UP WITH AI-ASSISTED VOICE SEARCH
With the advent of AI-assisted voice search, SEO is changing at a rapid pace, but that doesn’t mean your  rm’s website has to fall behind. Siri and Alexa have made it far easier for Internet users to  nd attorneys when they need them, and you can bene t from that shi  by optimizing your content and website for voice search.
A jazz musician who jumped feet- rst into New York City – if you can make it in the Big Apple, you can make it anywhere – Tom Desmond played all over town and toured the world, but he had a constant craving for business development, so he created several large directories in competitive markets. Tom’s passion for SEO drove them to the top of the SERPs, where they were eventually discovered and bought by a larger company. Looking for a bigger challenge, he co-founded the law  rm SEO com- pany ApricotLaw. Since then, he has been helping law  rms climb the ranks in Google and capture big
AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If your  rm is not already at least ranking on the  rst page for your key terms, getting the leads you need from AI-assisted voice search may be di cult. Improving your rank- ings should be the priority for you or your law  rm SEO provider. Because AIs aren’t likely to notice your content if it’s buried under pages of other relevant results, traditional SEO is still critical to your success.
THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
Beyond that, you can take several steps to adapt to the new world of voice search SEO.  ese include focusing on location and navi- gation and making sure your website content is conversational, clear, concise, and gram- matically correct.
To capture leads from voice searches, your practice area content should include  rm- speci c information. Some users are looking for broader terms, such as whether they’re eli- gible for workers compensation in their state, but concise, localized information is just as important.
 ose in need of legal services are looking for lawyers in their areas, and AI assistants tend to hyperlocalize voice search results. AIs typically use the searcher’s location as part
of the criteria for determining top results. So give them the localized information they need. Potential clients may be seek- ing o ce hours, addresses, or phone num- bers. Make sure this information is clear and prominently displayed so AI assis- tants are more likely to pull that informa-
tion for the voice search users.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAPS
Location is also important, and it will factor heavily into your voice search rank- ings. When someone searches for a lawyer with the phrase “near me,” it’s vital that your site appears on the map. Integrating your  rm with Google Maps and claiming your
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