Page 14 - Dallas Vol 6 No 1

Three Crucial Tactics to Boost Law Firm SEO
BY TAYLOR MCARTHUR
Thanks to the advent of the search engine and its many local directory sites, it has become increas- ingly easier for businesses to connect with poten- tial customers with the simple click of a mouse. is is especially true for attorneys.
Appearing on page 1 of the search results is crucial for attracting quali ed leads, and if you are not ranking with the right audience, you are undoubtedly losing out on business to your competitors in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). With strategic law rm SEO implementa- tion, you can ensure that does not happen!
In this article, I will discuss three organic and e ective SEO tactics that will, if done correctly, rank you page 1 (in due time) and undoubtedly increase your law rm’s vis- ibility.
Targeting specialized keywords is an imperative strat- egy for reaching page 1 in the local search results. Accord- ing to a study conducted by protofuse, less than 10% of searchers advance to page 2 on any given search! So, how can you ensure you appear on page 1?
TACTIC No. 1: Target Location-Speci c Keywords e “near me” searches work wonders for connecting you with local searchers in your area. Instead of targeting short-tail keywords, such as “criminal lawyer” or “probate attorney,” consider targeting more location-speci c key- words in your page title and permalinks, such as “Dallas
Criminal Lawyer” and “probate attorney Minneapolis.”
If you are unsure as to which keywords to target, you can use SEMrush’s Keyword Research Tool for a vast rendering of insights. It will show you a number of key- word suggestions centered on your search query, includ- ing search volume, competition insights, and CPC (cost per click) paid search values. Use of this so ware and its insights, particularly the keywords that hold high search volumes and low competition, should give you a great
starting point for revising your on-page optimization campaign.
TACTIC No. 2: Use Your Content to Boost SEO Quality, long-form (over 1,000 words) content can en- hance your credibility as an industry expert and build rap- port with your readers, as well as, most importantly, boost your SEO. Well-optimized content that demonstrates your knowledge in your given legal eld translates into higher rankings on Google, according to the Google Webmaster
Guidelines.
In addition to your landing pages “Home” “Practice Ar-
eas > Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney, Los Angeles Slip and Fall Accident Attorney, Etc...” and “About,” blog con- tent and FAQ pages that link BACK to your landing pages are great opportunities for including general search ques- tion keywords into your strategy. is is especially true given Google’s newest update that supports structured data for Q&A pages (again, you can obtain this informa- tion from SEM Rush).
A general search query such as “what is a personal in- jury lawyer?” may not be a high-volume search, but if your content provides a concrete answer to the question, it could possibly give your site an SEO advantage via a fea- tured snippet at the very top of the search results page on page 1. See below:
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · DALLAS· VOL. 6 NO. 1 14