So your estate planning law firm wants to make the most of your SEO opportunities? That’s the sound of music to a legal marketer’s ears! Before you launch into a search engine optimization program, remember that your success requires what we call “boots on the ground”—local knowledge. Here are a few pointers to help you as you learn how to maximize your firm’s SEO.
First, let’s talk geo: geography. Do you know how far clients are willing to drive to your office? In some areas, where people are accustomed to travelling a good 40 minutes to get anywhere, they may be more willing to travel further. In other places, if you aren’t within a 20 minute drive, they’re looking for another estate planning practice. Know where your clients are coming from, and include that information in your website content. Also, when they search, are they looking for you by your city, by your village or by your county?
What are the concerns of clients in your target market? This is something that you know if you have been practicing in the same community for many years. Are most of your clients concerned about Medicaid eligibility? Or are they focused on transferring wealth across generations and minimizing tax liability? Or are they just interested in having wills and Power of Attorneys created to ensure that the value of their biggest asset—the family home—will be protected? Your website should reflect the concerns of your market. It’s good for your web traffic, which is good for your SEO.
Do you have links to organizations in your area that share your focus on seniors and estate planning? Inbound and outbound links may not be as critical as they once were in SEO, but if you are involved with a senior center and they are willing to include an article from you every now and then, make sure to include a link to your website in your biography. High quality links that bolster your user’s experience still have value.
When was the last time you refreshed your content? Google wants to see that you really are what you say you are, and that takes relevant content. For an estate planning law practice, your website should be chock full of great IMS content. But wait, there’s more: how often are you posting to your blog, and what content are you including there? If your website is all about estate planning and Elder Law, but your blog is only about community events that are not tied to estate planning or seniors, Google’s bots are going to read a disconnect and your quality scores will suffer. Incorporate content from the IMS blogs that arrive weekly in your email—problem solved!
To conquer Google and boost your rankings, check out "Ramp Up Your Rankings in 20 Days with These Local SEO Fixes [Infographic]" for more tips on optimization! If you have questions about improving your local SEO, submit a support ticket to your Account Manager.