A Deep Dive into Technical SEO for Law Firms
A basic understanding of SEO is necessary for any type of business to thrive; the same goes for law firms. While many firms are already familiar with SEO for law firms and its benefits, not all understand its deeper mechanics.
If you are looking to discover the secrets that help drive a steady stream of prospects through SEO for law firms – this is for you. We will go beyond the basics and reveal advanced strategies for successful SEO campaigns. We will answer questions like:
- How often do Google algorithm updates happen, and what should law firms know about this?
- Are there any seasonal trends in SEO performance for law firms that clients should be aware of?
- How do you manage a drop in rankings after a Google algorithm update, and how does an agency like Consultwebs take a proactive approach?
- Are there any recent core updates law firms should be aware of, and should law firms panic if they see a drop in their rankings because of updates?
- How can law firms mix and match content with ChatGPT or AI tools while providing quality above all?
- How long does it generally take to start seeing measurable results in SEO, traffic, and lead generation?
But before we dive right into it, let us first quickly introduce Roman Adamita.
Now, let’s go ahead and dive deep into law firm SEO.
Let’s start with Google Algorithm.
Technical SEO for Law Firms: Questions and Answers
We asked Roman the most intriguing questions many law firms inquire about.
So, let’s begin with the basis of all SEO — Google’s core algorithm update.
Google’s updates seem to be a never-ending cycle – that is because they are constantly updating.
Let’s understand why, how, and when the Google algorithm update happens and the reasons why it’s important for law firms.
Question 1. How often do Google algorithm updates happen, and what should law firms know about this?
Answer:
“In my opinion, Google algorithm updates are like the apps we have on our phones. Every app has an update occasionally because it needs to fix bugs and have a user-friendly interface, a better user experience, better speed, etc.
That’s why Google also does algorithm updates – to improve the quality of results on their search engine. To ensure that your website will be safe, you need to make decisions for longer terms.
Doing an optimization on the page or having a backlink because the top competitor did the same is not always necessarily correct, as that optimization may be against Google’s guidelines. So, it’s always important to know what to do before taking actions that may cause worse results in the future.
The competition in SEO is like a highway with a never-ending journey. You go further when you are focused on the way and the traffic. Everyone is going the same way at the end of the day.” – Roman Adamita
Ever wonder how SEO is similar to Formula 1? Here’s an analogy that will help you paint the picture:
Question 2. Are there any seasonal trends in SEO performance for law firms that clients should be aware of?
Answer:
“[For law firms] This will depend on each practice area and website.
For example, for personal injury, law firms need clients who need assistance for some injury. Still, on the people’s side, injuries don’t happen every single day or at least in the location where the law firm is based and might not necessarily need a lawyer. In a nutshell, you can’t foresee when an injury will happen.
But, when people do need assistance because of an injury, they might search for that, e.g., “What should I do if I was involved in a car crash”. It’s important to be in the top search results when a long-tail query like this is searched by your potential clients.
On the firm’s side, the way they can check for seasonalities in searches is through platforms like Google Trends with the Glimpse extension integration or by simply using their Google Analytics or Search Console data to see if there’s a spike in the past year and oversee what is coming.” – Roman Adamita
Now that we’re diving deeper into the art of managing SEO let’s talk about the common misconceptions…
Some may think that SEO is a set-and-done deal, but the truth is that SEO is all about:
✅ Constant Optimizations
✅ Be Always Different
✅ Being Authoritative
✅ Adjustments
While we often talk about the benefits, it’s important we discuss what happens when a law firm stops investing in SEO or if these optimizations are mismanaged.
- Unoriginal or fully AI-written content gets flagged.
- Website’s rankings may decline as other competitors may do things better.
- Your competitors will get more business than you do.
That’s why working with the right SEO marketing agency for law firms is a necessity, which brings us to our next question…
Question 3. How do you manage a drop in rankings after a Google algorithm update, and how does an agency like Consultwebs take a proactive approach?
“To begin with, the law firm shouldn’t panic; your agency should know how to take action. At Consultwebs, we take a proactive approach as a legal marketing agency.
For example, we check the pages because when, e.g., a core update is rolled out, it doesn’t usually affect the entire website. No algorithm update will affect every single one of your pages; it usually affects certain pages that don’t match with guidelines or other resources that did better than your pages.
It all boils down to the quality of the content. Usually, the first pages your legal marketing team should take care of are the poor-quality pages and analyze items like the internal/external links, images, originality of the content, call-to-actions, etc. This is also why constantly updating your firm’s pages and content is important.
As an agency, when a firm sees a drop in rankings, we’ll compare and contrast and see which pages were impacted with metrics like clicks, CTR (click-through rates), and their ranking. At this point, Google Search Console + Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Semrush, or Ahrefs is coming very helpful.” – Roman Adamita
To learn more about interpreting marketing metrics – click here.
And if you want to learn more specific details about the law firm SEO services at Consultwebs, check out this video:
Question 4. Are there any recent core updates law firms should be aware of, and should law firms panic if they see a drop in their rankings because of updates?
Answer:
“Yes, there was a recent core update in August and September 2023.
Basically, core updates aim to refine Google’s search algorithms to provide more helpful and reliable search results.
Therefore, law firms should not panic when their rankings drop a little after the update.
Google stresses that pages impacted by core updates aren’t necessarily flawed. As always, Google advises site owners to focus on quality content as a response to fluctuations in search rankings.” – Roman Adamita
“Core updates are Google’s way of investigating which websites create better content compared to the millions of other pages that cover the same topic.” – Roman Adamita
Another noteworthy insight from Roman regarding core updates and enhancing user experience is that the web pages that will typically rank lower are…
“The websites that are putting too many ads on the page, pages with slow speed, and pages with content that aren’t focused on quality and are AI-generated will usually have a negative impact on their SEO rankings.
On the flip side, the websites that continue to rank well are those focusing on quality content. Regarding quality content, there are many factors to keep in mind.
For example: adding internal links, providing a good user experience, good user interface, quality content, technically in a good condition, etc.” – Roman Adamita
Now that we’ve tackled the importance of quality content let’s understand the Google guidelines about content creation.
Question 5. How can law firms mix and match content with ChatGPT or AI tools while providing quality above all?
“With the rise of different AI tools like ChatGPT, many businesses are tempted to create AI-generated content because, let’s be honest, it’s easier and it’s cost-effective that way.
However, having fully AI-made content is not sustainable for long-term growth, as search engines like Google are starting to flag AI content whose primary purpose is manipulating ranking in search results.
Learn how law firms can become AI-savvy while still following the legal guidelines here 👇
Master the Legal AI Revolution With The Top 20 Resources for the AI-Savvy Attorney
And now we better understand the hows, whats, and whys, we’ve finally come to the last question…
Question 6. How long does it generally take to start seeing measurable results in SEO, traffic, and lead generation?
“At Consultwebs, we focus on ethical growth. That means we don’t take cheap shortcuts that give firms false promises and false results.
When investing in SEO, patience is key. It takes time, in general around 12 months, sometimes more, sometimes less.
For example, if you’re optimizing the content on 10 pages that already are ranking, the impact can be visible within a month. But if you’re making a significant change on the website, the results may take longer.
At the core, firms need to take action by:
- having their content managed,
- solving technical issues that may naturally arise,
- optimizing page speed,
- headlines,
- and so many moving pieces.
My best advice for law firms is to learn from others’ mistakes. We can always learn from others and make things better. I’m a stan of SearchPilot’s experiments, which can be a beneficial resource for those who want to know the impact on the performance before taking a major action.” – Roman Adamita
How Consultwebs Works
In a nutshell, having the right SEO law firm marketing agency partnered with your firm is your best option to achieve your SEO and business goals.
We’re saying this because we experience it first-hand.
Law firms that are investing in Consultwebs, whether a firm’s market spend is small, medium, or large, all of them see an increase in their ROI.
