What Lawyers Should Know About Hiring a Law Firm SEO Expert

Did you know that 96% of people seeking legal advice use a search engine? 

In today’s digital age, a solid online presence is crucial for law firms to attract clients. By working with a law firm SEO expert, you can improve your firm’s online visibility, driving more traffic to your website and increasing your client base.

This article will explore why a legal SEO expert is important, how they enhance your digital presence, how their expertise can lead to new leads and clients, and how to hire the best law firm SEO company. 

Note: To supplement your SEO strategy and further boost your law firm’s online presence before hiring a law firm SEO expert, consider using Google’s Local Services Ads for Clio, which attracts highly qualified leads by ensuring your practice appears when clients in your area search for the legal services you offer. Additionally, if you don’t have an online presence yet, the Clio law firm website builder provides a simple and effective way to get started.

Understanding law firm SEO services

Understanding SEO services for lawyers is pivotal in ensuring that your firm doesn’t just participate in the online sphere but thrives in it. 

Learn more about SEO for lawyers in our post: SEO for Lawyers: The Basics (With Tips and Examples).

The role of SEO consultants for law firms

Imagine having a dedicated SEO consultant for law firms, with a deep understanding of the legal industry and a passion for propelling your firm’s name to the top of search engine results for relevant legal services. 

That’s precisely what a law firm SEO company does—enhance your online visibility so that your name surfaces when and where potential clients search for your legal services. 

They do so by performing technical, on-page, content, and off-page SEO tasks tailored to the legal industry. These efforts amplify your digital footprint and align it with users’ intent, connecting you with clients who need your expertise.

Key SEO strategies for law firms

Here are three core strategies that the best SEO services for attorneys often leverage to amplify a law firm’s online presence:

1. Website audit and optimization: Your website is the cornerstone of your online presence. A thorough audit by an SEO expert can identify growth opportunities and fix issues affecting search engine performance, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and navigation.
2. Content creation and optimization: SEO experts can produce content that showcases your firm’s expertise by crafting web pages, blog posts, and articles that answer potential clients’ questions, targeting relevant keywords to attract those seeking legal assistance.
3. Link-building strategies: SEO experts can help you gain high-quality backlinks from reputable sites, enhance your website’s authority and trustworthiness, and improve your search engine rankings.

These SEO strategies are just a glimpse of the services an attorney SEO expert can provide. Each is crucial, but their collective implementation transforms your online presence and attracts the right clients.

Steps to hiring a law firm SEO expert

Choosing the right legal SEO consultant for your law firm is like selecting a legal partner to advocate for your online success. The right choice improves your online presence, increases traffic, and attracts potential clients. 

In the following sections, we’ll guide you through defining your SEO needs, researching law firm SEO agencies, and understanding transparent pricing and reporting.

1. Defining your SEO needs and goals

To develop a successful successful SEO strategy, it’s critical to identify what you want to achieve and why. Start by assessing your current online presence: How does your website rank? Is your content resonating with your audience? 

Once you understand your digital standing, set clear SEO objectives. Are you aiming for top organic rankings for specific legal services or increasing organic traffic? Your needs might range from mastering local SEO to leveraging content marketing for lead generation. Clear goals provide direction and help you measure your SEO success.

2. Researching and evaluating legal SEO experts

Finding the best law firm SEO services for attorneys requires diligence. At a minimum, you’ll want to look for an SEO company that offers the following: 

• The legal industry experience to understand your challenges and goals. References or referrals from trusted colleagues. You can also review Clio’s directory of Clio Certified Consultants for options. A proven track record, which you can find by exploring their portfolio, case studies, and client testimonials. 
• Past SEO efforts that align with your firm’s objectives.

Additionally, communication is critical. Choose an expert who can explain complex concepts clearly and keep you informed. Avoid those promising guaranteed results or focusing only on vanity metrics like clicks. 

Instead, seek an SEO company that prioritizes metrics that impact your business, such as conversion rates, lead quality, client acquisition, return on investment (ROI), revenue, and keyword rankings for high-converting keyword phrases.

Remember: Lack of transparency or references is a red flag.

3. Transparent pricing and reporting

Clarity in costs and results is crucial in your SEO partnership. Choose an expert with transparent pricing models and service packages to avoid surprises. It’s important for law firms to consider their budget and the expected return on investment when choosing an SEO service, and that the SEO provider’s capabilities align with your firm’s growth objectives and market position.

Ensure they provide transparent reporting so that your team can track progress, understand the impact of SEO efforts, and calculate ROI. 

Transparent reporting highlights what’s working and what needs improvement, so insist on it as part of your SEO package.

Learn more about the cost of SEO services here: A Guide to SEO Services for Law Firms

Ensuring effective communication and collaboration with law firm SEO consultants

To benefit from an SEO consultant for law firms’ skills, it’s crucial to establish effective communication and transparent collaboration. 

This ensures that you are always aware of the strategies being implemented and the progress being made, giving you peace of mind and confidence in the process. 

Here’s how to set up clear communication channels to strengthen this partnership and enhance your digital presence.

Defining preferred communication methods

Decide on your preferred communication method and agree on a communication strategy that works for both parties. It may include:

• Email for formal updates and detailed discussions.
• Phone calls for urgent matters.
• Instant messaging for quick, on-the-go queries.
• Video conferences for in-depth strategy sessions.

Align these communication methods early to ensure smooth exchanges without any hitches or misunderstandings.

Scheduling regular updates and meetings

Initiating regular updates and meetings is fundamental. It can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, but consistency is crucial:

• Weekly touchpoints: Quick catch-ups to ensure everything is on track.
• Monthly reviews: A more detailed analysis of progress and performance.

Put these meetings in your calendar and plan for a structure. For example, the following meeting structure can help you plan out your regular SEO meetings:

Meeting Type	Frequency	Main Focus
Quick Catch-up	Weekly	Tasks progress, immediate concerns
In-depth Review	Monthly	SEO performance, strategy updates

Implementing transparent reporting practices

Insist on a reporting procedure that provides insights into the strategies and outcomes. A good reporting practice should involve:

• Clear metrics that align with your SEO goals.
• Explanations for fluctuations in rankings.
• Updates on the evolution of SEO tactics as search engines update their algorithms.

Remember, the effectiveness of your SEO efforts should never be a mystery. Transparent reports are crucial for understanding your SEO efforts. 

These reports guide you and your lawyer SEO expert through the complexities of search engine optimization. With transparent reporting, working with your SEO expert becomes practical and empowering.

Evaluating the success of law firm search engine optimization

Just as you take stock of a case’s progress, evaluating your law firm’s SEO success is crucial. How do you know if the law firm SEO strategies you’re implementing are growing your digital footprint and attracting quality leads? 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) provide the actionable data you need.

Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs)

A law firm SEO company equips you with valuable data on KPIs to gauge your success:

• Improved website traffic: How many more visitors are you getting?
• Keyword click volume increases: Are more people clicking on target keywords relevant to your practice?
• Website conversion growth: Have organic searches led to more client inquiries?
• Referrals from off-site SEO efforts: Is your legal content being shared and cited elsewhere online?
• Enhanced local SEO presence: Are you more visible in your local search results? (More on this later)

Quantifying these metrics provides clear evidence of whether your investment is paying off. Here’s how you can track them:

KPI	Tool for Tracking
Website Traffic	Google Analytics
Conversions	Google Analytics/CRM
Keyword Rankings	SEMrush, Ahrefs
Click-Through Rates (CTRs)	Google Search Console
Local SEO performance	Google My Business (GMB) insights
Referral traffic	Google Analytics

These data points are your compass to SEO success, informing whether your strategies need tweaks or a complete course correction.

Tracking organic search rankings

Your law firm’s search engine ranking is crucial for visibility. Regularly monitor your target keyword rankings with specialized SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz to ensure you’re on the first page for relevant searches and aiming for top positions.

Analyzing website traffic, conversions, and return on investment (ROI)

Understanding the flow of traffic and assessing the quality of your visitors is vital. Delve into:

• The source of your traffic: Are visitors coming from organic searches or referrals? (In Clio Grow, all channels display the sources of your leads and how to assign value to each of your marketing channels.)
• Visitor behavior: What are they doing on your site? How long are they staying?
• Conversion rate: Of the visitors to your firm’s site, how many take a desired action—like filling out a contact form, subscribing to a newsletter, or downloading a white paper? (Clio Grow further reports the percentage of clients converted from leads to hired clients for each lead source and matter type.)

Consider that this data will refine your user experience and SEO strategies, boost your ROI through new client acquisition, and establish your firm as a thought leader in the legal field. You can also track additional metrics, such as pipeline health, performance, and revenue potential, on Clio Grow’s dashboard.

Final thoughts on hiring a law firm SEO expert

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or part of a larger firm, collaborating with a SEO consultant for law firms is a valuable investment with significant ROI potential. It can boost your online presence, drive organic traffic, and attract prospective clients.

From optimizing your Google Business Profile and social media channels to analyzing data and focusing on relevant keyword optimization and content strategy, every action taken by your chosen SEO expert is a step towards securing new leads. 

Don’t let competitors overshadow your firm. Take the proactive step today—start your search for the best SEO services for attorneys to find an SEO consultant who understands the unique needs of the legal industry and your firm. Boost your law firm’s visibility and expand your reach to those valuable leads seeking your legal services.

To convert these leads into clients, leverage Clio Grow’s fast and reliable system for engaging and onboarding new leads and clients. Schedule a free Clio Grow demo today to see its powerful lead source tracking abilities in action and transform your leads into clients!

We published this blog post in May 2024. Last updated: July 11, 2024.

Categorized in: Marketing