Optimizing your firm’s site is a big investment. It takes time and knowledge of the most up-to-date law firm SEO practices, but in the end, it pays off.
Unfortunately, most attorneys don’t have time to invest in expert SEO practices. Those who do have time initially quickly learn their efforts make it so they don’t have time. Once their SEO tactics start working, business picks up, and they’re no longer able to invest in SEO. And since keeping your site high-ranking is a nearly full-time job, handling things on your own becomes overwhelming.
Whether you decide to try SEO on your own or you hire an agency to manage your website and online presence, understanding the misinformation that’s out there about SEO is essential.
What are seven of the most common SEO myths that affect law firm websites?
1. SEO is a Fast Process
Those unfamiliar with SEO are often disappointed to learn that results might not come overnight. There are times when you catch lightning in a bottle, but more often than not, it’s going to take time to see your firm’s site climb in the rankings.
Improving SEO is not a get-clients-quick scheme. If an SEO or marketing agency is promising results within days or weeks or even a month, it’s an indication they are overpromising.
SEO is best viewed as a steady process. You’ll need to build over time and you’ll need to maintain what you achieve. It’s a commitment but done correctly, it plays a major role in your firm’s marketing goals. As time passes, you’ll learn more about how to achieve these goals and you’ll be able to apply what you learn.
2. Google is Scary and You’ll Never Figure It Out
This one might be partially true, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.
The truth is SEO changes all the time. It’s fluid and it’s affected by the behavior of search engine users, your competitor law firms, the search engines themselves, and even you.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t “master” SEO. You must need to expect changes and try to stay a step, or at least half a step, ahead of these changes. There are big changes and small daily changes. You’ll never completely understand exactly what is happening, but if you embrace the mystery and do your best to play the SEO game, you’ll find it isn’t something to worry about.
If you keep your focus on finding and informing clients, you’ll achieve some level of success.
3. In-house SEO is Always the Best Solution for a Law Firm
Some firms can handle their SEO in-house. But more often than not this isn’t the best solution. And if you’re pawning SEO tasks off on someone just to avoid exploring the benefits of working with an agency, it’s likely a mistake.
When it comes to SEO, you don’t want to settle.
Too many firms underestimate the amount of time it takes to optimize their site. It takes a lot of planning, strategy, analysis, and research. SEO is also very competitive. Very few attorneys have the time it takes to achieve success. And even if they do, as mentioned early, they quickly lose that time as their SEO efforts become more successful.
No matter what you choose to do, keep SEO in-house or work with an agency, it’s important to understand the value of effective optimization and how much it helps your firm.
4. Links are More Important than Content
First, it’s important to understand that both are important. And that comes to just about everything related to SEO. Even if some tactics were prized above others in the past, nowadays it all contributes to achieving high rankings.
It’s also important to remember that it’s always about quality over quantity – which is definitely something that’s changed over the last two decades of SEO practices. When it comes to link building, fewer better-quality links are more valuable than massive amounts of lower-quality links.
For many, the secret to great links is great content. Focusing your efforts on the latter yields the former. So if you aren’t sure where to begin, invest in creating quality web pages, blog posts, and other content and the top-notch links will happen organically.
5. Keyword Density is More Important than Other SEO Factors
Again, it all works together to create an optimal SEO experience.
When it comes to keywords, they’re important. There’s no denying that. But gone are the days when packing content (especially low-quality content) with keywords isn’t going to help you accomplish anything.
There’s no reason to ever sacrifice the quality of your content to insert keywords or keyphrases. Content should make sense, it should inform, and it should be useful. And once you’ve accomplished that with a piece of content, it should contain keywords that make sense and that attract search engine attention.
6. Content Marketing and Law Firm SEO are the Same Things
Focusing on filling your firm’s site with quality content is important, but it’s not enough. Having an abundance of great content is essential, but it’s not the only driving force for SEO.
In addition to content, effective SEO includes a comprehensive marketing strategy. Your site must be well-designed, mobile-friendly, and have good image optimization, in addition to good content. Content is only one piece of the puzzle and it works in conjunction with all of the other SEO factors.
7. There’s One Formula for Success for All Firms
Finally, it’s important to remember that SEO isn’t one-size-fits-all. What works for one firm or several firms might not be exactly what works for yours. Additionally, what works for a while might not work forever.
The best SEO approach is flexible and open-minded. Viewing SEO success as a challenge that can help you reach your firm’s overall marketing goals.
