Best Law Firm Websites: Outrank the Competition with Compelling Content and SEO

Part 3 — A Guide to Peak Performance

The art of creating compelling, user-friendly content goes hand-in-hand with integrating SEO principles into the very foundation of your website.

Exceptional law firm websites provide clear and compelling content for their visitors. Assuming your search engine optimization (SEO) is set up properly on your website, the brand experience will entice clients to stay, and the user experience will keep them engaged… but the content is what will answer their questions, which is the reason they are visiting your website in the first place.

The teams behind these websites also understand the importance of incorporating search engine optimization (SEO) from the very beginning of website design and development. Search engines not only lead future clients to your website: They also curate best practices for user experience to ensure websites are easy to access, read and understand for all different types of users.

Lynn Foley, CEO, fSquared Marketing

Serve Compelling Content

Are you ready for a thought experiment? Imagine your firm’s website as a restaurant. 

The brand experience comes from the décor, the background music, how the food is plated, what the servers are wearing… all the sensory elements of the establishment. The UX (user experience) comes from how the restaurant is laid out… whether customers need to pay at the front, how easy it is to order takeout, the way the specials are presented, and how the menu is displayed. The list goes on.

This brings us to the content, or what’s on the menu: The appetizers, main courses, desserts and refreshments. This is the reason people come to a restaurant—or website—in the first place. You’ll need to consider whether you have a good selection of high-quality offerings. Do you offer a range of content from bite-sized takeaways to full-course dinners? Do you answer visitors’ questions? Do you give them a reason to return? 

The menu below gives some suggestions of content for different audiences. 

Serving it Right: Content for All Your Audiences 

This is just a small sampling of the different audiences your firm’s website may have, and the types of content you can offer. Learn more about content marketing strategies for law firms.

Invest in Video

One last note on content: We advise all our clients to invest in video. It’s popular, it’s impactful, and it’s a key component of many exceptional law firm websites. Since only 24% of law firms are using video as part of their brand experience, those already using video immediately stand out from competitors.

Here are 5 reasons to use video on your firm’s website.

Takeaway: Your website needs to offer compelling content to visitors at every stage of their purchasing journey, whether they are new visitors or existing clients. Working with us to do it right means your content can act as a magnet for warm leads, guide visitors to connect with your firm, and help reduce friction in the onboarding process. We can also help keep existing clients and contacts engaged with your brand.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Foundation

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of using techniques and processes to improve how well a website performs in search engines like Google for relevant search terms. The goal is to improve the quantity and quality of visitor traffic to a website.

62% of legal searches are non-branded (in other words, generic: “Phoenix divorce attorney”, “top litigation firm” etc.). This means that the majority of legal searches are up for grabs by any law firm. 

SEO is a beast of a topic, and Google uses more than 200 factors in its search algorithm. Here we’ll just focus on the fundamentals. SEO is a long-term strategy, and success requires focused and sustained efforts. A great website can give you a solid foundation for building your SEO strategy.

Key SEO Features for Top-tier Websites: 

• Fast load speeds: Slow websites are penalized. Slow load speeds also change how visitors engage with your site (e.g., by leaving earlier, viewing fewer pages) and this can impact your ranking as well. 
  
• High quality, user-focused, fresh content: This is what gives people a reason to visit your website and a reason to return. In-depth, user-friendly content can increase your website’s SEO performance for high-priority search terms (keywords). Learn more about how content and SEO go hand-in-hand.
  
• Maintaining your link profile: The links your website earns from other reputable websites (backlinks) are a vital ranking factor. The best websites don’t go live until they have a plan for preserving links from the old website.
  
• Well-organized site structure: A well-designed site is easier for visitors to navigate. It is also easier for search engines to crawl and include in search results. 
  
• HTTPS encryption: Since 2014, Google has used HTTPS as a ranking signal. Websites that are secure are rewarded with higher rankings, as part of Google’s ongoing efforts to make the internet safer. 
  
• Mobile-friendly design: Since 2018, Google has predominately used the mobile version of web pages for indexing and ranking. The best websites offer a superb mobile experience. 
  
• On-page SEO: These are elements of web pages, including page titles, internal linking, header tags, alt text, and meta descriptions. Although on-page SEO elements are less important in determining ranking than they once were, they still matter. The best websites go live with these elements in place on all key pages. 
  

Takeaway: Great law firm websites take SEO seriously, establishing a solid foundation for success from the time a site launches. At fSquared Marketing, we understand the complexities and nuances of the constantly evolving world of SEO and put our expertise to work for our clients.

Learn More from Our First-Class Website Experts

We’ve covered providing the best possible experience for your clients, future clients and advocates, while incorporating practices and features that increase traffic to first-class websites. 

The next blog post in this series will share what our experts have to say about providing exceptional experiences for your marketing team:

1. Attract Clients through Flawless Brand Design

2. Engage Current and Future Clients with a Friction-Free Experience 

4. Streamline Your Law Firm’s Website Management Experience

Streamline Your Team’s Website Management Experience

Are you ready to take your website to elite status? Get in touch with our team today.

Lynn
Fitzpatrick Foley

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