Many local law firms feel they’ve been flung onto the national stage, now competing with bigger firms across the state and nationwide for their local clients. But you have a secret weapon. Standing out in the local search results allows you to be seen first by people in your region. But earning this visibility isn’t automatic.
You must show your neighbors you’re where they are—on Google Maps. Showcase your connections to the local legal ecosystem and the community. Share how you’ve helped people in your area get top-quality legal service right here in town. Local SEO strategies for legal services are how you get it done.
What Is Local SEO for Lawyers
Local SEO is a set of targeted and efficient strategies that local companies like your law firm use to gain prominent visibility in the search results—primarily Google. They’re the top dog of search engines! People who use search engines often look for specific things like “divorce lawyers near me” or “how to set up a trust”.
And people overwhelmingly prefer to work with someone in their area—especially when those options are presented to them in search results.
Why Local SEO Strategy Matters for Law Firms?
Getting found in the local search results equals being in the right place at the right time. The top positions in the search results collectively earn 70% of the clicks, which can amount to 100s or 1000s a month—depending on how many people need that service in your area. That’s huge for a local law firm trying to build a client base.
Google recognizes that searchers prefer local service providers and gives local companies the advantage over national competitors if they know how to apply local SEO strategies for legal services. Unlike general SEO (search engine optimization), you will stay hyper-focused on your geographic relevance, thus saving the time and money you could waste trying to reach a broader audience.
Even if you have national endeavors, focusing locally first is the efficient way to gain traction and visibility you can convert into a growing client base.
Is SEO Legal?
Yes. It’s legal to build the localized trust and solid community reputation online that drive local search success. There’s a common misconception that SEO somehow manipulates the search results or delivers an unfair marketing advantage. While it’s absolutely true you can gain a significant advantage over your peers with localized SEO, you’re not manipulating anything.
Google strives to show local searchers the most reputable and trustworthy lawyers in their area. You’re demonstrating that you are that law firm. You offer those top-tier services. You help clients meet their legal goals.
But on this topic of legality, it’s crucial to avoid so-called Black Hat SEO strategies. These can border on manipulative and outright deceptive. Google is getting better at catching these tricks. And it will cause permanent damage to your website and your local reputation.
This post will show you the right way to do this.
How to Use Local SEO for Legal Services
1. Focus on Your Website First
Your website is the centerpiece of your local SEO strategy. Most online efforts to increase visibility will lead here. So, you want to greet people with a fast, user-friendly experience that allows them to navigate and find what they’re looking for easily. Ensure your website functions well on all devices with clickable phone numbers to initiate a call immediately.
2. Make Your Website Interactive
From scheduling an appointment to calculating potential alimony payments, your website should have the basic tools people look for online when they need the legal services you offer.
3. Localize Your Web Tools and Content
With this helpful website, you will localize the user experience. So, a child support estimator becomes a child support calculator in [your city]. When you create service pages, blog posts, videos, and webinars, even if the information is relevant more broadly, you’ll localize the content. So, “how to set up power of attorney in [your city]”.
Use this localized language in meta descriptions/titles, headings, image/video titles, and more. But do be careful not to seem spammy. It doesn’t have to be in every heading. One or two on a page make a good case for you being in a certain geographic area.
Use a local keyword research tool to learn what locals are searching for related to your services. Build out your content around state and local laws pertaining to your specialties. For example, “Understanding Property Division Laws in [State.]”
Share case studies and success stories (while following all applicable privacy laws) with permission. And better yet, get clients to create high-quality video testimonials where they share their own stories.
4. Encourage Clicking with CTAs
Strategically place calls to action (CTA) to encourage people to move around the website, discovering the various features, tools, and local content you’re making available to them. Invite them to schedule a consultation in [City] today!
This interactivity both delights visitors and demonstrates to search engines that people appreciate your website. This reflects on your online brand and influences how Google’s algorithm positions you in the search results.
5. Claim and Optimize Google Business Profile
Your Google Business profile is by far the most critical off-website directory for local businesses. It can be found in Google Maps, display reviews, showcase services, provide office hours, and promote community involvement. Claim this profile and fill it out completely and accurately.
Add high-quality local photos and encourage reviewers to do the same. Include professional headshots of your team, including front desk, paralegals, and other staff, to showcase that you value every employee.
While many law firms feel like a faceless brand, you can humanize your brand online. Real residents begin to feel connected to your firm as they recognize more faces both at the firm and out in the community—at the grocery store, the local vet, and community events.
6. Post Regularly
Once you’ve completely filled out your profile, don’t stop there. Regularly update your profile with short, meaningful posts about recent achievements, awards, community involvement, or FAQs.
Did your receptionist recently run in the town’s recent 5K? This may seem irrelevant to your legal services. But as a local SEO strategy, this is something you want people to know. It humanizes and localizes your firm. You can take this a step further by actively encouraging your team to take part in community events so you can build local content around it.
Share these posts on social media to further amplify your reach.
7. Build Citations and Update Directories
Google is a vital place to start. But other directories like Apple Maps, Yelp, Avvo, Nolo, LegalMatch, and Lawyers.com can be of similar importance—particularly as a collective. They give you ample opportunities to communicate your NAP (Name, Address, Phone), solidifying with Google and others that you are indeed a local business.
In addition to impacting how search engines see you, potential clients see you in multiple places. This strengthens your credibility and helps them recall your brand when they are ready to schedule a consultation. Further, use these platforms to highlight your practice areas, expertise, and awards to stand out with potential clients.
8. Build a 5-Star Reputation.
Increasingly, people make local service decisions by reading reviews. And the recency, relevance, star rating, and quantity of reviews matter. So, it’s critical to have a plan to get happy clients to write reviews. This isn’t something everyone does automatically. Unfortunately, one lousy outcome can overshadow your entire review profile when left to chance.
Automate review requests and alerts. Respond to every review, good or bad, professionally. This shows people reading reviews that you care about your clients and reputation. You’re grateful to be able to serve the community’s legal needs. You’re aware of potential concerns. And you actively work to resolve issues.
Showcase these reviews around your website near CTAs to build trust and encourage action. These reviews not only influence people’s decisions when looking for a lawyer; they create more local signals that tell search engines you’re a trusted, local law firm.
9. Target Local Paid Advertising
Localized ads on social media and search engines are critical to your local SEO for legal services. For example, Google Ads appear at the tops of key searches you may not have dominated yet, giving you broader visibility among your local audience. Social media ads can reach people when they’re a little more laid back, enhancing brand awareness and recall.
Geo-targeting allows you only to show ads within certain areas to reduce clicks from people who are unlikely to become your clients while ensuring that your ad budget goes further, as a smaller number of high-value local clients see your ads more often.
Experiment with retargeting to drive people who’ve already shown some interest back to your website to get a second chance to convert them to a new client.
Local SEO Strategies for Law Firms
An all-in-one local marketing platform makes it possible to strategically implement a local SEO strategy for legal services professionals—in less time and with more reliable results. To find out how small business software attracts more high-value clients through SEO, you have to see this for yourself – schedule a demo now!