A plague of so-called “churn and burn” SEO agencies take advantage of companies unfamiliar with the SEO industry. Unfortunately, the legal sector is not immune to these deceitful agencies steered by individuals with self-proclaimed expertise. These agencies charge below $1,000/month as an attractive hook to lure lawyers and law firms but will fail to deliver on their promise in offering significant results in lawyer SEO performance. Described below are seven essential qualities to consider before partnering with an agency to improve law firm SEO.
1. Is the agency focused on SEO or website design?
Most people, lawyers, and marketing directors included, are likely unaware that true SEO agencies and website developers are not equivalent. Website developers are not usually experienced in practical nuances (link building, digital marketing) of lawyer SEO. A dependable SEO agency will have the practical knowledge to answer any questions as to how increased visibility, traffic, and rankings of previous clients will be achieved and supported by testimonies and analytics data.
2. Does the agency communicate effectively?
Law firms can pay thousands of dollars to SEO agencies that claim increased law firm SEO performance but lack proper communication. The ambiguous charts and reports delivered are often untranslatable. Consequently, law firm SEO performance isn’t gauged effectively and improved. Credible SEO partners will maintain active communication via frequent meetings with the client to visually walk through the SEO experience by explicitly outlining steps taken to increase their online presence.
3. Is the SEO agency setting up tracking?
Tracking should be the first thing that a trustworthy SEO agency should set-up to help your law firm set practical but realistic goals and serve as a litmus test for lawyer SEO performance. For example, if a law firm receives 100 phone calls a month prior to partnering with an SEO agency and the number of calls per month hasn’t increased in six months, then the law firm SEO strategy needs to be adjusted. Setting up proper tracking will determine if the content on the website is generating traffic and converting traffic into business.
4. Is a content strategy in place?
Content is the main traffic driver for a website. There is a misconception that lawyer SEO magically attracts traffic to a website. But there is a limit to SEO efficiency on a website that has limited content that isn’t updated or added to regularly. A website content schedule for a law firm is paramount to an effective lawyer SEO strategy. A good SEO partner will take the content responsibility or collaborate with the client taking content written by the lawyer and optimizing it for search engines.
5. Is there a strategy for link building?
There are limitations to creating content and keeping technical SEO solid. A hard linkbuilding approach can offer a competitive SEO edge in a field like the legal industry. A good agency will not only build links for your law firm but will also help you earn them through outreach, content publishing, and will identify other linkbuilding strategies.
6. Does the agency educate their clients?
An honest SEO partner will also actively educate their client on SEO activity. But this is a two way street and lawyers and law firms should express a genuine effort to learn about search engine updates. Additionally, lawyers should read news sites to stay up to date on industry developments. A knowledgeable client will also be better equipped to hold the SEO agency accountable.
7. What about conversion?
A quality SEO partner will also focus on the way the site converts traffic and improve the conversion rate by increasing traffic. Several tools from Google and others are available to track conversion activity. These methods should be proven and testable. Partners who specialize in digital marketing for law firms who have already done the research, understand the content and know which conversion tactics work are a good place to start.
And that is all. I hope these tips will help you in your selection of an SEO agency that will bring top notch results. It will take some time to sift through all the companies but it will be worth it.
For more info on SEO and what it can do for your law firm please visit us at Alphabet Marketing.