Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic that a website receives from search engines like Yahoo! or Google. Unlike Search Engine Marketing (SEM)—which involves paid inclusion results—SEO improves the volume and quality of traffic to a website via natural, unpaid methods. The most potent SEO techniques target different types of searches, including but not limited to image search, local search, video search, and legal industry-specific search engines. In other words, effective SEO techniques bolster your legal-centric website's Internet presence.
At Strategic Legal Web, our team is comprised of experts in legal market Search Engine Optimization. In the ever-changing field of Internet search engine technology, it's essential to keep current with recent developments. We constantly evaluate why and how search engines work, and the terms that potential clients are inputting when searching for a legal professional on the Internet. Optimizing a law firm's website is a two-pronged process. The first part involves creating and editing practice-specific content and HTML code to increase the website's relevance to specific keywords. The second entails removal of barriers to the indexing activity of search engines (i.e. robots searching/crawling). These basic steps simplify the process for the major search engines to look at and present your legal website to the World Wide Web.
Search Engine Optimization includes three major guidelines:
- Design and Content
- Clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static link.
- An uncomplicated site map.
- Content! Content! Content! The site should be rich in information that clearly and accurately describes your practice areas and the message your firm desires to convey.
- Technical
- Text browser the website.
- Allow search bots to crawl the website without session ID's or arguments.
- Make sure the server that hosts your legal website supports I-M-S HTTP header.
- Quality
- Write the content in each page with your potential clients first in mind and the search engines second. If this approach is followed, the search engines will come and rank your site positively.
- Avoid tricks to improve search engine ranking. We always ask, "Does it help your potential client? Would we (or you) feel comfortable explaining what we've done to a law firm that competes for the same demographic?"
- Link schemes or unauthorized programs to submit pages are a no-no.
Following these guidelines and implementing the rules that go with them is what we do for all of our clients.
Your Content Plays the Biggest Role in Search Engine Optimization
Informative and well-written content is possibly the most important factor for the successful search engine optimization of your legal website. Your site's content must also be unique to your firm. The message that you write on these pages must not only be impressive to potential clients, it is also critical to improving your ranking in search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.
Search Engine Optimization strives to maximize your rankings by adding keywords without "stuffing" your site with repetitive words and phrases. While content should always be rich in keywords, it also has to provide a useful message that benefits your clients. If a site contains too many keywords, it can be a turnoff to potential clients. In other words, your site's high ranking will be what draws users to your page, but exceptional content and design will be what keeps them there.
We believe that doing our job right every time and for the right reasons will inevitably bring success to your firm.
Give us a call at (800) 508-4489, or contact us online to discuss your website hosting needs.
