How A Lawyer Like You Can Get Found Online Even If SEO Concepts Have You Lost
You know the old teaser that if a tree falls in the forest with no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Well, the same might be asked of your law firm's web page or blog -- if no one can find your site online, does it really exist? That's where the concept of SEO - search engine optimization - comes into play. As explained in Wikipedia, SEO is the "process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to an online site from search engines, via search results."
So what can you do to improve your SEO? Some would argue that you're best off leaving SEO to experts instead of doing it yourself, but I disagree. First, professional SEO services done right can cost a good chunk of change, so often, they're not really an option for small firms or lawyers just starting out who need SEO the most. Second, even those lawyers who have the financial means to purchase SEO services should educate themselves about SEO basics to make an informed decision about an SEO provider. Some SEO companies use unscrupulous tactics that can get your site banned from search engines, while others employ means that aren't particularly effective. If you know a bit about how SEO works, you can avoid the bad apples.
Below, I've provided a couple of tips and resources that will let you start learning about SEO.
1. Good SEO Isn't Rocket Science. First and foremost, achieving good SEO isn't rocket science; it's common sense. Ask yourself a basic question: What kinds of terms are prospective clients likely to use if they're looking for a lawyer in your practice and geographic area? For example, a woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma who wants to find a lawyer to handle her divorce is likely to search terms such as "divorce lawyer" and "Tulsa Oklahoma," or perhaps "Tulsa Oklahoma family lawyer." Once you have a good sense of how a client might look for you, use those search terms regularly at your website or blog to make it easier to be found.
So what can you do to improve your SEO? Some would argue that you're best off leaving SEO to experts instead of doing it yourself, but I disagree. First, professional SEO services done right can cost a good chunk of change, so often, they're not really an option for small firms or lawyers just starting out who need SEO the most. Second, even those lawyers who have the financial means to purchase SEO services should educate themselves about SEO basics to make an informed decision about an SEO provider. Some SEO companies use unscrupulous tactics that can get your site banned from search engines, while others employ means that aren't particularly effective. If you know a bit about how SEO works, you can avoid the bad apples.
Below, I've provided a couple of tips and resources that will let you start learning about SEO.
1. Good SEO Isn't Rocket Science. First and foremost, achieving good SEO isn't rocket science; it's common sense. Ask yourself a basic question: What kinds of terms are prospective clients likely to use if they're looking for a lawyer in your practice and geographic area? For example, a woman in Tulsa, Oklahoma who wants to find a lawyer to handle her divorce is likely to search terms such as "divorce lawyer" and "Tulsa Oklahoma," or perhaps "Tulsa Oklahoma family lawyer." Once you have a good sense of how a client might look for you, use those search terms regularly at your website or blog to make it easier to be found.
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