As a smaller law firm, you are well aware of how crucial it is to maintain a client-centered website that encourages site visitors to enlist your legal services when the need arises. However, a website does so much more than speak to potential clients who land on your homepage—it needs to signal to search engine algorithms (primarily Google) that its content is factually correct, relevant, and trustworthy enough for the site to be displayed higher among the search results pages. In other words, by keeping up with the latest search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, your website will continue to be visible to Google’s algorithm and rewarded for its accuracy and relevance by earning a higher ranking position when someone searches for legal information in your area. Setting up a website for your law practice is not a one-and-done endeavor; rather, Google favors websites that are regularly refreshed and updated with the latest content and information for searchers to access.
As you review your current law firm content marketing strategy, particularly when it comes to SEO for lawyers best practices, it’s essential to understand how Google’s algorithm updates play a role in how you approach and adjust your content marketing strategy to remain competitive and visible to potential clients in your community. This post will explore how the most recent Google Search core update (completed in March of 2025) may have affected your ranking position and some strategies you can use to tweak your digital marketing for law firms strategy to accommodate these changes.
What is a Google Algorithm Core Update?
According to Google, “Several times a year, Google makes significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems. We refer to these as core updates, and we give notice when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates.” The purpose of core updates is to “ensure that overall, we’re delivering on our mission to present helpful and reliable results for searchers.” In other words, Google recognizes that it needs to monitor the relevance, accuracy, and trustworthiness of websites to ensure that the highest-ranking results provide searchers with the highest quality information they are looking for. It’s worth noting that the most recent Google Core Update, completed in March 2025, aimed to “better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites” and “to surface more content from creators through a series of improvements throughout this year.” In practice, this means presenting content that addresses the user’s intent while minimizing the prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) generative content or overly optimized content. Simply put, Google is still attempting to prioritize fresh, original content that speaks directly to the searcher’s intent.
Notable Implications of Google’s March 2025 Core Update
Since the most recent Google core update, certain trends have emerged that are worth mentioning. Most notably, it appears that websites that feature a considerable amount of programmatically generated content are ranking lower among the search results pages. This means that Google’s algorithm is striving to reward websites that are designed with the user in mind and ignoring (or even penalizing) websites that are still engaging in outdated SEO practices, such as keyword stuffing or using too many pages in order to appeal to the search engine algorithms instead of site visitors. Another interesting observation is that the search results include a wider range of content, such as message board sites (particularly Reddit forums), as the popularity of these sites remains high among searchers. While Google’s algorithm still prioritizes factual information, it also recognizes that many people rely on crowdsourcing information via online forums—even if the accuracy and trustworthiness of these sites is not as high or reliable as other websites.
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What Google’s Algorithm Update Means For Your Law Firm Digital Marketing Strategy
If your law firm has noticed a drop in rankings, it’s important to remember that this does not necessarily mean that your site has been disregarded or devalued. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that your approach to SEO for attorneys and overall digital marketing strategy continues to align with Google’s algorithm updates. The most impactful step you can take is to continue creating unique, relevant content that speaks directly to your client’s concerns. Maintaining a regular blog and sharing social media updates that address common client issues and questions about the legal topics your firm handles are great ways to both engage with potential clients and signal to Google’s algorithm that your firm is committed to writing factually accurate and trustworthy content that engages authentically with searchers. Another strategy you can implement is to review your website and digital content marketing materials to highlight your firm’s experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. In other words, show the algorithm that your website is a credible and reliable source of trustworthy information—and, therefore, worth displaying near the top of the search results pages.
Take Your Law Firm Content Marketing Strategy to The Next Level
In addition to using the strategies explained above to boost your web presence and visibility in the wake of Google’s latest algorithm update, there are other steps you can take to reach a larger audience of potential clients. Creating engaging attorney bios on your website can go a long way in cultivating client trust and inspiring a potential client to choose your law firm over one of your competitors. Additionally, integrating positive client testimonials and reviews into your current website and social media posts allows your satisfied clients to attest to the high-quality services your firm provides. And if your law firm is feeling particularly adventurous, you can explore the power of expanding your video content to be more visible to Google’s algorithm (which aims to bolster diverse content types, including video content). If you’re ready to learn more about the steps your law firm can take to make more of an impact in your community and engage with more clients, reach out to LegalRev today to get started.
At LegalRev, we are committed to working with small law firms to create a digital marketing strategy that gets results. Give us a call today at (800) 893-2590 to get started with a dedicated and experienced content marketing for law firms specialist who can help you grow your law practice and attract more of the clients you’re hoping to serve.
