As a small- to mid-sized law firm, you likely are familiar with the importance of implementing an impactful digital marketing strategy to ensure that potential clients can come across your website or social media posts and seek out your services. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical aspect of a content marketing for law firms strategy, as these efforts aim to make your firm’s website more visible to search engine algorithms so that your information appears higher among the search results pages whenever someone in your area looks online for legal services or information about a legal topic. Until fairly recently, SEO for lawyers has focused on integrating organic search terms and keywords into your law firm’s website so that the search engines can match common user queries with the terms on your website (and then present your website to the searchers). However, with the increasing popularity and availability of voice search technologies (i.e., Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.), voice search optimization has become all the more critical to keeping your digital marketing strategy relevant and effective. Let’s take a closer look at how your law firm can integrate voice search optimization strategies into your existing law firm content marketing strategy so that you can reach and engage with more of the clients you are hoping to serve.
How Voice Search Optimization Works
First, it’s important to take the time to understand how voice searches differ from more traditional web searches. When someone looks for information about a legal topic online, they usually type in search terms like, “Do I need an estate plan?” or “How to file a personal injury claim.” The search engine algorithm takes these terms, as well as the searcher’s location, and identifies websites that best align with these parameters and are also considered trustworthy by the algorithm. Your law firm can build trustworthiness by making sure that your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate and that you have at least a few reviews from former clients who can attest to the quality of your legal services. However, with voice searches, someone can gather information by saying, “Hey, Google, what should I do after a car accident?”
Generally speaking, there are subtle differences between the way a person searches for information through written search terms and how they request information using voice search features. Since approximately 20 percent of Google searches are now by voice, it’s crucial that businesses (including law firms) adjust their content marketing strategies to account for these changes. In many cases, voice search SEO for lawyers involves integrating more informal terms and phrases into your existing content and adding more questions that can anticipate common voice search terms and match more often with the content of voice searches.
Integrating Voice Search Optimization Into Your Marketing Strategy for Law Firms
Now that you have a better understanding of how voice searches work (and how they differ slightly from written searches), let’s explore some steps that your law firm can take to tweak your existing content marketing for attorneys strategy accordingly.
Include More Conversational Keywords
You can begin by reviewing your current website design for law firms strategy to identify places where you can sprinkle in more informal and conversational keywords. For example, you can change “estate planning lawyer in California” to sound more conversational and natural (i.e., “What should my estate plan include?”) Rephrasing your existing written content to include more questions is a solid way to resonate with voice search users, as they are more likely to ask questions and use more conversational tones when looking for this information.
Brush Up on Local SEO Best Practices
Search engine algorithms like Google are increasingly valuing location when evaluating the relevancy of search results. For instance, the algorithm wants to provide searchers with sources and services that are close to where they are. Make sure that your Business Profile on Google is up-to-date, and mention your firm’s location frequently (but naturally) whenever possible on your website. This way, the algorithm can easily determine your physical location and display your information to those looking for legal information or representation in your community.
Find out where you stand with a local keyword report.
Check the Responsiveness of Your Current Website
The majority of voice searches are conducted using mobile devices, so it’s essential that your law firm has a responsive website that loads quickly (ideally, in under three seconds). It’s important to check out how fast your website loads from a variety of devices (desktop computers, smart phones, tablets, etc.) so that you can address any issues that can negatively affect the loading time of your website. Broken links, overly large photo files, or other obstacles can interfere with the loading time, so look for any of these issues to ensure that your website displays properly and quickly.
Set Up a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) Page
Many voice searches are formed as questions, so putting together an FAQ page or composing subheadings in the form of questions is a great way to optimize your law firm’s website for voice searches. FAQ pages are valuable resources for potential clients who are directed to your website, as they can easily locate the information they are looking for and decide to contact your law firm for more customized legal guidance once they see how user-friendly your website is. Additionally, FAQ pages improve your search rankings, as the algorithms favor websites that are written with terms and phrases (i.e., in question form) that align with common user search terms.
Consider the Accessibility and Usability of Your Law Firm’s Website
While you may integrate voice search optimization into your law firm content marketing strategy in the hope of reaching more clients who use this feature, it’s also important to recognize that voice search optimization often intersects with accessibility considerations. For instance, potential clients with vision impairments rely on voice assistants to help them navigate websites, so prioritizing voice search optimization also accommodates their needs. Ultimately, updating your SEO for lawyers strategy to include voice search optimization expands the number of clients you reach and engage with.
If you’re interested in learning more about how your law firm can reach more of the clients you are hoping to serve, give LegalRev a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss your digital marketing goals.
