When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, it may seem that recommendations and best practices are constantly shifting. As a legal professional, you’re probably interested in attracting more of the types of clients you are after, and SEO strategies can be an effective way to market your firm to specific audiences. However, several SEO myths persist, even though they’ve been debunked. Let’s uncover the truth behind three common SEO myths so that you can channel your efforts into more effective marketing strategies.
Myth #1: Client Reviews Aren’t Important
It seems that some people aren’t willing to trust online business reviews, as they claim they can’t trust that the reviews are honest or real. Also, one person’s review is totally subjective, so how much value does their opinion really have? As a result of this myth, legal professionals may not make an effort to invite client reviews, thus losing out on a critically important ranking factor used by Google My Business (GMB). Time and time again, research has shown that as many as 85 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations from a close friend. So, keep thinking of ways to encourage your clients to share an online review of your firm; as the number of client reviews rises, your firm’s SEO ranking is likely to increase as well.
Myth #2: Location Keywords Directly Boost Local Search Rankings
While there was a time when SEO marketers tried to weave in the names of towns, cities, and counties into nearly every paragraph of a firm’s webpage to boost local rankings, this strategy has lost traction and often appears clunky and stilted. Instead, focusing on the content of the website and ensuring that you convey an authentic tone and voice are ways of generating public interest and trust. When a potential client visits your website and simply sees the name of the city and the practice area repeated every few lines, they may write you off as distant and robotic. Clients (and Google) are increasingly invested in working with brands and firms that appear genuine and personable in their messaging.
Myth #3: Prioritizing Post Quantity Dramatically Drives Up Rankings
Initially, it may have made sense to channel your marketing efforts into publishing lots of articles or blog posts in order to drive up your local rankings. While it used to be more common for large sites with hundreds of posts to appear in both organic and local search results, this is no longer the case. Quality and relevance are far more important. So much so, that if you have a large years-long feed of articles, you’ll want to take the time to selectively remove and redirect irrelevant, redundant, or outdated content. This gives search engines a more concise picture of your firm.
