By now, you may have heard the term “user experience” (UX) in discussions about branding and digital marketing. You probably grasp the general idea of UX—creating a marketing strategy that anticipates and responds to customer needs. Major retail brands use UX-based strategies to design marketing campaigns that engage potential customers, so why shouldn’t law firms follow suit? As social media and search engines become increasingly focused on the user experience, it’s time to focus on ensuring that your law firm isn’t left behind. This post will explore why UX matters so much to law firm marketing and how to prioritize UX strategies in the upcoming year.
Defining User Experience (UX)
At its core, user experience (UX) refers to the practice of ensuring that users are having the best possible experience with a technology platform. Essentially, you start by examining a potential client’s journey from start to finish, identifying each opportunity to engage with them and maximize their experience. Focusing on your client’s journey ensures that every interaction they have with your law firm—from clicking on your website to writing you an online review—is smooth and efficient.
UX and SEO
The link between UX and search engine optimization (SEO) is constantly strengthening. As search engine algorithms evolve to favor user-centered websites and customer-friendly content, it’s more essential than ever to make sure your law firm’s website, social media posts, and ad campaigns are tailored specifically to reach potential clients. In practice, this means that websites that overly focus on the attorney’s experience and contain long, dense blocks of content full of legal jargon will rank lower on search results pages than those with clean, direct content speaking directly to what clients are looking for—reassurance and guidance. It helps to put yourself in your client’s shoes, consider what they want to see when searching for information on a legal topic, and display content responding to these concerns. Over time, search engines will notice your UX-focused website and start ranking your posts and website higher on the search results pages.
Putting Your UX Strategies Into Practice
Although the idea of making UX a priority may seem overwhelming, these strategies are quite simple and do not require a major overhaul of your current website. Below are some steps you can take within the next few months to maximize your law firm’s digital marketing efforts and attract a more steady stream of potential clients.
Check Your Links
One of the best places to start is by checking your link health. Review your website and blog posts to ensure all the links still work; links that lead to 404 error pages or websites that are no longer in use negatively impact your website’s SEO performance. As you check and address broken links, you can start finding ways to add more internal links and links to reputable websites. Search engine algorithms like Google are increasingly using a website’s link health and quality to calculate rankings, so add more internal links to boost your authority and trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.
Post Client-Friendly Content Regularly
Google rewards websites that regularly update, as fresh posts show that you are invested in keeping site visitors engaged with the latest information. Consider scheduling a monthly blog post to highlight various practice areas or keep potential clients up to date on how recent policy changes could impact their life. If your law practice has a social media presence, make sure you remain active and post updates every once in a while. This activity will signal to search engines that your content is fresh and relevant, boosting your rankings over time.
Harness the Power of Client Reviews
As you map out the client journey, you should recognize that your relationship with them does not end with the resolution of their case. Instead, think of ways to foster a lasting relationship with each client—they may end up needing legal advice in the future. Even if they do not require your services, they may recommend you to friends and family members. What’s more, a positive online review from a satisfied client could have a tremendous impact on your website’s SEO and ability to attract more clients in your area. Devote some time to streamlining the client review process, using automated tools to send requests for clients to complete at their leisure. Make sure you read your online reviews regularly, responding graciously and respectfully to each review. If someone leaves a negative review, invite them to contact you privately to discuss their concerns in greater detail. Those who visit the review site will see how invested you are in the well-being and satisfaction of every client, increasing the likelihood that they will enlist your services.
Give LegalRev a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss your law firm’s digital marketing strategy.
