SEO for Family Law (2023 Guide)

Table of Contents

What is SEO?
The importance of local SEO for lawyers
SEO for family law
Keyword research for family law
Optimize for Core Web Vitals
Internal linking
GBP optimization
Review generation
Citation building
Create Google Business posts
Implementing schema markup
Link-building for family law
Content marketing for family law
Does SEO work for law firms?

Lawyers are constantly under pressure to acquire more clients and customers. Having a strong online presence is essential in today's digital age, especially for law firms. 

Therefore, SEO for family law is paramount to attracting new clients and boosting rankings on search engine platforms.

This article will highlight some of the top SEO tactics for family law that can help your firm rank higher in search engines. 

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it is the practice of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

The goal of SEO is to make your website more visible to potential clients who are searching online for legal services.

It can involve conducting keyword research, optimizing web pages, building links, and creating content that your target audience will find useful.

The Importance of Local SEO for Lawyers

Local SEO is an especially important tactic for family law firms. By focusing on local keywords such as "family lawyer in [location]" and by setting up a properly optimized Google My Business profile, you can improve your visibility in local search results.

Additionally, you should optimize your website with content and metadata relevant to local audiences, as well as build high-quality links from other businesses located in the area.

By following these strategies and tactics effectively, you can increase the chance that potential clients in your area will come across your business when searching online for family law services.

SEO for Family Law

Now that you know why SEO is important for family lawyers, let's dive into the different SEO tactics for family law firms.

1. Keyword Research for Family Law

Keyword research is the process of finding the search terms potential clients use when looking online for legal services. 

By conducting keyword research, you can pinpoint the words and phrases most pertinent to your family law firm and incorporate them into the website's content as well as metadata.

Conduct keyword research for family law by creating a list of keywords and phrases relevant to your practice area. This could include terms like "divorce lawyer", "child custody attorney", "family law firm" and "marriage dissolution". 

You can also utilize online tools like SEOptimer's keyword research tool to uncover additional pertinent terms and estimate their search volume.

Once you have a list of relevant keywords, it's time to incorporate them into your website's content and metadata. This includes optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and content for these terms. However, ensure that the language flows naturally so it doesn't appear overly keyword-stuffed. 

Your content should provide value to potential clients by answering their questions regarding family law matters.

Conducting effective keyword research and including pertinent terms in your website's content and metadata can improve its visibility on search engine result pages, attracting more potential clients to your website.

2. Optimize for Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that evaluate the user experience on your website. 

These measurements include page load time, interactivity, and visual stability. 

Google has indicated that Core Web Vitals will become an influential ranking factor starting May 2020, so it's essential for family law firms to optimize their websites according to these benchmarks.

Optimizing your website for Core Web Vitals begins by assessing its current performance using tools such as Google's PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse. These services will give you a list of opportunities to enhance performance on the fly, such as optimizing images, minimizing JavaScript and CSS files, and taking advantage of browser caching.

Optimizing your site's performance requires following best practices in web design and development. For instance, use responsive design to ensure it's mobile-friendly and loads quickly on mobile devices. Minimize large images or videos which may slow down loading speed significantly, and avoid intrusive pop-ups or other elements that disrupt the user experience.

Optimizing your website for Core Web Vitals can enhance user experience and guarantee potential clients have a pleasant visit. Doing this may lead to higher search rankings, increased website traffic, and more leads for your family law firm.

3. Internal Linking

Internal linking is the practice of linking to other pages within your website. 

Internal linking plays an integral role in SEO as it helps search engines comprehend the structure and hierarchy of pages on your site. 

Furthermore, internal linking helps distribute link equity and drives traffic to key areas of your website.

When linking internally, there are several best practices to consider.

First, use descriptive anchor text that accurately reflects the content of the linked page; for instance, if discussing child custody, utilize anchor text such as "child custody attorney" instead of generic phrases like "click here" or "learn more."

Second, link to relevant pages within your website. For instance, if you are writing a blog post about divorce, link to other pages that provide more detail about it - like an uncontested divorce or property division article.

Finally, prioritize linking to your most critical pages. For family law firms, this may include pages about practice areas, attorney profiles, and contact info.

By linking frequently to these critical pages, you will help distribute link equity and drive more traffic toward these important locations.

By adhering to best practices for internal linking, you can enhance user experience on your website and help search engines comprehend its structure. Doing so could result in higher search rankings, increased website traffic, and more leads for your family law firm.

4. GBP Optimization

Google Business (formerly known as Google My Business) is an online tool provided by Google that enables businesses to create a profile and manage their presence across Google Search and Maps. 

Optimizing your Google Business profile is essential for family law firms since it could help your firm appear in local search results, driving more traffic and leads to your website.

Optimizing your Google Business profile for family law starts with claiming and verifying it. 

This involves creating a Google account and completing the verification process. 

After verification is complete, you can start optimizing it by adding important info about your practice areas, website, business description, and contact details.

It's essential to regularly update your Google Business profile with any updated information, such as office hours or new practice areas offered. Doing this helps guarantee potential clients have accurate and up-to-date info about your business.

In addition to basic information about your business, Google Business allows you to showcase your expertise and experience in family law. 

For instance, you can upload photos of your office and team, respond to reviews from clients, and post updates about your practice.

Optimizing your Google Business profile for family law can boost your visibility in local search results, establish yourself as a reliable and authoritative source of legal services, and drive more traffic and leads to your website.

5. Review Generation

Reviews are of paramount importance in the online reputation of family law firms. 

Positive reviews can help establish your firm as a reliable and authoritative source for legal services, while negative ones could have the opposite impact. 

That is why it's essential to create an effective review management process that includes ways to generate reviews on Google and respond to them appropriately.

To generate reviews for your family law firm on Google, begin by asking clients to leave reviews after their case has been concluded. 

You can do this by sending a follow-up email or text message, as well as including a call-to-action on your website or in your email signature.

It's essential to make it as effortless as possible for clients to leave a review by providing them with clear instructions and a link to your Google Business profile.
Once your business starts receiving reviews on Google, it is essential that you respond promptly and professionally. 

Doing so demonstrates your appreciation for their feedback and your commitment to providing exceptional service.

When responding to reviews, thank the client for their opinion, address any specific concerns or complaints they have expressed, and offer to follow up offline to further address those issues.

Establishing a review management process for your family law firm can help establish it as an authoritative source of legal services, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately expand the size and success of your business.

6. Build Online Citations

Online citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (also known as NAP) on other websites. 

Citations are important for local search engine optimization because they help to establish the credibility and authority of your business.

To build citations for your family law firm, start by creating a list of niche-relevant directories where you can list your business. 

Niche-relevant directories are websites that are specifically related to the legal industry and family law. Here is a list of some directories that may be relevant to family lawyers:

• Avvo
• FindLaw
• Justia
• Lawyers.com
• LawInfo
• LegalMatch
• Martindale-Hubbell
• Super Lawyers
• Yelp

When building citations, it's important to ensure that your NAP information is consistent across all of the directories where your business is listed. 

Inconsistencies in your NAP information can lead to confusion and negatively impact your local search engine rankings.

In addition to niche-relevant directories, you can also build citations by getting listed on general directories and review sites, such as Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and Yelp. These sites are authoritative and widely used by consumers, which can help to increase the visibility and credibility of your business.

By building citations for your family law firm, you can help to establish your business as a credible and authoritative source of legal services, improve your local search engine rankings, and drive more traffic and leads to your website.

7. Create Google Business Posts

Google Posts are a free feature that enables you to create short, informative updates that appear directly in your Google Business profile. 

These posts can include images, videos, and links to specific pages on your website. Google Posts provide an effective way for sharing news, updates, and promotions with potential clients searching for family law services near you.

There are various Google Posts you can create for your family law firm:

• What's New: Stay informed and updated on developments related to your family law practice.
• Events: Promote upcoming events, such as seminars or webinars, that your firm is hosting or attending.
• Offers: Highlight any current special offers, promotions, or discounts your firm is running.
• Products: Highlight the services or products your family law firm provides, such as prenuptial agreements or divorce mediation.

Tips for Crafting Google Posts:

• Keep it short and to the point: Google Posts have a maximum character length of 1,500 characters, so ensure your message is concise and easy to comprehend.
• Utilize high-quality images and videos: Create eye-catching visuals to draw in potential clients.
• Include a Call-to-Action: Encourage potential clients to take action by including an obvious call-to-action, such as "Book a Consultation" or "Learn More".
• Utilize Relevant Keywords: In your Google Posts, include relevant keywords to boost your local search engine rankings.
• Post Regularly: Posting regularly on Google My Business can help keep your profile fresh and up-to-date, which in turn, improves the ranking of your local search engine results.

By creating Google Posts for your family law firm, you can stay in touch with potential clients, promote your services and offers, and boost local search engine rankings.

8. Schema Markup for Family Law

Schema markup is structured data you can add to your website's code in order to give search engines more precise details about your family law firm. 

By using schema markup, search engines will be able to better comprehend the content on your site and display more precise info in SERPs (search engine results pages).

For instance, adding schema markup to your website can highlight specific information like your law firm's name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and services offered. Doing this helps boost the visibility of your website in local search results and makes it simpler for potential clients to locate and contact you.

Schema markup on your website provides search engines with more precise, structured information that can enhance its visibility and click-through rates in results. In turn, this could result in increased traffic, leads, and clients for your family law firm.

9. Link-Building for Family Law

Link-building is the practice of obtaining links from other websites to your own website. When other websites link to you, search engines view this as a signal that your website has authority and trustworthiness, potentially increasing its search engine rankings.

Not all links are created equal. To build high-quality links that can boost your search engine rankings, it's essential to focus on acquiring links from trustworthy and authoritative websites related to family law practice.

Here are some effective link-building tactics for family law firms:

1. Local Directories

One of the most efficient ways to build high-quality links for your family law firm is by submitting your website to local directories.

2. Guest posting

Another effective method for building links is creating high-quality content and submitting it as a guest post to other websites. This can help establish your family law firm as an authoritative voice in its field, while also giving you a chance to link back to your own website.

3. Link Reclamation

Link reclamation involves identifying any mentions of your family law firm online that don't currently link back to your website, and then reaching out to the website owner to request they add a link. This can be an effective way to build links from credible and authoritative websites that have already mentioned your firm.

4. Outreach

Finally, outreach involves reaching out to relevant websites in your industry and asking them to link back to yours. This could involve identifying websites that have linked similar content previously or reaching out to sites that have mentioned your firm previously and asking them for a link addition.

By employing these link-building tactics, you can help boost the authority and visibility of your family law firm website in search engine results pages. However, it's essential to note that link-building is a long-term endeavor that requires consistent effort and an emphasis on high-quality links.

10. Content Marketing for Family Law

Image source: CF Communications

Content marketing is a great way to showcase your expertise in family law and boost the visibility of your website.

By creating helpful, informative, and entertaining content related to family law topics, you can reach new clients and strengthen relationships with current ones. Here are some content marketing ideas for family law firms that cannot be detected by AI detection tools or algorithms:

• Blog Posts – Writing blog posts on various aspects of family law such as preparing for a divorce or understanding child custody laws.
• Case Studies – Creating case studies to help establish your firm as a reliable authority in the field while giving potential clients an idea of working with your firm.
• Videos – Creating videos to engage potential customers and establish your firm as an authority in its field.
• Infographics – Using infographics to communicate complex data in a visually appealing and easily-digestible format.

Content marketing can be incredibly successful for family law firms when used strategically, helping them position themselves as authoritative experts while also connecting with potential clients who may be navigating difficult legal situations.

Does SEO Work for Law Firms?

The short answer is yes, SEO does work for law firms. However, it's essential to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy that necessitates patience and consistency - not an instant fix for increased traffic or leads. That being said, investing in SEO for your law firm can substantially impact both online presence and bottom-line results.

By employing the SEO tactics outlined in this article, such as keyword research and optimizing for Core Web Vitals, internal linking, Google Business optimization, review generation, citation building, link-building, and content marketing, you can improve your search engine rankings and drive more targeted traffic to your website.

It's essential to remember that SEO is an ongoing process. The algorithms search engines use to rank websites are constantly changing, so it's crucial to stay abreast of the most up-to-date SEO best practices and continue optimizing your website and online presence over time.

In conclusion, SEO is an invaluable investment for law firms looking to boost their online visibility and generate more leads. With a consistent and strategic approach, you can improve your search engine rankings and ultimately, expand your business.