Fewer than 1% of Google users look at the second page of search results. If your law firm website isn’t ranking on the first page, consider using SEO.
Search engine optimization (SEO) can boost your ranking on search engines like Google. Then, you can appear in front of more prospective clients. When someone needs a lawyer, they’ll find your law firm online.
SEO drives over 1,000% more traffic than organic social media. You can generate more traffic to boost leads. SEO leads have a nearly 15% close rate, too.
SEO can become complicated if you lack experience, though. Hiring a team with SEO marketing experience can help.
Here are 10 tips that can help when hiring SEO services. With these tips, you can find the best SEO agency around. Then, you can boost your rankings, reach more customers, and set your law firm up for success.
Start experiencing the benefits of SEO firsthand! Search for the best agency with these tips today.
1. Years of Experience
First, speak with people within your professional circle. You might know people at other law firms or local businesses. Ask them if they’ve worked with an SEO agency in the last few years.
You can learn from their hands-on experience. For example, consider asking:
- Was the agency able to accomplish your goals
- What services did they provide
- Were you satisfied with their services
- Do you still work with the agency
- Were they professional and knowledgeable
- Did you experience any issues working with the team
Speaking with people within your professional circle could streamline your search. You can learn from their hands-on experience working with an agency.
If you don’t know anyone that’s hired an SEO agency in the past, that’s okay. Head online and start searching. Look for agencies that have a high ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs).
These agencies are able to use their own services to boost their SEO rankings. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you’re hiring a capable team.
Then, determine how long the company has run and operated. Look for an established business. An established SEO agency has likely worked out operational kinks.
Chances are they’ve earned the respect of their clients, too.
Determine how long they’ve offered SEO services. You’ll want to find a team with years of SEO marketing experience. Otherwise, they might struggle to help you accomplish your goals.
You’ll have peace of mind finding a team that has the experience and expertise you need.
2. Full Understanding of SEO
It’s not enough to find an agency with SEO marketing experience. You’ll want to make sure their experience is well-rounded, too. There’s more than one type of SEO you’ll need to consider.
Ask each agency about their approach.
The team should start by considering your unique goals. For example, you might want to improve your rankings for specific keywords. Maybe you want to generate more backlinks.
Ask the agency how they’ll help you with different types of SEO, including:
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Technical SEO
- Local SEO
Local SEO can help you appear in front of nearby clients.
About 30% of mobile searches are related to location. In fact, location-based searches are growing 50% faster than all other mobile searches. If someone Googles “law firm near me,” you can appear for their local search.
Before hiring SEO services, make sure the agency can help with each type of SEO. Otherwise, your competitors might still rank ahead of you online.
3. A Focus on Law Firms
Ask each SEO agency on your list about their recent clients. Determine if they’ve worked with any law firms over the years, too.
Finding a team with relevant SEO marketing experience could benefit your law firm in the long run. They’ll have a better understanding of your services, clients, and industry. They can adapt your digital marketing strategy with your industry in mind.
Once you find an SEO agency that’s worked with law firms in the past, ask about their recent clients. How many law firms have they worked with? How did they help those law firms accomplish those goals?
Ask the agency for case studies as proof of their SEO marketing experience.
The agency should set specific goals for their clients, then measure their progress using key performance indicators (KPIs). For example, they might determine the progress of your campaigns by tracking:
- Website traffic
- Form submissions
- Dwell times
Review their case studies to determine their success. If they were unable to help their clients, look elsewhere.
Instead, choose a team with SEO marketing experience you can count on.
4. A Strong Reputation
Remember, you’ll want to make sure the SEO marketing agency is capable of accomplishing your goals. Ask if you can speak with some of their recent clients. If they specialize in helping law firms, speak with some of the lawyers they worked with.
Ask each client if the SEO agency was able to accomplish their goals.
Otherwise, look for client reviews online. Check the agency’s Better Business Bureau and Google My Business listings for reviews. Reading online reviews online will help you determine if the company is able to help.
5. Up-to-Date With Trends
Leads from SEO are eight times more likely to become paying clients than those from traditional advertising campaigns. Unfortunately, Google makes 500 to 600 changes to its algorithm every year. If you’re not tracking those changes, you could fall behind the latest SEO trends.
Your rankings could drop as a result.
Before hiring SEO services, make sure the company is up-to-date with the latest trends. For example, they should discuss:
- Voice search
- Search intent
- Zero-click searches/position zero
- Google’s Core Web Vitals
If you mention these trends and the company can’t answer your questions, look elsewhere. They’ll struggle to provide the help you need. Your ranking might never improve as a result.
6. Accountability
As you read client reviews, pay attention to comments about the agency’s accountability. You’ll want to choose an agency that communicates. Otherwise, they might not keep you apprised about the progress of your campaigns.
Ask the agency how often you’ll talk. How will they contact you? For example, they might send you regular updates by phone or email.
Ask the agency how they’ll help you measure the success of your campaigns, too.
Remember, the agency should set goals for your campaigns. Then, they should set KPIs for each goal. If they’re not keeping you up-to-date, how will you know they’re accomplishing your goals?
Choose an agency with accountability. You’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re honest and transparent.
Otherwise, you might hire an agency that will only waste your time and money.
7. Training and Certification
Take the time to learn more about each team during your search. What training do they have? Does any member of the team have certification specific to SEO services?
You can feel more confident choosing a qualified team. Otherwise, they might not remain up-to-date with the latest tactics. They could use black hat SEO, too.
If the agency uses black hat SEO tactics, your website could end up penalized. You’ll fail to rank for relevant searches as a result.
It’s not enough to choose a team with the right qualifications, though. Make sure they’re strategic-minded, too. They should gather research when developing your SEO strategy.
Otherwise, they might fail to improve your rankings.
8. The Right Tools
Ask each agency about the tools they use as well. For example, what tools do they use to gather SEO keyword research? They might use:
- SEMRush
- Ahrefs
- Google Trends
- Answer the Public
- Keyword Planner
Ask about the tools they use to generate backlinks, too. Make sure the agency doesn’t purchase backlinks. Otherwise, they might do more harm than good.
9. A Strong Strategy
Before hiring SEO services, make a list of the goals you want to accomplish through SEO.
When searching for a company with SEO marketing experience, make sure they consider your website, too. Over 50% of website traffic is brought in through search. If your website is old, outdated, or slow, your SEO ranking can drop.
In fact, consumers interact with brands two times as often on mobile devices. Conversions drop up to 20% per second of load time, too. With that in mind, Google now uses mobile-first indexing.
Google looks at the mobile version of your website when determining rankings. If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, your competitors might rank ahead of you.
When updating your website, you’ll also need to consider Google’s Core Web Vitals.
Ask the company if they consider your website as part of their SEO marketing strategy. If not, they could fail to improve your rankings.
10. The Right Price
Gather quotes from at least three SEO marketing agencies on your list. Comparing SEO service costs can help you gauge the average. Don’t choose an agency based on price alone, though.
Instead, choose a team with the SEO marketing experience you need. You’ll have peace of mind in their abilities.
They can benefit your law firm long-term.
Boost Your Rankings: 10 Tips for Hiring SEO Services for Law Firms
Don’t rush when hiring SEO services. Instead, use these 10 tips to vet your options. With these tips, you can find a qualified, experienced team for the job.
They can improve your SEO ranking and help you reach more clients.
Get ahead of the competition by hiring an experienced SEO marketing agency today.
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