Most attorney SEO tip lists include things like keyword research, link building and content marketing. And while these are undoubtedly important pieces to the SEO puzzle, they don't communicate the bigger picture of how organic search marketing fits into the marketing of a law practice.
Here are 10 SEO tips for attorneys to keep in the back of their heads at all times:
Here's a recent Google SERP for "𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗮." Ads? ❌LSAs? ❌Local Pack? ❌Links? ❌ 🔷 AI Overview? ✅ 6 firms listed. Only one tiny 🔗. Click the 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 button? 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁: Here's a more detailed look at some of these firms: THE PEARCE LAW FIRM, P.C.Edith Pearce, […]
On April 22, 2025, Google sent an email updating Local Services Ads Additional Terms for Providers: Subject: Action required: important updates to Local Service Ads Additional Terms Many people are arguing that lawyers cannot participate in Local Services Ads, as this would constitute a per se violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct related to […]
Conrad and I recently joined Zack at Lawyerist to record a conversation about AI and marketing. You might think that we spend the whole time on how lawyers can use AI to publish content. You'd be wrong. While AI can certainly support publishing, there are many more interesting ways to use it in legal marketing. […]
As more legal services consumers turn to ChatGPT for local law firm recommendations, a fascinating intersection between AI, search, and maps unfolds. While Google remains the undisputed leader in local business data, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming an entry point for searchers seeking legal representation. But here’s the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: • PPC Ads • SEO Rankings • Lead Generation Very few want to talk: • Brand • Trust & Recognition • Emotional Connection Admittedly, much of this concerns that AttorneySync is known for lead generation across those common digital channels. But even when we start […]
According to an October 2024 study by SE Ranking: "The legal niche triggers the highest percentage of AIOs (77.67%). The average number of links matched between the AI Overview resources and the top 20 search results was 6.49 for legal topics. AI Overviews for legal topics most frequently link to NYCourts.gov (114 links), YouTube.com (48 […]
I'm grateful for my friend, Charley Mann of Law firm Alchemy. If you're a lawyer, subscribe to his Free Email List. In a recent email, Charley calls out bad guru advice on hiring: "Trying to execute a major SEO improvement? You need to find people who will help you, instead of trying to DIY it […]
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, you’ve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an “up and to the right” trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And it’s not just the agencies celebrating—𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 […]
Meh, links! All things being equal, links still tend to move the dial more than any other factor in legal SERPs. Maybe links are having a diminishing impact internet-wide. But in my experience, quality links, especially relevant links (both topically and geographically), tend to improve law firm visibility in search more than most everything else. […]
Thank you for your post.
It does bring up a challenging issue: convincing attorneys that they need to spend time participating online and also creating quality copy to engage potential customers and get better rankings. The days of the old-boys' club (for getting new clients, anyway) is nearly over. Blindness to this fact--and the need for their active participation in marketing and engaging in the online world--seems to challenge both the mature and the newer attorneys (who are focused on getting as many billable hours as possible and/or getting their solo practice off the ground). Even firms with marketing depts and/or deep pockets don't seem to realize that their attorneys need to come to the party and participate (including having strategies for capturing and reusing/redeploying the content they do create, and distributing it for--gasp--free).
I'd love to see more suggestions on how to show attorneys that participating online and in copy creation is not good of them, but good for them, and the new reality of today's marketplace, and that they are running the risk of being left behind.
Thanks again.
Thanks for your comment. With regard to convincing attorneys that they should spend time participating online, it's really no different than convincing them to spend time networking in more traditional ways. Those that understand the effectiveness of developing professional relationships will benefit. Those that don't won't.
As to proving the value of online participation, that is bit more challenging. How do you prove the value of attending a social/networking function? Count handshakes and business cards?
Traditional metrics tend not to apply. "Social metrics" tend to be irrelevant. I think it comes down to connecting the dots. If you want to measure anything, I recommend measuring things like:
- Subscribers
- Comments
- @mentions on Twitter
These engagement metrics are telling in terms whether or not the ways in which we are participating are effective with our audiences.
Are lawyers going to get inbound calls saying that they "found them on facebook?" Maybe some, but not many. On the other hand, publishing and sharing content on various platforms that demonstrates knowledge and attracts more readers, subscribers and sharers, builds industry recognition.
And of course, being social counts. After all, lawyers and their clients are people. Which means, by nature, they are social.