The more law firm search engine optimization and consulting that I do, the more I am reminded of the core principles of law firm internet marketing and law firm marketing in general. You have to think like your potential client!
Like investigating a case, you have to learn the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
WHO do your potential clients look to?
Are there recognized experts in your field? This is where personal branding of your law firm becomes so important. In the realm of marketing your law firm on the internet, your key tools are your website, your law firm blog, and the content you publish on the web.
Many of our clients have established personal brands. Their name and firm name constitute a significant percentage of their total visitor traffic. When these visitors "convert" there is already a built-in degree of trust with regard to the lawyer's experience, knowledge, and expertise in their field.
Becoming "who" your potential clients are searching is a core component to successful law firm internet marketing.
WHAT are your potential clients looking for?
This is the most common question that lawyers and lawyer marketing consultants ask. When it comes to attorney internet marketing strategies, asking this question is critical to performing quality keyword discovery, on-page search engine optimization, and content writing.
This is the real meat and potatoes of your marketing efforts. Understanding what your potential clients are looking for will not only help you get found online, it will also help you convert more of your visitors into actionable leads for your law firm.
WHERE are your potential clients looking?
Almost as common as "the what", understanding where your potential clients are looking is on the mind of most lawyers and law firm marketing consultants. This is an area that is undergoing a rapid evolution right now. More and more people are abandoning "traditional places" to look for lawyers and turning to the online community for information and advice. However, not all law firm internet marketing "places" are the same.
While we know that getting prominent position in search engines is an important component to marketing your law firm online, there are many other successful online platforms that may produce excellent return on your marketing investments. One of the most valuable and overlooked advantages to partnering with a law firm internet marketing professional, is their knowledge of the legal internet marketing landscape. A good consultant can help you quickly identify places to avoid, and more importantly, places that work.
WHEN are your potential clients looking for you?
The "when" question is intimately related to the where. In our experience, different segments of the legal services market will look for lawyers in different places based on the time of day, fiscal quarter, or year. Taking time into account, can have large impacts on the effectiveness and efficiency of your campaigns.
WHY are your potential clients looking for you?
While all of the questions posed here are important, in my view, none are as important as the why. Understanding why your potential clients are looking for you may impact your entire marketing message, strategy, and implementation.
Are your potential clients looking for you because they were recently charged with a crime? Are they looking for you because they have suffered serious injury? Are they facing a difficult financial situation or business decision? Knowing the "why" can completely change how successful all your law firm marketing efforts works both online and offline.
HOW are your potential clients looking for you?
More specifically than know where and when your potential clients are looking, knowing how they are looking for you may make all the difference. Different people look for legal services in completely different ways. These methods will vary greatly depending on age, geography, gender, socio-economic factors, as well as, what kind of lawyer they are looking for.
When it comes to online law firm marketing, knowing how people search for you services online may dictate whether certain internet marketing avenues make any sense at all.
Each of these questions should be taken into consideration in shaping your law firm internet marketing strategy. The more you understand the answer to each of these questions, the higher your likelihood of success.
Here's a recent Google SERP for "๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ." Ads? โLSAs? โLocal Pack? โLinks? โ ๐ท AI Overview? โ 6 firms listed. Only one tiny ๐. Click the ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ button? ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐: 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 hereโs the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: โข PPC Ads โข SEO Rankings โข Lead Generation Very few want to talk: โข Brand โข Trust & Recognition โข 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 youโve spent any time on LinkedIn, youโve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an โup and to the rightโ trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And itโs not just the agencies celebratingโ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ […]
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. […]
