When putting together your web marketing strategy, specifically for search engine marketing, it's important to understand how people are using Google to find your law firm. There are two distinct ways that a potential client will most likely use a search engine. Either for research or a replacement for the Yellow Pages. These two search methods require varying approaches as far as your strategy is concerned. Let's discuss both search methods and review strategies you can implement for each.
This is the most obvious and well known use as far as lawyers are concerned. Due to the fact that many lawyers are moving from Yellow Page advertising to advertising online, this is a natural progression. In this scenario, a user is looking directly for a lawyer and will search for "divorce lawyer" or "Chicago injury lawyer". Google will present a listing of lawyers relevant to the search and the user will simply call a lawyer from the list. In this way, Google is functioning like an online Yellow Pages.
In this scenario, the user may or may not know they need a lawyer. Rather than looking for a lawyer directly, they are performing research related to their issue. Perhaps they are looking up information on birth injury or filing a patent. These searches tend to be longer in length (3-5 words instead of 2 to 3). This type of traffic is often considered to be Long Tail. When this type of information is readily available on your firm's website or blog, there is a good chance the researcher can be converted into a potential client.
Any good search engine strategy will include methods for capturing both "Yellow Page" and "Research" traffic to your firm's site. The "Yellow Page" traffic is more straightforward because often this is the type of traffic that most SEO firms are selling. The strategy for this is to rank highly for very targeted, specific keyword terms. Ranking #1 for terms such as "Chicago divorce lawyer" or "Atlanta injury attorney" will result in targeted traffic. The down side is that everyone and their brother wants to rank for these terms so the competition is fierce. You will need to put together a strategy that includes keyword research, a customized link building campaign (with proper anchor text for the terms you are targeting), and proper on-page optimization.
Capturing the "researchers" is a little bit different. Although there is some crossover with the "Yellow Page" strategy, content plays a much larger role here. You will still need to implement a customized link building campaign so that your website gains more authority in the eyes of Google. In addition to the link building, you will want to add relevant, helpful content to your website or blog on a consistent basis. We usually recommend 2-3 articles a week. By doing this, your content will get discovered when people are researching various topics related to your legal services.
![]() |
Free Guide: Getting Your Law Firm Found On GoogleDo You Want To Know How To Get Potential Clients To Find Your Law Firm On Google? Download AttorneySync's Free Guide On Getting Your Law Firm Found On Google. |
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. […]