Personal Injury Lawyer Marketing

3. Get started with personal injury SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) for personal injury law firms can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be.

When you think of SEO, you probably think of keywords and Google search results. You’d be right — they are a part of it.

But it’s also about providing value to your potential clients. It’s about creating content that resonates with them, that answers their questions, and that shows them you’re the right personal injury lawyer for their needs.

Here are a few tips to get started:

• Identify your keywords: Think about what your potential clients might be searching for. “Best personal injury lawyer,” “medical malpractice legal advice,” “workplace injury lawyer near me” could all be potential keywords. Use SEO tools like Semrush to research and refine your list of keywords.
• Create quality content: Now that you know your keywords, it’s time to create content. Remember, don’t stuff your content with keywords. It’s about naturally incorporating them into valuable, relevant content.
• Optimize your website for technical SEO: This involves using your keywords in your meta descriptions, page titles, and alt tags, and also ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
• Earn quality backlinks: Backlinks, or links from other websites to yours, are a big part of SEO. Reach out to reputable websites in the legal field and see if they’re open to linking to your website. You could also guest blog on legal websites to earn more backlinks.
• Track your progress: SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. It requires regular monitoring and tweaking. Use SEO tools to track your rankings and make necessary adjustments.

You need to be crystal clear on the search intent behind your keywords

Is the term you want to attract click-throughs for likely to result in the purchase of your services?

Or do you want to find people earlier in the buying process? Those who are just looking for information?

This is fundamental to any campaign for any lawyer.

Some people are trying to find out more about their options, searching for answers to questions like:

• What is medical malpractice?
• Can I claim for medical malpractice?
• How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in Buffalo?
• How do I claim for workplace injury?

Informational posts like this from Cogburn Law can help you rank for these terms.

Then there are those who are ready to hire a personal injury lawyer searching for buyer-intent terms like:

• Personal injury lawyer Toronto
• Medical malpractice attorney New York
• Dog bite injury lawyer Buffalo

You’ll want dedicated landing pages on your website set up to convert these queries into leads:

The above informational and buyer-intent terms are worth targeting for different reasons – and the longer ones are generally less competitive.

Refining your SEO strategy like this can give you an important edge over the competition.

4. Optimize your personal injury website for more than SEO

Optimizing your personal injury law firm’s website goes beyond just implementing SEO for personal injury lawyers.

Sure, SEO is crucial to increase your site’s visibility and attract more visitors. But once they’re there, it’s all about the client experience.

So, how do you optimize your website for an outstanding client experience? Let’s break it down.

• User-friendly navigation: Your site’s navigation should be intuitive and straightforward. Whether it’s learning more about your attorneys, reading your blog, or reaching out for a consultation, visitors should be able to figure it out easily.
• Fast load speed: Nobody likes a slow website. A delay of even a few seconds can make visitors click away.
• Clear call-to-actions (CTAs): CTAs are your guideposts. They guide your visitors to take the next step. Whether it’s “Contact Us Now” or “Learn More about Our Services,” ensure your CTAs are clear, compelling, and easy to find.
• Responsive design: With more and more people browsing the web on their phones, having a website that looks good and works well on all devices is non-negotiable.
• Engaging content: Last but not least, fill your website with engaging content that resonates with your target audience. This is where you address their pain points, answer their questions, and show them how your firm can help.

By focusing on these elements, you’re not just optimizing your website for search engines. You’re optimizing it for your potential clients.

Your law firm’s website is your online handshake, first impression, and opportunity to show clients that you’re right for the job.

5. Develop a content marketing strategy

You know you need to create content to move the needle on your SEO strategy.

But creating content without a strategy isn’t likely to get you the results you want.

Developing a content marketing strategy for your personal injury law firm is about planning ahead. It’s about identifying your goals and figuring out which types of content are more suitable for reaching them.

It’s about making publishing high-quality, informative, and original content on your website a must-do.

It will naturally attract new customers and improve search rankings. After all, blog articles dramatically increase your chances of appearing on search engine results pages.

The reason that most lawyers don’t do it? They don’t have time.

That’s not a good excuse when a wide world of freelancers and law firm marketing agencies are available to produce content for you.

Here’s how you can develop a winning strategy.

• Understand your audience: Your content isn’t for everyone. It’s for your ideal clients. So, understand who they are, what they’re looking for, and how you can help. This is where your client persona comes in handy.
• Set your goals: What do you want to achieve with your content marketing? More website traffic? More leads? Higher search engine rankings?
• Choose your content types: Will you focus on blog posts? Or will you also include videos, infographics, podcasts, or e-books? Consider what content types your audience prefers and what you have the resources for.
• Create a content calendar: Planning your content ahead of time keeps you accountable. Remember not to bite off more than you can chew.
• Promote your content: Share your content on social media, through email marketing, and even use paid advertising to get your content in front of your audience.
• Measure your success: Use tools like Google Analytics to see how your content is performing. Are you reaching your goals? What content types are most successful? Use these insights to tweak and improve your strategy.

The key is to set reasonable expectations. It’s better to produce less content consistently than to burn out over a month or two and stop completely.

6. Publish blog posts regularly on your personal injury law firm’s website

Think of your blog as your law firm’s knowledge hub. It’s where your clients go to learn, understand, and trust. It’s also where search engines go to see if you’re worth ranking.

Regularly publishing helpful blog posts keeps your website fresh, relevant, and valuable.

Every blog post is an opportunity to answer a potential client’s question, address their concerns, or show them how you can help. It’s also a chance to incorporate your keywords and improve your SEO.

Consider covering topics like:

• How-to guides: Simplify complex legal processes for your readers. For instance, you could write a post titled “How to File a Personal Injury Claim.”
• Explainers: Tackle more complex legal topics that require detailed explanations, like “Understanding the Process of a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit.”
• Case studies: Highlight successful cases you’ve handled, showcasing your expertise and giving clients an insight into your process. Remember to maintain client confidentiality.
• FAQs: Address commonly asked questions from your clients. For example, “What Compensation Can I Expect From a Workplace Injury?”
• Thought leadership posts: Share your insights on recent news or changes in personal injury law, positioning yourself as an industry leader.

7. Gather reviews and testimonials

Trust is important in any industry but, in law, it’s essential.

So, reviews, testimonials and 5-star ratings are necessary for the credibility of any personal injury law firm.

It’s always more believable when someone else blows your trumpet rather than you.

Whether text or video, they should feature prominently to say what you can’t say. Marrone Law includes both types.

Google reviews can also help your search rankings.

Note how, in the above example for “personal injury law firm Vancouver,” all the main featured listings on Google Maps include excellent ratings (featured on their Google Business Profile listings).

Anyone looking for such a firm would be quite likely to click on any of them as opposed to the other organic listings on the page without visible reviews.

Considering this, it’s incredible how few law firms have an active policy to gather reviews.

The golden rule is simple: Ask for them from happy customers. 

Set expectations from the beginning: build it into your process and tell new customers that you hope to get a 5-star review if the case goes well.

Then, remind them once the case is closed. Don’t be shy about this.

As well as Google reviews, you can gather testimonials on other platforms like:

• Yelp
• Avvo
• Lawyers.com
• Martindale-Hubbell

Here’s what a search for “personal injury lawyer New York” delivers on Yelp.

Note how the 5-star review ratings in red instantly jump out compared to the listing with no rating.

Still not convinced that you need a strategy for this?

Remember:

• A customer who has a negative experience is likely to leave a bad review and share the experience.
• Fewer than one in 10 happy customers will voluntarily leave positive reviews.

8. Feature case studies prominently

How powerful is this from Jurewitz Law Group?

Featuring your case results adds enormous credibility for people searching for a personal injury lawyer to hire.

Results speak for themselves, and it’s always better than you doing the talking.

Here’s another great example of how to use results to make your law firm more memorable to readers.

Note how a recent result is featured high on the homepage – not tucked away or buried on a separate page.

9. Claim your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is like your online storefront. It’s often the first thing potential clients see when they search for your law firm online, so it has to be accurate, informative, and enticing.

Claiming your Google Business Profile lets you manage your law firm’s online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. Meaning if you want to show up when someone searches for a law firm in your area, you need a GBP.

Another key part of your GBP is the review section. It’s the number one spot you want clients to leave you reviews, as it directly affects SEO.

We go into more detail in our full Google Business Profile for Lawyers guide.

10. Focus on local SEO

Odds are your clients are local, meaning local SEO should be your focus.

Setting up your Google Business Profile and including local keywords like “dog bite lawyer Dallas Texas” on your website are two key strategies to getting yourself at the top of SERPs for local keywords.

And that’s what you want. Local clients are more likely to convert and are worth more than someone outside your geographical area.

Here are some other benefits:

• Visibility: Prioritizing local SEO increases your chances of appearing in Google’s local pack. This coveted spot, showcasing a small map and business listings, pops up at the top of relevant local search results.
• Trust: Establishing a solid local online presence can go a long way in building your reputation. People tend to trust local businesses more, and law firms are no exception. By leveraging local SEO, you position your firm as a reliable, trusted, and accessible entity in the field of personal injury law.

11. Use pay-per-click ads (Google Ads)

If, as a personal injury lawyer, you’re hoping to conquer Google Ads and bring in a swarm of leads, get ready to be ultra-strategic in your approach.

Search terms like “car accident lawyer New York” or “Houston truck driver lawyer” are not only common; they’re likely to cost you hundreds of dollars per click.

Assuming you don’t have a bottomless advertising budget, how do you go about your Google Ads campaigns to keep cost-per-click down and qualified leads up?

Here are a few tips.

Be as specific as possible with your keywords

Most personal injury lawyers target the buyer-intent terms discussed above with Google Ads. Understandable, as they’re the ones that translate readily to revenue.

The problem is that when everyone targets the same keywords, they get awfully expensive.

In 2020, Hubspot reported that the most expensive keywords are related to personal injury law firms.

So, following the crowd is not the smartest strategy here. Can you really afford to pay $300 or $400 per click?

By getting specific and focusing on longer tail keywords, you’ll reduce the cost-per-click.

So, rather than “personal injury lawyer Dallas,” think “best pedestrian accident lawyer in Dallas Texas”

While they may not generate the search traffic of the major terms, a few niche phrases combined can be a powerful marketing boost for leads.

Bid on your own brand name

Don’t miss this one: bidding on your own brand name prevents competitors from muscling in on your turf – a common strategy in a competitive environment like personal injury law.

It’s cost-effective (usually under a couple of dollars per click) and often there is good buyer intent.

Make sure that you’re at the top of any sponsored ads for search terms involving your firm’s name.

Use ad extensions

How do you make your ads stand out from the rest?

Ad extensions can help.

These are little snippets of extra information that you can include in your Google Ads. They allow you to add information like:

• Your location (as it appears in your Google My Business listing)
• Phone numbers
• URLs to other pages on your website (like testimonial pages)

This can increase the click-through and call rates from qualified leads.

In the following example for “car accident lawyer Chicago,” you see the first and third ads stand out a little more because they use ad extensions for location and web pages.

Focus on cost per case

As a personal injury lawyer, it can be tough to track the return on investment from your ad campaigns.

You probably only get paid if you win the case; some cases take months or years.

You’re lucky if you even remember the client’s original email or phone call.

To accurately track this, you need Google Analytics working in sync with call tracking software (from Google, WordStream or CallRail).

You also need efficient practice management software to be clear on how each client has reached you and what happened to their case.

Google Ad spend must be factored into your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).

It varies greatly between niche areas; medical malpractice case CPCs may be much higher than car accident cases but the rewards (commissions) are also usually far greater.

Set a desired cost per acquistion and this will help you set budgets for Google Ad spend.

To do this, follow these three steps:

1. Calculate your average case settlement value in the past two years.
2. Determine your profit margin per case.
3. Decide what you’re willing to spend on marketing: typically between 10% and 30% of case settlement value.

Need more info on running successful Google Ads campaigns? This article on Google Ads for Lawyers will help.

12. Consider local service ads (LSAs)

Local Service Ads are a type of online ad available to businesses like yours that serve clients locally. These ads are designed to attract clients in your specific geographic area and are a fantastic way to target potential clients right in your own backyard.

LSAs are unique in that they don’t just show up based on keywords. They show up based on location, service category, and Google’s verification of your business.

And when your ad shows up, it’s not just a link to your website. It’s a listing that includes your law firm’s name, reviews, and contact information.

Unlike traditional Google Ads, you only pay if a potential client actually contacts you directly through the LSA. This makes LSAs a cost-effective advertising option for your law firm.

13. Get listed on legal directories

You can create profiles on legal directories like Avvo and FindLaw, where you can show off your credentials, accomplishments, and much more.

There are many reasons to do so, including:

• Get valuable backlinks (they are high DA websites)
• Legal directories often appear at the top of Google for valuable keywords
• Many people still find lawyers on directories, driving referral traffic to your website
• Host reviews

Getting listed isn’t enough.

Your listings have to be accurate. More specifically, your NAP data should be consistent across all directories and profiles on the web, including your GBP.

By NAP, we mean your name, address, and phone number.

14. Make it easy for website visitors to contact you

When a prospective client lands on your website, some things should be obvious.

• Where you’re located
• Your practice area
• How to contact you

If a visitor can’t determine these things at a glance, they’ll probably bounce and head to your competitor.

Place your contact information where it can’t be missed — ideally, at the top of your home page and in the footer of every other page.

You should also have a dedicated Contact Us page in your main navigation menu that goes into more detail than what you display in your header and footer.

If you want to go above and beyond, adding in a live chatbot can help secure leads that you might otherwise miss.

15. Add live chat

As you’ve probably gathered, visitors want their needs met right away. That’s why adding live chat to your personal injury lawyer marketing strategy is a smart move.

Live chat provides potential clients with instant access to your team so that they can have any hesitancies addressed right away. They don’t have to make a phone call or wait for an email response — they can ask their questions and get answers in real-time.

This immediacy can set your firm apart from others. It can make potential clients feel heard and valued, increasing their likelihood of choosing your firm for their legal needs. It’s all about delivering exceptional customer service from the very first interaction.

But live chat isn’t just beneficial for clients. It’s also a valuable tool for your firm. It can help you capture leads faster and more effectively, even outside of office hours, if you opt for a chatbot.

16. Try video marketing

Video marketing is the future. In fact, 91% of consumers reported that they want to see more videos.

They scream authentic and credible, much more than a blog alone.

Here are a few reasons why you should embrace video marketing:

• Engagement: Videos can grab attention and keep viewers engaged. Consider breaking down complex legal topics that you cover on your blog in video format as well.
• Trust: Videos featuring you and your fellow attorneys can help build trust with potential clients. They get to see the faces behind the firm, which adds a human element that a lot of law firms lack.
• SEO: Search engines love videos. Having video content in your blog posts can improve dwell time and contribute to E-E-A-T.

Consider creating videos that explain legal concepts, answer common client questions, and offer a behind-the-scenes look at your firm.

Another highly effective use of videos is video testimonials. If you can find a few past clients willing to record a video testimonial, you’re golden.

17. Get on social media

Being active on social media can significantly boost your personal injury lawyer marketing strategy.

You can engage with potential clients you wouldn’t otherwise reach, showcase your expertise, and amplify your law firm’s voice.

Here’s a list of recommended platforms to consider:

• Facebook: Ideal for sharing firm news, blog posts, and engaging directly with your community.
• LinkedIn: Perfect for professional networking and sharing industry-related content.
• Twitter: Excellent for quick updates, sharing news, and participating in legal discussions.
• Instagram: Great for showcasing your firm’s culture and visuals.

Remember, consistency and quality of content are key when leveraging social media for your marketing efforts.

18. Track your marketing efforts and results

Keeping tabs on your personal injury lawyer marketing campaigns is as important as launching them.

Data can help you determine what’s working and what’s not, so you can refine your strategies and only invest in what’s most profitable.

Start by setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which should align with your overall business objectives. This could be leads, organic traffic, or even keyword rankings.

Then use tools like Google Analytics to monitor these metrics.

Both successes and failures are learning opportunities. Use the available data to make data-driven decisions.

19. Network effectively

While digital marketing should be at the forefront of your law firm’s marketing strategy, you shouldn’t abandon more traditional means of marketing.

That includes networking.

It’s not only about growing your contact list —it’s about creating connections that can lead to referrals, collaborations, or even mentorships.

Consider attending industry events (think legal conferences and seminars) where you can meet like-minded lawyers who share your practice area.

You can also join legal associations and local business groups to further your network.

20. Think local

Building on the last tip, think about getting involved in the local community.

If you participate in local events, sponsor local charities, or even fund a scholarship at your local post-secondary institution, you could establish yourself as a leader in your community.

There’s also an opportunity to get valuable backlinks to power up your SEO.

21. Stay up-to-date with legal marketing trends

Digital marketing trends are always changing. So, it’s important to stay on top of the latest trends in legal marketing if you don’t want to fall behind.

To stay ahead of the curve, you need to be aware of emerging technologies, changes in consumer behavior, and shifts in digital marketing best practices. This could involve exploring new social media platforms, implementing advanced SEO techniques, or using innovative tools for content creation and analysis.

Subscribing to digital marketing blogs or joining legal marketing groups are two easy ways to stay in the know.

22. Look into remarketing

Remarketing is a way to reconnect with people who’ve previously interacted with your website or brand online.

Many platforms, including Google Ads and Facebook, offer the tools needed to display targeted ads to users who’ve shown interest in your services.

It’s worth it, as nowadays, it takes people multiple interactions before they decide to hire a business.

Remarketing is cost-effective because it increases the likelihood of conversion. As these users have already demonstrated an interest in your services, they’re often more likely to engage upon seeing your ads again. In a competitive field like personal injury law, remarketing can be a valuable tool to stay top-of-mind for potential clients.

23. Keep in touch with past clients

Keep in touch with clients who you’ve worked with in the past, particularly those who you’ve represented successfully.

Repeat clients are incredibly valuable, maybe the most valuable for a personal injury lawyer marketing strategy.

One easy way to do that is by having a monthly email newsletter that goes out to your email list. That way, you’re top of mind if they ever need assistance again.