Lawyers and law firms need to stand out from the crowd and attract clients.

One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through law firm SEO. And a crucial part of SEO is on-page (or on-site) SEO.

It involves optimizing your website and its pages to improve your search engine rankings and increase your online visibility, making it easier for potential clients to find you.

In this blog, we’ll cover the essential aspects of on-page SEO for lawyers, from content optimization using things like title tags to keyword research and site structure.

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Importance of on-page SEO for lawyers

By optimizing individual web pages on your website, you can improve your overall SEO for not only that page but for your entire website.

Let’s explore how on-page SEO can help you attract clients and secure higher rankings on search engines.

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Attracting clients

Your prospective clients rely on search engines like Google to find legal services like you.

And you need a well-optimized website to get to the top of Google to not only attract more visitors but also convert those visitors into clients.

Your law firm could appear at the top of Google, like in this example.

On-page SEO lets you ensure your website is easily discoverable, showcases your expertise in a way that brings in clients, and provides valuable information that resonates with your target audience.

After all, an appealing and user-friendly website will increase the likelihood of potential clients choosing your law firm over competitors.

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Higher rankings on search engines

Securing higher rankings on Google is important for the success of any modern law firm.

The higher your website ranks in search results, the more visible it becomes to potential clients and the more organic traffic you’ll receive. And on-page SEO directly impacts your search engine rankings — if you follow best practices and provides valuable, user-friendly content, you’ll climb the SERP.

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Keyword research for lawyers

Keyword research for lawyers is a fundamental aspect of on-page SEO for lawyers.

It lets you in on the search terms that potential clients are using when looking for the legal services you provide.

For example, a personal injury lawyer may discover that their ideal client searches for “slip and fall lawyer” and create content to rank for that keyword.

Here are a few ways to discover the keywords you want to rank for.

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Identifying relevant keywords

The first step is to identify the keywords most relevant to your practice areas and target audience.

These are the terms and phrases that potential clients use when searching for legal services that you offer.

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to discover keyword ideas and learn about their search volumes, competition, and relevance.

In SEMrush, for example, you’d start by typing your practice area into the Keyword Magic Tool.

From here, you could make a list of keywords you want to target.

A good place to start is to select keywords that include your practice areas and geographic location. That way, you rank for local traffic that’s more likely to reach out.

Incorporating long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific phrases, can also help you target a more focused audience with a higher likelihood of conversion.

An example of a long-tail keyword is “slip and fall lawyer Chicago.”

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Analyzing competition

Examining your competition’s keyword and content strategy is another good way to get insight into the keywords you should target.

To analyze the competition, examine the websites of other law firms in your city that target similar practice areas.

Look for the keywords they’re targeting, assess their content quality, and evaluate their overall SEO strategy.

Take note of the keywords they’re targeting that draw a lot of traffic and consider those as high-value keywords. We also recommend comparing your keyword list to what your competitors are ranking for to identify keywords they aren’t ranking for to beat them to the punch.

Again, we recommend SEMrush’s competitor research tool for this.

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Optimizing title tags

Title tags are the first impression of your web page in search results.

They provide a brief, descriptive title that lets searchers know what they’ll find on the page.

An optimized title tag will increase your clickthrough rate and improve your overall rankings.

To create effective title tags, follow these best practices:

• Include your target keywords: Include the primary keyword you’re targeting for that specific page in the title tag. It helps search engines and searchers understand the relevancy of the content.
• Keep it concise: Limit your title tags to 60 characters or less to prevent them from getting cut off.
• Make it unique and descriptive: Each title tag on your website should be unique to avoid duplicate content issues. Craft a descriptive title that accurately represents the content of the page and entices users to click.
• Consider your brand: Include your law firm’s name at the end of the title tag to increase brand recognition and credibility.

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Crafting meta descriptions

Meta descriptions are brief summaries of your web page’s content that appear below the title tag in search results.

Although they don’t directly impact search engine rankings, well-written meta descriptions encourage users to click on your website over your competitors.

Consider these best practices when writing your meta descriptions:

• Incorporate relevant keywords: Include the target keyword for the specific page and any related secondary keywords. (As long as they can be used naturally.)
• Keep it within the character limit: Aim for a meta description length of 150-160 characters so it doesn’t get cut off.
• Make it informative and enticing: Your meta description should provide a brief, captivating overview of the content to get searchers to click through to your website.
• Avoid duplicating content: Each meta description on your website should be unique. This shouldn’t be an issue, as each page on your website is unique and serves its own purpose.

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Header tags (H1, H2, H3, H4)

Header tags are essential for organizing and structuring your law firm website’s content and web pages.

They are a roadmap for search engines and users, helping them navigate your content and understand its hierarchy.

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Importance of header tags

Header tags play a significant role in on-page SEO for several reasons:

• Content structure: Headers break up your content into easily digestible sections that improve usability.
• Keyword targeting: Incorporating relevant keywords into your header tags helps search engines know what your content is about and know what to rank it for.

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Best practices

To make the most of header tags in your on-page SEO strategy, follow these best practices:

• Use only one H1 tag per page: Your H1 tag is the main title of your content and should accurately represent its primary topic. Include your target keyword in the H1 to boost your SEO.
• Organize content with H2, H3, and H4 tags: Use header tags to structure your content into sections and sub-sections, creating a logical hierarchy. This makes your content skimmable and easier to digest for both humans and search engines.
• Incorporate relevant keywords: Include your target keyword and related terms in your header tags, but don’t overdo it.
• Keep header tags concise and descriptive: Your headers should be brief and accurately describe the content of the corresponding section.
• Maintain consistency: Use a consistent format and style for your header tags throughout your website.

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URL structure

An optimized URL is an important part of law firm SEO.

A clear and concise URL helps search engines understand the content of your web pages and improves the user experience by providing an easily readable link.

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Benefits of a well-structured URL

A properly structured URL offers several benefits:

• Better indexing: Search engines use URLs to index and categorize your web pages. A well-structured makes it easier for search engines to understand what your content is about.
• Enhanced user experience: An easy-to-understand URL provides a better experience to website visitors. This can lead to higher click-through rates, increased time on-site, and better overall engagement.
• Increased keyword relevancy: Including the main keyword in your URL can give your page a bit more relevancy.

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Best practices

Here are some tips to optimize your URL:

• Keep it simple and descriptive: Use descriptive URLs that communicate what users can expect to find on the page.
• Incorporate target keywords: Include your target keyword in the URL to boost your SEO.
• Use hyphens to separate words: Separate words in your URL with hyphens to make them easier to read.
• Avoid using special characters or numbers: Use letters and hyphens in your URLs. Numbers and other characters can make them a bit harder to understand.
• Maintain a consistent structure: Use a consistent URL structure throughout your website.

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Internal linking

Strategically building internal links on your law firm’s website is essential to any successful attorney SEO campaign.

A well-placed link can improve user experience, your overall SEO, and your website’s authority.

They can keep visitors on your website for longer, directing them to other relevant pages they may be interested in.

But what is it? Internal linking refers to the practice of linking one page of your website to another.

Links help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your website and make it easier for users to navigate your content. Internal linking can also increase the time users spend on your website and improve your website’s overall authority.

Consider these tips when placing your internal links:

• Use relevant anchor text that describes the linked content, and use keywords where appropriate.
• Make sure your internal links are relevant and help users navigate your site.
• Regularly audit your website to fix or remove broken links.

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Mobile-friendliness

Did you know that, on average, 58.43% of website traffic comes from mobile?

Having a website that’s mobile-friendly is no longer an option. It’s a necessity for all law firms.

Here are a few ways to make sure your website is mobile-friendly:

• Use responsive design, automatically adjusting your website’s layout and design to fit different screen sizes.
• Optimize your website’s load time for mobile devices.
• Make your website easy to navigate, with clearly visible menus and buttons on all devices.
• Your website’s content should be easily readable on mobile devices, with appropriate font sizes and spacing.

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Master on-page SEO to attract new clients

As you now know, on-page SEO is essential for any law firm looking to establish a strong online presence and attract leads.

If you focus on the above areas of SEO, including keyword research, optimizing title tags, and URL structure, you can improve your website’s placement on SERPS.