Link Building for Lawyers

Marketing as a law firm is still a relatively new concept, and many firms still hesitate to breach the worldwide web. However, online marketing is one of the best ways to get business and interact with potential clients.

Link building is just one of the marketing strategies that law firms can utilize, and it can be a challenge, but it is 100 percent worth it. When done right, traffic to your site will increase, and Google’s algorithms will give it higher rankings.

What is Link Building?

Link building is an organic SEO marketing tactic that acts as a foundation for Google’s search algorithms. When other websites link to yours, Google interprets it as a recommendation. Google takes this interpretation and applies it to your ‘link profile.’

With more inbound links to your site, you can expect more visitors. Recommendations from trustworthy, reputable websites automatically cause your site’s reputation to rise as well. 

Link profiles determine your site’s rankings in Google searches. It is the result of the combined marketing and SEO strategies that your law firm utilizes. 

Even though link building is a core step for marketing, many law firms neglect or abandon their efforts. It isn’t something that happens overnight, and going the wrong way about it can have unintended negative consequences.

Why Do Lawyers Need Link Building Strategies?

A strategy for link building not only leads to more visits but more business as well. Credibility boosts and higher rankings are the primary goals of linking building tactics for lawyers.

Luckily, lawyers have an inherent advantage over many other professionals. A law school education alone gives you not only topical authority but expert knowledge as well. 

Since the majority of people go online for lawyer recommendations, the most visibility possible is essential. Also, as a general rule, success during a marketing campaign depends almost exclusively on Google rankings.

Aspects to Consider

When it comes to link building for lawyers, there are a few things to keep in mind as you begin to strategize. Regardless of the approach you take, it is essential to cover your bases completely.

Authority

You want the sites that link to yours to have an established positive reputation. Google’s algorithms judge authority sites and questionable sites accordingly, and an association with the latter deems your site suspicious as well.

Content Quality

The content that contains inbound links to your site matters, too. Well-researched, sourced information will always be better than the alternative. 

Keyword stuffing isn’t a good look, either. At this point, algorithms can tell if there is excessive or unnatural use of keywords. 

Relevance

Similarly to content quality, sites that link to unrelated content don’t mesh well with Google’s standards.  Be sure to always review a website and its content thoroughly before considering connecting with them.

Diversity

There should be a variety of sites that link to yours. Blogs, directories, reviews, and more are all critical for a well-rounded online presence.

Maximum Online Presence

For any business, an online presence is pretty much mandatory. Many people looking for services feel uncertain about companies with little to no web content. Along with link building, the addition of social media utilization will provide visibility and a way for potential clients to reach out to you.

Link Building Tactics for Lawyers

There are so many ways to take advantage of link building for lawyers. You won’t be able to do it all, at least not at once, but a combination of a few will undoubtedly help you make some progress.

Blogging

Having a blog for your law firm is beneficial for many reasons. You cannot only link back to yourself in articles, but you can also provide useful information for visitors. 

This useful blog information adds to quality content and further establishes your site as an authority. Keep in mind that articles around 3000 words seem to be most effective, but any more than that, and considerably fewer people will stick around to read the whole thing.

Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

An excellent way to acquire links is to reach out to journalists in need of expert information. There are a few ways to do this, but HARO is an easy way to get started. You can match with people who need lawyers, help them out, and gain recognition in the process.

Directories

There are many directories where you can register your law firm, but not all are equal. Whether it’s for businesses in general, lawyers, or your local area, a trustworthy directory is better than the biggest one out there.

Outreach

Reaching out to authority sites and asking for a link can be incredibly successful. You might even want to contact where you went to law school. Schools are always looking for new content for newsletters, highlights, and articles.

Podcasts and Interviews

Podcasts are all the rage these days, and making a guest appearance to talk about something important and relevant to your firm can go a long way. The same goes for interviews, which are even easier to link out, especially in text.

Other Strategies

So many other tactics are available that we can’t go over every single one, but here’s a quick rundown of the different options that you have:

  • Guest posting
  • Contributing to legal articles
  • Book publishing
  • Recognition from other firms and awards or nominations
  • Hiring a link building specialist
  • Establish your firm as a valuable resource with infographics, useful content, and by answering Quora questions
  • Establishing a scholarship

Final Thoughts

Regardless of your law firm’s current marketing strategy, adding link building tactics for lawyers is a sure way to get your name out there.

One of the essential aspects of lawyer link building, and for link building in general, is to take it slow. Avoiding shortcuts will save your law firm from Google ranking it poorly.

It may take time to see results, but waiting is worth it. Going through with link building and keeping up with it will prove to be an incredibly valuable tactic as time goes on.