Search engine optimisation is a cornerstone of every business’s online presence. However, many pitfalls can affect an SEO strategy.
This article will cover 5 common SEO mistakes that family law firms fall into. By resolving these problems, you can improve your rankings significantly.
Key takeaways
- Optimise for local search terms and claim your Google Business Profile to boost visibility in your area.
- Regularly update your website with quality content and stay informed about Google’s algorithm changes to ensure steady SEO performance.
- Enhance site navigation and use clear calls to action to improve visitor conversions into clients.
- Collect and respond to client feedback to build trust and adjust services based on client needs.
- Regularly check for and resolve technical issues like slow load times and mobile incompatibilities to enhance user experience.
5 SEO Mistakes You Should Avoid
1. Ignoring Local SEO
Individuals seek family law services within their local area. When a firm ignores local SEO, it’s less likely to appear in search results when potential clients nearby search for family law services.
This reduces the firm’s visibility and the likelihood of attracting relevant clientele. It also leads to wasted resources as your SEO efforts attract visitors not in your target area.
Local listings provide valuable online real estate in search engine results. You miss out on high-visibility spots if you don’t claim and optimise listings on platforms like Google Business Profile.
Avoid this problem
Focusing on local keywords will increase your visibility on the local search engine results page. Instead of targeting “family law services”, optimise content for “family law services Maroochydore”.
Create relevant content for the local area. Produce articles regarding community-specific issues.
It’s highly recommended that you claim profiles like your Google Business Profile to enhance your online position. These profiles must be kept updated and are consistent across all directories.
Provide accurate opening hours and other business information and upload up-to-date photos.
2. Inconsistent Effort
One common pitfall in underperforming SEO is inconsistent effort. Law firms may post irregular website content updates and then lapse into inactivity. Some firms also churn out low-quality content that isn’t helpful to visitors. This, paired with poor keyword research, will result in low rankings on search engines.
Not taking the time to review algorithm updates can also harm an SEO strategy. Google introduces changes to search engine rankings, which can affect your strategy.
If you don’t consider these changes, a once successful SEO process will no longer produce results.
Avoid this problem
It’s vital to recognise the significance of quality SEO to success online. Not taking it seriously or prioritising it can affect your ability to convert potential clients. To improve consistency, set clear and measurable goals to work towards.
Understand the audience you want to connect with and create a content calendar. A content calendar will help you produce regular updates and ensure your web pages and each meta description are current.
Quality always trumps quantity in SEO. Focus on generating helpful, relevant content that reflects the latest information. This ensures that the effort you put in is matched by increased traffic to your website.
3. Ignoring Conversion Optimisation
Securing new clients online starts with generating traffic. However, that traffic means little if you are unable to convert those visitors. You may find that you are receiving high traffic levels but few expressions of interest.
Sometimes, a website’s layout doesn’t have clear user pathways. The information they seek may be on a web page but is challenging to locate. This can lead to frustration for the visitor and high bounce rates.
Avoid this problem
There are various ways to improve conversion rates. Firstly, it’s important to target the right audience. Local search optimisation is critical here. Place calls to action at strategic points on the website.
It’s recommended to use action-oriented language in your content.
For example, “call now for a free consultation” or “call our office today” with a link to your contact page. Producing lead magnets like free checklists or guides in exchange for contact information is also helpful.
It can take some time to get these elements right. Platforms like Google Analytics and Google Search Console provide useful insights into the traffic you’re getting. You can then A/B test different optimisations for the best results.
4. Overlooking Reviews and Testimonials
Reviews and testimonials can play a significant role in a person’s decision-making. Potential clients look to reviews to gauge the reliability and effectiveness of a family lawyer. Without positive testimonials, it’s harder for clients to establish trust.
Reviews also offer valuable feedback. Ignoring them means missing insights into what the firm is doing well and areas where it could improve.
Avoid this problem
We always suggest keeping up with reviews and testimonials. This will help connect with prospective clients and present your firm as trustworthy and reputable.
Ask satisfied clients to leave a review on platforms like Google reviews. You can also showcase positive reviews on your website.
It’s worth monitoring review sites and responding to every review, whether they’re positive or negative. Responding to negative reviews can be especially important. It allows you to address concerns.
5. Website Technical Issues
Technical issues plague some family law websites. Poorly optimised web pages can load slowly, which can irritate visitors. Visitors will also expect websites to be mobile-friendly.
If your website is challenging to navigate on mobile, this will affect the user experience. Broken links and 404 errors can be equally frustrating and lead to higher bounce rates.
If these issues aren’t addressed, a website can face several penalties. You may not show in search engine results pages and harm your visitors’ experience of your site.
Avoid this problem
You can improve loading speeds by optimising images, improving server response time and utilising browser caching. A more responsive web design can help the website operate better on mobile phones.
This will open your website up to a wider audience. Regularly auditing your website can help identify broken links. You can also update or redirect dead URLs.
Conclusion
Search engine optimisation is an essential but often misunderstood process. You can dramatically improve your SEO strategy by avoiding or resolving these common SEO problems. More effective SEO will result in higher rankings, better user experience, and satisfaction.
If you need help with SEO for your family law firm, please feel free to contact us today.
If you want an effective SEO strategy for your firm, book a free discovery call.
