How To Make Your Law Firm Website Stand Out In A Crowded Practice Area

Read Time: 6 minutes

As a law firm, you’ve more than likely created a website and listed your business on various relevant platforms. You’ve probably got a social media page or two and may even have created a Google Business Profile listing. If you feel you’ve done enough, you’re unfortunately wrong. As the digital landscape continues to evolve and SEO for law firms becomes even more important, those in need of legal services are increasingly relying on online searches to give them the information they need and right when they need it. So, you need to ask yourself the question, “Is my legal business doing enough to stand out in a crowded digital space?”

If you’ve answered “no” or “I’m not sure” to this question, then the good news is that it doesn’t have to be a complicated exercise to create a strong online presence that will rival your competitors. At the end of the day, you’re looking to attract more business to your law firm, and your website is arguably the strongest tool you have at your disposal to do exactly that. Why wouldn’t you then make it the most powerful one that you can?

Here are a few ways that you can give your legal firm website a boost that will leave your competitors pleading for a recess.

The Reality of Crowded Practice Areas

We have had several legal businesses come to us with the question, “How can our website differentiate us from other law firms in our practice area?” The answer to that is really “If you know how.” The reality is that legal practices, in most areas, have to contend with a relatively crowded space, where many firms are competing with the same service offerings.

To understand the answer to this problem, you need to consider why a potential client would choose your business over another. If the prices are relatively similar and the offering is the same, what is it that may tip things in your favor? This is where differentiation comes into play, in terms of how you are setting yourself apart from other firms in the area. One example is if you’re a family-run law firm that has been in business for over 50 years. The time you’ve been in business gives you credibility, while the fact that you are family-run indicates that you may hold family values in high regard, which may give potential customers more trust in you. The practical execution here would be to include the copy ‘Family-run law firm with over 50 years of experience in [place]’ as headings on your primary web pages or built into the metadata on your site.

If you’ve won any big cases and can disclose these without giving away any confidential information or case-specific details, then do. The same for any awards you may have received or any other differentiating factor that you can shine the light on.

Attorney Bio Differentiation: Moving Beyond the Credentials

This one is all about creating a bio that looks impressive. What you don’t want to do is write up a bio that reads like something you would say in a courtroom. It needs to answer the question, “Why do some people choose one law firm over another?” In other words, give people a reason to choose you by highlighting your credentials, big cases you may have handled, or unique trials that you’ve been involved in that give you the edge in a certain area. Always make sure to follow your local bar association’s guidelines on what you can and can’t say here.

Another area to bring in is what you’ve done in your local community. If you are focusing on a small town where community is important, tell your audience what you’ve done for that area. Perhaps it’s as simple as volunteering in a local soup kitchen, or you’ve helped rebuild an old part of the area. Whatever it is, make sure to mention it, as this will resonate with your audience, especially if you’re in family law.

The other thing to mention in your bio is where you’ve been featured. Perhaps there is a positive news article that talks about your practice, or you’ve been featured as a leading figure in your community.

Case-Result Presentation That Complies with Bar Rules

Make sure that you feature previous experience to help build your credibility when writing your website content. What you have to be wary of, though, is overdisclosing, in terms of referring to case information or anything confidential that should remain sealed. State bar associations are relentless in this area, so make sure you don’t cross the line.

What you can do to ensure you’re compliant but still demonstrate your capability is to reframe how you present your history. Look to reference your victories in specific types of complex matters, without including any information that might be considered confidential. You can be both broad and effective. For example, instead of including a specific multi-million dollar recovery as an example of your past experience, you could describe the scenario as something like “Experience handling multi-vehicle commercial trucking accidents involving complex corporate liability” or whatever the specific case involved. You can also consider showcasing case studies on your website.

Focus on Niche Pages and Avoid Generic Ones

You’ll find that there are plenty of law firms that make the mistake of focusing on one page that covers their entire practice. They’ll list the various legal areas they focus on and build up a lengthy page that covers each. Instead, create targeted sub-pages that are broken down into each of the services you offer, focusing on one on each page.

These types of pages rank well for specific, high-intent searches and will speak directly to a specific audience.

Video Content and Testimonials

When you place video content on your website, you’re adding rich media that is easier for your target audience to absorb and, in many cases, will perform well on search and AI platforms. If you ask any company that offers law firm SEO services, they’ll very quickly tell you to incorporate some of this video content into your site, and for good reason.

While it’s great for SEO, it’s also an opportunity to add more personality to your brand and connect with your audience on another level. They get to see more of the people behind the brand, which will work towards improving how they view you. A cold website featuring nothing but pages full of lengthy text will never create the same trust that one that features video of the real people in the business will. It’s the same for testimonials, where you feature videos of clients who validate the service you offer and how they represented you. Not everyone will be comfortable with this, so you’ll need to consider the type of case it was before you approach them.

Bring in a Flow of Steady Reviews

This SEO for law firms in South Florida tip is one that also focuses outside of your website but plays a critical role in attracting new traffic to it. It’s all about reviews of your business and your services. Google reviews are a good example, where pretty much anyone can leave a review on your business. There are various ways to encourage more reviews, whether that is communication with a client once you’ve successfully closed the deal or placing a sign within your practice with a QR code that links directly to your Google Business Profile.

While these reviews are great for showcasing your services and what people appreciated most about them, they are also critical in impacting the SEO for law firms. Each of these reviews should be seen as a digital validation, where the more you receive, the more impactful your online presence will become. Don’t do a push at once for these reviews, but rather have them come in a steady stream. If Google sees a sudden jump in reviews, they may consider them spam.

Don’t Only Focus on Your Nearest City

The key to improving the performance of your website is to be broad but specific. What we mean by this is to create content that is targeted at a specific region, not only your nearest city. If you’re a company operating out of Pompano Beach, for example, don’t only talk about the services you offer in Miami. Be specific about the smaller areas as well.

This is where local SEO for law firms comes into play, where you develop content that speaks to a specific community. Include hyper-local references that prove your team actually works and lives in the area. By doing so, you’ll build credibility within that area.

Leveraging Effective Law Firm SEO Services

If you want to stand out in a highly competitive legal market, you can’t expect to do so overnight. There are various components that drive a website and no singular quick fix that you can focus on. It’s about ensuring that various SEO elements work together with the ultimate goal of improving your online presence and attracting more credible leads to your website.

The first step is to partner with a reputable digital marketing agency in South Florida, one that has the team and expertise to work with other law firms in the area. At Connectica, we’ve helped many legal businesses improve their online reputation and attract new clients. If you’d like to see how your law firm ranks against your competitors, you can get a free SEO audit on our website. You can also call our experienced team at 877-816-2259.

The reality is that a terrible website is an open-and-shut case for losing business. Yes, we just did that.