SEO Marketing for Law Firms Tips

For solo practitioners and boutique law firms seeking to rank highly on Google and other search engines, a common question arises: What practical steps must be taken to engage in effective SEO marketing for law firms? A key element for proper SEO marketing involves adhering to E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

What Exactly is E-E-A-T?

By way of background, E-E-A-T is a framework used by Google’s team of human reviewers to assess the overall quality and ranking ability of web content. Google acknowledged the importance of the E-E-A-T framework in a recent “Helpful Content Update.” This update highlighted the importance of web content aligning with E-E-A-T standards while centering on the reader with helpful information.

In effect, Google seeks to rank sites and pages with a strong E-E-A-T to help protect its users from harm and provide them with the best possible search experience.

Why E-E-A-T is a Key Aspect of SEO Marketing for Law Firms

E-E-A-T is important to SEO marketing for law firms because it promotes the creation of high-quality content that will, hopefully, lead to users enjoying their search experience with Google.

Taking proactive steps to strengthen your E-E-A-T rating can help your law firm website align with Google’s definition of a good search result. Here are just a few reasons why E-E-A-T is critically important to engage in SEO marketing for law firms effectively:

Google’s search algorithms regularly analyze whether digital content conforms to E-E-A-T principles. This is a big reason why high-quality, well-researched, and trustworthy digital content routinely ranks high on the first page of many Google search queries.
Law firms that deploy strong E-E-A-T signals have a stronger chance of appearing in top search results, particularly for competitive Google search queries.
Web content that reflects experience and credibility often encourages visitors to spend more time on a particular page, share that page, and return to the site, all of which contribute to better search performance.

Demonstrating E-E-A-T For Your Legal Practice

To display a high level of E-E-A-T, both solo practitioners and law firms need to focus on each of the four factors:

Experience: Emphasize publishing content that reflects direct, first-hand experience with the question or legal issue. If you are a new attorney without significant experience, consider citing and quoting respected sources that directly address the question or legal issue at hand.
Expertise: Publish web content that highlights your subject matter expertise through the accuracy of your digital content and credentials. Similar to the Experience factor, it is recommended that you cite reputable sources in your content. Citing quality sources can help to enhance your overall Expertise rating.
Authoritativeness: Enhancing your law firm’s authority requires consistently publishing high-quality, optimized digital content. Additionally, it is recommended that you take proactive steps to distribute your web content and attempt to generate mentions and links from other high-quality, reputable sites.
Trustworthiness: Being transparent and open with your audience is critically important. Ensure that you provide clear contact information and details about your law firm. You should also strive to establish a positive reputation in your local community. This can be accomplished by actively managing your Google My Business profile, Avvo profile, and Better Business Bureau listing, among others, and ensuring that you receive positive reviews from clients and colleagues.

Most Important E-E-A-T Factor When Engaging in SEO Marketing for Law Firms

All of the E-E-A-T factors are important, but Google has expressly highlighted the weight it places on trustworthiness. According to published Google guidance, “untrustworthy pages” have an inherently low E-E-A-T score, “no matter how experienced, expert, or authoritative they may seem.” To put it another way, you could be a highly experienced and credentialed lawyer who is considered to be a thought-leader in your practice area, but your site may not rank highly in Google if your site or web contact lacks trustworthiness.

Have Questions About SEO Marketing for Law Firms? Contact Us Today

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or a boutique law firm, effectively optimizing your website and digital content is crucial to expanding your presence and attracting new clients. KPC Marketing Services can help. We understand SEO and what it takes to optimize your site thoroughly and position it to rank highly in Google. If you have questions about SEO, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.