How to get your law firm on the first page of Google | Gladiator Law Marketing (2024)

LAWYER MARKETING ARTICLES

May 20, 2024 | Written by Rachel Reynolds

If you’re wondering how to get your law firm on the first page of Google, you’ll need to keep an eye on two very important developments:

1. The rapid rise of AI-generated search results by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and more.
2. The emergence of much more sophisticated marketing content techniques that employ multiple channels to reach potential clients.

Google is no longer the only player in town when it comes to search, though it is still by far the largest. Healthy competition for search dominance is emerging from AI-first companies like OpenAI and others that are braving the new frontier of artificial intelligence and using this technology to find and relay information to users within seconds. Not to be outdone, Google intends to be a formidable player in the generative AI arena.

Google Unveils AI-Generated Search Results in New Era of Online Queries

On Tuesday, May 15, 2024, Google announced that it will introduce AI-generated answers to online queries, in one of Google’s biggest overhauls to its search engine in 25 years. The announcement came as part of Google’s I/O developer conference 2024 held in California. The company will begin rolling out its generative AI updates to U.S. users immediately.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: “I’m excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience – ‘AI overviews’ – to everyone in the U.S. this week.”

According to ScienceAlert.com, Google’s search results will feature an AI-generated summary at the top of the page (before the more typical list of links). These AI blurbs, generated by Google’s Gemini, will provide succinct summaries of its findings culled from the internet along with links to the online sources used.

This week’s announcement is likely in response to the pressure Google feels from new AI-powered search engines like Perplexity.ai and from media-splashing behemoth ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, which is rumored to be building its own AI search tool. These newcomers are praised by many for their cleaner, user-friendly experience as well as their clutter-free results compared to a traditional query. Many SEO professionals and creators are feeling nervous about AI’s rapid emergence in search, fearing users will no longer click through to websites to find answers. Gartner, a widely respected technology research and consulting firm, predicts traffic to the web from search engines will plummet 25% by 2026 because of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude.

Where AI will take search in the future is exciting … but it’s also anybody’s guess.

8 Steps to Increase Law Firm Visibility on Google

Until the AI dust settles, there are still effective, traditional tactics law firms can use to increase their visibility on Google and attract users to their websites. These should be part of your law firm marketing plan. Rather than wondering “Is SEO dead due to AI?”, it’s better to leverage both traditional SEO and AI to drive your visibility and build your brand. To get your law firm on the first page of Google, employ the following steps:

1. Claim Your Google Business Profile (GBP) and Add PhotosGoogle Business Profile is low-hanging fruit and costs your law firm nothing. Take 15 minutes to fill out your profile and claim it. This is one of the easiest, most powerful things you can do to enhance your ranking on Google in a search result. It enables you to manage your online presence through Google services, including both the search engine and Google Maps. Be sure to add photos of the interior and exterior of your offices. A correctly optimized GBP is essential, and WordStream offers 13 tips for optimizing GBP to rank higher in local search.
2. Ask for ReviewsThis may sound like a familiar drumbeat, but asking for reviews from satisfied clients is also a powerful – and free – technique for increasing your Google ranking. Research shows that 90% of consumers read online reviews before contacting an attorney. Despite being easy and free, it’s astounding how many law firms fail to leverage client reviews. If you do, your law firm will have a competitive advantage. Of course, you must get outstanding reviews (somewhere between 4 and 5 stars) for reviews to be effective, but there are even tactics you can use for managing negative reviews. Positive reviews also boost your law firm’s perceived expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EAT).
3. Focus on Local SEOBy employing a local SEO strategy, your law firm can boost its Google ranking for queries among users in your neighborhood, city or region. Local SEO uses keywords in your website content to indicate to search engines your firm’s location and legal services. If you’re a personal injury lawyer in Denver, you want to be found online by people searching the term “Denver personal injury lawyer.” If you’re showing up on SERPs related to different practice areas in other states, it’s a problem. Use your firm’s physical address and other location indicators in website content to alert search engines to your areas of legal expertise and geographic location.
4. Pursue Shares and Likes on Social MediaSocial media can be your law firm’s friend if you know how to use it to your advantage. Shares and likes on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and others builds social proof for lawyers and can drive traffic to your site.
5. Make Sure Search Engines are Indexing Your SiteGoogle’s index is a library of billions of web pages, and unless the pages on your website are in this index, there’s no way online searchers will find you. There are several tips for getting Google to index your site. First, start by finding out if a page on your website is currently indexed – you can best do this by using the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console.
6. Link Effectively (inner pages and outbound)While you don’t want to overlink, especially to or from spammy sites, linking can be an effective way to enhance your Google ranking. Intuitive and helpful inner linking between pages on your own website can enhance user experience and provide comprehensive answers to queries. Similarly, judicious and informative linking to external sources – particularly government agencies, universities, and other well-respected institutions – can add authority to your site.
7. Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile Friendly and Loads FastThere’s no substitute for excellent mobile design and rapid load speed when it comes to an outstanding law firm website. These are musts in a competitive market. Most searches are now done on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, so your site needs to be fast, secure, and easy to navigate. Mobile users are notoriously impatient, so if they can’t find what they’re looking for on your site within seconds, they’ll move on.
8. Understand and Leverage Voice SearchAI’s emergence in search reinforces the importance of voice search, which law firms need to understand and leverage when creating online content. Web pages, blogs, and digital ads should be written in conversational language and avoid (at all costs!) verbosity and legalese.

5 Tips for Creating Great Marketing Content

1. Write Informative and Compelling ContentContent is certainly king when it comes to creating outstanding marketing for law firms. Websites and marketing collateral should be well-researched and well-written in a tone that is compelling and informative.
2. Post/Update Content OftenContent also needs to be recent and relevant. Law firms should post content often and update existing content frequently. Refreshing older content with recent statistics and current trends indicates to readers that you’re in the know and care about the information you provide.
3. Use Relevant SEO KeywordsSEO keyword research is essential to your marketing content strategy. By including relevant SEO keywords in the titles, subheadings, and text of your web pages and blogs, you will help search engines understand what pages are about and increase your chances of being ranked higher by Google.
4. Use Long-Tail SEO PhrasesIn addition to individual keywords, you should use long-tail SEO phrases when creating digital content, particularly in focused-topic blogs, to further indicated to search engines the meaning and purpose of a page. If you’re looking for ideas for relevant long-tail SEO phrases, the “People Also Ask” section on a Google results page can identify phrases people search to find information.
5. Create Professional-Looking VideosIncreasingly, lawyers understand that content expands beyond the written word. “Content” includes videos, photos, podcasts, AI-generated images, and a whole host of other elements. If your law firm is exploring using videos or podcasts in your content marketing mix, make sure these are professionally done with high-quality images and exceptional audio.

Gladiator Law Marketing Partners with Law Firms to Accelerate Results

At Gladiator Law Marketing, we partner with law firms to create one-of-a-kind websites and marketing campaigns to raise your firm’s brand visibility and give you a competitive edge. From senior leadership to rank-and-file staff, we empower our professionals to work creatively on behalf of clients. Each of our marketing campaigns and website designs are customized for a client’s business goals and areas of expertise. There is no cookie-cutter approach to marketing a client’s firm. To learn more about our award-winning team and the services we provide, give us a call. Let’s have a conversation.