Attorneys have been struggling to keep up with the changing SEO landscape over the last year. First, Google released their algorithm update that devalued links as a ranking factor. Then, they announced an update to their content guidelines which penalizes sites that publish low-quality or thin content. These changes have made it more difficult for attorneys to rank their websites in search engine results pages (SERPs). However, Google has just released a new update that will make it easier for attorneys to optimize their websites for better visibility. called “Helpful Content”. This new update focuses on rewarding sites that publish high-quality and valuable content. So, what does this mean for attorneys? It means that adding helpful SEO-optimized content for law firm blog posts and articles that provide expertise, authority, and trust signals can now help you rank higher in SERPs, even if your website doesn’t have many inbound links.
What Google's "Helpful Content" Update Means for Law Firm Marketers
This update is designed to more effectively reward content that provides a satisfying experience for visitors while punishing those websites that publish pieces of content that fail to meet expectations. Google's own guidelines recommend trying to understand the search intent of the user, determining a question they may have, and then answering the question right away, without a lot of fluff so the searcher comes away feeling they got what they were looking for. Ultimately, both Google and your users are looking for content that provides a better user experience. This means that SEO-optimized content should be written for people first and not the Googlebot or to game its algorithm. This is not a new strategy or demand, but rather, a law firm's website ranking is now impacted more by the need to write useful and helpful content meant for human consumption and not some faceless computer.
How does local SEO help law firms?
In addition to providing quality content, local SEO tactics remain important for law firms when optimizing their blog posts. Utilizing local keywords in titles and descriptions, tagging local neighborhoods or cities, and putting local information into the body of your content will help you rank higher in local search engine results pages (SERPs). By combining both local SEO best practices with a high-quality content creation strategy, attorneys can improve their visibility in SERPs and get more eyes on their websites.
Google's Helpful Content Update is just one more way Google is trying to improve the user experience while also rewarding sites that are optimized correctly. With these changes, attorneys now have even more incentive to focus on creating valuable content to attract new clients and stay ahead of the competition.
Can a law firm's website recover from Google's Helpful Content Penalty?
If your website has taken a hit from Google's latest content update, don't fret! The solution is to do a complete audit of all the content on your site. This means scouring every service page and blog post--anything that's been published and indexed online. Once you have an idea of what needs to be rewritten or removed, determine which pieces are low-quality. In some cases, this might mean starting from scratch with old blog posts. If so much work needs to be done that it feels daunting, consider hiring outside help.
What is the next step lawyers should with their digital marketing?
If you want to stay one step ahead, make sure your law firm is utilizing local SEO best practices and creating high-quality content that provides a satisfying experience for users. This will help increase visibility in local SERPs and keep your law firm's website ranking high. By working with a local SEO professional, you can ensure that your law firm website is optimized for Google's updates and maximizes its potential in local SERPs. This will save you time and stress down the line.
