Just about everyone uses the internet to answer questions and inform their actions. That is why law firms now understand that online marketing is so important for promoting their services. If you are struggling with creating and implementing an online lawyer marketing campaign, here are 8 tips that can help:

1. Define your target audience

Before you move ahead with online lawyer marketing, you must define your law firm’s target audience. Without a defined target audience, you will not be able to create an effective marketing strategy. You are simply casting a wide marketing net and hoping to catch people who might be interested. To define your target audience:

• Determine the age, gender and location of those you would like to reach
• Identify the primary issues this audience is facing
• Tie your law firm’s services to these problems
• Find out where this audience gets their information online

2. Do keyword research

Keyword research helps you to discover the words, phrases, questions or topics of interest people use when they search online. Since the way people behave online is constantly changing, keyword research is an ongoing process. To successfully practise online lawyer marketing, you must understand potential clients beyond the obvious searches. You can improve your legal keywords by using Google keyword planner. Sometimes when you type something into the search bar, Google predicts what the rest of your entry might be. The search engine also displays related search topics at the bottom of the page. You may use these suggestions and related search options as well to help you figure out what clients may be searching for.

3. Set a marketing budget

You must set an online marketing budget based on how much you can afford to spend, your law firm’s goals and competition in the industry. First, outline your main objectives. Then, conduct research to get an idea of how much you need to spend to achieve those objectives. Look at which channels competitors seem to be investing most of their online lawyer marketing budgets. Based on your keyword research, see what the estimated bid is for these words and phrases you plan to work with.

A successful marketing campaign does not necessarily mean you must utilize every marketing channel. You may end up stretching your budget too thinly and running mediocre campaigns across multiple channels. Instead, invest in an outstanding execution in key areas.

4. Create a responsive website

Ensure you have a responsive lawyer website. A responsive website is one that looks and performs well on all devices with both small and large screens. This means your site will automatically scale all its elements to match the size of the screen on which it is being viewed. Visitors will not have to resize, zoom or pan to view content. Responsive web design helps to increase the number of time visitors spend on your web pages as well as your ranking in search engines.

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5. Track your conversions with Google Analytics

A conversion occurs when a visitor to your website takes a desired action such as sharing their contact details or reaching out to your law firm via telephone or email. Conversion tracking can help to inform your marketing decisions and make your law firm more successful. With Google Analytics, conversion tracking is easy. Conversion tracking is so important because when you know what marketing techniques lead to valuable conversions, you can then repeat the process.

Conversion tracking helps you to see what is working for you and what needs improvement. Additionally, conversion tracking lets you know your cost per conversion. If you find that you are spending too much on conversions, you can then adjust your marketing campaign to make the process more cost-effective.

6. Use Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free web service that directs and monitors how your lawyer website is seen by Google. The Search Console performs technical audits of your site to identify major errors or issues that may affect the usability and indexing. It shows you the impressions and click-through rate as well.

To get the most from your Google Search Console you should submit your sitemap and ensure you’re targeting the right location. Also, monitor your indexing, fix web errors and optimize metadata based on feedback provided by Google.

7. Create a Google Business account

If you want your law firm to appear in local business listings, you should create a Google My Business profile. Once you set up and verify your account, add a detailed business description, hours of operation, location, business photos and videos.

8. Keep your website and social media pages active

If you want people to keep coming back to your website, you must give them a reason to return. So, update your web pages and blogs monthly, and social media pages at least once a week. You should cross-link your social media pages with your website as well.

Do you need help with online lawyer marketing?

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to online lawyer marketing. That is why the team at Soulpepper Digital Marketing is here to help. We will take over your online marketing to allow you to focus on providing your clients with the best possible legal services. Our results speak for themselves and we would love to show you how we’ve helped other lawyers and discuss what we can do for you. So, contact us to schedule a free marketing consultation today.