One of the two most critical and reliable ways to improve website traffic and SEO is link building – the other is writing valuable content based on keyword research. While content can take months, if not years, to help your website rank, the results of good link building are significantly faster.
Link building is an important part of an SEO agency’s strategy. And it’s not hard to see why. Getting backlinks from well-known sites (essentially, domains that are considered to have high authority in a particular niche) can directly increase your website’s authority. This in turn helps you rank for more niche keywords.
Links pointing to your website are called backlinks. The more “good” backlinks a domain has, the more authoritative it is considered. Links that are relevant, permanent, naturally embedded and come as “dofollow” are better. One such link from an authoritative domain can be worth a hundred links from smaller websites.
And not to mention that one good backlink from a reputable website can significantly improve your website traffic.
That being said, this does not mean that medium authority websites have no influence. And these are the websites you will most likely start with.
However, these backlinks are not easy to come by. Unless you hire a Chicago SEO agency or contract out some lawyer SEO services, you can’t expect to get very far on your own. But that changes today! In this guide, we’ll offer some practical tips for creating an effective link building strategy for your law firm in simple steps.
Create high quality content
Develop high-quality, informative and valuable content that others will find useful and want to link to. This can include blog articles, white papers, case studies and legal guides.
Content should be well-researched, unique, and address common legal questions or concerns. High-quality and valuable content increases the likelihood that other websites will link to it.
At first, your website will not be discovered even if someone tries hard to find it. So, be patient and wait for your website to start ranking first.
Identify relevant link opportunities
Once you have a good website with plenty of content, start identifying relevant websites and online platforms within the legal industry that could potentially lead to your law firm website. Look for legal directories, industry associations, legal blogs, and authoritative websites that publish legal content.
1. Identify potential networking opportunities that align with your practice areas and target audience.
2. Contact all of these websites personally for a link exchange or guest posting opportunity. The better your website, the better your chances of getting a positive response.
3. Tell them how something from your site will be a complementary addition to the data on one of their sites, for example.
Outreach and relationship building
Reach out to website owners and bloggers in the legal industry to showcase your firm and share your content. Personalize your public messages and explain how your content can benefit their audience. Building relationships with influential individuals and organizations in the legal field can lead to networking and guest blogging opportunities.
However, keep your expectations grounded. Most authoritative websites will either ignore your request or ask for a charge.
Guest Blogging
Look for opportunities to contribute guest blog posts to reputable legal websites or blogs.
Guest blogging allows you to showcase your expertise, reach a wider audience and earn valuable backlinks to your website. Make sure your guest blog posts are well-written, informative, and provide value to readers. Include relevant links back to your law firm’s website in your content or author bio.
Perhaps SEO audit services will help you identify opportunities first. Most SEO service providers, for example, have a wide network of websites that accept guest bloggers. After the audit, they will be able to find good websites for your law practice.
Local citations and directories
Submit your law firm information to local directories and legal citation websites. These platforms can provide valuable backlinks and improve your business’s visibility in local search results. Ensure your business information is consistent and accurate across directories.
Monitor and manage your backlinks
Regularly monitor your website’s backlink profile to identify new opportunities, ensure incoming link quality, and address any toxic or poor quality links. Use tools like Google Search Console and third-party SEO tools to analyze your backlinks and discard any unwanted or spammy links that can harm your website’s reputation.
Professional guidance, such as that from an SEO consultancy, can be helpful here in setting up tools and workflows that can continuously monitor and manage your backlinks before they do any damage.
It’s not uncommon for poor quality links, links from PBNs, or links from spam sites linking to almost any type of website in large numbers to damage your website’s authority beyond repair.
Get involved in legal communities
Participate in online legal communities, forums and discussions related to your practice areas. Engaging in conversations and offering useful insights can establish your expertise and lead to networking opportunities when relevant. Be mindful of forum rules and guidelines and avoid overly promotional behavior.
Google likes a healthy mix of “dofollow”, “nofollow” and “UGC” links. The last two are links that indicate your social presence. Links you may create on forums (for example, in response to a legal question where you link to a tutorial on your website) are usually nofollow or UGC.
Wrapping Up
Creating an effective link building strategy is key to improving your law firm website’s search engine rankings and increasing organic traffic. We hope our tips have helped point you in the right direction.
