Being a bankruptcy law firm in town, you might be relying on referrals and traditional marketing tactics to get more people to entrust their cases to you. However, perhaps you haven’t delved into local SEO marketing yet, so you’re not reaching out to as many people as you want to. The Internet has become an essential part of a person’s day-to-day life, especially when they make purchases.Â
That’s why SEO experts are now turning to Local SEO to optimize a business’s visibility to the local market on prominent search engines, like Google.
So, What Is Local SEO?
Before Google updated its search engine results page into becoming more local-friendly, it used to only have Ad-words and organic searches as the results on searches. This made it harder for the user to easily find businesses that were closer to their location. At that time, they had to check the website for the address and go through Google maps to get directions.Â
But now, with local SEO, searches on Google focus on bringing businesses that are within close range of the user. So users can get more relevant results of businesses within their area, search engines depend on signals, like social profile pages, links, citations, and local content to get the most relevant local results for the benefit of the user.
For example:
When a user wants to search for a bankruptcy lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia, they’re going to see a list of law firms that are within Virginia and have a digital footprint. If you don’t have a website or you’re not registered in Google My Business or other listings sites, then, they’re not going to find your bankruptcy law firm.
Here’s what you will see when you search for a bankruptcy lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia:
And here’s what you will see on a mobile device.
Over the past two years, the searches “near me” and “close by” grew by more than 900%, meaning more and more people are relying on the Internet to look for businesses close to where they are at that given moment of their search.
That’s why if you want to market your local bankruptcy law firm within your area, you must look to online marketing, specifically local SEO, to get more and more people to contact you and entrust you with their case.
Why Local? Why Not the Whole Country or the Whole State?
If you’re a small business that’s operating in one specific area, then the key to getting more exposure within your locality is local SEO.
Targeting a specific area, group of people, and niche means more visibility for your business as it means lesser competition.
Meaning, if you focus on being visible for searches like “bankruptcy law firm in Virginia,” know that it’s going to be a lot harder for your potential clients to see your business as you’ll have a lot more competitors on this keyword. You’ll have to compete with businesses within Alexandria, Fairfax, and other towns or cities within Virginia.
And that’s definitely a long list of bankruptcy law firms.
However, if you focus on being visible in searches like, “bankruptcy law firm in Fairfax, Virginia,” it’s within a specific location and specific niche, meaning it has less competition.
Nowadays, 97% of users search on Google to find a local business, and 88% of those who use mobile devices for search either call or visit the business within 24 hours. And if you still don’t see the value of delving into local SEO, you’re missing out on these numbers.
However, if you’re the type of business that operates on a nationwide or worldwide scale, of course, SEO tactics that cover the areas you want to present your services and products to are what you should be focusing on.
How Can I Rank Well in Terms of Local Search?
When it comes to local search, it may be less competition compared to targeting the whole state, but at the end of the day, there’s IS still COMPETITION. Google’s algorithm will still make sure that users get the most relevant searches possible, which still makes it important for SEO specialists to know Google’s search engine updates, so they can come up with strategies to make businesses visible on local search engine results pages every time.
If not, of course, businesses won’t be able to get the leads they want even if they are targeting a specific location and niche.
So what are the three important pillars when it comes to local SEO marketing?
It’s relevance, prominence, and proximity.
Relevance – How relevant is your legal service to your potential clients’ search queries?
Proximity – How close is the distance between the user and your physical location?
Prominence – What’s your reputation amongst clients?
These are the three things that Google considers when ranking law firms in the search results pages. Now, the next question you’re probably asking is, “how can I make my law firm relevant?” “how do I show that the physical location is close to my potential client?” and “how do I create a positive reputation on the Internet?”
This is where some aspects of technical SEO come into play. You’ll need to come up with Title Tags, Meta Description, Head Tags, Content Strategy, Keywords, Citations, Google My Business, and Reviews, among others that are focused on targeting the specific area your bankruptcy law firm is from.
How Google My Business Helps
As we’ve said in the previous article, Google My Business is changing the game when it comes to local SEO marketing. It’s helping users connect to businesses through Google Search and Google Maps. Being Google’s very own listings feature, it allows businesses to:
- Add their contact information, location, website, and opening hours
- Let their customers review their services or products
- Book appointments without having to call your hotline
- Post blogs about their new services and other relevant updates
- Message you directly
To optimize your visibility on Google My Business, encourage clients to send in reviews and/or optimize your website for more organic searches. If you want to focus more on your business operations, you can ask online marketing experts to help you get the job done effectively.
The Importance of Local Content Marketing
Content marketing plays a big role in your search engine ranking as well. You need to create content that relates to your niche and your local audience. It should be content that gives them an idea as to what your brand is all about.
For example, if you are a bankruptcy law firm in Alexandria, Virginia, you can come up with bite-sized content that your potential clients can understand about bankruptcy and consumer law. You can create tips on how they can prevent or report identity theft in their area. Or perhaps you can give them reports and information about state laws regarding bankruptcy or consumer law that they should be aware of.
As much as possible, you should create quality content and execute a publishing strategy that will get you more and more people to interact with your brand to help improve your online visibility.
Your Reputation to Your Local Community Matters the Most
Remember, prominence is another key factor in Local SEO. Word travels fast nowadays, especially with the Internet becoming a big part of our lives. As much as possible, you need to make a positive impression on your clients whether it be online or in person. Online reputation not only helps you in your search engine rankings, but it helps you gain more revenue in the long run, too.
According to statistics, 82% of consumers read online reviews and an average consumer reads 10 reviews before trusting the services of a local business.
Think of it this way, if you go through listing sites to find a bankruptcy attorney who is close to you and has received high ratings. You’ll be given options like a bankruptcy attorney that has 4.6 stars with 50 reviews and one that has 4.0 stars with 20 reviews. Of course, you want to take your chances on one who has exceptional customer experience, so you go for the one that has 3.2 stars and 10 reviews.
And of course, oftentimes, your customer might not feel encouraged to leave a review online just because they’re pressed for time or they just haven’t thought of giving you any reviews. That is why you need to create a strategy that encourages your clients to leave reviews on Google My Business or any other listing platforms your business is in.
Also, when the negative reviews come up, be sure to address them. Survey shows that consumers who do read reviews, 97% of the time read your business’s response to reviews as well.
Your client wants active consumer engagement with your brand as it is also part of the customer experience.
Want to focus more on handling your practice? Leave the online marketing to the professionals.
When It Comes to Local SEO Marketing, the Binary Ideas Team Are Experts in Getting You Results
Our company has helped numerous bankruptcy law firms in Virginia get clients and revenue through our expertise in local SEO. We know how Google works and how to understand its continuously evolving algorithms. Our team is also equipped in many aspects of online marketing, such as online reputation management, social media management, content marketing, and the likes.
We are dedicated to working with you in boosting your online presence, ultimately helping you get the revenue you want. Learning and understanding the complexities of Google’s search rankings can be a challenge, especially if you want to focus on your practice. That’s why you can leave all these things to our experts at Binary Ideas.
Schedule a free consultation with our representative today, and get to know how our team can help your law firm with local SEO.
