Link building is getting links from other websites to yours. These links are pathways to your content and tell search engines like Google your website is credible and relevant and that’s why it should rank higher in search results.
Link building for lawyers is crucial for online presence because Google uses links as one of the key factors to determine a website’s credibility and relevance and rank in search results.
Having a solid online presence is crucial for law firm websites to attract clients, build trust, and adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape and client expectations.
Your law firm operates in a highly competitive digital space, which means many other firms are vying for their clients’ attention online. They are trying to stand out, attract people looking for legal services, and thrive in a competitive digital world.
But how do you start getting links to your website and how do you do it in a way that benefits you the most?
Here’s the guide.
What We Cover in This Article
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Why is link building important for a law firm?
To understand why, we’ll look at backlinks and domain rating of a law firm called Kirkland and Ellis LLP.
Kirkland and Ellis LLP is a top Chicago based firm that offers a wide range of legal services and practices including private equity, litigation, real estate and bankruptcy among others.
Backlink Profile of kirkland.com
The above image shows the website has around 64,000 backlinks from over 4,000 linking sites and a domain rating of 72.
These results are due to link building and on-page SEO, which are crucial for improving a law firm’s website’s search engine rankings and online visibility. So we know that building links is at least partly responsible for the results we’ve seen. High quality backlinks to your site makes them rank higher and get traffic.
Here’s why:
the importance high-quality backlinks for your site.
Credibility and trust🤝
Backlinks from other reputable and authoritative websites are endorsements. When other trusted websites in the law industry link to your site, it boosts your site’s credibility and makes you an expert or authority in the field.
SEO 📈
A good link building strategy can get you higher rankings on Google so potential clients can find your website easier.
Referral traffic🚦
Backlinks can drive referral traffic to the firm’s website. If a legal blog, news site or other industry related law firm websites links to your page’s content, it can bring people looking for legal topics to your website.
Competitive advantage🏆
A strong online presence gives you an edge in the competitive legal market. Good link building can make a law firm stand out and attract more clients.
Networking🌐
Link building for law firms means reaching out to other professionals, legal websites or industry influencers.
The way to connect with other professionals in the legal field can create relationships and networking opportunities.
Content promotion📢
Link building is often connected to content creation and promotion. Lawyers can create valuable and informative content related to their niche and through this process they can get their content to a wider audience.
This Reddit user talks about the importance of providing educational content with the aim of answering common, unaddressed questions to help drive conversions.
Comment
byu/HikeTheSky from discussion
inbigseo
By focusing on providing real value rather than just promotional content, you create a positive experience for your users while also establishing topical authority in your niche.
Below is an image of Kirkland and Ellis LLP’s blog on ‘Private infrastructure investment and the Covid-19 pandemic’.
The above article shows the firm’s expertise in private equity and infrastructure by showing their knowledge, authority and experience.
Before we get into the different strategies used in link building for law firms, let’s learn the common terms used in this field.
Link Building Terms You Should Know
Anchor text
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. Search engines understand the linked page’s content through anchor texts.
Well crafted anchor texts adds to the professionalism of your firm’s website. Lawyers can use relevant and descriptive anchor text related to the content on the linked page.
There are two ways an anchor text is created.
- When the link text matches the exact text of a title or heading you’re referencing.
Example: Here are 15 best guest post email templates.
- Writing a description of the destination page to use as anchor text.
Example: You can use link building tools to make your process smoother.
Do-follow and No-follow links
These links tells search engines how to treat a link.
DoFollow and NoFollow Links.
A dofollow link has a rel=”dofollow” attribute that allows search engines to follow and pass authority from a page with the link to the linked page.
A no-follow link has a rel=”nofollow” attribute that tells search engines not to pass authority from a page with the link to the linked page.
Domain authority
Domain authority is a metric to measure a site’s strength and authority based on various factors like backlinks, content quality and age of a domain etc.
Referring domains
Referring domains are external websites that links to your website. Multiple high quality referring domains are important to build high quality links
PageRank
PageRank is a Google algorithm that measures how important a web page is by looking at the quality and quantity of links it has. Although Google no longer publicly updates PageRank, it still follows the same principles to decide how authoritative and relevant a web page is.
Inbound links
Inbound links are links from other websites that point to your website. They are essential for improving your website’s ranking in search engine results and are viewed as votes of confidence and indicators of your website’s credibility and authority.
Every industry benefits from tailored SEO strategies. Optimizing SEO for financial advisors, can attract more clients and establish expertise.
Link Building Strategies for Lawyers
Getting Listed in Free and Paid Legal Directories📂
Listing your law practice to respectable paid and free directories is a simple and effective link building tactic. Legal directories usually allow you to include a link to your law firm’s website.
While search engines like Google frown upon paid links, carefully screened paid link opportunities can be used to increase the number of referring domains pointing to your site and boost site authority.
Use directories that are well respected in the law industry to maximize your online presence. Here are a few to get you started:
• Avvo: Avvo is a legal directory that provides ratings and reviews for lawyers.
• Findlaw: Findlaw has many resources for lawyers and anyone looking for legal help and helps you connect with lawyers online.
Kirkland and Ellis LLP’s profile on Findlaw.com.
Above is the location and list of attorneys at Kirkland and Ellis LLP on Findlaw.com.
• HG.org: HG.org has a directory of lawyers and law firms, making it easy for people to find lawyers for their specific needs. HG.org also has legal articles, guides and other resources to help individuals understand various legal topics.
• Justia: Justia is an online platform that provides legal information and resources to the public. It’s a comprehensive legal portal with various tools and services.
Creating High Quality, Shareable Content📝
Exceptional content is the backbone of any link building tactics, and creating high-quality web pages that answer the needs and questions of your audience is crucial. Law firms should create top notch, helpful and shareable content that answers the needs and questions of their audience.
Whether a blog post, legal guides–like divorce mediation guides–or article, valuable content gets shared and linked naturally.
A reader values quality content. For your content to be valuable, it must be relevant, newsworthy or evergreen. The goal is to create content that remains valuable for a long time and requires minimal updates.
For example an article on ‘5 clauses every employment contract should have’ by Findlaw can be considered an evergreen article because the essential clauses in an employment contract won’t change much over time.
An example of an evergreen article.
The information in this article applies to a broad audience and is applicable universally, making it relevant for a long time.
This article is general in nature and applicable to everyone so it’s relevant for a long time.
Building Relationships with Other Law Firms🤝
Collaboration within the legal industry can be beneficial, and building relationships with other firms and website owners opens up opportunities for reciprocal linking. This mutual linking can boost both firms’ online authority.
This strategy involves several steps:
• Join legal forums or discussion groups where other firms are participating.
• Identify reputable law firms in your practice area and have a good online presence. Look for firms that are similar to you and your values.
• Research their content and find articles, blog posts or resources that are relevant to your audience that can be useful for your website.
• Connect on social media by following the law firms on social media and engaging with their content by liking, sharing and commenting.
Building relationships with other businesses in your niche
• Reach out to law firms via personalized emails or direct messages. Show genuine interest in their content and mention specific articles or resources you found useful.
•Find guest posting opportunities by proposing to share valuable content. Highlight the mutual benefits of sharing valuable insights with each other’s audience.
• Offer reciprocal opportunities. If you request a link back from them, offer to return the favour by featuring their content on your website or collaborating on joint projects.
Here’s a template to use when reaching out to law firms you want to collaborate with:
Collaboration proposal template.
• Follow up. Building relationships requires ongoing communication and engagement.
Here’s a simple follow up email template to use:
Follow-up Email Template.
Guest Posting✍️
Guest-posting on reputable websites can help law firms appear higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) by acquiring quality backlinks. The process involves writing articles for other websites within the legal niche. By contributing valuable content to reputable platforms, law firms showcase their expertise and get a link back to their site.
Choosing relevant and authoritative websites for guest posting is essential to ensure the good quality and relevance of the links you obtain.
Here’s an image of a guest posting ad by Advocate Daily, a legal news site in Canada.
The above ad provides the style, word count and contact details.
Benefits of guest posting.
Use your connections through networking and outreach and make an effort to guest post on a good site. Reach out to your contacts and express your interest in guest posting.
Showcase your expertise and the value you can bring to their target audience through well written and relevant content.
After you make your initial request follow up with your connection politely. Whether or not your connection can give you a guest posting opportunity, thank them for their time.
Social Media📱
Social media links help boost your online presence.
Posting content on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook increases its reachability. When social media advocates engage with and share your content, it can significantly amplify its reach. This increased visibility from social media profiles can lead to others sharing and referencing your content, which in turn benefits your website.
For example, Kirkland and Ellis have about 132K followers on their LinkedIn profile.
Kirkland and Ellis LLP’s LinkedIn profile.
A solid internet following, as shown above, enhances the firm’s overall brand awareness.
When familiar with the brand, users are more likely to reference and share its content, contributing to natural link building.
Social media platforms also help law firms to network with other experts and organizations within the legal sector. These relationships may lead to collaborations and improve your guest-posting opportunities.
Providing a Scholarship🎓
Law firms create and promote scholarship programs to relevant educational institutions with .edu domains through scholarship link building.
Since Google regards .edu sites as trustworthy and authoritative sources, providing scholarship to law students by linking with law schools with edu domains can help you gain attention and attract backlinks to your firm’s website.
Hence, getting a link to your site helps build backlinks and strengthen your backlink profile.
Below is an image of the University of Illinois, Chicago’s scholarship page.
University of Illinois’ scholarship page.
The page offers required scholarship information to students seeking financial aid.
Law firms offering scholarships receive mentions and backlinks from universities, scholarship directories, and student-focused websites, which helps to improve their website’s search engine ranking and online presence.
Many scholarships granted to students require them to submit essays related to the industry as a part of their application. The articles submitted by aspirants act as high quality content that can be published on your website to improve its credibility.
Creating Legal Resources and Tools🛠️
Creating useful legal resources like checklists, templates, or interactive tools can attract links from other websites that want to give their readers useful resources.
These materials should be designed to address common legal questions and challenges.
The different steps involved in creating legal resources are:
• Identify Target Audience and Topics: Select the legal themes or issues relevant to your target audience. Consider the needs and questions your potential clients might have.
• Research Keywords and Trends: Conduct keyword research to understand what terms and phrases people search for in the legal domain. Use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz for keyword research relevant to the current legal trends and issues.
In the above image, Semrush has been used to analyze metrics like search volume and keyword difficulty for the keyword ‘Link building for law firms’.
• Develop Comprehensive Guides and Articles: Create in-depth guides and articles that provide valuable legal information. Showcase case studies or success stories highlighting your firm’s expertise and positive outcomes for the client.
Below is a success story article by Kirkland and Ellis LLP in their blog.
This page highlights the law firm’s achievements and portrays its expertise and credibility.
• Interactive webinars or podcasts: Host webinars or podcasts where legal experts discuss relevant topics. Make recordings or transcripts available on your website for ongoing reference.
For example, ‘The Law Entrepreneur’, hosted by Neil Tyra, owner of Tyra Law firm, provides tips and strategies for law firm owners and legal entrepreneurs.
‘The Law Entrepreneur’, by Neil Tyra.
• Legal tools and calculators: Provide useful legal tools and calculators. For example, you may develop tools to calculate possible settlements, comprehend statutes of limitations, or estimate the expense of legal representation.
A few popular legal research tools available online for free are LexisNexis, Westlaw, and CourtListener.
• Legal glossary and FAQ section: Create an extensive legal glossary or a section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). This section can be useful for anyone who needs help understanding legal jargon and concepts.
The Department of Justice, USA, has ‘The Legal Terms glossary’ online, providing definitions for more than 100 of the most frequently used legal terminologies.
This website includes definitions of legal terms, concepts, and terminology relevant to the American legal system.
• Legal templates and forms: Offer downloadable legal templates or forms that users can use for legal purposes. Ensure that the templates are customizable and adhere to legal standards.
For example, a website called SEQ Legal provides a range of templates like non-disclosure agreements, website terms and conditions, and copyright notices, among others.
SEQ Legal Templates
• Legal news and updates section: The legal news and updates section should provide valuable resources for readers seeking the latest information on changes in laws, regulations, or significant events within the legal field.
The legal news section can also be used to publish news articles, event announcements, and analyze of legal developments.
• Design infographics and visual content: Create captivating infographics and visual content by designing legal information into infographics. Graphic material can get links from other websites and can be shared on social media to improve your website’s visibility.
Here’s an image of infographics created by Philips and Associates, a New York-based law firm, on the types of pleas in criminal cases.
Legal infographic resource.
Monitoring and updating old content
This is the final step in link building. Here are a few reasons why updating old content on your law firm’s website is crucial:
• Legal information is subject to change due to legislative updates, court decisions, and changing regulations. Regularly monitoring and updating content ensures that data on your website remains accurate and relevant.
• Visitors and potential clients on your website may question the reliability of information if it appears outdated, which may harm your website’s credibility.
• Updating old content on your website tells search engines that your law firm website is active and offers valuable, up-to-date information, which can improve your website’s credibility.
• By consistently updating your content, you display your firm’s commitment to staying informed and maintaining a high level of expertise in your practice areas.
Work with link building specialists
Alternatively, you can outsource professional link builders (like ours!) if you need more expertise or are short on time. These professionals deeply understand the SEO nuances and carefully design and carry out link building campaigns according to your law firm’s needs.
A professional will be responsible for developing a suitable strategy, creating and optimizing content, reaching out to industry influencers, and identifying opportunities for guest posting.
Working with a specialist requires clear communication, a well-defined strategy, and ongoing monitoring to achieve successful results.
Hiring a link building specialist consists of the following steps:
1. Research and find reputable specialists or firms.
2. Go through the specialist’s portfolio to understand their link building expertise in the law industry.
3. Discuss the strategy that will be employed by the specialist and ensure an approach that focuses on building high-quality, relevant links.
4. Discuss costs and budgets and clearly understand the pricing structure.
5. Be open to changes to your plan along the way based on performance metrics and evolving goals of your website. Flexibility allows for optimizing the campaign for a better result.
6. Regularly monitor your website’s traffic and backlink reports to see how your website is faring.
Link building strategies for law firms
Bottom Line• Legal Directories: Get listed in respected legal directories such as Avvo, Findlaw, HG.org, and Justia for valuable link acquisition. Choose directories relevant to the law industry to maximize your online presence. • High-Quality Content: Create shareable content like blogs and legal guides to attract links naturally. Aim for evergreen content that remains relevant over time, providing value to a broad audience. • Relationship Building: Engage with other law firms through forums and social media. Identify, connect, and collaborate with reputable law firms for mutual link sharing. Use personalized emails and propose collaboration opportunities. • Guest Posting: Write articles for reputable legal websites to showcase expertise and acquire backlinks. Choose relevant and authoritative platforms for guest posting. • Social Media: Leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for content sharing and networking within the legal sector. Increase brand awareness and encourage natural link building through social media presence. • Scholarships for .edu Links: Offer scholarships to law students through educational institutions with .edu domains. Gain trust and backlinks from universities and student-focused websites. • Legal Resources and Tools: Develop comprehensive legal guides, interactive webinars, podcasts, tools, glossaries, templates, and news sections. Create in-depth guides and articles that provide valuable legal information and attract links from other websites. • Update Old Content: Since legal information is subject to change, regularly monitor and update content to maintain accuracy and relevance. • Work with Link Building Specialists: Consider outsourcing to link acquisition specialists. They develop strategies, create optimized content, and monitor campaigns for successful results. When hiring, research reputable specialists, discuss strategy and costs, and remain flexible to optimize the campaign based on performance metrics. |
Quality vs. Quantity🌟
Effective link building techniques considers quality and quantity of backlinks. How do we know which one will help a page rank better?
Check out this SEO tip by Nicholas Pizzo.
SEO Tip:
When it comes to link-building, it’s not just about quantity or quality—it’s about finding the perfect balance.
Your competition might have 9 links, but you don’t necessarily need to chase after 10.
Sometimes less is more, and other times, you might need to amp up…
— Nicolas Pizzo | The Techpreneur (@thenicolaspizzo) July 3, 2024
I agree. Both quality and quantity are important, and finding the right balance is important.
Quality Links: These come from relevant websites like legal blog posts, industry publications, and directories. Links from these sources carry more weight because when these sites link to your page, Google sees it as a vote of confidence for your website. You earn quality links organically by creating valuable and shareable content. These links contribute to long-term search engine ranking and online authority.
Quantity Links: This refers to the number of links pointing to your website. Regularly getting new links helps maintain a law firm’s online presence. It signals to Google that your website is active and relevant.
Striking a balance with natural and organic growth in both quality and quantity is important. While quantity matters, relevance should be prioritized. Aim for authoritative backlinks that will benefit your website rather than just focusing on the number of backlinks.
Hiring a Link Building Specialist for Your Law FirmIf you’re in the legal field, find an SEO consultant who’s specifically worked with law firms and has a track record of positive results. Legal SEO is unique and requires specialized strategies. Without this expertise, it’s easy to waste resources on the wrong content and intent. My advice? Look for legal SEO experts and ask them for a brief plan. You’ll quickly see if they know their stuff. And as for your law firm, start with just one website. You’ll need to invest heavily in well-written, geo-targeted content and link development. Also, don’t forget about local SEO and your GMB listings. |
Conclusion
Building links in the constantly evolving digital landscape remains crucial for law firms to enhance online visibility and credibility. As seen with the examples of Kirkland and Ellis LLP and a few others, a good link building tactic contributes to a strong online presence.
The importance lies in establishing credibility, improving SEO, driving referral traffic, gaining a competitive advantage, fostering networking opportunities, and promoting valuable content. By implementing the tactics in this guide, you can improve your website’s visibility, attract valuable traffic, and establish your website’s authority.
FAQs
1. Why is link building important for legal firms?
Building links is crucial for law firms to enhance online visibility, credibility, and search engine rankings. It establishes authority, drives traffic, and helps in gaining a competitive edge in the digital landscape.
2. Can link building improve a legal firm’s SEO?
Yes, a well executed link acquisition strategy can contribute to higher rankings on Google. This increased visibility makes it easier for potential clients to find the firm online.
3. How can legal firms benefit from networking opportunities through link building?
Building relationships with other firms by connecting with other professionals, legal websites, or industry influencers can lead to collaboration, reciprocal linking, and valuable networking opportunities.
4. What is the significance of guest posting in link building for legal firms?
Guest posting involves writing articles for other reputable legal websites. It allows firms to showcase their expertise and receive a backlink to their site. Choosing relevant and authoritative platforms for guest-posting is crucial for quality link acquisition.
5. How can law firms provide scholarships for link building?
They can link with educational institutions through scholarship programs. By offering scholarships to law students, especially those associated with .edu domains, firms can gain attention, attract backlinks, and improve their website’s search engine ranking.
6. What is the importance of quality versus quantity in law firm link building?
Striking the right balance is key, as both quality and quantity are important in link building. Quality links from relevant and authoritative websites contribute to long-term improvements, while quantity ensures a steady online presence.
7. Why is monitoring and updating old content crucial in legal firm link building?
Regularly updating old content ensures accuracy and relevance, portraying the firm as active and informed. It also signals search engines about the firm’s commitment to providing valuable, up-to-date information and improving credibility.
