Think of your website as the digital equivalent of a brick-and-mortar law firm. In this metaphor, search engines would be the highways that usher potential clients to your firm’s front door. When an internet user conducts a search, they are, in essence, hopping on this highway. Each item that appears on the search engine results page (known as a “SERP” among digital marketers) is like an off-ramp. The higher a web page appears on the SERP, the more likely a user will take that exit, which means they are more likely to visit your firm, which means they are more likely to become a client.
How do you increase the likelihood that someone will take the off-ramp to your law firm rather than a competitor’s? There are two primary tactics: SEO and SEM.
SEO: SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a set of best practices that collectively help a website increase its SERP position for targeted keywords — terms and phrases that a law firm wishes to be associated with. For example, if you managed a firm that primarily represents consumers in trucking accidents in Texas, you would want to rank highly for a search like “Texas trucking accident lawyer.”
SEM: SEM stands for search engine marketing It is a set of paid tactics that help increase traffic to your site. One example of SEM is search ads. These are search engine results that get priority placement over non-paid, or “organic,” search engine results.
A solid law firm digital marketing strategy will incorporate a blend of SEO and SEM tactics to increase website traffic. Of course, none of this matters if the law firm’s website isn’t easy to navigate or useful to a visitor, so it’s important to ensure that you’ve invested in quality content marketing and good web design.
How Can Jaffe Help You with SEO and SEM?
A lot of consultants claim to know SEO but deliver strategies that are outdated or simply not effective. Our digital strategists stay on top of changes to search engine algorithms to ensure that recommendations to improve your website’s SERP positions are current. We also stay informed about new SEM opportunities and provide cost-benefit analyses to identify the keywords that are worth paying for. To make sure you get the most out of your traffic boost, our content marketing specialists also can review your website and make recommendations about how to enhance the user experience, as well as the value of your content.
If you’d like to learn more about our SEO and SEM capabilities, or if you’d like to begin assessing your law firm website’s current SEO standing with an audit, contact Jaffe at info@jaffepr.com.