If you’re running the SEO strategy for your law firm, but don’t seem to be getting the results you’re hoping for, you may be making some obvious mistakes. Gaining insight into what Google favours is crucial for a successful digital marketing strategy and effective SEO, so getting your law firm noticed on the web in the right way will help with both brand awareness and generating leads.

Here are 7 SEO mistakes your law firm might be making which are having an impact on your website’s performance…

Local listings for law firms are vital and having an optimised page on ‘Google My Business’ will ensure your firm is on the map. Many users who search for services in their local area will be looking for an address or contact information, so ensuring this is clearly visible will work wonders.

Despite the fact that social media is not directly linked to search engine traffic, making sure your firm has a voice on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will allow you to become easily noticed in a digital space. Additionally, it may also help you become recognised as an authoritative figure on certain legal topics, generating thought leadership and eventually encouraging other places to mention your website.

A fundamental rule for all SEO strategies is ensuring that title tags and meta descriptions are optimised appropriately. Make sure you include targeted keywords in page titles and watch your click-through rates increase by improving descriptions.

Ensuring you are publishing fresh, relevant content on your website’s blog, for example, will work in your favour in terms of SEO performance. Google also turns its nose up at duplicate content, so try to avoid sharing the same articles. Don’t let your law firm’s website become stagnant – unique information will enable you to establish a tone of voice and keep your audience in the know.

Your law firm’s website is there to provide information for users, so make sure you don’t change the way you display content in order to impress a search engine. Many businesses believe that they are doing the right thing by including as many keywords as possible into their content, yet that clever lot over at Google recognise this as a poor quality content strategy, creating a negative user experience. Include keywords where you can, but make sure your writing flows and is coherent.

There is a large grey area when it comes to links, and Google tends to be picky about where they come from. Stay clear of paid or ‘bad’ links which could potentially damage the reputation of your website and focus on compelling content which high-authority domains will be interested in linking to.

Mixing up your content offering will improve visits to your site and enhance your search engine ranking. There’s no need for your content to be dry just because you’re in the legal sector, so why not invite users to engage with content such as video and infographics rather than just written text?

If you feel you have been making some of these mistakes, it’s time to take a step back and review your SEO processes for your website. Generate successful leads and increase traffic by staying clear of these common blunders.