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Writer's pictureJC Serrano

Why Target Long-Tail Keywords For Lawyer SEO

Updated: Feb 2, 2022

Tips On How To Use Long-Tail Keywords For Your Law Firm's Website

Keywords are an essential element of Lawyer SEO. The ones you decide on after thorough keyword research will be the search terms users are going to find your pages in. They are going to be keywords you're going to compete with other pages for. However, some keywords are easier to compete for than others, and you should take advantage of that.


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2 Types of Keywords


You are advised to do keyword research and decide which ones to optimize for at the very beginning of your SEO strategy. Before you even start optimizing your website for search engines, you should already have a list of them.


As you conduct your keyword research, you'll encounter 2 types of keywords: high volume and long tail.

  • High-Volume Keywords are very competitive. They tend to be short and broad, which means more pages are optimized for them. Keywords like "California Lawyer", "Texas Attorney", and "Labor Lawyer" are general law-related keywords that websites from entire states or the entire country are trying to rank for. It's harder to rank high in the searches but get more search volume.

  • Long-Tail Keywords tend to be very specific. As the name suggests, they're usually longer. Keywords like "Personal Injury Lawyer Los Angeles" and "Wrongful Termination Attorney Near Me" are more specific terms with typically less search volumes. They're also less competitive, which means it can be easier to rank high for them.

Beginner SEO practitioners usually favor high-volume keywords because they tend to be more advantageous, which is true! If more users use a search term, it means more people are going to see your pages.


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However, you shouldn't be completely dismissing long-tail keywords. Some long-tail keywords get decent search volumes, and if you manage to get to the first page, there's a chance that most of those searchers will click to your page. Compare that to using high-volume keywords but ranking on the 5th or 6th page of the search results.

Optimizing for both maximizes your chances instead of reducing them. This is especially important if you're still starting out, are still trying to get the hang of Lawyer SEO basics.


Reasons Why You Should Optimize For Long-Tail Keywords


Long-tail keywords have many applications in SEO, and its benefits are not exclusive to climbing the rankings more quickly. Below is a list of their uses and how it cumulatively improves your Lawyer SEO in the long run.

1. They're Great For Local SEO


Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your website for more specific location-based search results. They can be easily helpful for Law Firms, since they tend to have physical offices in specific cities, counties, and states.

Think of Local SEO like you're optimizing for your local directories.

Using high-volume keywords can sometimes point users to law firms outside of their state, which they cannot or don't want to hire. So they'll use specific terms to narrow down the search results. Sometimes, they just want to visit an office that takes no more than a 10-minute drive, so you should make sure they see your website when they start looking up options.

Google's algorithm is also advanced enough to predict user intent. So, for example, users from your city or state can type in "Lawyers in my city" and "Lawyer Near Me" and get an accurate list of law firms and practicing lawyers in their area.

2. Show Your Expertise

Keywords for every industry will be different, and one specific theme that pops up in keywords for legal services is for Areas of Practice. Keywords like "Car Crash Attorney Damages" and "Whistleblower Retaliation Employment Lawyer" are possible examples of these.

Instead of using broad legal terms like "Personal Injury", you can write content and optimize them for specific case examples.

Clients on the hunt for a new attorney prefer ones that have experience handling cases similar to theirs. No matter your level of all-around skill, showing that you've had a good track record of specific cases offers clients some assurance. People select lawyers they trust, and that also means lawyers they're confident will win their case for them.

3. Market Your Service Offerings


As mentioned, searchers like to narrow down their searches to get exactly what they need. Not only can they narrow down a law firm's location, they can also find specific services from each one.

Users might want to know which firms have a free consultation, an online chat, or allow hiring their lawyers on a contingency basis.

Keywords like "Affordable Child Custody Attorney", "Los Angeles Family Lawyer Contingency", "Employment Lawyer Free Consultation" are great keywords to catch the attention of those actively searching for it.


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Bottom-line


Hiring an attorney is a big deal. So rest assured, most users will want to spend some time thinking about who to hire. Users will wish for assurance and convenience, so they'll look for a law firm that's either close to home, affordable, or experienced.

Either way, you shouldn't ignore long-tail keywords for your Lawyer SEO practice.

Why Should You Let LawyerLeadMachine Help You?


Keywords can improve traffic by predicting and catering to what the searcher needs. The ones you choose can dictate how your law firm's SEO strategies will pay off in the long run.


If you're a beginner, you can read some of our Lawyer SEO Guides for basic SEO tricks. If you need more advanced assistance, you can review your options here.

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