Most lawyers are familiar with acronyms like DEA, DOJ and EEOC, but one important acronym they might not know is SEO. SEO (short for search engine optimization) is the practice of crafting web content and pages in a manner that helps the site grab higher positions on search results pages. (After all, the first couple listings on Google search get the lion’s share of traffic.)

Whether they’re writing their blog posts or hiring it out to freelance writers, attorneys who implement good SEO practices into their overall web strategy will definitely see an increase in billable hours. If you’re an attorney that’s just ramping up your web marketing efforts, here’s a few thing you’ll need to know.

SEO for Attorneys

In many ways, SEO is a lot like the law. The whole process is built on a few fundamental concepts but the day-to-day best practices are constantly changing.

Google is, for all intents and purposes, the only search engine most practicing attorneys really need to concern themselves with. After all, the giant company commands almost 70% of the search market.

The Google philosophy is that high quality websites will be rewarded with higher page rankings. In theory, this means that attorneyswho write up interesting blog posts that provide value to readers will come in above low quality sites.

In practice, there’s a lot more to SEO than just good quality articles, though that’s a big part of the process.

Social Media is SEO, Too

Attorneys who are already active on social media sites like Twitter are already a step or two ahead in the SEO game. Highly active Twitter users (the ones who interact with other users and whose content is re-Tweeted and shared by other users) will enjoy a big boost in page rankings. Google puts a high value on these types of organic social shares, so the more active you are the better off you’ll be.

It is, however, absolutely critical that you don’t lose sight of your professional demeanor when interacting on social media. Attorneys who are lured into petty back-and-forth arguments with anonymous social media users won’t be impressing potential clients.

Hiring an SEO Consultant

If implementing SEO best practices sounds appealing, but time-consuming, you might want to hire an SEO consultant to run your entire web operation. Good SEO professionals don’t come cheap but, like good attorneys, they provide demonstrable results.

SEO, like the law, can be deceptively simple so don’t get in over your head. Hiring a well-qualified SEO consultant is an expense that should offer a significant return on investment.

Finally

Attorneys who are willing step into the wilds of the Internet with good blog content and a solid social media presence will find themselves flooded with new clients. It’s not an overnight process, but it’s rapidly becoming as necessary a part of your overall marketing strategy as a Yellow Pages ad, or television commercial.