Law Firm Marketing: 6 steps For A Stronger Online Legal Presence

Key takeaways

• Your website and blog are great business development tools, helping potential clients determine if you’re the right lawyer for them
• Digital marketing strategies like SEO can drive more business to your firm
• Customer testimonials and reviews of your firm significantly impact consumer decision making 

In decades past, law firms turned to billboards and television commercials to advertise and grow their business, but times have changed. While traditional law firm marketing tactics haven’t completely disappeared, consumer behavior has shifted online. Today, you need to market your law firm digitally to attract prospective clients.

Whether you’ve launched a budding law practice or have been established for some time, implementing a well-executed online marketing strategy can win over clients in the competitive legal industry. Follow this guide to perfect your law firm marketing strategy.

How to market a law firm online

An effective legal marketing plan demonstrates expertise in your area of law and builds trust with potential clients.

Your tactical online marketing efforts should reflect that objective in how you build your website, drive traffic, and find more leads. Here are six actionable steps to resonate with your target audience and earn new clients.

1. Establish your brand

Appearance and first impressions are everything in the legal field. Set yourself apart from other law firms by creating a professional-looking brand that’s cohesive across all marketing materials.

Start with a polished logo that’s clean and professional. Your logo should be standardized across all marketing channels and collateral, including your business cards, letterhead, website design, LinkedIn page, and physical signage.

Beyond your logo, any additional design elements or color schemes should be cohesive across all marketing materials. 

It’s worth investing in a graphic designer who can create a high-quality brand image. Websites like 99designs or Fiverr offer affordable graphic design services, including logos, brand style guides, and business cards.

In addition to your website, email marketing, and print material having the same look and feel, your tone of voice should also be consistent. For example, if your social media posts are all written with a cheerful, encouraging voice, your newsletters should reflect that, rather than sounding academic and matter-of-fact.

2. Create a polished website

Your small business website is the face of your company on the web that explains your services. It’s one of the first places a potential client will look if they’re interested in hiring you.

It should include a few key elements: a standout landing page, sections detailing your services, and easy ways for potential clients to contact you. Here’s a quick breakdown of website features that can be leveraged as a law firm marketing tool.

Home page

Your home page should include a unique value proposition that explains what type of lawyer you are and the value you offer clients.

If you’re a personal injury lawyer, your messaging might be: “Injured in the workplace? Get what you deserve and be back at work in no time.”

You can also include your specialties, testimonials, or any notable awards you’ve earned above the fold. The goal is to attract visitors and encourage them to explore the rest of your site.

Practice areas

Create separate sections or pages that highlight your legal services and different areas of practice. 

For example, lawyers who specialize in estate planning could create web pages on trust administration and last will and testaments. If you focus on family law, create dedicated pages for different areas such as divorce, prenuptial agreements, and custody disputes. Each one of these web pages can include specific information that goes more in-depth than your home page.

Contact information

Your law firm website is a necessary tool in the law firm marketing funnel and should be a lead generation machine. Provide current and potential clients with easy access to your information, including your email address, phone number, and physical address on every page of your website, in the header, footer, or a sidebar—not just on your home page or contact page. Visitors should be able to easily find this info, no matter where they land on your site.

Add a contact form throughout your site for clients to conveniently provide their contact information. This way, if clients forget to make the first phone call or send the first email, you have a way to follow up. Whenever you collect new contact information, consider logging it into a free customer relationship management (CRM) tool to track your client data better.

To take your website to the next level, integrate free live chat software like Respond.io or Tawk.to. These tools enable customers to message you immediately with questions and can help convert leads into paying clients.

3. Build credibility and authority

Choosing legal counsel is a decision new clients don’t take lightly—they want to go with a recognized lawyer they can trust during trying times.

Three items you can share to build credibility with potential clients include awards, client testimonials, and case studies.

Awards establish instant credibility with clients. They highlight seasoned professionals who’ve been recognized for their craft. For example, if you’ve received recognition, like rising star awards, client satisfaction ratings, or bar association badges, display those on your website.

Customer testimonials can show that your firm is trustworthy and legitimate. Add testimonials throughout your web pages to drive home the message that you are an effective lawyer. 

Case studies warrant their own section on your site since they go more in-depth. Give some background regarding a case, what you did to help the client, and the case results. You can even provide recent stats of your cases. For instance, explain the different types of cases you handled—like a DWI—and list the results for these cases, such as dismissals or not guilty verdicts.

Note: Lawyers have a duty of confidentiality, so make sure you adhere to rules and guidelines set forth for public commentary to avoid sharing confidential information.  

4. Refine your SEO strategy

Having a polished website only takes you so far. You must drive traffic to your site. Search engine optimization (SEO) will help your website rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) when potential customers search for terms relevant to your practice.

Numerous components go into SEO, some of which are technical and require assistance from an SEO marketing expert. However, you can handle some areas of law firm SEO on your own for free.

Include keywords. Conduct keyword research using a free keyword research tool to identify specific terms that customers are searching. Include these terms in your website content to lift your rankings on search engines. 

Local SEO terms like “law firms New York City” or “law firms near me” are especially powerful for reaching potential clients in your area.

Backlinking. Getting other websites to link to your content is known as backlinking, and it acts like a virtual referral. Having backlinks lets search engines know that other sites view you as a credible source. 

A few backlinking opportunities include listing your firm on a business directory like Yelp, guest posting on other blogs, and linking to your site in your social media marketing content.

Link out. Linking to other authoritative websites is another easy content marketing strategy that boosts SEO. Only link to sites you trust that provide value to your visitors.

5. Drive traffic with a blog

Blogging helpful, relevant, and high-quality content can give your website authority and improve your rankings on SERPs when potential clients search keywords related to your industry. Create a content plan by doing some keyword research using an online keyword research tool. Your content should be actionable and answer questions prospective clients might have. For example, you can write a step-by-step guide for choosing a trustworthy lawyer or a blog post that describes the right type of lawyer for common legal needs. 

After you’ve determined which topics you’ll cover, set a publishing schedule and stick to it. Consistently publishing at least 16 posts per month can drive 3.5 times more website traffic than publishing four or less.

Content marketing services can write for you at a cost of $2,000 or more per month. It’s a great option to consistently produce high volumes of content if you don’t have the time or skill to do it yourself. Also, consider dedicating some of your law firm marketing budget to a marketer who can help you improve your organic search rankings.

6. Grow your online reviews

Online reviews significantly influence consumer choices when you consider that 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business, and 72% say that positive reviews make them trust a business more.

Claiming your Yelp Business Page is a powerful tool for connecting with potential customers and expanding your online presence. You can add details like your business description, photos, hours of operation, phone number, and other contact information. You can also respond to customer feedback on your page, which instills a sense of confidence for potential clients who browse reviews from past clients.