Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Mike
Link building is an essential part of any SEO campaign. But, it’s also one of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of SEO.
If you’re a lawyer looking to improve your online visibility and attract more clients, link building should be a key part of your digital marketing strategy. Link building helps to increase your website’s authority and relevance in search engine results pages (SERPs), which can ultimately lead to more traffic and conversions.
There are a variety of link building tactics that lawyers can use to build links and improve their SEO. Here are a few of the most effective link building strategies for lawyers:
1. Get your business included in directories
Getting your law firm listed in online directories is an easy way to get high-quality links. Not only are they good for links, but directories can also help to increase your website’s traffic and visibility. Google and other search engines look for references in online directories when determining what sites to display for local searches, such as “best lawyers in Grand Rapids”.
There are some online directory sites that exist just for legal sites, but many of the best sites are well known and include listings for any business type. These sites include Manta, Yelp, Yellow Pages, and many others.
When completing online directory listings, make sure to claim your listing and complete it with as much accurate information as you possibly can, including your website URL, links to social media pages, images, and detailed business descriptions.
2. Find out if there are any unlinked or incorrect company references.
If your business has changed names, used different phone numbers, or moved locations in the past, this is a particularly important tactic to not overlook.
Many of the online business directory listings that exist for your law firm or business were created many years ago and could contain inaccurate information. Conflicting online information about your business may confuse Google and other search engines, which can result in lower SERP rankings.
You can find these unlinked or incorrect business references by doing a simple Google search for your business name and phone number. Once you identify inaccurate information that’s being used, such as an old or inaccurate address, you can search directly for that information + your law firm’s name.
3. Tap into your personal and professional connections
One of the best ways to get high-quality links is to leverage your personal and professional connections.
If you have any friends or acquaintances in the legal field, see if they’re open to linking to your website. You can also reach out to other businesses and professionals that you work with on a regular basis (such as vendors, clients, or partners) and see if they’re interested in linking to your site.
You may also want to consider your alumni network as well as your undergraduate school program or law school. For example, if your law school is looking for volunteers to be on a panel, see if they would be willing to post a link to your website on their event page.
4. Participate in industry-relevant forums and discussion boards
Another great way to get links is to participate in relevant forums and discussion boards. This will help you to build relationships with other professionals in your industry while also getting your name and website out there.
When you’re looking for forums to participate in, be sure to find ones that are specific to the legal industry or your particular area of law. For example, if you practice family law, you could participate in a forum on divorce or child custody.
You can also search for forums by using relevant keywords in Google (such as “legal forums” or “law forums”).
5. Contribute to career advice pages
Many students and young professionals are interested in starting law school or planning out a career in the legal profession.
Find legal career advice blog posts and pages that have career advice quotes from lawyers and other legal professionals. You will often find that these individuals providing the quotes are cited with their name and website.
Reach out to these sites and see if they would be interested in additional career advice for their pages. Quite often sites are looking for more in-depth content for their blog posts and would be more than happy to include a quote or piece of advice from you along with a link to your website.
6. Speak at industry events
Giving speeches or presentations is a great way to get in front of a new audience and build links at the same time.
Research upcoming industry events and see if there are any speaking opportunities that would be a good fit for you. You can also reach out to event organizers and inquire about speaking opportunities.
Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to be a law school professor or well-known attorney to give a presentation. Many times, event organizers are looking for new voices and perspectives. So, if you have something valuable to share, don’t be afraid to reach out.
7. Publish informative blog posts and articles
One of the best ways to attract links is to publish high-quality, informative content on your website. This could include blog posts, articles, infographics, or even videos.
When you’re creating content, be sure to focus on topics that would be relevant to your target audience. For example, if you practice criminal law, you could write a blog post about the different types of crimes and their possible punishments.
In addition to informative content, your website should also have a strong design and user experience. This will help to ensure that visitors to your site stay on your site longer and are more likely to link to your content.
These informative blog posts can then be used for link building where you promote the resource to other sites who may have an interest in referring their website users to your resource.
8. Support organizations in your area
There are likely many organizations in your community that could use your help, such as a local legal aid clinic or pro bono program.
Reach out to these organizations and see how you can get involved. Many times, these organizations will have a place on their website to their volunteers or supporters. If they don’t, simply ask if they could create a location to link to you.
You can also sponsor a local charity or organization in your area while getting a link from their website. Many charity organizations have “Our Sponsors” pages, where they link to organizations that have contributed in some way.
This is a great way to give back to your community while also building links from local sites, which can be quite valuable in the eyes of Google.
9. Write for other sites
Writing for other sites in your industry is a common way that other lawyers get links to their websites. This could include writing guest blog posts, contributing articles, or even being interviewed for an article.
When looking for sites to write for, be sure to focus on those that are relevant to your practice area. For example, if you practice elder law, you could write for a site that covers retirement planning or Medicare.
Alternatively, you can try to contribute to sites where you know the owner of the site or other businesses in your local community. For example, if you know the real estate agent that sold your house and they have their own website with a blog offer to write a guest post about the legal process of buying and selling a home and what you need to know about your home’s title.
In addition to writing for other sites, you can also reach out to bloggers in your industry and local news reporters and offer to be interviewed for an article or blog post. Just getting your name on their list as a source for free and reliable content can be a great way to earn ongoing links.
10. Make the most of HARO
Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a website that facilities connections between journalists and sources for their stories. For example, a journalist may be looking for tips on how to deal with a difficult Home Owners Association. You could provide some advice from a legal perspective on legal ways to get the HOA off your back without violating any agreements with the HOA. In return for your contributions, the journalist can then link to your website as the source for the information.
It’s easy to sign up for HARO. You can sign up for HARO for free on their website and start receiving pitches from journalists in your inbox every day. Then, simply respond to the pitches that you’re interested in and provide your insight or advice.
Of course, you won’t be able to get a link from every journalist that you pitch, but if you’re able to land just a few links, it can make a big difference for your website.
11. Analyze the backlink profiles of your competitors
One of the best ways to find new link building opportunities is to look at the backlink profiles of your competitors. This can give you an idea of where they’re getting their links and how you can get links from the same places.
Putting together lists of multiple competitors can also allow you to discover co-citations, or websites and webpages that are linking to more than one of your competitors. These sources often the best and most relevant sources for links to your website.
Gathering backlink data requires subscriptions to at least one backlink analyzing service like Ahrefs, Moz or SEMRush. These plans can be somewhat costly, but they give you access to the data that you need in order to find new link building opportunities.
12. Enlist the help of professional link builders
Professional link builders are experienced in finding and building links from high-quality websites. If you don’t have the time or expertise to build links yourself, you can hire someone to do it for you.
Of course, not all link building services are created equal. Some link building services use questionable tactics that could get your website penalized by Google. So, be sure to do your research and only work with a reputable link building service.
At Netvantage SEO, we have a team of professional link builders who can help you get the links that you need to improve your website’s search engine ranking. Contact us today to learn more about our link building services for lawyers.
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