One of the most important ways Google and other search engines rank web pages is through the links those pages have pointing to them from other sites. There are some links that are much more effective and important than others, and how those links are acquired also matters.
Just incorporating links does not always work as intended, and in some cases, it can be harmful. Links have to be authoritative and not considered spam, or they can hurt your website’s reputation and actually cause your site to rank lower in the search engine listings instead of higher.
So what can you do?
There are several ways to build links, and using the right strategies can make all the difference. Consider these different options when it comes to getting more links on your site and to your site, so you can rise in the search engine ranks.
The higher you are in the search results, the more likely it is that prospective clients will click on your site and use your services, instead of the services of a competitor. Since it’s (mostly) about the links, you want to make sure you get the right ones and build a strong site, presence, and reputation the right way.
SO WHAT, EXACTLY, IS LINK BUILDING, ANYWAY?
In its simplest form, link building is getting links from other websites that lead back to a target site. You see this all over the web, when someone shares a story on social media with a link in it, or writes a blog post and links to that post from their Twitter or Facebook account. They are link building, even if they don’t necessarily realize that’s what they’re doing. But there are also more complex ways to build links.
One of the main goals for anyone, including law firms, should be to get other people to feel compelled to link to their site or content. If an attorney writes an article and links to it on their social media pages that’s good, but if someone else links to that attorney’s article on their social media pages, blog, or website, that’s better. Both types of link building work, and both are important and should be encouraged.
LINK BUILDING THROUGH GUEST POSTING
Among the best ways to build links is through guest posting on other sites. Not only does that get your name out to your target market, but it also allows you to link back to your site.
Of course, you want to be careful what sites you agree to guest post for. Some sites are much more reputable than others, and if you have links back to your law firm’s site from non-reputable sites that could hurt you.
Your search engine rankings could be lower, and you could also potentially lose clientele because of affiliations that look less than professional. Guest posting only on trusted sites that can give you good value through back links should be considered carefully. That way you’ll have more success with search engine rankings, and will have the potential to see your client base rise, as well.
BUILDING LINKS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE
Because of the popularity of social media today, it is not just for people to chat with each other and post pictures of their vacations. There are many others uses for it, and one of those is business related. If your law firm has a strong social media presence, you can leverage that presence to link back to your site. Anytime you write a new blog post or put something new on your site, be sure to put that information on your social media accounts.
While you may not want every social media post to have a link back to your law firm’s site, many of the posts can have links in them for clients to contact you or for them to read about something new and interesting that you can offer. With that in mind, though, you don’t want to post the same thing to every social media site. The audience on LinkedIn is different than the audience on Facebook, for example, so it’s important to plan accordingly.
GETTING TESTIMONIALS TO BUILD LINKS
If you have testimonials on your site that’s a good thing, but if you have testimonials on other people’s sites with a link back to your site, that’s even better. Those links (and the testimonials they are found in) can be very valuable to your law firm. Encourage them. There’s nothing wrong with asking people for testimonials or asking them to give you a good review if they’re happy with your services. The more you build a good reputation online, the better.
PRESS RELEASES AND INTERVIEWS CAN BUILD LINKS
Asked for an interview? Have something interesting that your company has done? Making changes to your law firm? You can use all of those opportunities to build links.
A lot of these opportunities are missed because people don’t ask whether they can include a link, but asking can make a big difference. Your law firm should be focused on giving the best service to clients, but also on being sure its reputation is strong and its voice is being heard. Link building is crucial in those areas.
USING LAW FIRM DIRECTORIES AS A LINK SOURCE
Many attorneys fail to realize that law firm directories can be a source of links.
Any law firm directory available online should have a link to your firm in it. If it doesn’t, it’s time to do a search for those directories and ensure that you’re added to them. Not just as a name and address, but with a link to your firm’s home page, contact page, or another specific page you want people to see when they find your information. Other attorneys can find you more easily this way, as well, and that can lead to collaborative efforts, referrals, and more that can increase your business.
THE LINK BUILDING BOTTOM LINE FOR ATTORNEYS
The bottom line is that link building is a valuable, nearly vital issue for law firms today. There are a lot of different ways to build links and a number of locations those links can be in. But if firms don’t make the effort to build links effectively and efficiently, they can miss out on a lot of potential clients finding them. Your search engine ranking will be higher when you have good link building, and you’ll get found more easily, as well. That can increase your law firm’s reputation, bring in more clients, and add to your firm’s growth and development for years to come.
If your firm is currently running a SEO campaign or thinking about starting a one, then contact Fusion Digital Marketing for help on building your campaign into a success.
