SEO for Family Law: How We Increased Organic Traffic

At Stigan Media, we specialize in elevating the online presence of legal professionals, particularly those in family law. Through our dedicated SEO efforts, we’ve transformed the digital landscape for our clients, enabling them to reach more potential clients than ever before. A prime example of our success is a family law attorney who saw organic traffic soar by over 100% from 2021 to 2022, thanks to our targeted SEO strategies. This remarkable achievement underscores the impact of our specialized SEO techniques in making law practices more visible and accessible online.

How did we achieve such impressive results? Keep reading this article or save your time contact us for a free SEO audit for family law firms.

In fact, we were able to rank our client for keyword “divorce lawyer” in major Canadian city. This keyword is one of the hardest in the industry which proves our SEO expertise in family law.

SEO Benefits for Family Lawyers

Leveraging organic rankings through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) not only significantly enhances your lead generation and quote requests but also makes financial sense, especially for family lawyers. Here’s why investing in SEO is a strategic move:

1. Get Noticed Online: SEO puts your website at the top of search results. This means more people see your site when they look for family law help. More visitors can lead to more potential clients reaching out to you.
2. Find the Right Clients: With SEO, you can make sure your website attracts people who are actually looking for a family lawyer. This means you spend less time and money to find clients who need your help right now. For example, if someone searches for ‘family lawyer in Toronto’ and finds your website in the organic search results, they are exactly the kind of user you’re targeting: someone who needs a family lawyer right now, in your area.
3. Build Trust Easily: A good website that answers people’s questions can make you look like an expert in family law. When people trust you, they’re more likely to ask for your help with their legal issues.

Keyword Research For Family Lawyers

Many family lawyers struggle with SEO from the start because they don’t choose the right keywords. Here’s how to do it simply:

• Pick popular keywords: It’s important to choose keywords that a lot of people are searching for. For example, being top for a rare term like “how do you divorce a spouse who is in a foreign country” might seem good, but it’s not helpful if no one is looking for it.
• Think like your clients: Use keywords that match what your potential clients are searching for. For family law SEO, keywords like “family lawyer Toronto” work well because they’re what people type when they need a lawyer nearby. But, phrases like “How to file for divorce” are more for reading and might not get you clients directly.
• Choose keywords you can win: Use tools to find out which keywords are tough to rank for and which are easier. We go for keywords that are easier to win but still bring in clients, fitting what you can spend on SEO. This is why we used advanced tools for our keyword research process like Semrush and aHrefs.

Think of keyword research in family law SEO like drafting the initial plans for a custody agreement. If you don’t carefully consider all the necessary details and needs from the beginning, the agreement won’t effectively address or support the family’s requirements, leading to less satisfactory outcomes. Just as precision and foresight are crucial in legal planning, they are equally vital in laying the groundwork for your SEO strategy to ensure it meets your practice’s objectives.

Web Analytics Setup

Before diving into the tactical SEO work for family law practices, Stigan Media prioritizes a crucial preliminary step often overlooked by other SEO agencies: a thorough verification and setup of web analytics tools. This ensures we accurately track and measure the success of our SEO strategies, providing clear, value-driven reports to our family law clients.

1. Google Analytics 4 Configuration: We start by ensuring Google Analytics 4 is correctly implemented on your site. This tool is essential for tracking visitor behavior, traffic sources, and engagement, offering insights critical for refining SEO strategies. We aim to understand which pages and services on your family law website attract the most visits. This insight is crucial for us to develop an effective SEO strategy.
2. Google Search Console Integration: Next, we verify integration with Google Search Console. This platform is invaluable for monitoring your website’s search performance, spotting technical SEO issues, and understanding how Google views your site.
3. Optimizing Google Business Profile and Maps Listings: For family law practices, local visibility is key. We ensure your Google Business Profile is optimized and accurately listed, including on Bing and Apple Maps, to enhance your local SEO presence.
   Additionally, this approach provides us with valuable data on calls and website visits, enabling us to assess the effectiveness of your family law SEO campaign more accurately..
4. Utilizing Advanced SEO Software: Your project is integrated into our premier SEO software for continuous tracking of your website’s search rankings, allowing us to make data-driven optimizations.
5. Goal Setting in Google Analytics 4: We establish specific goals within Google Analytics 4, such as tracking form submissions (or getting quotes) or phone call inquiries, to accurately measure conversions and leads generated from your website.

Website SEO Architecture Audit for Family Law Practices

To make a successful family law SEO campaign, the website architecture comes before content optimization. It’s super important to list all the different family law services you offer, like separation agreements, prenups, child custody and protection, division of property, and more. This helps show Google and other search engines that you’re a real expert in family law, making it clear what your site is all about.

We’ll take a close look at how your website is put together. This helps us find ways to make it better, both for people visiting your site and for Google’s search rankings. For a family law site, it’s really important to organize your website so that everyone can find what they need easily.

We’ll see which pages are getting attention and use that info to improve your website. We’ll make sure the important pages are linked together well. This helps visitors move around your site easily and helps spread the ‘importance’ of your site evenly across all pages, which is good for SEO.

We’ll also work on making the menu and the bottom of your site (the footer) easier to use. This makes people want to stay on your site longer and learn more about your services.

By fixing up your site like this, we make it easier for people to find and choose your family law services online.

E-E-A-T in Family SEO

In family law SEO, before diving into content optimization, our agency prioritizes something crucial that sets us apart from others who might just be after your money. We focus on what’s known as ‘E-E-A-T’ optimization, standing for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. But what does this mean for family law SEO?

Simply put, search engines, especially Google, need to verify who is offering family law services and whether your website is trustworthy enough to be presented to those searching for your keywords.

To achieve this, we begin by:

• Adding a ‘team’ and ‘about us’ page to showcase your qualifications in family law, including photos, diplomas, certificates, and links to professional social media profiles, mainly LinkedIn. This helps Google recognize you as a genuine expert in the field.
• Incorporating information about your expertise on almost every service page of your website.
• Showcasing any media mentions, public case links, and awards to further establish your authority and achievements in family law.
• Including testimonials from previous clients, especially those posted on platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, and Facebook, mentioning the attorney’s or firm’s name.

Achieving success in family law SEO without focusing on E-E-A-T is nearly impossible. That’s why it’s essential to optimize these elements first, ensuring transparency about your professional credentials.

Optimizing Content for Family Law SEO

Content optimization plays a pivotal role in boosting the SEO for family law firms. Here’s how we approach this essential task:

• Utilizing Surfer SEO: We start by analyzing top-ranking pages using Surfer SEO to understand the ideal keyword density and structure.
• Collaborative Topic Selection:
  • Identifying key topics with clients.
  • Highlighting must-have information for each page.
• Crafting Engaging Content:
  • Our skilled SEO copywriting team creates content that is both informative and compelling.
  • We strategically incorporate keywords to ensure content is optimized for search engines without sacrificing quality.
• In-House Quality Assurance:
  • Avoiding the pitfalls of outsourcing, we produce high-quality content in-house.
  • Focusing on engaging text that retains visitors and converts them into clients.

On-Page SEO Optimization for Family Law Websites

Enhancing your family law website’s on-page SEO is crucial for improving visibility and attracting potential clients. Here’s a streamlined approach:

• Meta Titles Optimization: Incorporate your primary keyword, such as “family lawyer [location],” to clearly indicate your service and location.
• Meta Description Optimization: Craft compelling meta descriptions to improve click-through rates, indirectly benefiting SEO.
• Alt Tags Optimization: Ensure images have descriptive alt tags with targeted keywords, enhancing both SEO and accessibility.
• H1s Optimization: Use a single H1 tag per page to clearly describe the page’s content, incorporating relevant keywords.
• H2..H6 Optimization: Utilize these headings to organize content effectively for readers and search engines, avoiding keyword stuffing.
• Schema Implementation: Add relevant schemas to describe your website’s content to Google, aiding in rich snippet optimization, such as showcasing client testimonials.
• SEO-Friendly URLs: Check that URLs are concise and include targeted keywords, ideally set during the website architecture phase.
• Internal Linking: Establish a robust internal linking structure to enhance site navigation and distribute page authority.
• NAP Consistency: For local SEO, ensure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistently listed across the site, crucial for family law practices that serve specific regions.
• Customer Testimonials: Feature genuine testimonials with keywords to bolster trustworthiness and support local SEO efforts.
• Demonstrating E-E-A-T: Showcase your practice’s experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness by highlighting certifications, awards, and profiles of key team members.

Local SEO and Google Business Profile Optimization for Family Law

Optimizing local SEO is paramount for family law practices, given the nature of the service and the importance of reaching potential clients in specific locales. Here’s how we enhance your local presence:

• Google Maps and Business Profile Optimization: We start by ensuring your Google Maps listing has accurate contact information. Then, we thoroughly optimize your Google Business Profile, checking that the URL, categories, and all fields are correctly filled with relevant keywords to improve your visibility in local searches.
• Image Updates and Optimization: High-quality, optimized images are updated on your Google Business Profile to attract and engage potential clients, giving them a visual taste of your professional environment.
• Service Area Optimization: We fine-tune your listed service areas to cover the most relevant locations where your potential clients are, ensuring you appear in local searches where it matters most.
• Regular Profile Updates: Keeping your Google Business Profile fresh with regular posts about your family law services helps maintain its relevance and engagement with potential clients.
• Encouraging Genuine Reviews: Reviews significantly impact your local search rankings. We assist in strategizing to garner positive reviews from satisfied clients, using templates designed to encourage SEO-friendly feedback. Our team also professionally responds to all reviews, enhancing your profile’s trustworthiness and SEO.
• Warning Against Fake Reviews: We advise against purchasing fake reviews. Google’s improving detection methods can lead to profile suspension, jeopardizing your long-term online reputation.
• Bing Business Profile Optimization: In addition to Google, we also optimize your presence on Bing Business Profile, ensuring comprehensive local online visibility.

Technical SEO for Family Law Practices

Technical SEO is a crucial component that sets the foundation for a successful online presence for family law practices. At Stigan Media, we go beyond the basics to ensure your website meets Google’s technical standards.

• Resolving 301 and 404 Errors: Utilizing Screaming Frog, we conduct a comprehensive crawl of your family law website to identify and correct any 301 (redirect) and 404 (page not found) errors. This step ensures all your website pages are accessible and returning a 200 OK status, indicating they’re in good standing for both users and search engines.
• Speed Optimization: Recognizing Google’s emphasis on site speed, we employ “PageSpeed Insights” for an initial analysis, followed by targeted optimizations to enhance your website’s loading times. Faster websites offer a better user experience and are favored by search engines, contributing to higher search rankings.
• Mobile Version Audit: Given the increasing prevalence of mobile browsing, we meticulously review your website’s mobile version. Our goal is to rectify common mobile web issues, such as small font sizes and closely packed elements, ensuring a seamless experience for mobile users.
• SSL Certificate Verification: Security is paramount, so we check the validity of your SSL certificate. An active SSL certificate is essential for maintaining your site’s security and trustworthiness. Expired certificates can result in search engines flagging your site as unsafe, negatively impacting your rankings.

Off-Page SEO for Family Law Firms

Off-page SEO, centered around building backlinks, is a critical yet challenging aspect of enhancing your family law firm’s online presence. Securing high-quality backlinks is not just about quantity but ensuring links come from reputable sources, as poor-quality backlinks can harm rather than help your SEO efforts.

• Listing in Local Directories: Our initial strategy involves listing your family law practice in local directories. We meticulously select directories that are reputable and align with your firm’s services. These listings not only provide valuable backlinks but also reinforce local SEO, helping Google recognize your firm’s geographical relevance.
• Securing Valuable Backlinks: Over the years, Stigan Media has established relationships with a variety of site owners across relevant domains. These partnerships allow us to publish content on their sites that link back to yours, providing high-quality backlinks. With access to over 1000 esteemed websites, we can significantly boost your site’s authority and search engine ranking.
• Disavowing Toxic Links: It’s possible for any website to accumulate harmful backlinks over time, whether through previous SEO work, spam, or actions by competitors. Our team conducts a thorough review of your site’s backlink profile. If we identify detrimental links, we compile a disavow file to inform search engines which links to ignore, safeguarding your site’s reputation.

In conclusion, SEO proves to be an invaluable asset for family law practices, harnessing the power of digital visibility to connect with clients in need. By implementing the strategies we’ve discussed, from meticulous keyword research and on-page optimization to technical SEO enhancements and strategic off-page link building, family law firms can significantly elevate their online presence. These efforts not only improve search engine rankings but also enhance user engagement and establish the firm’s authority and trustworthiness in the competitive legal landscape.

The journey to SEO success, however, involves navigating a complex landscape that requires expertise and continuous adaptation. For family law practices looking to thrive online but finding the process daunting, Stigan Media is here to help. Our tailored SEO solutions are designed to meet the unique challenges and goals of your legal practice, ensuring you achieve optimal results. Contact us for a detailed quote and embark on the path to transforming your online presence and attracting more clients to your family law firm.

Stigan Media, experts in SEO for family law firms, provides a free SEO audit if you’re having trouble with your website.

More SEO Cases Studies by Stigan Media

Oleg Galeev

Oleg is an experienced SEO specialist with a career beginning in 2014. He joined Stigan Media in 2017 and has been leading their SEO team since 2019. With a track record of successful SEO strategies, both traditional and local SEO, Oleg has contributed numerous case studies. His insights are shared on the Stigan Media Blog, his personal website (OlegG.ca), LinkedIn profile, and YouTube channel, showcasing his expertise and results in the field of SEO.