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Nine SEO Fundamentals for Lawyers

November 12, 2025

By Justin Fisher

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of practices designed to improve your law firm website’s visibility in search engine results. Here are nine fundamentals that can shape your firm’s SEO strategy.

1. Keyword research and targeting.

Keywords are the phrases people use to search for information online, such as “law firm near me.” Appropriate keywords for your strategy will describe the firm’s legal services, specialties, and geographic areas served.

• Online keyword research tools help you identify relevant phrases. Free options are available on WordStream, Wordtracker, and Moz websites.

• Local and long-tail keywords should be incorporated into your strategy. Local keywords include references to a city or geographic area, and long-tail keywords are phrases like “real estate law firm near me free consultation.”

• Keyword intent helps determine what searchers are looking for. Review top search results to ensure your targeted keywords attract potential clients.

2. On-page optimization.

Search engines use a webpage’s structure to understand and rank its content. Optimize key elements to improve visibility:

• Title tags. Include target keywords and keep between 55 and 65 characters.

• Meta descriptions. Write concise, compelling summaries under 155 characters.

• URLs. Keep them short and include relevant keywords.

• Header tags. Organize content for clarity and hierarchy.

• Alt tags. Use brief (125 characters or fewer) image descriptions for accessibility and SEO.

3. Quality content creation.

Search engines reward websites that answer search questions thoroughly and practically. The path to success involves publishing legal content that is high-quality, informative, and engaging.

Evergreen content has a long lifespan and can drive traffic to the firm's website for months or years. The benefit of local content is that it typically converts website visitors into clients at a higher rate.

Create and publish comprehensive and downloadable guides, blog posts, case studies, videos, testimonials, interviews, infographics, and FAQs. Varying content formats extends your SEO reach.

4. Local SEO.

Local SEO targets prospective clients who are in the areas served by the firm. Below are four elements of local SEO marketing for law firms.

1. Incorporate local keywords, which are search phrases that include a reference to a specific city, town, or locale.

2. Add contact information on the website, including the business name, address, email, and phone number.

3. Sign up for a free Google business profile, which provides verified information that’s used by Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Reviews.

4. Monitor reviews. Good user reviews give Google — and local prospects — positive signals about your business.

5. Link building.

Link building is the practice of securing links to a law firm’s website. The quality, number, and relevance of incoming links are a search ranking factor.

To earn backlinks to your firm’s website, be sure to:

• Produce unique and useful content that other sites want to reference.

• Join services like Qwoted and HARO SEO to locate opportunities to provide expertise in exchange for a link.

• Ask colleagues and vendors about linking opportunities.

• Seek out guest posting opportunities and content partnerships.

6. Mobile optimization.

Google primarily uses websites’ mobile versions for evaluation and ranking. A responsive website has one code base that includes multiple layouts appropriate for different screen sizes. Most modern templates for popular content management systems such as WordPress are responsive.

7. User experience.

Mobile optimization is one aspect of a larger discipline called user experience (UX). The organization of a website and the elements on a single webpage affect UX. Consistent use of design elements throughout the website also supports user confidence — as does the use of confirmation messages. A simple example is displaying a “thank you” message after the user submits a message through a website form.

8. Tracking and measuring success.

To track and measure success, be sure to test, monitor, and refine your SEO strategy using analytics and key performance indicators. Free tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Bing Webmaster Tools, PageSpeed Insights, and Microsoft Clarity help assess performance.

9. Schema markup for legal content.

Schema markup helps search engines display extra details — like reviews, contact information, and office hours — in search results, attracting more clicks and engagement. Law firms can benefit from using three main types:

• Attorney schema. Identifies the attorney’s name, bio, practice areas, contact details, reviews, office locations, and social profiles.

• Legal service schema. Defines the firm’s name, description, service area, contact information, hours, and payment methods.

• Local business schema. Highlights the firm’s location, contact information, and office hours.

Build SEO success with the right tools. Learn how 8am™ MyCase and 8am LawPay can streamline firm growth. Schedule a demo with MyCase and LawPay today.

Justin Fisher is a content writer and SEO strategist for 8am. He specializes in writing about emerging legal technology, financial wellness for law firms, and more.