As search engine optimization (SEO) evolves, it has become more important than ever for law firms to find the right SEO company. There are plenty of big-box SEO agencies out there ready to deliver plug-and-play strategies, and even more under-resourced boutique agencies that will struggle to deliver the full-service SEO that’s crucial in today’s changing search environment.
As you search for an SEO agency, choose one equipped to build a strategy aligned with your market and practice. Work with an agency willing to learn about your firm’s goals and that has the resources to develop and implement a full SEO strategy. Such an agency can empower your firm to stand out from competitors and bring in new leads and cases.
How do you find that Goldilocks agency? These questions elicit answers that’ll shed light on the agency’s fitness to provide the type of strategy and service that’ll move the needle.
Why asking your SEO company the right questions is so important
But first: why is it so important that you ask these questions, and what could happen if you don’t?
The SEO agency matters: go with an under-resourced company, and they may not offer the scalability that you want; hire a big-box company, and you may get cookie-cutter solutions. Companies that offer both sufficient resources and a customized approach offer the best of both worlds.
If you pick the wrong company, you could spend a lot of time and money chasing strategies that do not work for you. Even if you find the right agency later, you will never be able to recover the time wasted on an SEO strategy that goes nowhere.
Unreliable companies often employ questionable SEO methods that neglect your content or clutter your site with unhelpful content, use disorganized taxonomy or site structures that make it harder to crawl and navigate your site, and fail to maintain your site health or Google Business Listings. Such agencies jeopardize your business goals by making it harder for potential clients to find you. And once you escape the neglectful or bad SEO strategy, you would then have to spend additional money and time fixing everything the previous company messed up.
Finding the right SEO agency can seem like a big lift, but it’s much simpler and less stressful than trying to recover from a bad experience with the wrong one. Asking the right questions allows you to hire the company that will best serve your business.
What experience do you have with law firm SEO?
Law firm SEO is different from SEO in other industries:
- The legal marketplace is highly competitive. You need an SEO company that understands this unique market and can meet you where you are–whether you have just opened your doors or are looking to grow an established site–to address your needs.
- Law firms must focus on improving local search results. You want geo-targeted strategies that generate leads from within your community. This requires knowledge of how to target local keywords and manage Google Business Profile (GBP) listings.
- Legal schema can hurt or hinder your site. Legal schema is code that you add to your website to make it easier for search engines to pick up on what kinds of services you offer, your office information, and more, but only if your SEO company knows how to leverage it properly.
- Legal consumers have experienced something traumatic and are searching for urgent, reliable help. Part of law firm SEO is creating helpful, accessible content that addresses readers’ pain points and converts them into leads.
Before moving ahead with a company, make sure they have experience specifically with law firm SEO. Ask for:
- Case studies and/or referrals that speak to the company’s successes helping other law firms
- Concrete examples of how their strategies have helped firms similar to yours in size and scope
Be wary of companies that do not want to provide real-world examples of their work.
What SEO services do you provide?
Services that a reputable SEO company provides to accomplish client goals include:
- On-page SEO, including content strategy and production
- Off-page SEO, including PR and linkbuilding
- Technical SEO
- Local SEO
- Web development
- Paid ads, including PPC and LSAs
You want a company that can competently and effectively execute these services. The agency should do competitor analysis and keyword research to inform how they execute each service and find its fit within your overall SEO strategy. It helps if they have grown alongside Google and spent years studying and adapting to its algorithm.
As you listen to them discuss their strategies and services, try to get a sense of their ability to build a custom strategy.
While SEO companies cannot guarantee results (see below), they should be able to discuss their strategies in an open, intelligent way.
How will your SEO strategy help my law firm?
What good is familiarity with these SEO services if the agency is incapable of putting them together in support of your law firm’s goals? Each service works both separately and together to promote your firm’s visibility in search. Your SEO company should speak to how its services and the strategy it develops are tailored to your law firm.
The following are good signs that your agency is developing a tailored strategy:
- Create a roadmap outlining every service they’ll employ and how they’ll employ it.
- Discuss your current markets and what markets you would like to target in the future.
- Discuss how they will track lead attribution to make sure their strategy has the desired effect.
- Ask questions about your business and where you want your business to go.
- Review the technical side of your site, including its structure and speed.
- Explain how its content team will study your unique values and value propositions and incorporate them into your content to differentiate your firm from competitors.
- Audit and review your Google Business Profile(s) and your presence in local search results.
When you speak to an SEO company, they will propose a roadmap or game plan for your firm. They should be able to show you how this plan accounts for your goals, budget, and market, and why they feel this plan is the best fit for you.
If the agency shows little to no interest in these things, they are probably employing a “one-size-fits-all” approach rather than building a plan tailored to you.
Do you guarantee results in a few months?
You’ve heard the old adage, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” That could not be more relevant when it comes to SEO. Here are some red flags.
Instead of guaranteed results, look for a company that can promise:
- Lead attribution, so they can measure the efficacy of their strategy and you can evaluate ROI.
- Frequent communication, so you know your questions and concerns will always be addressed.
- Transparency, so you’re always aware of what the SEO agency is doing.
- Flexibility, so they can change or tweak strategies quickly if something isn’t working.
- Cooperation, so you know the agency is willing to listen to your ideas and work with you to steer your strategy in the direction you want.
Depending on where you’re starting from, it may take a while before you see results from your SEO company. Find a company that acknowledges your current digital presence, budget, market, and goals, and provides a reasonable roadmap.
How do you monitor SEO progress?
Goals, timelines, and accountability should all be a part of your SEO plan. SEO agencies may use a variety of tools to measure your progress, including:
- Call tracking
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Screaming Frog
- Moz
- SERPStat
- Bright Local
- Local Falcon
- GSC/GA
Establish which metrics they’ll monitor, how often they will report results, and what form their progress reports will take (e.g., emails versus video calls).
Rankings and traffic are important to track, but leads and cases are most important. Tracking leads and cases gives you a direct metric to gauge the SEO agency’s value to your business. Call tracking software provides further insight into where those cases came from so you can maintain or scale the strategies that are working.
Monitor the company’s progress by scheduling monthly updates on everything they are doing for you. Make sure both you and the company are comfortable with this reporting schedule. Do not trust a company that is reluctant to share results and meet regularly to review them.
Who owns my website?
Weird question, right? You’d think, but we’ve seen several firms set back by switching from their former agency’s proprietary website system.
The answer to this question should always be, “Your law firm owns its website.” If your SEO company owns your site or requires it to be hosted on its proprietary system, it will be extremely difficult to switch companies if you ever decide to part ways. We’ve seen firms spend a great deal of time and money rebuilding their site. And that’s not even considering the SEO gains they might lose in the process.
No matter how competent and persuasive an SEO company may seem, if they insist on owning your website or putting it on their proprietary system, it is safer to go with someone else.
What will you need from my law firm?
Your relationship with your SEO company should be mutually beneficial. Ask what the company needs from you to build and maintain such a partnership. The answer should include things like:
- A regular point of contact within your firm.
- Access to digital assets, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, call tracking software, lead tracking software, your GBPs, logos, hosting.
- Your legal expertise, which allows them to create unique and insightful content.
- Regular feedback and input on what the SEO company is doing.
- Communication about cases you have successfully resolved and how.
- What kind of return on investment you are expecting versus what you are seeing.
- Active participation in the development of your SEO plan.
An agency that asks only for a few login details is either inexperienced or unwilling to deliver full SEO services tailored to your firm. Such an agency is likely not treating your firm as unique. It’s probably planning to implement the same strategy and the same generic content it uses for all its clients.
Once you ask your questions, take a few days to consider your options
As with any contract for any service, take your time to review it carefully. It is easier to think of questions you missed or come up with new questions when you can review the contract and think over the SEO agency’s responses at your leisure in a familiar environment.
When reviewing the contract, take note of items like:
- SEO services to be provided
- When the contract expires
- The firm’s cancellation policy
- Payment schedules
- Unexpected costs or anything else not discussed during your meeting
Contact the company with any follow-up questions. If they seem reluctant to answer questions or pressure you to sign quickly, that is a red flag.
Again, no SEO agency can guarantee results. You do not want a company that makes false promises, lacks the resources to scale, or employs generic solutions. Focus on finding a partner that is in it for the long haul and will take appropriate steps to help you grow. By asking the questions above—and knowing what the answers mean for your firm—you can find a reliable SEO company that is committed to your success.
The right SEO agency can help your firm shine
Ready to start your SEO journey? We Do Web will provide a free, 30-minute consultation, during which we will answer every question you want to ask our law firm SEO company. Call now or book a free site audit to begin.
Eileen Gonzalez is a Senior Editor at We Do Web, one of Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing businesses in America. She has been writing unique, attention-grabbing content for law firms since 2020.
