SEO Link Building for Law Firms

If you’ve heard of search engine optimization (SEO), then you’ve probably heard about links. Maybe you know they’re important for SEO, but you likely have some questions left unanswered.

Do backlinks still matter, or is it all about content? Or, if links are important, how do you go about “building” them for your website?

We’re here to demystify the practice of SEO link building, and walk you through how to incorporate link building into a lucrative law firm SEO strategy!

What is Link Building for Law Firms?

Link building for lawyers and attorneys is the process of getting backlinks to your law firm’s website to boost its authority and improve search engine rankings. When other relevant, high-authority websites link to your website, this is essentially a vote of confidence that your site is valuable, reputable, and provides helpful information to users.

There are many different methods for building backlinks but it all essentially boils down to encouraging other websites to link to your content. You can do this by publishing great content on your own website, contributing guest posts to other websites, creating ebooks, and more. We will dive into these strategies later!

Link Building vs Link “Earning” – What’s the Difference?

“Link building” and “link earning” are two approaches to attracting links to your website. While both can result in improving your website’s authority and visibility, they differ in their methodology.

Link building is a proactive strategy. This approach involves actively seeking and acquiring backlinks from other websites to your own site. This might require you to reach out to website owners, bloggers, or online magazines asking them to link to your content.

The benefit of this approach is that you have more control over which websites you earn links from and what content you want them to link to.

Link earning is more of an organic approach. This is where you focus on creating content that naturally attracts links from other websites. Valuable, well-researched, and/or engaging content can naturally attract interest (and links) from other website owners.

Link earning means that you build a more natural and authoritative backlink profile. You have less control over the sources, but it does not require you to conduct outreach.

The Key to Building Great Backlinks

You’ll find many snake-oil SEO “experts” claiming that you can buy links or build your own links via a blog network. Any method that involves “tricking” Google is unlikely to benefit your site in the long term. The best approach is to create amazing content that attracts links naturally AND appeals to the domains you want to actively build links from.

While you can actively build links through targeted link-building campaigns, it’s equally important to publish content that attracts links over time. This focus on quality and relevance will benefit your site now and in the future.

Why SEO Link Building Matters for Law Firms

There are many benefits to building links to your website. Since Google is one of the leading sources of traffic for law firms, adopting an intentional backlink strategy can make a big difference in terms of your site’s authority, rankings, and traffic.

• Improved rankings: Backlinks from reputable websites essentially signal to search engines that your website is a trustworthy source of information. This can lead to higher search engine rankings, as the Google algorithm serves to direct users to high-quality websites.
• More website traffic: Links from other websites can also direct some of that website’s traffic to your website. People who are interested in legal services are more likely to visit your site through these links.
• Increased authority and credibility: When you earn links from high-authority domains, some of this authority can “spread” to your website. Not only that, but the fact that a reputable site is linking to your site can indicate to users that your law firm is a reliable source of information.
• Better user experience: External links from other sites work to direct users to valuable and relevant resources. This enhances the overall user experience and keeps visitors engaged with your content.
• Earned social proof: SEO value aside, backlinks from well-known legal publications, websites, and directories can serve as proof that your law firm is legit. It indicates that you are a recognized and trusted source within the legal community.
• More connections and partnerships: In the process of building links, you can form lasting partnerships with other publications in your industry. Connecting with other legal professionals, bloggers, and magazines can lead to more collaborations and referrals.

How to Build Backlinks

Adopting an intentional backlink strategy is one of the best ways to build up the authority of your website, generate referral traffic, and attract new clients via other websites in your niche. There are several strategies you can use to build backlinks to your law firm website.

1. Create informative and valuable content

Publish web pages, blog posts, videos, and other types of content that provide value to your target audience. This can include tutorials, expert interviews, FAQ guides, infographics, ebooks, and many more creative ideas. By creating valuable content and following on-page SEO best practices, you may be able to attract backlinks naturally.

2. Submit guest posts to industry publications

Reach out to industry-related publications to land contributor placement (i.e. guest posts) on those websites. Guest posting allows you to showcase your expertise, expand your reach to a wider audience, and earn backlinks. These guest posts should be well-written, unique, and provide value to the publication’s target audience.

3. Reclaim broken links

You can use SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to identify “broken” links – i.e. links that used to be pointed at your website and are now broken because the URLs/pages no longer exist. You can often reach out to the linking domain and provide an alternative URL for them to link to, reclaiming your lost link.

4. Create a resource hub

Potential clients and other legal professionals are often looking for legal resources to support their case. Another way to attract links (and traffic) is to host a resource “hub” on your website. This could include forms, videos, documents, case studies, and other helpful resources.

5. Promote your content on social media

Share your content on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to increase its visibility. If your content gains traction, it’s more likely to be noticed and linked to by other websites and business owners. You can also use social media to reach out to other experts and influencers in your niche in hopes of landing guest post opportunities.

6. Add internal links

Use internal linking to your advantage by linking to relevant pages on your own website. This not only improves user experience but also helps distribute link equity across your site. For example, you can link from a piece of content that has a ton of backlinks to an underperforming page to give it a boost.

7. Submit your business to online directories

This strategy is particularly relevant for law firms. You can submit your website to reputable and relevant legal web directories to get your information out there and, sometimes, earn a link. While this approach is less effective than it used to be, certain high-quality directories can still provide valuable backlinks and referral traffic.

8. Join roundup posts

As the name implies, roundup posts are articles that “round up” several resources, expert interviews, tools, insights, etc. into one. For example, you might see articles titled “10 Best Legal Software Tools to Use” or “Here’s What These 20 Attorneys Had to Say About Divorce”. Sometimes you can participate in roundup posts where multiple experts share their insights on a particular topic — or, you can reach out to existing roundups in hopes of getting featured. These types of posts often include links back to the contributors’ websites.

What Makes a “Good” Link?

What constitutes a “good” link is usually a backlink from a high-authority, high-traffic website that’s relevant to your niche. Sometimes you might come across a domain that seems relevant to your business but doesn’t have much authority or traffic. While it might be a fine link, it won’t have as big of an impact on your SEO as an even better link.

When looking at domains to reach out to, consider those that are most relevant to your business and audience, and that have a high domain authority.

Law Firm Link Building Strategies

Link building for law firms can be a different game compared to other types of businesses. For one, legal professionals are often more discerning about the content they feature on their website. Also, the legal industry can be highly competitive, so law firms may be wary about linking to other law firms.

With this in mind, it’s often best to work with a professional law firm SEO agency in order to see the best return on your link building efforts. A trusted agency will use tailored strategies and an approach that’s customized to your business.

That said, there are a few common law firm link building strategies agencies might use to attract links to your website.

Legal Directories and Associations

An SEO agency can help you get listed in reputable legal directories and associations such as Avvo, Justia, and the American Bar Association. At Hennessey Digital, we will help optimize your listing to rank better in search, earn links (if possible), and generate leads.

Legal Blogs and Publications

Another strategy is to help your business land guest post placements in legal blogs and publications. This allows you to share your insights on legal topics and showcase your law firm. These publications will often provide author bios with backlinks to your website.

Case Studies

We can help you create in-depth case studies to attract interest from potential clients and publishers. These can serve as valuable resources for other legal professionals and journalists, potentially leading to backlinks.

Legal Forums and Q&A Sites

Some law firms see success earning links by posting to legal forums and Q&A sites. On these sites, you can answer legal questions, ask your own questions, and provide informative and accurate responses to users. Often, you can add a link back to relevant content on your website for further reading.

News and Press Releases

Work with a trusted SEO agency or PR firm to generate local news and press releases related to your legal practice. You can cover topics like legal issues, community involvement, or firm achievements. Local media coverage can lead to backlinks and recognition from news outlets.

Thought Pieces

Got something to share? You can write opinion pieces on legal issues, changes in legislation, or court decisions and publish these to your website. Or, you can pitch these pieces to relevant news outlets or publications in hopes of earning backlinks.

Level Up Your Law Firm Link Building Strategy

Great backlinks can be earned or built, but it takes a smart strategy to do both! At Hennessey Digital, we provide link building services that deliver high-quality authority backlinks that will strengthen your legal website’s backlink profile. Learn more about our SEO and link building offerings today.