Did you know that your pet goldfish might have a longer attention span than you? According to a recent study by the Telegraph in the UK, due partly to the popularization of smartphones, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 to 8 seconds over the past twenty years. The attention span of the average goldfish clocks in at 9 seconds.
What does this mean for attorneys? It means that if you want potential clients sticking around on your site, you’ve got to grab their attention and keep it. Accordingly, quick load time, readable sentences, and small paragraphs all increase your SEO.
How else can I improve my SEO and why is it so important?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a set of guidelines that, if followed, improve your site’s ranking in a search engine’s organic results. In 2020, when there’s intense digital competition, you must work twice as hard to be noticed. Today, we’re breaking down how to optimize your content and send your business straight to the top.
Link, Link, Link
This is an easy one. According to Search Metrics, the number of backlinks is the 3rd most determining factor in your rankings. Chances are, you’ve mentioned something in a blog post that references another article, study, news story, or other trustworthy sources.
Including those outbound links (make sure they link outside of your web page so users don’t leave your site) increases your credibility as a publisher and brings you right to Google’s “high-quality content” column. But be sure to stress quality over quantity. Links must be relevant, trustworthy and, of course, functioning. Defunct or irrelevant links will plummet your SEO score.
Optimize Your Images
Image files should be small to reduce page loading time. You can also name the image files with keywords relevant to your website like “best divorce attorneys for women” or “experienced child custody attorneys”. Use captions to sneak in additional keywords.
Spread The Share
Include sharing icons beneath posts to encourage social media sharing. The more users share your content, the more people will search for your site and the higher your attorney ranking will be.
You should also focus your attention on social media if you haven’t yet figured out that a social presence is no longer optional. An engaging social profile with links to your website will also engage users with your legal brand and drive organic website traffic.
Improve Your Content
It might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many lawyer websites abandon blogs or fail to produce relevant content. Your website content should be engaging, relevant, and frequently updated to encourage frequent visits and improve dwell time.
Go Mobile
Nearly 60% of Google searches come from mobile devices. That means your site needs to be optimized for mobile use. Make sure your site is responsive on mobile so the text is readable and images pop just as they would on a laptop or desktop computer.
Readability
Speaking of readability…remember the goldfish? A huge part of Google’s algorithm for determining SEO rankings is readability. Content should be nice to read and easy to comprehend. Readable text keeps users engaged and less likely to click away.
Here are a few tips to boost your text’s readability:
First thing’s first – short sentences and paragraphs. As a rule of thumb, limit the number of sentences that contain 20 or more words and keep the length of your paragraphs below 150 words. Long sentences and paragraphs are hard to process and boost the likelihood that users will reach the end of their short attention span and click away. To help keep paragraph length tight, break text up and use subheadings when appropriate.
Try to avoid multiple sentences in a row that begin with the same word and be sure to find a balance between long and short sentences. As previously mentioned, short sentences are preferable but do include longer sentences for the sake of variety. No one speaks solely in short or long sentences, so there’s no reason to write that way.
Additionally, it’s important to use transition words like the first word of this sentence. Other examples include, therefore, however, also, because, as a result, due to, and…you get the gist.
And a good rule of thumb for writing in general – but especially important when it comes to readability – is to use the active voice whenever possible.
Overall…
Improving your attorney SEO doesn’t have to mean uprooting your entire website and rewriting every piece of content you’ve ever created. Chances are, you’ve got spectacular content that just needs a bit of polishing and that polishing can send your law firm straight to the top (of Google search results).
More questions on SEO? Contact us! Happy searching.
About us – Bounce Legal is a legal marketing agency for bankruptcy attorneys and divorce attorneys, and digital advertising experts. We service clients on a local and national basis. On top of offering digital advertising advantages, we’re knowledgeable in generating leads, search engine ranking advantages, Google Ads advertising (Pay Per Click), SEO services, social media marketing, and more!
Your web site most certainly is the beginning, as success through-out our digital markets is reliant on local prominence & maximum exposure to several marketing outlets. Our divorce marketing and bankruptcy marketing company is glad to help you with any questions you may have. Book a free consultation now and discover how we’re able to help your law firm dominate your local market.