Law firms creating SEO content are looking to rank #1. Seems like a straightforward goal right? However, there is so much strategy involved! You want to rank #1 for which keywords? How high-intent is the keyword or query? What is the ranking difficulty? How much search volume is involved?
In the end, strategy depends on one thing: How do you beat your competitors? The goal isn’t to be the best at Google rankings. It’s to get your firm seen instead of a competitor. In particular, get seen by best-fit clients for your firm.
SEO is a Strategic Marketing Channel
To truly win that #1 ranking spot, law firms need a mindset shift. SEO isn’t about picking a couple keywords, writing a few blog posts, and hoping for traffic. Instead, it is a strategic marketing channel that requires a methodological approach. Luckily, most lawyers like puzzles and winning, so this is in your wheelhouse.
Your competitors are giving you a roadmap for what’s working. If you study their strategy, you can reverse-engineer their success and find opportunities they’ve missed.
Set Up Your Baseline
Before tracking competitors, know where you stand. Run a site audit and benchmark your current rankings.
- Step 1: Use an SEO tool to list your top-performing pages and keywords.
- Step 2: Check page speed and mobile usability.
- Step 3: Note where you’re ranking below competitors.
Having this baseline helps you measure improvements and spot trends faster.
Monitor Competitors’ Digital Moves
Next, determine who are your search competitors: the firms that show up alongside you on Google, not just those you compete with in business. There will likely be some new firms to monitor as well as informational or law firm listing sites.
Then, look at your business competitors and see what keywords they rank for. This kind of monitoring lets you see patterns: what topics they prioritize, how often they publish, which practice areas they double down on, and how they’re earning visibility from other sites.
Now that you can see what your rivals are doing, put together your SEO strategy around theirs.
Reverse-Engineer Their Playbook
Once you know your search competitors, dissect what’s behind their rankings.
- Are their top pages high-intent? What types of subject areas are they missing?
- Check their backlinks and see which sites are linking to them and explore similar (but better) outreach opportunities.
- Get into the details of their content strategy. How often do they publish? What’s their tone? How detailed are their guides?
You don’t need to publish the most content, just better information targeted at high-intent clients for your particular practice. If you are a family lawyer trying to do more divorce work, then your content should match what high-net-worth individuals are asking about.
Now that you understand what they are doing, what aren’t they doing? This is where you step in.
Case Study: Know Your Niche
A personal injury firm in a large metro area went from having almost no online presence to hiring additional attorneys by understanding their focus. Instead of competing for the broad and nearly impossible “personal injury attorney [state]” keyword, they specialized in truck accidents. By seeing exactly how competitors were strong in general personal injury but weak in that niche, they began ranking for “[state] truck accident attorneys.” Knowing their niche and where rivals were vulnerable created a clear path to growth.
Answer High-Intent Questions, Not Just Keywords
Many firms make the mistake of copying competitors’ keywords. Instead, focus on intent gaps: what the client is actually trying to achieve when they search.
If competitors are ranking for informational terms like “what is discrimination,” you might target higher-intent searches like “fired for discrimination.”
Combine this with your unique perspective. Google’s EEAT framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) rewards authentic insights. Highlight your case experience, legal victories, and thought leadership. That’s what competitors can’t duplicate.
Use Automation to Get Ahead
Staying competitive doesn’t mean spending hours checking rankings manually. Automation tools can do the heavy lifting while you focus on strategy.
Get alerts and monitor reports, so you can see how their strategy is changing. Then, use AI and automations to keep your content strategy consistent without manual effort.
By automating routine monitoring, you’ll spot trends earlier and react faster than competitors who are still doing everything by hand. Automation turns your SEO process from defensive to offensive.
Case Study: Efficiency Through Automation
A small law firm realized they would never have time to manually track competitors’ SEO. By using automation to monitor competitors’ strategy like how often rivals posted, what keywords they ranked for, and where they earned backlinks, the firm discovered their competitors were neglecting an adjacent practice area. They pivoted to that area, quickly gained visibility, and began attracting new cases they hadn’t considered before.
Take Steps Today, Not Tomorrow
If this seems like a lot and you would rather be practicing, remember that slow and steady often wins the race. Here are some actions you can take now to get started.
- Choose three high-impact keywords or topics competitors rank for, and build deeper, better content.
- Create one “quick win” by optimizing an existing page with clearer headings or local language.
- Develop one long-term play, like a detailed practice area guide or thought leadership series.
- Set up calendar notifications to check your analytics regularly.
Measure and Adapt
Finally, keep score. Use analytics dashboards to measure what matters most: traffic quality, leads, and conversions. Rankings are only valuable if they drive real client inquiries.
By continuously tracking, learning, and adapting based on your competitors’ digital strategies, your firm can stay ahead of rivals.
