In an era where competition is steep and everyone is vying for that page one ranking, it is important to have a better understanding of what factors are important for SEO rankings.
There are two ways to rank on page one of Google, one way is by paying Google to rank your law firm under the sponsored section. This advertising model is referred to as pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. It is dictated by a monthly budget that is divided among the number of days in a month.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to a PPC marketing strategy. The biggest advantage is that you can rank on page one of Google within a few hours of a PPC campaign going live. The biggest disadvantage is that in order to see results, it requires a large marketing budget and your website must first be evaluated to ensure that it is setup for success for a PPC campaign. Some factors to evaluate about your website are:
- Is the content relevant and sufficient to the keyword phrases and ads that you plan on targeting for your PPC campaign?
- Do you have distinct landing pages for each practice area and sub-practice area?
- Is there a strong call to action on every landing page?
The second way to rank on page one of Google is with SEO. There are many factors that impact SEO and rankings. SEO does take time to work, however, one of the biggest advantages with SEO in comparison to PPC, is that your listing remains all day and does not disappear (unless your ranking changes). Whereas, with PPC once your budget runs out for the day, your ad goes down.
Let’s Explore How Technology Contributes to SEO
MOBILE
According to data compiled by Smart Insights, 71 percent of U.S. internet search took place on a mobile device. Ninety-two percent of the time we spend on a mobile device is spend on apps, according to Flurry Insights.
If you do not have a mobile responsive website, your website will be penalized by Google by moving your site to be placed further back in the search result pages.
SOCIAL SEARCH
Just as people are spending more and more time on mobile devices, people are also spending more and more time on social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In an effort to keep users on Facebook, they launched “Instant Articles” which contain the full article within the Facebook app rather than requiring a click-through.
If you think that Facebook is just a fad, think again, Facebook is the next Google and many law firms have already started implementing Facebook advertising campaigns into their law firm marketing plan.
VOICE SEARCH ASSISTANTS
In the past few years, there has been an emergence of voice-activated personal assistants such as Alexa and Siri. People’s search behavior has expanded beyond traditional online searches on search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Now modern search is based on natural language (as used with Alexa), expanded search windows (Siri), context and history (Alexa will remember what product you ordered last time). It is important to realize that search is no longer just about typing a keyword phrase into a search box but recent innovations allow consumers to get answers to their questions with a simple voice command.
MESSAGING APPS
Facebook is the new LinkedIn. Utilizing the Facebook messenger feature allows you to instantly message almost anyone on Facebook and the receiver of the message usually receives an alert that they have a new message. This allows you the ability to message a person or business who has a Facebook profile and connect with them on a business or personal level.
In October 2017, Google is Expected to Roll Out a New Algorithm
As Google constantly changes its algorithms, it is important to stay informed of upcoming changes that may impact your website. In October 2017, Google is expected to assign a “non-secure” comment to your website in search results if it does not conform to its newest rules, which basically states that it wants your website to start with HTTPS, which indicates website security.
Website security can be achieved through an SSL certificate. If you have any type of text field on your website, Google wants your site to be secure, which can be achieved by requesting an SSL certificate from your web hosting provider. Dimple Dang
