Our good pal, Google, is constantly implementing small updates, fixes, and tweaks to their search engine algorithm. In fact, the tech giant makes thousands of these minuscule changes every year, most of which you probably never even notice. These tiny fixes have very little impact on what SEOs do on a daily basis. Big algorithm updates, including broad core updates, are when we see the biggest changes to the search engine results page (SERP)—and Google certainly had a lot of them to roll out this year. Over the [...]
Your website has a professional design, its load times are great, and the content is top-quality. So why are people still clicking away? If your bounce rate is higher than you’d like it to be, we want to put your mind at ease. Let’s get into why your law firm’s high bounce rate isn’t always bad and what it could be trying to tell you. Key Takeaways Bounce rate is just one metric among dozens of others. Your site won’t be penalized in the rankings for a high [...]
Personal injury SEO (search engine optimization) is a marathon, not a sprint. While many law firms believe they should focus on conquering large-population, major metropolises, a strategic shift towards smaller cities and suburbs can offer unique advantages, especially considering the time it takes to build authority in the competitive personal injury digital arena. In this blog, I'll focus on the benefits that law firms just starting their SEO investment/journey can reap by directing their efforts towards less saturated markets, allowing their firm to build its digital marketing foundation [...]
Getting quality backlinks from reputable websites is one of the most important ranking factors for SEO. But what about your website’s internal linking structure? Let’s get into why your law firm’s internal backlinks matter and three changes you can make today. In this blog, I’ll answer questions like: What are internal links? What role do internal links play in SEO? Does anchor text placement matter? (more…)
Scaling a contingency fee-based firm requires a well-orchestrated blend of resources, strategic moves, and growth tactics. At times, it can feel like a leap of faith, but it doesn’t have to be a blind leap. In this guide, I will share my thoughts on how to leverage case referrals blended with strategic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to expand your firm across office locations, staff, and even practice areas. Let’s get to it! (more…)
Published on November 21, 2018, by GAVL
SEO
Shortly after Google announced its dropping of Google+, they announced a new piece of functionality hitting Google Maps. They’ve unveiled the ability to “Follow” businesses directly in Google Maps. Once you’ve followed a business, you’ll begin receiving news and updates from them when the business makes posts or updates to their Google My Business. (more…)
If you’re like most other lawyers, you or someone you know set up Google My Business (GMB) for your firm and probably forgot about it. Considering the recent changes below, now is the perfect time to finally log in and make some updates. This post is short, sweet, and to the point. Take some action. Business Description Back in August of 2016, Google removed the ability to edit a business description inside of GMB. Not cool, Google. On March 28th, 2018, Google announced on Twitter that it’s back! [...]
Google has announced a new ranking algorithm that will affect mobile search queries. Google is calling it the “Speed Update”. Starting in July 2018, page speed will officially be a ranking factor for mobile searches. Google has been using speed as a ranking signal in desktop searches since 2010. With them shifting to a mobile-first index, this update only makes sense. This update will only affect a small amount of search queries that deliver the slowest experience to users (everything revolves around the user experience, as it should). [...]
Published on October 23, 2017, by GAVL
SEO
Let's talk about link building. A backlink is any hyperlink on a website that links to your website. Link building is the means of acquiring the backlinks/links. If you want your law firm to rank high in Google, you need links from other websites pointing to your firm's website. Think of backlinks as a way for Google and other search engines to gauge the credibility and influence of your website and its content. Simple, right? Years ago it was, but not anymore. It didn't matter where your links [...]
This month, Google is releasing version 62 of its web browser, Google Chrome. After the release, Chrome will mark any HTTP page as “Not secure” when users enter data into a form. Currently, the “Not secure” warning only displays when a user enters a password or credit card information. The update will make it so the warning displays when any text is entered into a form. Why Is it a Big Deal? Ok, ok. So, the term “HTTPSgeddon” may be a little over the top. I needed to [...]
