What are Backlinks?

When it comes to increasing a law firm’s ability to rank highly on search engine listings, few techniques are as simple to execute yet also perform as well as creating backlinks. Backlinks are links on one reputable website which link to another site. When a client has a good experience with a law firm or attorney and talks about that experience, that firm’s reputation is increased. Backlinks work the same way.

Search engine algorithms really like backlinks. In the early days of search engine optimization (SEO), it was common for companies to build unethical, “black hat” off-sites which contained pages and pages of links and nothing else. Since then, Google has smartened up and now requires backlinks to be high in quality before the links can increase that site’s overall rankings.

So, what’s a quality backlink? A quality backlink is one that originates from a trusted, relevant source that’s also unique. Low-quality backlinks can actually damage a site’s ranking in the form of penalties—especially if there are too many low-quality backlinks. You’ll also want to avoid posting too many “no-follow” links on forums and in blog comments, etc., as these can be seen as a red flag as well. Any type of spam in general is bad. When it comes to Google’s algorithms, quality always trumps quantity.

Trusted, relevant sources that also happen to be unique cover a huge spectrum of the online world. For a law firm, one of the best ways to build quality backlinks is to work on building up the firm’s business relationship with other firms, legal professionals, and organizations. Networking and participating in local professional and government events is a good way to get the word out about your firm as well as increase links pointing to your firm’s site.

Other great sources of backlinks include law firm directory listings, attorney review sites (Avvo, etc.), social media tools, guest blogs/op-eds, and press releases. Don’t hesitate to reach out to online organizations and ask to share content that may result in a great relationship, a link, and maybe even a referral or two. No online tool alone can replace the potential of networking. Also, don’t hesitate to encourage your clients to leave a favorable review before you part ways. Any bit can help.

Backlinks are integral to any law firm SEO strategy. Mastering the art of legal SEO can seem like an unsurmountable task, but with a little help, your firm’s site can have a solid SEO core that can constantly be built upon—much like a great reputation. As with most major projects, the first steps of understanding and getting started with SEO are the most difficult.

That’s why Legal InSites is here. We’ll help your firm climb the rankings, obtain quality backlinks, gain new clients, and most importantly—keep gaining new clients.