Per Yoast, "A keyword, or a focus keyword as some call it, is a word that describes the content on your page or post best. It's the search term that you want to rank for with a certain page. So when people search for that keyword or phrase in Google or other search engines, they should find that page on your website."
A keyword is the term used to describe the word (or words) typed into an online search engine to find information. If you seek legal guidance and start by typing lawyer into your search engine, "lawyer" acts as your keyword.
Search Engine Optimization, or simply put SEO, can improve website activity without buying search placement. Search engines use SEO in order to rank websites naturally.
Incorporating keywords into online content for your site, blogs, or listings is one way to improve your SEO. However, to be successful with SEO, choosing the most relevant keywords for your law firm is essential. Not all keywords will work.
The three main keyword structures are short tail, long tail, and location based.
A search term with a short tail keyword is one or two words in length. These keywords will not be sufficient to rank your law firm high up in search results, even though users may start their search by typing "lawyer" or "legal assistance."
For what reason?
Most short tail keywords are dominated by large companies. This dominance makes it difficult for small businesses (like your law firm) to stick out.
A search term with long tail keywords is three or more words in length, making them more complex. However, the complexity of these keywords can help your law firm stand out in the legal sector. Users can use long tail keywords such as "family law divorce attorney" or "personal injury accident attorney," especially when short tail keywords don't yield the desired results.
Long tail keywords can increase your searchability as other firms not focused on your area of expertise are removed from the search results. Additionally, search engines will rank site content higher if you include long tail keywords unique to your legal sector.
A search term with location based keywords is straightforward to use since it's specific to your firm's physical location. Are you located in El Paso, Texas? Then include El Paso, Texas in your firm's site content.
Users are more likely to search for legal services based on a specific location. It could be their current location or the location of the legal incident. You will be ahead of any non-El Paso attorneys if you add "El Paso" to your site content.
No, not always. Now that you know what a keyword is and its types, you need to know how to use them. The wrong way to use keywords can cause your SEO to suffer rather than help it.
Keyword stuffing is when a law firm throws every keyword combination possible into its site content. This process is not an SEO strategy that will help your law firm.
It is important to focus on keyword combinations with quality and not quantity. High-quality site content is associated with higher search rankings by search engines. Search engines can detect repeated or unnecessary keyword combinations and therefore lower your SEO rank.
Search engines use intricate algorithms to locate websites and business listings that might be trying to cheat the system. These websites will be penalized with a lower rank by search engines. Avoiding the temptation of black-hat tactics can help your website stay on top.
Let's review an example of such deception. Your website depicts a prestigious law firm with a dozen lawyers, but clients arrive at a one-room, one-person firm. Despite the possibility of outsourcing attorneys when needed, you can't live up to the hype, leading to distrust. Have you secured a new client even with this deception? Or have you created a negative review on top of losing the business?
Quality is synonymous with excellence. Focus on appealing and accurate site content for your law firm. SEO isn't built overnight. Your law firm didn't secure a large amount of clientele overnight, so don't expect the same with SEO.