Are you a lawyer? Here are some legal SEO keyword tips.
Legal SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) helps independent lawyers and larger law firms attract more clients online.
It’s about improving your website’s visibility on Google. For example, when a prospect types in Google’s search, “divorce lawyer near me,” whoever shows up at the top of the search results has implemented best SEO practices, which we will get to.
Your law firm can show up on Google page one with high-volume, intent-driven keywords like:
- “personal injury lawyer near me”
- “divorce lawyer”
- “family lawyer”.
It just takes a little bit of SEO work. In this post, I’ll show you how to attract local customers by targeting the right keywords.
It all starts with keyword research.
Why keyword research matters
Not all keywords are created equal.
For law firms, targeting transactional and commercial intent keywords is, well, key. These are the search terms people use when they’re ready to act — like “personal injury lawyer near me” or “wills and estates lawyer Sydney.”
Unlike informational keywords (e.g., “What does an entertainment lawyer do?”), transactional keywords attract potential clients actively seeking legal help, in real time.
To identify these high-converting terms, tools like Ahrefs or SEMRush are essential. They give you information such as keyword volume, competition, and difficulty in ranking.
Why does this matter? Without keyword research, you risk wasting time on low-impact terms or not targeting the right type of keywords.
In its most simplest terms — good SEO = more money in your pocket.
Case Study: Randle & Taylor
Randle & Taylor Barristers and Solicitors, a leading family law firm in Adelaide, demonstrate the power of targeted keyword optimisation.
The website strategically optimises for service based legal keywords, specifically focusing on location-specific terms like:
- Property settlement lawyer Adelaide
- Property lawyer Adelaide
- Family lawyers Adelaide
Why is this important?
Let’s take the keywords “Family Lawyers Adelaide”. This is a lower volume but high intent keyword with a monthly search volume of around 70 searches, according to Ahrefs. Ranking for this term requires well-optimised on-page SEO and a strong backlink strategy.
In your city, the keyword search volume for your local keyword variation of this term may be a lot higher. For example, the search volume for the New York keyword variations receives around 250 searches per month.
Randle & Taylor’s approach highlights the value of combining local SEO with service-specific keywords. By doing so, they increase visibility for high-intent local searches, driving more enquiries from people actively seeking legal support.
As a result, Randle and Taylor is proof that, with the right local strategy, even competitive keywords are within reach.
What keywords should you target?
We have done the keyword research for you and compiled a list of the highest search volume legal keywords. Take a look at these keywords and their respective search volume:
How to Use These Keywords in Your SEO Strategy
Create dedicated pages, also known as “topic clusters”, on your law firm’s website targeting specific high-volume keywords. These keywords can relate to the services you offer.
For example, “personal injury lawyer melbourne” or “car accident lawyer near me”. Avoid attempting to encompass all of your services on a single page, with the exception of your home page.
Optimise on-page SEO:
- SEO page title: E.g., “Melbourne Personal Injury Lawyer | No Win No Fee”
- H1 headline: E.g., “Personal Injury Lawyer”
- Meta description: E.g., “Get the compensation you deserve with expert personal injury legal support.”
- Subheadings (H2s): Related keywords like “best personal injury attorney” or “no win no fee.”
- Image alt tags: these are used to help search understands betterstand the content on the page, as well as for accessibility.
- Internal links to other relevant pages.
- Long-form FAQs related to the keyword for more SEO coverage.
Practical SEO Tips for Law Firms
Here are tips for best SEO practice for your law firm.
Location-based content
Focus on including your city, town or even suburb in your page’s content. For example, “family lawyers in [City]”) to capture local traffic.
Target “near me” keywords
Have you ever searched for terms like “barber near me?” You’re not alone! As many users search for “divorce lawyer near me,” similar terms should be scattered throughout your content.
Write long-form content
When we say long form, we mean roughly 2,000+ words. You can write useful blog posts, pages, and guides to cover search intent.
Build backlinks
This is arguably the hardest part of SEO. To boost domain authority, you need people linking to your website. This can be achieved through guest posting on other quality websites.
Consider collaborating with other firms or industry players you have relationships with.
Implementing effective SEO strategies tailored for legal practices can significantly boost your online visibility and client inquiries. By focusing on targeted keywords, local content, and strong backlinks, your firm can climb the ranks of search results and attract clients actively seeking your services.
Key takeaways:
- Target High-Intent Keyword.: Focus on transactional, location-based keywords like “personal injury lawyer near me” or “family lawyers Sydney.”
- Optimise Website Content. Use SEO best practices such as dedicated service pages, keyword-optimised titles, meta descriptions, and long-form content.
- Build Authority Through Backlinks. Boost your domain authority by earning high-quality backlinks.
Marshall Thurlow is Director and Founder of Orion Marketing Pty Ltd. He is a digital marketer with expertise in SEO, website design, content marketing, and project management.