First of all, it's important that you understand the difference between mobile and desktop search:
- Mobile search. When people search using their phones, tablets, or other mobile devices, it's considered a mobile search, even if they are using their phones to search from home.
- Desktop search. When people search using their laptops or desktops, it's considered a desktop search, even if they are using a laptop in a coffee shop.
For a few years now, mobile search has been growing in popularity. More people own mobile devices and understand the convenience of searching from their phones. What's more, those searching from their smartphones are much more likely to act on the search than those searching from their computers. This means that people who search for an attorney from their phones are highly motivated and ready to take action to call the attorney they deem worthy.
Pleasing Motivated Mobile Users
In order to make the most of these motivated mobile searchers, you'll need to have your local and mobile games on point. We suggest using a two-pronged approach that will get your law firm found and meet the expectations of mobile searchers.
- Make the most of local. In order to be found during a local search, you need to ensure that you are listed on the most important local sites. Start with the big guys—Google Local, Bing, and Yahoo. You'll need to make sure that your law firm is not only listed, but listed correctly on all of these sites. If your name, address, or phone number is different on any listing—even just by one number or letter—your SEO power will take a hit. Tip: A service such as Yext can be used to ensure uniformity of listing information. Yext checks over 50 sites, apps, and maps for your listings and lets you know how you are listed on each site.
- Get a mobile site. If you don't have a mobile site, now is the time. If a potential client arrives at your site from a smartphone and gets a traditional site, he or she will click back and try another attorney who has embraced mobile. After all, if you can't offer a modern, mobile site, who's to say you offer modern, competent legal care? Tip: When designing your mobile site, be sure that the main page contains both call and direction buttons. You want to make getting to your office or calling you as easy as possible.
Taking it to the Next Level
If you've ensured that people can find you from their mobiles and that you are meeting their high expectations by delivering a clean, easy-to-navigate mobile site, it's time to crank it up a notch. To do so, our attorney local SEO team suggests that you:
- Create and implement a review strategy.
- Write interesting content that appeals to your ideal client in your ideal city or county. Use keywords that reflect this.
- Use your local phone number in all listings, not your 1-888 or 1-800 number.
- Make your profile picture a professional photograph of you or you and your staff.
- Make sure the description in your listing is interesting and perfectly written.
If you'd like our team to help you take advantage of mobile and local search, request a free site analysis or call 888.886.0939. We will comb over your site, giving you a full report on how your site is performing and what you can do to improve your local SEO efforts.
Are You Wondering If Your Law Firm Or Medical Practice Website Is Standing Up To The Competition? It's Likely Time For A Website Redesign.
If you're convinced your website is outdated, chances are it is. Help is available, however. Please contact us online or call our office directly at 866.497.6199 to schedule your free website redesign consultation with our experienced marketing team. We have been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.