Real Estate is one of the most challenging areas for law firms. Selling and buying a house or apartment is always associated with big money. In addition, feelings and memories often play a role here. It is emotionally difficult for someone to sell their parents’ apartment. Someone is worried that a house built on their own will fall into “bad hands”, etc.
For these and many other reasons, the client will evaluate the pros and cons for a long time before making a deal. People weigh each step before they come to a final decision.
On the one hand, it drags out the whole process and requires a lot of patience from lawyers.
On the other hand, law firms can use this to their advantage.
When a client has to make a difficult decision, he carefully studies any information on the topic he needs. In particular, he will go to the website of a law firm and will read page after page – of course, if the necessary information and recommendations are posted on this site.
That is why it is so important for real estate law firms to have a user-friendly, article-filled website and pay attention to SEO promotion of their website.
In most cases, SEO for real estate law firms focuses on two categories of clients:
If you want to develop a real estate legal website, you must clearly understand the difference between these groups of clients.
Using the same SEO tools to work with different categories of clients can be a big mistake. Each case requires a special approach and a specially designed SEO strategy.
However, only those marketers who already have experience working with real estate law firms can understand the differences in working with these categories.
For example, Lasting Trend has been working in this direction for more than five years. Our team has a lot of relevant experience and we are ready to share it with you.
Does this mean that we use some special approaches to promote real estate law firms that other specialists do not know about? No, that’s not the point. We are talking about the ability to choose and combine marketing tools correctly so that they are as effective as possible.
For example, what do you need to do to increase traffic to a legal website? Options like paid advertising will always be in your arsenal. However, they literally eat up your budget. Therefore, you should look for other options that will help save you money and give you great and stable results.
SEO is the best solution here. But the term covers link building, content marketing, email marketing, local SEO, website audit and optimization, keyword research, etc. Which of these approaches should you focus on to increase website traffic?
Below we give you some recommendations.
Let’s say your target audience is the first category of customers. That is, these are people who decide to buy or sell their property due to life circumstances. Perhaps this is the first time they’ve made such a deal. Moreover, they may only do it once in their lifetime. They have no experience, but they have a lot of fears and distrust.
How to attract them to your website and make them your customers? Answer those thousands of questions that swarm in their head now. Help them – don’t go into too much detail, but give a few simple guidelines. Give them hints on your site. Show that you are ready to help and answer their smallest questions.
So, our recommendation here is detailed guides on a variety of topics related to real estate. These should be answers to hundreds of questions that ordinary people ask on Google.
Yes, it will require a lot of effort from you. You need to do a lot of research on SEO queries and then write and publish articles on those small queries. This is a big amount of work. But it is this approach that will help bring you the right clients and increase traffic to your law firm’s website.
The difficulty of working with the first category of clients is that in most cases they never return to you. Having made the coveted purchase or sale of real estate, they calm down and do not deal with such issues for a long period.
Therefore, many law firms are interested in cooperation with the second category of clients. But how will you win them over to your side? Using only articles with the right keywords you will not succeed.
Our regular client, the New-York based law offices of Yuriy Moshes, uses the following method. From time to time, he conducts training seminars for loan officers and gives good recommendations on solving complex loan cases. And loan officers are interested in having such information, so they come to events, get acquainted with the law firm, exchange contacts and, as a result, become partners of Moshes Law, P.C.
Law firms can hold such events both offline, personally communicating with people, and online, generating more leads. The main thing is to have enough experience and knowledge behind you to be useful to those who come to the seminar.
You may think that organizing such events requires a lot of money and you have no guarantees that these investments will pay off.
We can confidently say that even offline seminars give very good results. Networking works great here!
However, any offline events include the rental of premises, equipment, etc., that increases the total amount of expenses. Online seminars are more profitable and easier to organize, but the result can be even higher since there are no geographical restrictions.
The Lasting Trend team was directly involved in organizing Moshes Law events, we know all the processes from the inside and we can definitely say that the investment in online seminars is justified.
As you can see, digital marketing can be very different. We have shown you only two marketing approaches can help you find customers.
The first SEO approach, keyword selection, is almost always used in all SEO strategies. Therefore, we will talk about this in more detail below. The second approach is focused on a specific target audience and is used less frequently.
All in all, there can be many ways to develop a law firm website here. But only the right combination of them helps to achieve the goal in a shorter time.
Do not forget that right now your competitors are also working on the development of their online platforms. They also want to be on the first lines in Google searches.
Moreover, you have a lot of such ambitious competitors. For example, there are about 33,456 law firms in New York. If we are talking specifically about real estate law firms, there are over 63,760 of them in the USA.
How to bypass them? We recommend contacting real estate law firm SEO experts. In addition, you should at least be familiar with the basic SEO approaches. Then, while working with digital marketers, you will speak the same language and understand each other well.
Digital marketing agency Lasting Trend has been cooperating with real estate law firms for more than five years. Why is it important? Let’s figure it out. To do this, we return to the issue of competition.
So, imagine a lawyer decides to create a new website or promote a long-standing, but not a popular online resource. He must understand that there are already a large number of successful websites on the market with which the lawyer must compete. If a lawyer turns to real estate law firm SEO experts for advice, they can find out approximately how much the competitors spent on promoting their sites and what promotion methods were used.
And here the most interesting begins – the race for first place in Google.
Let’s be honest, many digital marketers can lead your website to success. The question is how much time and money they will spend on this. Marketing agencies that have experience working with law firms will do it faster and better.
For example, the Lasting Trend team already knows the specifics of the market very well. In particular, we have the necessary statistics, so we will not waste extra time on monitoring. In addition, we know which tools and SEO approaches will be most effective for promoting legal websites. Therefore, our work will give the maximum result.
Keywords are one of the main SEO tools, which is why we have already mentioned them several times above. They can really play a crucial role in promoting your website. At the same time, they can be a complete failure.
The fact is that legal keywords are usually very expensive, and real estate law is no exception. Poorly chosen words can lead to big waste and zero results. Therefore, Lasting Trend SEO experts carefully select the semantic core. Over the years of work in this area, we already know exactly what is better to focus on and what words to use.
And here is another clear example of the role experience plays in digital marketing.
After the real estate law firm SEO experts form the semantic core, it is necessary to write articles for the website with the selected keywords. The difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary copywriters will not complete this task – they cannot write high-quality texts on complex legal topics.
On the other hand, attorneys also cannot always write such texts, because they have little time, and they write in a very confusing way, incomprehensible to readers.
In turn, Lasting Trend has long learned to cope with this task. We have a large pool of authors who can quickly and efficiently write texts on any legal topic. Finding good copywriters is a multi-step and difficult process, but we do this work continuously, as it helps us to solve content problems competently.
Creating texts is only part of working with content. It can be supplemented with such tasks as auditing and optimizing existing content, developing content strategies and planning, creating content not only for the website but also for social networks, etc.
Also, keep in mind that “content” can include photos, videos, infographics, and more.
Placing internal links on a website requires a lot of time, attention and observation. Internal links often cause errors that are noticed not only by search robots but even by ordinary users.
This has probably happened to all of you. You go to the page and read the text with a link to some other useful page. You click on a link and it doesn’t work and throws an error. Unpleasant, right?
But when internal links are configured correctly, it is more convenient for users to use the resource, and Google raises this site in its rating.
What platforms are your competitors partnering with? Through what channels do they distribute content? What websites link to your competitors? How much money are competitors spending on it? Can you use the same resources and tools to distribute your content?
The answers to these important questions will help you plan your marketing strategy correctly, and in the future – catch up with or even overtake your competitors on Google. But you can get answers to these questions only with the help of a detailed analysis of competitors’ websites.
Here we return again to the issue of marketing experience.
It would seem that any good SEO specialist knows how to work with links and how to place them on other websites.
On the other hand, it’s not enough to have knowledge. It’s necessary to find partner sites that will agree to publish backlinks. The search for such loyal resources can take a very long time.
However, Lasting Trend does not have this problem. Over the years, our team has collected a large database of partner websites, and also compiled a “black list” of those firms that don’t have the desire to cooperate. Thanks to this, we do not waste time searching, but immediately get to work and launch a link building campaign.
Everything that we have listed above is the site development tactics.
But before embarking on such a step-by-step execution of tasks, it is necessary to develop an overall strategy.
Unfortunately, clients often come to a digital marketing agency without understanding their goals and prospects. Therefore, we have to first understand in detail in which direction the clients want to develop their business.
We help to identify the main target audience of a law firm, form goals and objectives, analyze the client’s website, draw up a phased plan for its development, draw up an estimate and calculate the total advertising budget necessary to achieve the goals.
Our further actions largely depend on the client’s capabilities and desires. If the law firm does not currently have sufficient funds, we adjust the timing of the plan. As a result, customers will still receive the necessary services in full, but it will take more time.
Undoubtedly, any business plans of real estate law firms depend on the general economic situation in the country and the world.
The real estate market is associated with big money. Therefore, during financial crises, the number of purchase and sale transactions is sharply reduced. This is confirmed by statistics from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In particular, the decline also affected rental transactions, as many companies stopped renting office space and began to work online.
However, experts promise a recovery in the real estate market in the next few years. And the transition of many types of businesses to the Internet only confirms that law firms also need to develop their online platforms.
These and many other factors we take into account when discussing with clients their marketing goals. The Lasting Trend team always tries to find a balance between the desires of customers and real opportunities.
When we start this stage of work, many clients ask to change the design in the first place. They feel that the beauty of the website will draw more attention to their firm.
In fact, any website should be user-friendly and effective, and only then beautiful. Therefore, our real estate law firm SEO experts first conduct a full SEO audit of the website, check usability, look for errors, analyze content, keywords, etc. Perhaps correcting technical errors will be enough to improve the performance of your website.
Moreover, if a law firm has a limited advertising budget, then we not only suggest but strongly recommend that you focus all your efforts on SEO. Because if you have a beautiful site that no one visits or sees, there will be no point in your new design. The main task here is to get users to visit your website regularly and make applications.
Competitors’ online platforms are a good source of information. By studying and analyzing websites, real estate law firm SEO experts can get a lot of data about the target audience, partner websites, link building strategy, quantity and quality of content, etc.
Here is a simple example of how such information can be used:
If you add these sums together, you will realize that your competitor spent $45,000 on articles and links alone. Such data will help you in forming your marketing strategy and planning your advertising budget.
So now you can imagine the amount of work involved in promoting a website for real estate law firms. Dozens or even hundreds of factors can directly affect the success or failure of a marketing strategy. That is why it is so important to think through each step.
Lasting Trend doesn’t promise the moon to our clients. We offer only real promotion plans, and each point here is calculated and has clear justifications.
For example, we never say that we will promote a website in two or three months. Because it is impossible to achieve such a result by white methods. Therefore, we always set our clients up for a long marathon, but in this race you will be among the winners.
Any questions from clients about the cost of SEO services are understandable and logical. Unfortunately, these questions cannot be answered unambiguously. A lot depends on the type and amount of work.
However, to make things easier for customers, Lasting Trend offers three main service packages. Each of them has a list of works and their total cost. This is a base that can be supplemented with other services depending on the chosen marketing strategy.
Any client who is going to conclude a cooperation agreement with us first receives detailed information about the cost of services. The Lasting Trend team starts work only after all financial issues have been agreed and settled, and the client has approved the work plan. At the end of each month, we provide a detailed progress report and discuss our next steps with the client.
In this way, we achieve full understanding with the client and transparency in all financial matters.
Let’s recap what we’ve already discussed above.
There are a lot of agencies that can offer you digital marketing services. Your task is to find the team that will do the job as quickly as possible but with high quality and at a fair price.
However, here you run the risk of falling for scammers who will promise you first place on Google in a few months. But this is a deception since it is impossible to achieve such a result by honest methods.
Lasting Trend uses only white hat SEO techniques, which protects websites from penalties. But we still work faster than many other marketing agencies.
Our secret lies in our experience. The Lasting Trend team has been cooperating with real estate law firms for more than five years. During this time, we have collected a large database of statistics needed for analysis. We know which approaches and tools are more effective in this market. We have established links with partner websites.
This means that we do not waste your precious time (and therefore money) on unnecessary searches, but immediately get down to business.
There is one more advantage in cooperation with us. When you turn to us for help, you are hiring not just one SEO specialist, but the entire Lasting Trend team.
Let’s imagine for comparison that you decide to hire an SEO expert in your company. In this case, we recommend taking three simple steps.
Compared?
By now, you have probably realized that hiring Lasting Trend is a much more profitable and reliable option.
So don’t waste time and contact us right now!
Frequently Asked Questions
Today, in a digitally driven world, people are increasingly searching for lawyers online rather than looking through the yellow pages or asking for recommendations from people they know. Especially when it comes to very personal and delicate issues when it is embarrassing to talk about the situation to other people.
Research shows that 25% of people using Google will call one of the first three results on a SERP. 95% of Internet users don’t even go to the second page of search results. Therefore, your website must appear on the first page.
This can be achieved in several ways. One of them is to order advertising on Google, but such a service is expensive and does not last long. You run the risk of spending a lot of money and not getting results.
Anything on the first page below the ad unit gets there with the help of SEO. As you can see, this is the second way. You can also get into the block with Google maps only thanks to the work with local SEO.
So, if you want to be in front of clients, you need to optimize your law firm’s website.
SEO-optimized websites generate more traffic (that is, attract more audience) and, accordingly, generate more leads and sales of your services. In short, SEO helps people find your website and you as an attorney.
We are absolutely sure that we can help real estate law firms in website development, as our team has all the tools and experience necessary for this. Over the years of work in this market, we have achieved unique results.
1. We have collected a pool of authors who write professional texts about real estate and jurisprudence. In most cases, these are paralegals, that is, people who know the law well and can cope with topics of any complexity.
2. We have established partnerships with relevant websites that are ready to publish our texts and backlinks.
3. We blacklisted those websites that are not ready to cooperate or offer unfavorable conditions. Thanks to this, we significantly save time in the future.
4. We have experience in holding offline and online events for those who work in the real estate market (brokers, loan officers, etc.).
5. We have collected a large database, which is necessary for analytics and SEO tasks.
In addition, Lasting Trend employs an experienced team, where each of the specialists has experience working with real estate law firms.
With so many digital marketing agencies out there, it can be difficult for you to make a choice. We recommend using the following criteria.
1. Cost of services.
First of all, weed out those companies that offer their services at a very low price. Quality SEO can’t be too cheap! If the price is suspiciously low, the threat of fraud is huge.
The second category of digital agencies, on the contrary, has a very high price. Such companies usually work very well, but cooperate only with large businesses. Consider if you can afford their services.
The third category includes agencies with moderate prices. This is the best option for small and medium-sized law firms, for which the combination of price and quality is important.
2. Experience with real estate law firms.
Pay attention to the specialization of the marketing team. General agencies that are ready to cooperate with anyone will not suit you. It is better to choose marketers who have experience working with lawyers. It is best if they work with real estate law firms. Therefore, always check the portfolio and look for relevant successful cases that confirm the experience of the agency.
3. Honesty and guarantees.
Once again, we want to protect you from scammers. Remember, SEO is a long and complex process that takes years to complete. You will get the first results of high-quality SEO no earlier than in 9-12 months. Therefore, if you hear the promises “We will promote your site in three weeks”, then these people want to deceive you.
On the other hand, an agency that has committed itself to promoting your site must necessarily report to you every month. These reports should be transparent and understandable to you. You need to be able to see exactly where your money is going and how it will work.
You can add to this list with your requirements, but each of the items listed above is critical.
To put it quite simply, you need SEO to get as many potential customers as possible to see your website and eventually book your service. But since the issue is really serious, let’s discuss it in more detail.
A 2020 Clio report shows that nearly 20% of law firm clients have found their attorneys online. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact. During the lockdown period, businesses realized how important it is to develop digital marketing strategies. At the same time, law firms began to actively introduce digital innovations into their work.
People are spending more time online than ever, so you need to make sure your law firm is visible in Google search results. This is a key method of attracting new customers and is more cost-effective than traditional advertising.
What exactly does SEO give your website and your business? Here are a few factors:
1. Improves your position in organic search.
2. Improves the technical condition of the website.
3. Strengthens your brand, increases the trust of the audience and your credibility.
4. Increases the quality and relevance of content.
5. Improves user experience.
One of the best things about SEO is that you can measure your results with analytics. The most successful companies are data-driven and use analytics to understand their operations, especially when it comes to marketing initiatives and online activities.
