SEO in 30 Days

Search engine optimization. For any law firm with a website, it’s a phrase that generates a lot of discussion and confusion. In other sections of CaseDetails we’ve given a general overview of search engine optimization (SEO). Understanding what SEO is brings you a little closer to your goal of monetizing (making money off) your website. But that understanding doesn’t bring you all the way there.

We understand how overwhelming SEO can be, even to those who have dabbled in it in the past. It can be a lot to wrap your head around even if you have spent a few years doing it. With that in mind, we’ve created a series called SEO in 30 Days. Each “Day” in the series provides one, sometimes two, tips that can be completed with just an hour or so of commitment on your part.

Our hope is that at the end of this 30 day series you will be armed with the tools and knowledge you need to provide a solid foundation of optimization for your law firm’s website. These principles are just as effective for other business’ websites as well.

The series starts with basic research: setting online marketing goals, understanding who you are talking to on your website, and the basics of keyword research. We touch on choosing an effective domain name, structuring your website for maximum usability (how easily your site visitors can find the information they need), and writing effective content. The last half of the series goes into specific optimization techniques for your website and marketing your site online.

While we recommend reading the series in order, following is a list of Days available along with the topic(s) covered in each:

Day 1: Developing an SEO Plan – Understanding your audience
Day 2: Developing an SEO Plan – Online Marketing Options
Day 3: Keyword Research, Step 1 – Why is it necessary?
Day 4: Keyword Research, Step 2 – Avoiding common mistakes
Day 5: Keyword Research, Step 3 – Benefits of Long-Tailed Keyword Phrases
Day 6: Keyword Research, Step 4 – How Competitor Research Can Help You Uncover Good Keyword Phrases for Your Own Site
Day 7: Keyword Research, Step 5 – Differentiating Your Online Presence
Day 8: Keyword Research, Step 6 – How to Use the Google Keyword Traffic Tool
Day 9: Keyword Research, Step 7 – Choosing Keywords and Building Service or Attorney Practice Areas
Day 10: Choosing a Domain Name
Day 11: Website Structure
Day 12: Mapping Your Site
Day 13: Defining Page Topics, Part 1 – Meta Tags
Day 14: Defining Page Topics, Part 2 – Header Tags
Day 15: Writing Lead-Generating Content
Day 16: How to Create a Site Map
Day 17: Submitting a Site Map
Day 18: Internal Linking
Day 19: How to Find and Fix Broken Links
Day 20: Using ALT Tags
Day 21: Authoritative Outbound Links
Day 22: Basics of Link Building, Part 1: The Basic Hows and Whys of Link Building
Day 23: Basics of Link Building, Part 2: Link Building and Local Directories
Day 24: Basics of Link Building, Part 3: Using Paid and Free Legal Directories
Day 25: Basics of Link Building, Part 4: Linking to .edu and .gov Sites
Day 26: Basics of Link Building, Part 5: Link Building Opportunities on Social Networking Sites
Day 27: Adding Video to Your Website
Day 28: Adding and Optimizing a YouTube Video
Day 29: Social Media Overview
Day 30: Pay Per Click Advertising Overview