One of the best features on the internet is the ability to use search engines. If you have a question or are looking for a particular service, you can enter the name of the service or business to get a list of websites for you to choose. Search engines are helpful tools for law firms because their company’s websites may be included in someone’s search results. Many search engines are on the internet, and Google Search (commonly referred to as Google) is the most used.
Google search results are based on a priority ranking system within its program. Google browses webpages and collects textual content, such as words and phrases. It adds them to their Google database and connects the website to these terms when a user puts them in the search box. Then, the websites that contain the same words and phrases are included in the search results. The database of information collected from the sites is called the web index.
Web indexing is beneficial to your law firm’s website because it prevents people from using search engines from having to sift through everything that is on the internet. It filters search results down to only the information that is relevant to their specific search terms. Furthermore, when you use Google Search, you are only getting the information for the search index pages that Google stores. The goal of Google web indexing is to respond to search requests as quickly as possible with only the information that is relevant to the search terms.
Another benefit of web indexing for your law firm’s website is to help increase its rankings in search results. Many law firm websites contain the same words, especially legal terminology. Therefore, using a common legal term as in your search engine query will likely return with search results containing hundreds, many even thousands, of websites. If your law firm’s website comes up in such search results, then search engine users may click on your website. However, if your website does not appear near the top of the search results or on the first page of search results, people are less likely to see your firm’s website.
When people see search results, they view the top results, which are the most relevant to their search query. A search engine may also associate a search result ranking for a law firm in a specialized legal area as having the best attorneys. This is when Google web content indexing plays a significant part in the success of your law firm’s website.
The relevance of your law firm’s website can increase your ranking in search results. The higher your ranking is on search engine results, the more visitor traffic your law firm’s website may receive. The more detailed and unique your content is, the better your site will rank. Additionally, the keywords and phrases that Google indexed from your website may also increase your ranking in search results. Additionally, long-form content on your law firm’s website may increase your search results because it alerts Google that the page and the site contain more detailed about a search term.
Just like too much substance in your content may negatively affect visitor traffic to your website, too much content indexed by Google can lower your ranking in search results. While this sounds counterintuitive when your law firm is trying to show visitors that it has experience and knowledge in the featured and listed areas of the law.
Google web content indexing tracks and indexes the information that is present on your law firm’s website. However, it does not know which content is outdated or is only meant to be shared when visitors come to the site. As a result, irrelevant or audience-specific information is included in the search engine results. This is called content overload. Your search results ranking can go down if your website visitors have a negative reaction to your content. In this age of mobile technology, your law firm’s website must also be compatible and user-friendly with respect to content. If the desktop version of your law firm’s website is well received and well-indexed by Google, but the mobile version is inadequate, your search results ranking can suffer, too.
Website content indexing is another method of advertising and marketing. Google uses its search engine and search terms as a series of commercials that reach viewers to increase website traffic. Make sure to do regular maintenance to your law firm’s website content to remove outdated content, to keep the current content detailed and polished, and to make sure that appeals to your target audience. You want content on your law firm’s website that Google enhances in its search engine results.
Chyrra Greene is a content developer for law firms at Custom Legal Marketing.