It’s true that on their own PPC and SEO are powerful channels. PPC is used to generate leads using strategies that can be immediately tested and get quick action, while SEO is about building website authority to generate leads over a longer period of time. But when used together, you will double your chances of gaining conversions if your site appears both as an ad and the top organic search results plus PPC can help you reach regions that are difficult to earn organically.
What is SEO and PPC?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves developing great content, earning valuable links, and getting Google to recognize your website as an authority. Overall, the goal of SEO is to help your site rank higher in searches.
That is a brief explanation of search engine optimization. Click here to see our detailed guide on how law firm SEO works.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is an advertising strategy in which your ad appears in search results based on your willingness to pay per click. The goal is to get more people to land on your site and convert to lead.
How do you use both SEO and PPC together?
1. Attract your customers, and don’t disappoint them
The best way to convince a prospect to convert is by attracting them, keeping their interest, and making it easy for them to find the answers they're looking for. Once they’ve found you either through your ad or organic search result, you’ll want them to easily understand who you are and why they should hire you. They should see your experience, recognition, results, and knowledge prominently on display.
2. Use the best Keywords
Your PPC management company should build a campaign around keywords that will yield the most conversions, not necessarily the most clicks. You can use keyword data that you discover through your SEO efforts to help you target better keywords on the PPC side. Likewise, search term data from your Google Ads campaign can help you develop content around those search phrases to help your SEO efforts.
You will also want to strategize by using long-tail keywords -- or rather, really specific search terms -- to attract users who actually intend to convert. While you might worry that using long-tail keywords in your strategy will hurt your firm rather than help it, long-tail keywords are used by those who are more likely to convert, and because the search terms are more specific, you have a better chance of attracting a qualified visitor. You can also achieve placement for these terms more quickly on the SEO side and for less cost on the PPC side.
3. Use your PPC data for content inspiration
As you create new text for your PPC ads, you’ll find the ad text and search phrases that convert best. Use this data to discover which topics to cover in your blogs and articles, and build out new content accordingly.
4. Get visitors to return to your website
Getting users to your site is half the battle. You still need those users to come back to your site once they’ve left. The visitor can leave your site for a variety of reasons: Maybe they want to keep searching for other lawyers, or maybe they had to leave the computer to head off to the grocery store. By then, there’s a chance they’ve forgotten you entirely, so now your goal is to get them to come back to your site. Catch their attention and welcome them back through remarketing ads. Once they’re back, a great user experience and a free offer can help push them towards making the call.
5. Use SEO and PPC to build your brand
If your ad uses a slogan or particular tone of voice that fits your brand, it will help you stand out. Once the user clicks your ad and lands on your site, be sure that the same tone, brand persona, and special offerings are immediately apparent in your content and web design. If a user finds something attractive in your ad, then you won’t want to disappoint them once they click. Make sure your brand is built into all aspects of your online marketing.
Remember that Google is a dynamic platform, and you must always adapt your PPC and SEO strategies to its ebbs and flows. To maintain your high position on searches, you need a comprehensive strategy that uses up-to-date insight on Google’s changing algorithms. A joint PPC-SEO plan is just one way in which Custom Legal Marketing pioneers its way toward the most effective online marketing strategies for lawyers like you. That's Law Firm SEO (and PPC) that Works!
Cristina Fríes is a MA in English/Creative Writing from UC Davis (2019), and is a legal marketing strategist and content developer for CLM. Her interests include creating compelling marketing content, writing books, and traveling the world.