Proven Tactics for Success
How are family law firms staying ahead of the curve in today’s legal arena? Read the before and after case of a family law firm’s digital transformation here.
Did you know that an increasing number of firms are investing in a website? Statistics show that the percentage of respondents who have indicated that their firm has a website has climbed from 77% (2018) to 94% (2021). And who’s managing most law firm websites? Here’s a comparison of those same two periods:
Firms today are not only investing in a website, they’re also investing in a website with the help of a marketing staff. Why’s that? Although many factors play a role here, a critical one is that these days, having a website is a great first step, but the measures that come after matter even more: SEO, PPC, LSAs, social media marketing, email marketing, etc.
Because just a website is no longer enough, one of the critical first steps many firms choose to take in today’s market is to focus on ranking on ‘the yellow pages of the Internet,’ AKA Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines. Law firms rely on legal SEO to begin ranking (and, better yet, outranking the competitors). Using this tactic, , firms are:
- Reaching more users.
- Generating quality leads.
- Boosting credibility.
- Maximizing additional digital advertising efforts like legal PPC campaigns.
- Staying ahead of the competition.
SEO done right requires a ton of upfront work and patience, but the conjoined effort eventually can lead firms to a type of ‘delayed gratification’ – one that yields long-lasting rewards.
To help you better understand the long-lasting effects SEO can have on a firm’s website and overall business, let’s take a look at the before and after case of a firm that partnered with us, Consultwebs.
Please note: to better protect the firm’s identity; we’ll refer to this specific firm as ‘the firm’ throughout the case study.
Fortune Favors the Bold Firms
Before delving into the details, let’s briefly review the firm’s basics. They’re a family law firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their services include, but aren’t limited to:
- Domestic violence
- Child custody
- Asset – division of property
- Digital asset – division of property
- Legal separation
- Stalking
- Divorce
The firm is aware that their clients are running on deep-seated personal emotions, and what better way to extend a helping hand to those in need than by being where their clients are searching for help: Google and search engines alike!
The firm’s partner knew this, and during a one-on-one chat with us, he reiterated the point:
He added, “People really identify with what’s online as if you’ve met the person.“
Although business was going okay, the firm wanted to meet more prospects in need of family law services, so they started to advertise the firm online in the early 2000s. As he says, “I started back in 2000-2001. I was looking to build my practice and being online was something new and historically different than what was done to advertise a firm.“
Like in all businesses, there are challenges, but there are also opportunities. Although he was doing pretty well back then, he saw legal digital marketing as another opportunity to get out there and expand and grow. So, he took his chances and partnered with Consultwebs, specifically for SEO services.
A Recipe for Everlasting Legal Success
The firm is based in a geographical area increasingly growing across the legal spectrum. According to ABA, North Carolina is seeing record increases in the number of lawyers and is one of the top 10 states with lawyer growth in the past decade. Take a look at the map:
The firm is also located in Raleigh, one of the state’s most heavily populated legal sectors. But, this isn’t preventing the firm from moving forward! The firm’s SEO investment is paying off.
Increased Organic Traffic to the Site
While PPC efforts focus on boosting paid traffic, SEO focuses on promoting organic traffic to a firm’s website. In this case, the firm is seeing its organic traffic increase year after year: 
Increased Number of Users to the Site
When comparing a recent year to year, the number of users is also increasing – a solid 24.57%, to be precise:
The domino effect is real. With the increased number of users, the firm also sees an increase in:
- Sessions: the period a user is active on your site.
- Page views: the total number of pages viewed.
When comparing a recent year to year, the session increased by 30.53%, and the number of page views increased by 27.65%.
This may not directly translate to profit but eventually, the combined efforts pay off. When the firm was asked how their digital investment impacted business, they said:
More Qualified Users Within the Firm’s Legal Jurisdiction
Because every firm practice within its legal jurisdiction, it’s critical the traffic coming in through the website is looking for legal services within the corresponding jurisdiction. In this case, the firm’s users are qualified.
When comparing recent years, the firm is indeed attracting 20.89% more users in North Carolina! The heatmap speaks for itself: 
Ranking for Relevant Top Keywords
Keywords help connect a user’s search intent to relevant findings. In this case, the firm ranks for relevant keywords their prospects are searching for. Some of them include:
- Domestic violence attorney
- Alimony attorney
- Restraining order nc
- Child support calculator nc
- Divorce in nc
Going Digital Is Pushing the Firm Forward In More Ways
Their push towards more digital efforts is not only paying off dividends in calls and cases but also pushing the firm towards the digitized working arena we’re in today.
- Reducing traditional office space and increasing technology
As the partner states, “[Because of COVID-19] we started working more remotely, and clients are more comfortable with that. Everybody has a phone or computer at their house. Everybody has the ability to do Webex
at their house. So we’ve essentially reduced our need for traditional office space, but we’ve increased our need for technology to be able to sustain people at home.“
- Reducing and controlling the firm’s paper waste
The partner compares the idea of law firms going digital and reducing paper waste with the famous John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard trial, “[As a firm] we are always going to be paper intense, but now it’s less paper intense. If you look at the Johnny Depp trial, it’s all in the computers, and I think that’s going to be the way that [law] goes much more into the future.”
The firm is undoubtedly trying to be less paper intense, as the partner notes, “[Now] we have all the exhibits and everything else electronically stored when we’re going to court, but we have a paper copy to hand around.” That is because many solicitors need to stay compliant, and at times court documents are required to be hard copies. While the shift towards reducing paper waste isn’t perfect, the effort is noticeable.
And the firm isn’t stopping its growth there.
Planning and Growing A Legal Business Ahead
As a family law firm, the partner adds, “Now it’s an explosive growth with people needing stuff, and they have more struggles within their family, and individually parents have more personal struggles that they’re dealing with because of that means depression, anxiety, anger issues.“
While keeping the big picture in mind, they want to extend a helping hand to those in need of their legal services and advice. For this reason, the firm will continue its partnership with Consultwebs. As the partner reiterates, they value a partnership will full transparency:
Firms in all practice areas looking to venture into new business opportunities online don’t have to do it alone. Ready to join the club of money-making firms? Let’s get started.
The post The Remarkable Transformation of a Family Law Firm appeared first on Consultwebs.
from Consultwebs https://www.consultwebs.com/blog/the-transformation-of-a-family-law-firm
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