“I don’t know, I’ll Google it” is a phrase many of us use on a regular basis. It isn’t surprising that more than 5.6 billion searches are made everyday on Google, enabling the company to hold 88% of the search engine market. With Google being the go-to place, it’s important that your business stands out from the rest, encouraging clients to come to your door instead of your competitors.
Behind Google’s shiny interface are a load of algorithms working simultaneously to rank businesses and promote them to would be clients.
Little is known about these algorithms, as Google doesn’t actively publish them. Afterall, why would they publish information which will aid people to ‘trick’ their system and rank highly when it’s not warranted? People have been trying to determine what these algorithms are, and it’s believed that there are over 200 factors that Google considers with regards to how websites are ranked on the search engine. These factors are what Google considers when it displays the best and most relevant website based on your search.
It used to be really easy to get to the top of Google at the beginning. But as the internet becomes an ever-increasing crowded space, with businesses continually vying for people’s attention, it is vital that your website ticks all the right boxes in order to secure the top spots on Google.
There are steps you can take to help your wills and probate business appear prominently on a Google search.
- Mobile friendly website
Thanks to smart phones we can now access the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere in the world. Now businesses are creating mobile friendly sites increasing the amount of traffic visiting them. After all who wouldn’t want that?
Having a mobile friendly site, is also a big tick on the Google front and it will help you to creep up the rankings.
There’s nothing to fear with creating a mobile site. You don’t have to worry about creating two websites, it’s a simple process that can be built into the current site you have.
- Tailored content
The roles of your business are often very complex, with the potential to have lots of jargon on your website as an easy go to, as you know what it means.
The average person on the street, however, hasn’t gone through the training you have, and will often find paragraphs of legal jargon a turn off. This may put them off using your service, as they have no idea what you’re talking about.
Having terms that are frequently searched by your clients and information displayed in an easily understandable way help with regards you your ranking and client satisfaction. For example, the average person wouldn’t know what an ‘LPA’ is, but they are more likely to understand the term ‘Lasting Power of Attorney’.
Alternatively, having new (or fresh) content is a must to keep you active on the Google rankings. Changing the dates on articles you publish won’t work so new content is best. Having your finger on the pulse and writing about what people want to read about will definitely get you noticed.
A good idea is to tailor your content based on common questions people are searching for. For example, “What is the difference between a will and a mirror will?”, “What is Probate?”, “What happens if you die without a will?”. You can find out what some of the most common searches are by undertaking keyword research.
- Website that loads quickly
How many times have you gone onto a website, and it’s taken ages to load? Do you wait, because you really want to get onto the site, or do you look elsewhere? 9 times out of 10 you’ll look elsewhere, so why would you expect prospective clients to do anything else? Ensure your site loads quickly by reducing the sizes of the images and other files you use. This will stop people pressing the dreaded back button.
- SSL
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the standard security technology for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser. It sounds very high tech, but it basically means that the data passed between the server and the browsers remains private and secure. Google wants all of the website’s it displays to have SSL to ensure user data is kept safe. The search engine has now started to flag up unsecure websites which can deter potential clients.
- Google My Business
Whenever people used to look for businesses, they’d thumb through the Yellow Pages (other phone books are available) and call around. Now people Google it. So get your business onto Google My Business. Having details such as, business name and address, opening hours and contact information will certainly enhance your listing on Google and help people to find you more easily.
In our next article we’ll look at why ‘content is king’ and how it can help boost your visibility in google.
You can watch our webinar ‘10 simple ways to improve your website’ by clicking here.
Solve Legal Marketing, part of the Practical Vision Network, are the publishers of leading trade publications Today’s Wills & Probate, Today’s Conveyancer and Today’s Legal Cyber Risk. We’re experts in helping will writers, estate planners, solicitors and law firms of all sizes market their organisation; leaving you to get on with business as usual.
If you would like any more information about how we can help you, please call 01829 307 802 or email [email protected]
This article was submitted by Solve Legal as part of their sponsorship package for the SWW Annual Conference. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of The Society of Will Writers.
