You can find just about anything online from a new girlfriend to a better apartment or job. However, when it comes to researching attorneys online, it can be tricky (largely because sometimes the best attorneys for you aren’t up to date on their search engine optimization, or SEO). There’s legal jargon you may need to know in order to find them and you may be inundated with search results. How can you ensure the best legal protection without spending hours with online research?
SEO is in place to help you, the searcher, get matched with the most relevant and highest quality results. However, this assumes that the law firm you’re searching for follows SEO best practices. If you want to get connected with the best slip and fall attorney in your area, what do you search for in Google? How can you tell if one firm is better than another from their website? This cheat sheet gets you started:
- Try a few keyword search variants
You should Google options such as “slip and fall San Jose” or “injury lawsuit San Jose.” Adding local to your SEO (LSEO) is crucial when searching for attorneys since there’s no point in you finding someone across the country. Depending on how big your region is, you might want to search nearby metros or even specific neighborhoods.
- Don’t (always) judge a book by its cover
Law firms aren’t known for having the most comprehensive websites, but that doesn’t mean they’re not the best firm for you. If there’s a live chat option or other means of getting more information, do so. Follow Nolo’s advice to picking the best attorney, but don’t feel like you need to do so with every lawyer you find online. Narrow down your choices and then dig deeper.
- Read reviews
Testimonials on an attorney’s website is nice, but if you really want perspective then head to third party review sites. There are ways to read reviews critically according to Information Today, Inc. and you should know red flags to watch for and how to read between the lines. For example, any company with hoards of glowing reviews can be dangerous since they may be paying for those reviews.
- Give yourself a time limit
Kind of like shopping for insurance, it’s easy to get sucked into too much online research. Cap your daily search at 30 minutes and give yourself a timeline to move forward. Otherwise, you can get stuck in the research stage indefinitely.
