If you're a small law firm or solo practitioner, getting clients often starts with being found online. Case in point: 97% of people who contacted an attorney found them through search engines. But there’s a caveat: 91.5% of users never click past Google's first page.
In other words, if your firm isn't ranking on page one of search engine results pages, you're invisible to nearly every potential client searching for your services.
So how do you boost your firm’s visibility and get onto page one? It starts with search engine optimization (SEO) and two of its most powerful tools: content and backlinks. When used together, they help your firm show up higher in search results, build trust with potential clients, and generate more leads.
This post breaks down what content and backlinks are, why they matter for SEO for law firms, and how you can start using them today.
What is SEO and Why Should Lawyers Care?
SEO (search engine optimization) is your overarching strategy for boosting your firm's online presence and appearing at the top of search results pages when potential clients look for legal help in your area. SEO has four main components:
On-page SEO (content): The words, structure, and layout on your website
Off-page SEO (backlinks): Links from other websites pointing back to your website content
Technical SEO: Website health elements like speed, security, and mobile-friendliness
Local SEO: Optimizing for searches in your geographic area (e.g., "divorce lawyer Dallas")
For small firms, content and backlinks deliver the biggest return. These are the two levers you can control that directly impact whether prospects find you when they search.
Content: The Foundation of On-Page SEO
Your content is the information on your site, such as practice area pages, FAQs, blog posts, and “about us” content. Your law firm's website content is an opportunity to help Google understand what your site is about and give potential clients a reason to trust you.
Why Content Matters for Law Firms
Quality, helpful content improves your website’s SEO by targeting the keywords prospects search for and building their trust when they visit your site. Here's how content helps:
Improves visibility: Google ranks clear, keyword-rich content higher on search engine results pages
Feeds local SEO: Location-specific phrases ("estate planning lawyer in Chicago") help you show up in local searches
Attracts backlinks: Helpful content like guides and blog posts get referenced by bar associations, local news outlets, and community organizations (more on this below)
Boosts conversions: When you answer common concerns about time, cost, or process, visitors are more likely to contact you
Captures existing demand: People type their worries into Google; answering those exact questions on your site means you're more likely to show up and get the click
Builds trust fast: Clear, specific answers demonstrate your expertise and empathy, lowering prospects' anxiety
Easy Content Ideas You Can Start With
Practice area pages: Create one page for each service you provide (e.g., child custody, personal injury, estate planning). Explain who you help, what to expect when working with you, and include FAQs at the end.
Location pages: If you serve multiple cities, build a page for each and reference local courts or landmarks to show you know the area.
FAQs and short articles: Review your intake calls and emails to identify common questions prospects and clients ask. Then, write a blog post that answers them.
Backlinks: The Off-Page Powerhouse
If content is the foundation of successful SEO, authoritative backlinks amplify your SEO results. A backlink is simply another website linking to your firm’s website. When credible sites link to your content, Google sees it as a sign of trust and authority, which boosts your rankings and sends qualified traffic to your optimized content.
Why Backlinks Matter
Boost rankings: They're one of Google's top ranking signals
Send referral clients: Links from bar associations, chambers of commerce, or alumni groups drive high-quality traffic to your site
Build credibility: Being cited by respected organizations reinforces your reputation
Here's what makes them powerful: 95% of all pages analyzed in a 2025 study had zero backlinks, meaning even a few quality backlinks give you a significant competitive advantage.
How to Build Backlinks
Backlinks take effort, but here are some realistic ways small firms can start:
Professional profiles: Complete your listings on state and local bar association sites
Community connections: Ask local nonprofits, chambers of commerce, or charities you sponsor to link to your firm's website
Education & alumni: Get listed in law school directories or share resources with alumni networks
Local media: Offer quick legal insights or submit opinion pieces that reference your site
Events & speaking: Post CLE talks or community workshop appearances on the host's website
Vetted legal directories: Complete your profile on credible directories with links to relevant pages on your site
Tip: Quality matters more than quantity. A few strong backlinks from trusted sources will help far more than dozens of spammy links. Paid linking schemes can actually harm your SEO.
Reality check: Building quality backlinks takes 10-15 hours per month. Most solo practitioners find it more cost-effective to outsource this to specialists who already have industry relationships and can earn high-quality links from trustworthy sites.
How Content and Backlinks Work Together to Power SEO
Content and backlinks are the two most important drivers within your SEO strategy. Used together, they create a feedback loop that drives SEO success:
High-quality content attracts backlinks naturally
Backlinks boost your content's authority and rankings
Stronger SEO means more visibility, more clicks, and more clients
Over time, this cycle compounds, turning your website into a steady source of leads.
But as with many elements of running a law practice, time is the limiting factor. As a practicing attorney, you likely don't have 15+ hours every week to write content, build backlinks, and manage SEO. Here's what most small firms try to do alone and fail:
Content creation: Writing one blog post takes 2-3 hours (8-12 hours monthly)
SEO management: Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, technical fixes (8-12 hours monthly)
Link building: Research, outreach, relationship management (10-15 hours monthly)
Total: 26-39 hours monthly. At a $500 hourly billable rate, that's $13,000-$19,500 in opportunity cost each month.
Set Up Your Firm for SEO Success
Now that you have the basics of how content and backlinks fuel SEO for law firms, get additional easy-to-follow, practical strategies with our free resource, SEO Made Simple: How Content & Backlinks Drive Success for Law Firms. You’ll learn:
How content, backlinks, and local SEO work together to keep your firm visible online
How local SEO in particular is a force multiplier
How to build content that answers client questions and ranks on Google
Proven ways to earn backlinks from credible sources in your community
A step-by-step timeline showing how SEO compounds over 12 months to deliver consistent leads
How one strategic content piece optimized for SEO can become the foundation for your firm’s lead generation across multiple channels
Download the full guide here to get practical, easy-to-follow strategies you can put to work right away.
Sources:
1. FindLaw, 2024. “Key takeaways from the 2024 U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey.”
2. Reputation 911, 2025. “91.5% of People Never Click on the Second Page of Google.”
3. Backlinko, 2025. “Here’s What We Learned About SEO.”
