Building citations can boost your ranking when users search for specific information within a specific location. Link building is different from building citations. Link building refers to creating engaging and relevant content which links to the client’s website. Building citations refers to creating content that would contain your law firm’s contact information and link to your firm’s website. Citation building helps boost your ranking in search results.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the way that the content of a specific website is made and built so that it’d be relatively easy to find by typing a few keywords on the search box. If you want to increase or improve the online visibility of your law firm, you might want to consider checking out marketing outfits that offer SEO for law firm and other services. They can help you sort out what you need to be done and help you craft your SEO strategy.
Here are some of the ways by which citation building can boost the visibility of your law firm on the internet.
1. Citations Boost Ranking In Location-Specific Searches
The search algorithm determines the ranking of the content when the index of the search results returns all entries which are most relevant to the words typed in the search box. Most search engines use an algorithm that returns results based on three basic criteria: valuable, authentic, and relevant to the keywords typed in the search box.
SEO works by pointing the search to a specific list of results ranked according to how well they meet the SEO requirements. In most cases, the search algorithm will return the results based on the keywords searched for. It also refers to the method that improves the ranking of a business or website in a search.
Another search algorithm is used for law firms and other businesses and shops which have a specific physical location such as an office, stall, shop, or store. This type of SEO is highly useful for law firms because their scope of practice is often limited or concentrated in a specific geographical territory. It’s called local SEO by internet marketers and SEO specialists. This works by adding the specific physical location of a business or entity to the other criteria for search results rankings.
For example, if you type the keywords ‘best personal injury lawyers in Houston,’ the search engine will return to you results not just for all the best personal injury lawyers anywhere. Instead, the search engine will give you the results of the best personal injury lawyers who are specifically practicing law in Houston, Texas. This is important because clients don’t just look for the best lawyer. When they need a lawyer, people would like to find the best lawyer who practices in the same state and, if possible, has a physical office in the same city.
2. Accurate Citations Affect SEO Ranking
Citation building can boost your law firm’s visibility online by improving the accuracy of your information. It’s not enough for your law firm to have numerous citations scattered on the internet containing your firm’s name, address, and phone number. The information contained by citations of your firm name should be correct and accurate; otherwise, this will have a negative impact on the ranking of your law firm website in search results.
An important aspect of building citations is that the information on the internet about you should be accurate. This means that all the information about your law firm should be uniform and consistent. The name of your firm should have the same spelling across all citations where it can be found. Your law firm’s contact number and address should also be the same all throughout as much as possible.
The reason for this is that the accuracy of information about you can affect your ranking in search results. Most search engines aim to give their users only the most optimal and accurate information. The search engine pushes up to the top of the search result rankings those with correct and accurate information.
The search engine has to do this to avoid giving the wrong information to the person who typed in your law firm’s name in the search box. Keep in mind that the search engine has to give the most accurate information that it can return in response to every specific query. If they don’t, the search engine will gain the reputation of giving inaccurate or worse incorrect results.
Conclusion
Building citations can boost your law firm’s visibility online. Citations affect your ranking in local SEO searches such as when a potential client is looking for a law firm of your practice within the area where you also have a physical office. Your citations should contain accurate information about your firm name, address, and phone number. Accuracy can also affect your SEO ranking.