Growing beyond a single practice area is an admirable goal, but instant gratification? Unrealistic.
It happens often—we work with law firms who rank well in one area of law, and they decide they want to rank for another. We appreciate a pivot, but we have to set realistic expectations. This is not about putting arbitrary limits on your growth. It’s purely a function of search engine growth.
Let’s talk about what firms can expect when you shift focus to rank in a new area of law.
Winning in rugby doesn’t mean you’ll win at table tennis
Okay, the Olympics are over. But the metaphor stands!
Stiff-arming a human being a la Ilona Maher ≄ serving a stinger a la Peng Weinan
Just because you rank in one area it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically qualify to rank in another area—certainly not instantaneously.
Yes, your strength in one area can help you do better in another area compared to someone with no experience. But Google ranks pages, not websites. In other words, Google names champions for each separate sport and rewards them with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place.
It takes time
While you can rank well in a new area of law, it will take time.
Ranking in a new area is like training for a whole new sport.
If you’re starting off with limited content around your new area of focus, you’re basically at square one.
- Establish new web pages for new practice areas
- Build up your content around new keywords
- Optimize your onsite SEO and build offsite support
In pursuit of your new ranking, it is absolutely critical to work carefully and methodically.
Many firms make the mistake of assuming that authority (established as part of the E-E-A-T framework) with Google, which has resulted in good rankings for one area of law, automatically transfers to a new area of law. Unfortunately, this isn’t usually the case.
Let’s cover the Dos and Don’ts for how to rank in a new area of law.
Dos: Ranking in a new area of law
It’s not enough to just add a few pages of copy around the new area of law. You’ll also need to:
- Update your Google Business Profile and other local listings
- Work on earning links to these new pages
- Build up consistent high-quality content
- Ask for reviews related to your new area of law from satisfied clients
You are helping Google to begin to see you as an authority in this new area of law.
Remember, a new area of law means a whole new audience.
Do the foundational work to make sure everything from your meta descriptions to your intake process is designed to speak to this new group and address their unique needs.
This can be a delicate marketing process, so many firms prefer to work with an agency to cautiously integrate their new area of focus.
Don’ts: Ranking in a new area of law
Don’t give up optimizing for the area of law that you are ranking for (unless you really just don’t want those cases anymore)—and don’t assume you can cruise and still claim a top spot in the SERPs.
You must continue to invest in the area where you already rank; SEO is not static.
Expect to spend significantly more in order to optimize for both areas of law, even though the effort for each may not be equal. Owning a spot in the SERP for multiple areas of law takes serious investment. That means time, financial resources, and people power
Review and next steps
Here are the two most important takeaways here: 1) Legal SEO takes time and 2) Google ranks web pages, not websites.
Changing focus is possible, but understand what you will face on the road ahead. Expect a slow and careful pivot process as well as higher investments so you can continue to rank in your current area of expertise.
If you want to be a champion in multiple arenas, start by consulting with the experts in legal marketing and website design. Omnizant can help you make a plan to conquer the podium.