SEO KPIs to Measure Success

DIGITIC has handled law firm websites in one of the most competitive spaces, legal marketing, and we’re sharing the important SEO KPI’s we measure and share with our clients to monitor and measure the success of a campaign. In the competitive landscape of law firms, Search Engine Optimization is now more important than ever as a critical marketing channel for gaining visibility and attracting potential clients. 

SEO is not just about driving traffic to your site; it’s about attracting the right kind of traffic, and more importantly, turning that traffic into conversions. This article delves into five crucial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that can help measure the success of your SEO efforts specifically tailored for law firms.

Organic Search Traffic

Organic search traffic is the lifeblood of your online presence. It’s about potential clients who find you through search engines, without the aid of paid advertisements.

A BrightEdge study shows that organic search drives 53% of all trackable website traffic. That’s a significant number of potential clients coming to you directly through their search queries.

So, what’s the takeaway? Your SEO game needs to be on point. When someone types “car accident attorney in [your city]” or “top divorce lawyers near me”, your law firm should be popping up in those search results.

Google Analytics is your friend here. It lets you keep an eye on your organic search traffic. You’ll see what search terms are bringing people in, how long they’re sticking around, and what pages they’re checking out. This data is like gold dust – it tells you what’s working, what’s not, and where you can make improvements to attract the right kind of visitors.

Leads and Signed Cases

More often than not, when a law firm hires an agency, the primary goal that care most about are leads and signed cases. Tracking and reporting leads and signed cases is easier than ever, yet some firms and agencies aren’t equipped with the knowledge, skillset, and patience it takes to measure this important KPI. Generally, there are three ways a lead will be generated by a law firm’s website:

1. Phone call lead – these leads can be tracked by using phone call tracking software that not only shows the volume of phone calls generated each week or month, but they can also show the channel for which they came from (Google Organic, Google Business Profile, Referral, Social Media, PPC, or if it was a Direct lead). You can set up phone tracking with a dynamic phone number snippet of code or use a static phone number. Either way, it’s an added layer of call data that will be routed to your main line and it allows the data to be collected so you have visibility on your phone calls to make wiser business decisions and better understand your ROI.
2. Contact form lead – these types of leads are when someone submits their information from your contact form on the website. There are ways to take and report which pages someone landing on and which page a prospect filled the form so you know which pages are performing the best. Typically, contact forms are roughly 10% – 20% of your total monthly lead volume (phone calls are generally 80% and are the easiest leads to turn into signed cases).
3. Live chat lead – these leads can be tracked using chat software and tied to your Google Analytics account to better understand the amount of chats you’re getting each month.

Keyword Rankings

When potential clients turn to search engines to find a law firm, they’re likely to click on the first few results. This behavior highlights the importance of keyword rankings – your law firm’s position in search engine results for specific keywords or phrases.

High keyword rankings can significantly boost your visibility, leading to increased user visits. For instance, if your law firm ranks high for the keyword “divorce lawyer in [your city]”, you’re likely to attract more potential clients looking for this service.

But how do you measure the effectiveness of your keyword rankings? It’s all about tracking and analyzing your performance on strategic keywords that have high conversion rates.

You can use SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or even Google Search Console to monitor your keyword positions and movement each month. These tools provide valuable data on your position in search engine results, the search volume for your keywords, and the click-through rates (CTR) of your listings.

Backlink Profile

Backlinks are like digital word-of-mouth referrals. When a well-known legal blog or news site links to your article on “Understanding Child Custody Laws”, it’s not just directing traffic to your site. It’s also telling search engines that your content is reliable and authoritative. This endorsement can significantly enhance your law firm’s online reputation and search engine rankings.

But how do you measure the effectiveness of your backlink profile? It’s about quality, not just quantity. A few backlinks from high-authority, relevant sites can be more beneficial than numerous links from low-quality sources.

SEO tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can help you analyze your backlink profile. They provide insights into the number of backlinks, the authority of the linking sites, and the anchor text used in the links.

You can go to the Semrush backlink analytics tool to analyze your backlink profile.

Moreover, these tools can help you identify harmful or low-quality backlinks that might be hurting your rankings. Regularly monitoring and cleaning up your backlink profile can protect your site’s reputation and improve your SEO performance.

Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is a metric that represents the percentage of visitors who enter your site and then leave (“bounce”) rather than continuing to view other pages within the same site. A high bounce rate could indicate that visitors aren’t finding what they’re looking for on your site, which could be a signal to search engines that your site may not be as helpful or relevant to the user’s search query.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the traditional “bounce rate” metric has been replaced with the “Engagement Rate” under the “Engagement” report. This provides insights into how users are interacting with your site.

Improving your bounce rate involves making your website more engaging and user-friendly. Here are some strategies:

1. Improve page load time: A slow-loading page can lead to a higher bounce rate. Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix issues that might be slowing down your site.
2. Enhance user experience: Make your site easy to navigate. Ensure that important information is easy to find, and the site layout is intuitive and user-friendly.
3. Create engaging content: The content on your site should be relevant and valuable to the user. It should match the user’s search intent and provide the information they’re looking for.
4. Use clear calls to action: Guide your visitors on what to do next on your site. Whether it’s reading another blog post, filling out a form, or contacting your firm, clear and compelling calls to action can engage visitors and reduce your bounce rate.
5. Optimize for mobile: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. With more people using mobile devices to access the web, a site that isn’t mobile-optimized can lead to a higher bounce rate.

Remember, a lower bounce rate is usually a good sign of a well-optimized, user-friendly website. However, it’s just one of many metrics to consider when evaluating your site’s performance and effectiveness.

Conversion Rate

While attracting visitors is crucial, it’s equally important to engage them. The ultimate goal is to convert visits into actions, such as contacting your firm or signing up for a newsletter.

Your conversion rate, or the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, is a testament to the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. For example, if a high percentage of site visitors end up filling out the contact form on your site, it indicates a successful conversion rate.

Are you Properly Measuring Your SEO Key Performance Indicators?

Achieving optimal digital performance for your law firm requires continuous measurement, analysis, and refinement. Regularly tracking these five SEO KPIs provides a comprehensive view of your SEO strategy’s effectiveness, enabling you to adjust your approach for maximum impact.

At DIGITIC, we specialize in crafting SEO strategies for law firms that enhance online visibility and connect you to potential clients more efficiently. Contact us today to elevate your digital presence.