Backlink: The Key to SEO Luck

No Free Lunches

The optimization of the Google performance of your own website is known to be based on an analysis of the relevant keywords. After all, one must first know what the target group is looking for in order to appear on the first page of the search results for these terms. Once the analysis is complete and the relevant keywords have been defined, there are two options:

1. I buy (e.g. through AdWords) the prominent placement for certain keywords; or
2. I optimize my content as well as the technical platform accordingly so that my website is favored by Google (and other search engines).

In another post, we discuss the organisation and use of keywords.

Of course, both options can be combined. And of course, both options are not as simple as it may sound at first. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Especially not in the digital realm, where everything is transparent and Google, as the ruler of all data on the web, uses the puppet game with us users perfectly to its advantage.

Option 1 (purchase of placements) is only briefly discussed at the end of this article. The focus is on the second option. This is known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and is on everyone's lips.

Read More: How to choose the right marketing measures and how to use SEO, we have explained in our article on the selection of the marketing mix.

The keyword battle in the legal industry

Many companies - not only in the legal sector (including law firms) - engage in a pure keyword battle for Google optimization. The strategy seems to be to place as many of the keywords defined as relevant as possible somewhere in their own content. The aim is to present these to the omnipresent Google eye so that your own website in return appears as prominently as possible in the search results. A key to SEO luck is the following distinction:

On-Page vs. Off-Page Optimization

It is true that Google likes text. Google can read very well. But keywords are by far not the only important component of a healthy SEO strategy. The search engine looks at much more than just the text. In order to get a good ranking, technical and structural measures are required in addition to content optimisation. A distinction is made between measures on your own website (on-page optimisation) and those outside (off-page optimisation). The backlinks belong to the category of off-page optimisation.

Stay reader-friendly

Having content on the website is important. But always remember: Someone has to read the texts afterwards. It is of little use if you lure users to the website with inflated texts, boring them with texts without content. That is a wasted effort, which an efficient company cannot afford. Blog posts and similar content should therefore only be as long (or short) as they are exciting. Under no circumstances should you be forced to write overlong texts.

Read More: We explain why lawyers are made for blogging in our post on lawyers and digital marketing.

The meaning of the backlink

How Google works

Measures to optimize off-page performance are crucial for a high Google ranking. This has a lot to do with how the search engine works. Google prefers websites that are highly relevant according to its own algorithm and are therefore particularly helpful for users. The relevance of a page is partly determined by the text read out. This is where the keywords discussed above come into play.

Furthermore, the relevance of a website is mainly determined by the number of other websites that link to it. Google understands such links from third-party websites as a recommendation for the website. Such links are called "backlinks". But be careful: not all backlinks are the same. A website only receives real support through a backlink if the linking websites

• have a good ranking themselves; and
• are similar in content.

What are relevant backlinks in the legal industry?

For the website of a law firm it is therefore of little use if the managing partner's dentist generates a backlink (even if the dentist herself has a good Google ranking). Google recognizes that the two sites are thematically completely different and classifies the dentist's recommendation as low. However, if there is a link to the law firm's website on a university website (e.g. in the profile of a lawyer who lectures at the university), this is a strong recommendation. The websites of universities and colleges generally have strong rankings and are usually related to the firm's websites in terms of content.

It is therefore not possible to simply add new websites in series in order to artificially generate links to the law firm's website. Nevertheless, in many law firms backlinks are probably the area with the greatest potential for optimizing Google performance.

How can I generate further backlinks?

It is important to exploit the possibilities. The following options may activate additional backlinks:

• Profile pages (companies or individuals) in directories (e.g. Legal 500, Who is Who Legal);
• Profile pages in networks;
• Profile pages in publication platforms, as we have done for example with zsis) for the authors;
• Profile pages for professorships or teaching positions at universities and colleges;
• Publishing in (also) digitally published journals;
• Citation of website content in footnotes of other, digital publications;
• Event websites;
• Sponsoring activities.

Of course, there are many other measures that can be taken to make SEO happiness even better. It is advisable to make an interpretation in the office and to research possible backlinks.

A word about AdWords

Great popularity pleases above all Google

The relevance of the keywords for the performance of the website in search engines has become widely known. Many law firms and other companies strive for high rankings for the same or similar search queries. For many terms, the market is fiercely contested, which makes Google especially happy. This is also noticeable with the AdWords.

These have become expensive in the meantime. The more popular a keyword is, the more unabashedly Google can charge a lot of money for it. If you want to buy up for keywords like "divorce", "share purchase" or "inheritance", you have to dig deep into your pockets. At this point we would like to give you the following tips on how to use Google AdWords:

Never rely on AdWords alone

The ranking purchased through AdWords is only active as long as it is paid. With the expiration of a campaign, the ranking expires again and the website returns to its original place in the search results. Sustainability looks different. It is therefore essential to rely on accompanying measures and to examine the digital marketing strategy in terms of SEO.

Sensible use cases for AdWords

Under no circumstances should AdWords be used as a long-term strategy to optimize the ranking on Google. That strategy is only suitable where money is not an issue. We see the following two cases, in which AdWord campaigns can be used reasonably under certain circumstances:

1. Intelligence: To obtain data on the usage behaviour of users with regard to certain keywords.
2. Special Occasions: To generate traffic for websites or landing pages aimed at special occasions or target groups (e.g. for a landing page set up during Baselworld with information on Swiss protection mechanisms against intellectual property infringements in the watch industry).

Conclusion

Google is the most important buyer of digital content. Today, the Californian giant determines who gets delivered which information and whose messages on the other hand are not easy to find. SEO is therefore an essential component of a digital marketing strategy. In the legal industry (and elsewhere), we should by no means focus solely on content. The analysis of keywords and their use remain important. However, the key to success lies in a comprehensive SEO strategy that includes structural and technical optimization in addition to content. Off-page optimization in the form of backlinks is an effective means of improving rankings in the long term.

How HeadStarterz Can Help!

Our SEO services focus on the essentials: Your visibility on the web. We analyse your presence and reach. With our concrete recommendations for action, we help you to improve your ranking step by step.

Just give us a call or send us a short message: hello@headstarterz.com – someone from our SEO team will be happy to get in touch with you afterwards!