It’s not enough to simply generate lots of traffic for your law firm website; if they’re not the right kind of visitors – the kind who are interested in what you’re selling – simply driving traffic for the sake of numbers is a fool’s errand.

So how to attract the right sort to your site? It takes some discipline and a methodical approach.

Prospect identification

Identifying exactly who your top prospects are for your practice is critical to online success. One of the biggest mistakes attorneys routinely make is targeting the wrong market – typically, a market that is too big for them to adequately reach. Remember, it takes an average of 7 to 10 meaningful “touches” to move someone from knowing nothing about you to being ready to buy from you. Your Ideal Target Market is one you can affordably reach at least 7-10 times before expecting them to utilize your services.

Keyword research

Those prospects for your services will use certain words to search for what they want. Knowing what those words are – and using them throughout your site and social media networking -- is the key to driving targeted traffic to your site.   There are several helpful keyword research tools to help you, including Google Adwords,which is free.

Relevant content

Your keyword-rich content should not only attract and engage your site visitors, it should also lead them to an action -- sign up for a newsletter, call for an appointment, etc. Serving up the right information at the right time adds value to the user experience, helps with the decision-making process and leads to sales. Keeping your content fresh – and this is where a blog on your site can be most useful – not only keeps visitors engaged and returning, but also boosts your search engine rankings.

Social media

Engaging prospects in other online venues, in groups or discussion forums, also provides assistance in attracting targeted web traffic. Establishing yourself as an expert presence in these online venues adds professional credibility and provides you with link building opportunities that help your search engine ranking as well.

Remember that the goal of your legal practice website is to generate interest that leads to engagement, which can only come from attracting the right target audience. It’s not just all about the numbers – it’s about the numbers that translate into dollars.