Last month, Google did something very unusual. They flagged ahead of time an algorithm update.This rarely occurs! We tend to find out about such an update after the event.
One can only surmise that their warning derived from the fact that this isn’t just a minor update, but rather major.
How Will the Algorithm Impact My Law Firm?
There’s no denying that in getting or maintaining your rankings for competitive keywords in Google, website speed is becoming a major factor. It’s so major that we’re literally redesigning a number of our client’s websites substantially ahead of schedule.
The Google Algorithm update aims to improve page loading speeds and use it as a primary ranking factor in searches.
What Your Firm Should Do Now?
Most importantly you need to run your firm’s website through a number of speed tests. We talk speed and SEO here.
How Does our Law Firm Address This?
It may be the case that you’re looking at a complete rebuild or it may be the case that a moderate overhaul of the technology underpinning your website is all that’s necessary.We can help your firm in these two respects if need be.
Do You Really Mean All Law Firms Need to Jump on This?
No, not necessarily.Sure, site speed improves the usability of both potential and existing clients and aids conversion rates, but if your firm hasn’t an SEO strategy in place and isn’t looking to adopt one, you might not need to worry about this just now.
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Dan Toombs
Lawyer & Founder, Practice Proof
Dan Toombs is a lawyer, law reformer and founder of Practice Proof. Admitted in 1997, he built his first career inside the legal profession — practising law, leading legal organisations and driving law reform — before building the marketing, technology and AI practice he has now run exclusively for law firms for 20 years.
In that time, Dan and his team have helped law firms grow from single offices into multi-office and national practices, ASX-listed brands and acquisition targets. That experience gives Practice Proof an unusually deep understanding of both sides of law firm growth: what happens inside a legal practice, and what it takes commercially to make one grow.
Thomson Reuters featured his law-firm marketing advice as early as 2014, on positioning firms to win business online, websites and social media. He is also the founder of FirmRanker, which researches how AI systems discover and recommend law firms. Dan is a Winston Churchill Fellow and Australia Leadership Award recipient, with national recognition for his work in law and human rights.
If you want to know what 20 years of growing law firms could bring to yours, talk to Dan and the Practice Proof team.