Technical SEO for Law Firm Websites

Technical SEO is essential for optimizing a law firm website's speed, security, and performance to enhance user experience and achieve higher placements in the search engine results pages. This blog post explores essential elements such as HTTPS security, site speed, Core Web Vitals, accessibility, and structured data—all critical for improving search visibility and user experience. By following best practices and leveraging diagnostic tools, law firms can maintain a high-performing website that supports long-term digital success.

Technical SEO Fundamentals

Technical SEO serves as the framework for a successful online presence. It enables search engines to crawl and index a website’s content efficiently, directly affecting its visibility in search results. Although technical SEO alone won’t guarantee top rankings, it is crucial for effectively managing a law firm’s website. By optimizing elements such as site architecture, speed, mobile-friendliness, and security, you establish a strong foundation that allows your content to flourish and attract qualified leads.

Website Security (HTTPS)

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of the standard web protocol that encrypts data exchanged between a website and its visitors. For law firm websites, HTTPS protects sensitive information and builds trust by showing users that the site is safe and secure. It is critical for website security and search engine rankings. Sites without HTTPS may display browser warnings, erode user trust, and experience ranking penalties. Google has considered HTTPS a ranking signal since 2014. Free SSL certificates from providers like Let’s Encrypt offer an affordable website security solution.

Redirects (301 Redirects)

A 301 redirect is a permanent way to automatically send visitors and search engines from one URL to another. For law firm websites, 301 redirects are necessary for preserving SEO equity and maintaining smooth navigation when URLs change or a website is migrated. All old URLs should be mapped to their new counterparts to prevent broken links and loss of ranking authority. Redirecting all variations of HTTP and HTTPS to a single, consistent HTTPS version is essential, as is ensuring all versions (www and non-www) resolve to a single preferred domain. Any marketing domain should also point to the primary website to consolidate authority.

Usability and Core Web Vitals

Google emphasizes user experience, measured through Core Web Vitals, which assess:

Loading speed (Largest Contentful Paint – LCP)
Interactivity (First Input Delay – FID / Interaction to Next Paint – INP)
Note: First Input Delay (FID) is no longer a Core Web Vital and has been replaced by the Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric.
Visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift – CLS)

Optimizing these metrics can improve both search rankings and user experience, leading to increased engagement and conversions.

Accessibility (ADA Compliance)

Websites should be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) emphasizes the importance of website accessibility, which indirectly benefits SEO by improving usability and expanding audience reach. Conducting accessibility audits and using tools like WAVE or Axe helps ensure compliance and enhances user experience.

Schema Markup

Adding schema markup—such as LocalBusiness, FAQPage, and Article schema—enhances a site’s visibility in search results by enabling rich snippets and improving search engines’ understanding of the content. This is especially valuable for law firm websites, allowing them to present key details in an easily digestible format.

Google and Third-Party Tools

Leveraging tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and third-party SEO auditing platforms (e.g., Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog) is crucial for monitoring performance, identifying technical issues, and gaining insights into competitors. Conducting regular audits allows for the proactive detection and resolution of SEO concerns.

Robots.txt and XML Sitemaps

The robots.txt file provides instructions to search engine crawlers, specifying which pages or sections of a website should or shouldn’t be crawled. For most law firms, all public-facing pages should be crawlable and indexable, while administrative or sensitive sections should be blocked. An XML sitemap complements robots.txt by listing the URLs you want search engines to crawl and index. Large websites may require multiple XML sitemaps.

HTML Sitemap

An HTML sitemap aids both search engines and users locate all pages, including orphaned pages that lack internal links. It improves website structure, navigation, and indexability.

By implementing these technical SEO best practices, law firms can enhance website security, search engine visibility, and overall user experience. For specialized guidance, it is recommended that law firms consult an experienced web provider or SEO professional.

Technical SEO Graphic

Usability and Core Web Vitals

One common technical issue on law firm websites is the incorrect or missing redirection of non-secure (HTTP) pages to secure (HTTPS) versions. Failing to implement proper redirects can dilute link equity and negatively affect SEO performance. As previously mentioned, 301 redirects should be used to ensure all traffic is directed to the secure HTTPS version.

Google strongly emphasizes Core Web Vitals, key performance metrics that influence search rankings. These include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP)—which replaced First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024—and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Optimizing these factors is essential for improving user experience and site performance.

Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool is useful for assessing Core Web Vitals using lab data. It provides separate evaluations for mobile and desktop, with mobile performance being more critical due to Google’s mobile-first indexing. However, real-world performance should also be monitored through the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console, as this reflects actual user experience data that Google uses for ranking. In most cases, improving mobile performance will also enhance desktop scores, making mobile optimization a top priority.

Core Web Vitals measure user experience and impact rankings, while other diagnostic factors, such as accessibility, best practices, and SEO, offer insights for additional improvements. Although third-party scripts like those from Google Tag Manager can make optimization difficult, addressing Core Web Vitals remains essential.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures the render time of the largest image or text block visible within the viewport. Optimizing large assets like hero images, videos, and background images can improve this score.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Measures the latency of a webpage’s most common interactions, such as clicks, taps, and keyboard inputs. Optimizing JavaScript execution, minimizing long tasks, and using efficient event handlers can enhance INP.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures the visual stability of a page by quantifying unexpected layout shifts. Defining image and video dimensions, preloading important fonts, and reserving space for dynamic content (like ads or embeds) help minimize CLS.

Law firms should manually browse their site on mobile devices to evaluate mobile performance and utilize Google’s PageSpeed Insights. This tool highlights issues and suggests optimizations. Because Core Web Vitals are based on actual user experiences, Google prioritizes field data over isolated lab results when ranking sites.

PageSpeed scores can fluctuate across tests, as these tools provide optimization recommendations rather than definitive ranking factors. Additionally, third-party scripts, such as Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, can affect scores. Performance tests should be conducted for accurate assessments with all active scripts enabled.

While achieving a high PageSpeed score is beneficial, law firms should focus primarily on improving Core Web Vitals, as these directly impact SEO. Diagnostic tools should serve as guides, but the ultimate goal should be enhancing the user experience.

Google Search Console offers a site-wide performance overview, helping identify recurring issues across multiple pages. Since many elements, such as JavaScript and headers, are shared across a site, fixing problems on one page often improves the entire website.

Careful optimization is essential for WordPress-based law firm websites. Plugins can slow down performance, and poorly designed themes may cause layout shifts. Selecting lightweight themes, optimizing plugins, and investing in reliable hosting can significantly improve site speed and user experience.

In conclusion, prioritizing Core Web Vitals, optimizing for mobile, effectively leveraging diagnostic tools, and maintaining a well-optimized WordPress setup are crucial steps in improving website performance and search rankings. Ultimately, the primary objective should be to create a seamless and engaging user experience.

Accessibility and ADA

Ensuring website accessibility and ADA compliance is critical for both legal protection and SEO benefits. The Department of Justice has made it clear that websites offering goods or services to the public must be accessible to individuals with disabilities, particularly those with visual or auditory impairments. While the ADA does not outline specific technical requirements, following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is widely accepted as the industry standard. Providing transcripts or captions for audio content is also an essential component of website accessibility.

From an SEO perspective, many accessibility improvements align with best practices. Features such as descriptive alternative text (alt text) for images, proper heading structure, sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation, and intuitive navigation enhance both user experience and website performance in search rankings. While accessibility itself is not a direct ranking factor, an improved user experience can indirectly contribute to better search visibility. Additionally, failing to comply with accessibility standards can lead to legal consequences, as courts have ruled that ADA requirements apply to websites. It is important to note that lawsuits related to website accessibility are increasingly common, making compliance a crucial consideration.

To assess compliance, website owners can use a combination of automated and manual testing methods. Automated accessibility testing tools can quickly identify common issues, but manual review is crucial for a thorough evaluation. Google Lighthouse, which is integrated into PageSpeed Insights, includes an accessibility audit that flags potential problems. Other tools like WAVE (wave.webaim.org), Axe DevTools, and Siteimprove offer more in-depth evaluations. These browser extensions and platforms detect problems such as missing form labels, low-contrast text, and redundant links. However, manual testing with assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) and user testing with people with disabilities are essential to identify and address all accessibility barriers.

Enhancing website accessibility improves usability, expands audience reach, and helps protect against legal risks. By prioritizing accessibility, law firms can provide a better user experience, ensure compliance with industry standards, and minimize the risk of costly lawsuits. Given the increasing number of legal challenges related to website accessibility, proactive compliance is essential.

Schema Markup

Schema markup and breadcrumbs play a vital role in SEO by structuring website data for search engines. Unlike visible elements like title tags and H1 tags, schema markup remains hidden from users but helps search engines interpret a page’s content. Conversely, breadcrumbs improve both user navigation and search engine understanding of site structure.

Google provides a list of recommended schema types in its documentation. Law firm websites benefit most from three key types: the LocalBusiness schema (which includes NAP information), the FAQPage schema, and the BreadcrumbList schema.

NAP Schema

The LocalBusiness schema, which includes NAP information, structures a law firm’s essential contact details and business information to ensure accurate search engine indexing and improve local SEO. Since Google has deprecated the “Attorney” schema type, law firms should use the “LegalService” schema, a subtype of “LocalBusiness.” Consistency between this schema and a firm’s Google Business Profile is essential for maximizing local search visibility. This markup can be implemented manually or with the help of schema generators or CMS plugins.

FAQ Schema

FAQPage schema enhances search presence by allowing Google to display frequently asked questions and their answers directly in search results, potentially increasing visibility in Featured Snippets or the “People Also Ask” section. This structured data is particularly beneficial on mobile devices with limited screen space. Including internal links within FAQ answers can further improve user engagement and navigation. However, it’s important to use the FAQPage schema judiciously and avoid marking up content that is not in a true Q&A format, as misuse may lead to penalties.

Breadcrumb Schema

BreadcrumbList schema clarifies website hierarchy for search engines, helping them understand the relationships between different pages. While Google can often infer a site’s structure from internal links and other signals, explicitly defining breadcrumbs with BreadcrumbList schema reinforces the correct hierarchy and can improve how pages are displayed in search results.

Among these schema types, the LocalBusiness schema is particularly crucial for local SEO and Google Business Profile consistency. The FAQPage schema improves search visibility and increases the chances of appearing in featured results. The BreadcrumbList schema supports site navigation but has a less direct impact on rankings. While LocalBusiness and FAQPage schema are usually prioritized, implementing all three strategically can help law firms maximize their search visibility and user experience.

Person in Front of a Code-Filled Screen

Third-Party and Google Tools

A variety of third-party and Google tools can help improve website accessibility, SEO performance, and overall functionality.

Third-Party Tools

WAVE – An accessibility evaluation tool that includes a Chrome extension, a Firefox extension, and a web-based platform. WAVE identifies accessibility barriers, aiding in legal compliance while also indirectly benefiting SEO, as features like alt text and semantic HTML contribute to a better user experience.
Screaming Frog – A website crawling tool that detects SEO issues such as broken links and internal linking opportunities. The free version supports up to 500 URLs, making it sufficient for smaller sites, though the paid version offers more advanced features.
Semrush – A robust SEO tool for site audits, backlink analysis, and competitor research. While alternatives like Ahrefs, Majestic, and Moz offer similar features, SEMrush is widely recognized for its comprehensive site optimization capabilities.

Google Tools

PageSpeed Insights – Evaluates website performance based on lab data and field data. It provides scores for Core Web Vitals and suggests optimizations. Improving these elements enhances both user experience and search rankings. It’s important to consider both lab and field data, as lab data simulates performance in a controlled environment, while field data reflects actual user experience.
Google Search Console – Essential for monitoring site health, providing insights on backlinks, Core Web Vitals, indexing issues, and search performance.
Rich Results Test – Confirms proper implementation of schema markup, ensuring that structured data is correctly recognized and displayed in Google search results.

Recommended WordPress Plugins

Google Site Kit – An official WordPress plugin from Google that integrates various Google services, including Search Console, Google Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, and Google Tag Manager, for streamlined site management and data analysis.
Yoast SEO – One of the most widely used SEO plugins, helping optimize metadata, sitemaps, and other key on-page SEO factors.

Final Thoughts

Enhancing website performance requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses several key areas. Optimizing Core Web Vitals, particularly Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP) (which replaced First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), is crucial for improving page speed, usability, and search rankings. Implementing schema markup, such as LocalBusiness schema (which includes NAP information) and FAQPage schema, can enhance visibility in search results and improve local SEO. Additionally, ensuring proper redirects, resolving technical errors like broken links and 404s, and maintaining accessibility compliance all contribute to a more user-friendly and search-engine-optimized website. By prioritizing these fundamental aspects, law firm websites can create a positive user experience, improve online visibility, and achieve business objectives.