Ranking Turbulence Affects Law Firms as Google Rolls Out Simultaneous Core Updates

Ranking Turbulence Affects Law Firms as Google Rolls Out Simultaneous Core Updates

Google’s search algorithm gets updated regularly but sometimes they roll out a “core update” which was formerly referred to as “broad core updates.” Basically, a core update is just any update that affects Google’s entire search algorithm.

In 2022, Google rolled out 10 core updates addressing everything from spam to helpful content to product reviews.

2022 Google Core Updates
Core updates reported by Google...Read More
Why Google Killed FAQ and HowTo Schema

Why Google Killed FAQ and HowTo Schema

Google is on a mission to simplify the search results page after spending several years cramming it with a bunch of rich snippets like FAQs, Videos, and How-Tos. But now, they’re consolidating search results into their Generative AI box at the top of the page, which is making some (but not all) Schema markups obsolete.

What did FAQ Schema do?

The type of FAQ rich snippets that...Read More

Does your law firm's website need Breadcrumbs schema?

Does your law firm’s website need Breadcrumbs schema?

On Custom Legal Marketing's YouTube channel, we're working on a series about schema markups for law firms. Schemas help you communicate to Google what your content is about and what you want them to do with it. They're really powerful! Some schemas are a little less exciting but no less important. In the latest video, I'm talking about breadcrumb schema.

The Fairytale Becomes Reality: What is Breadcrumb Schema?

Google Says AI Content is Allowed but They’re Also Raising the Bar on Quality

Google Says AI Content is Allowed but They’re Also Raising the Bar on Quality

Many law firm marketers are stepping into a trap by leaning too heavily on AI tools for content. I recently talked about this in an article on Forbes. Just because Google is allowing AI generated content doesn’t mean they’re not taking action against low-quality content. In fact, they’re stepping up enforcement and their SpamBrain algorithm will ignore or remove content that it believes isn’t helpful.

Crafting...Read More

Internal Link Building Best Practices to Boost Your Law Firm's SEO

Internal Link Building Best Practices to Boost Your Law Firm’s SEO

Internal linking, which is placing hyperlinks between pages on your law firm's website, is a critical yet often overlooked practice that can boost your law firm's search engine optimization efforts; if you do it right.

Law firms that are actively focused on search engine marketing will want to utilize internal linking strategies on their website in order to help users navigate the website seamlessly, assist Google in understanding which pages to show on...Read More

Is it time to remove the 'home' button from your website's header?

Is it time to remove the ‘home’ button from your website’s header?

Large or small, no law firm can escape the size constraints that apply to their website’s main navigation. The screens we use to consume web content produce an unyielding reality that all firms have roughly the same amount of real estate to display their most important links.

Visitors use your law firm's website’s main navigation as a go-to when either they first land on a site or when they need to navigate out of one area to another of...

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Yes, Regional Practice Area Pages Can Help Your Law Firm’s SEO (or Hurt it)

Yes, Regional Practice Area Pages Can Help Your Law Firm’s SEO (or Hurt it)

Among the SEO community, there is a debate about whether or not regional pages - that is, content that is created to focus on the different cities or states where your law firm practices - is an effective SEO strategy. Regional pages can actually be incredibly powerful lead-generating pages. They can also destroy your website's authority if not done properly.

What is a regional practice area page?

Regional pages for law firms are basically practice area pages that are optimized around...

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Google's Review System Was Updated in April. How Your Law Firm Might Be Affected.

Google’s Review System Was Updated in April. How Your Law Firm Might Be Affected.

Google's review system underwent a significant update in April 2023. The new system evaluates reviews about services, media, and other topics, beyond just product reviews. Google has also changed the name of its "product reviews system" to "reviews system" and altered its guidance documentation to apply to all types of reviews.

As a law firm, you probably don't have product reviews on your website but you might format your client reviews in a way that would be affected by...

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