For legal professionals, digital tools and optimization techniques raise a number of questions. Between ethical rules and the digitalization of professions, are all means good enough to gain a place on the web ?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEA (Search Engine Advertising) are highly effective referencing and promotion tools, especially when the latter complements the former. Originating in marketing, they are now invading the world of law, helping to optimize or increase a structure’s visibility on the Internet.
While natural search engine optimization (SEO) is now an integral part of a lawyer’s or notary’s digital strategy, the use of search engine optimization (SEA) techniques requires greater vigilance. The purchase of sponsored links and other SEA options are advertising methods that should not be considered by notaries.
Indeed, while advertising by national, regional and departmental notarial bodies (known as general informative advertising) is possible, personal advertising is prohibited (article 4.4.1. of the Règlement national du notariat).
Lawyers, for their part, have undergone a veritable revolution in terms of communication, thanks to the provisions of the decree of October 28, 2014 no. 2014-1251 on lawyers’ mode of communication authorizing advertising operations. Lawyers may, under certain conditions, resort to personal advertising, using various tools enabling them to highlight their services (media, website, app, sponsorship, conferences, etc.).
SEO and SEA, your virtual shop window
SEO (search engine optimization) refers to all the techniques used to optimize your site in search results. In concrete terms, it refers to the methods used to « bring up » a website in search results. This technique is currently very popular with lawyers, who optimize their content mainly for very general queries such as « litigation », « contract », « business law », « public law » or « real estate law ».
SEO is to be distinguished from SEA (search engine advertising), which corresponds to the advertising campaigns that can be run on a search engine. The best-known of these are text ads, which resemble organic results (the links present in search engines). They can also take the form of banners and videos broadcast on the Google network (Gmail, Youtube, etc.) and sites and applications that have sold their advertising inventory to Google.
SEA for lawyers, SEO for notaries
While lawyers have the option of using SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as well as purchasing sponsored links on the Internet to promote their practice (provided that these links correspond to a proven competence of the practice), notaries have to make do with SEO techniques for the time being.
They need to focus more on optimizing their content. This means staying abreast of the topics that attract the interest of Internet users, on the most frequent queries or specific searches, calling for specialized, niche knowledge.
Content writing, on the other hand, should not be put at the service of the individual. In fact, communication by notaries is subject to the condition that it serves the profession as a whole: explaining the role and functioning of the notary profession, and not the skills and services offered by a particular notary.
Are SEO and SEA right for you ?
SEO for a practice or firm should always be considered a priority. With an initial investment in refurbishing your site, the cost of maintaining it remains relatively low compared to a constant SEA campaign. SEA techniques are still complementary to SEO, especially for a newcomer to a competitive market with a very low ranking on a key query.
Lawyers, keep in mind one of the Googlian norms: when it comes to SEO, everyone is equal. The differentiating factors remain the number of visitors (high-traffic sites) and the quality of the SEO implemented. So it’s essential to implement an SEO strategy, because you’ve got every chance. SEA, on the other hand, is a much less egalitarian system. It allows the best bidder to reach the top of the podium, and therefore requires a dedicated budget to get started.
