Many lawyers and law firms still do not realize how much search engine optimization (“SEO”) still matters. Where the major search engines rank legal webpages can go a long way towards helping a lawyer or law firm get the message out.

The algorithms that the major search engines employ can be complicated. The algorithms can also change. It is true as well that the algorithms that Google implements can be different from that of Yahoo/Bing (the leading competitors).

For lawyers and law firms that want to better understand search engine optimization, there are many things a lawyer can do. This is above and beyond simply working with some self-professed SEO guru.

First, reading on search engine optimization can be an important key. Having a basic understanding of how search engine optimization works can really help a lawyer out. It can also help a lawyer know who to hire and not hire for SEO services.

One great book on Search Engine Optimization is known as SEO Made Simple. While initially overwhelming for some, this book does a great job of breaking down the basics of how SEO works.

There are also lots of great SEO tools online. Some interesting webpages that lawyers and law firms should consider checking out are Alexa, Majestic SEO and MOZ. All of these are great online tools.

The truth of the matter is that if your webpage is optimized, it is likely to get more traffic. The more traffic you get, the more likely the word will get out about your law practice.