Law firms spend real money on SEO and see frustratingly little return. In our experience working with legal clients, the problem is rarely the market — it's a cluster of specific, recurring errors that compound over time.
These mistakes fall into three categories:
- Strategic errors — targeting the wrong keywords, ignoring local intent, skipping competitor analysis
- Technical errors — slow page speed, broken internal links, poor mobile experience, crawl blocks
- Content and compliance errors — thin pages, bar-rule violations embedded in copy, missing E-E-A-T signals
The frustrating part is that most of these are fixable. They don't require rebuilding your site from scratch or doubling your budget. They require a clear diagnosis and a prioritized correction plan.
This article walks through the 12 mistakes we see most often — starting with the highest-severity issues and working toward the ones that are important but less urgent. Use this as a self-audit checklist. If more than four of these apply to your firm, an SEO audit is worth prioritizing before investing further.
Note: References to bar advertising rules throughout this article are educational. Rules vary by state. Always verify specific obligations with your state bar or qualified legal ethics counsel.