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Law Firm Sites Blog

Law Firm Sites Reviews: Backlinks

May, 01 2018
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Jo Stephens
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The Truth About Backlinks Straight From Google

Backrub…the original name of Google. Did you know? Backrub refers to backlinks – a link from one website to another. It is what originally separated Google from the rest of the search engines.

Why is this important? Because it is one of the most ignored methods of law firm marketing today. To read more about the history of this, please read this article by Nathan McAlone from the Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-true-story-behind-googles-first-name-backrub-2015-10

A client sent us this email recently:

I do have a follow up question about something we discussed before. I have read about the importance of back links. In these articles, the authors stress the need to ensure that all back links have the exact same address and business title as the website. Even down to the use of the word “Suite 200” versus “Ste. 200” In your experience, how important is this? Is this just an attempted selling point by certain website hosting companies? Does your company take steps to ensure this is done? – S.

Here was our response:

S.-, That is a great question. Don’t be fooled by this kind of tactic. Google, and the other search engines, look at the big picture, not this kind of detail that is ignored by the search engine.

A backlink is a link from one website to another. Google’s biggest concern is having relevant backlinks. For example, if your site is linked to a German Dog Food company, that is not a relevant backlink. If your site is linked to your Facebook page, that is a deeply relevant backlink.

If you don’t “disavow” the bad backlinks, your site could get penalized. Here is Google’s article about that: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2648487?hl=en

There is no place in that article, or in our studies, that states that your address is tied to backlinks. The information you provided seems to be a ploy to scare and confuse.

We follow the best practices in regards to SEO and are constantly studying the latest methods to improve your website for your visitor. We have found that the longer someone stays on your site, the deeper they go into your site, and the more ways they can find it across the internet – the better your rank will be.

We look forward to working with you.

Google, and the other search engines, look at the following criteria when evaluating your attorney marketing:

1. Bounce Rate – The rate at which people bounce off the website without clicking a link
2. Session Time – Average time people stay on your site
3. Backlinks – How many relevant links you have pointed to your law firm website
4. Content – How fresh and relevant is your content
5. Compliance – Is your site mobile and ADA compatible

The search engines review this criteria, and some other metrics, and compare it to your competitors. The attorney website that follows the rules the best and beats their competitors on these metrics will be at the top of the search engines.

search engine marketing

The Bottom Line: Google stays at the top of the search engine game not through tricks or magic but because it produces the best results for their visitors. If you want your site to be at the top, make it great for people visiting your site. Have a lot of relevant, fresh and impactful content about the client – not about you. People care more about themselves and their own issues than about where you went to law school or how many awards you have.

Remembering to put the client first will ensure your site ranks high for years to come.

Daniel Todd
Owner of Law Firm Sites since 2001
Nation’s Only Search Engine Certified Firm

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