Google’s core updates are broad and impactful, regularly altering how websites are evaluated and ranked. These updates often take several days to roll out fully, during which fluctuations in rankings and traffic are common.
After the dust settles, we tend to find out much more in retrospect about the implications of these updates. Sometimes, we’re also left better prepared for the next major change. We’ll explore all this and more, giving you a better orientation of what you can expect following the latest Google Core Update and how you can optimize your law firm’s SEO based on these changes.
What is the Latest Google Core Update?
In March 2024, Google rolled out a significant core update that has shaken up search engine rankings and traffic patterns across various industries, including the legal sector.
Google never gives away the exact details of the changes made in their core updates. Instead, they provide high-level recommendations emphasizing the importance of content quality, relevance, and adherence to their webmaster guidelines. While this information may seem like there’s little to go off of, the truth is that it’s possible to parse out actionable information from these updates.
What Changed Because of the March 2024 Update?
According to Google's official statements, the March 2024 Google Core Update emphasized the following areas:
Content Quality and Depth
The new update places an even stronger emphasis on high-quality, in-depth content. Google's Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, emphasized that sites struggling post-update should concentrate on their audience and content quality. This core update continues Google's trend of prioritizing high-quality, user-focused content. Sites with thin or low-value content have seen drops in their rankings, while those that provide comprehensive, well-researched information have been rewarded.
User Experience (UX) and Core Web Vitals
User experience continues to be a critical factor that underscores the importance of website speed, mobile-friendliness, and intuitive navigation. Sites that offer a seamless and enjoyable user experience are more likely to rank higher.
Google uses various user experience indicators to influence rankings. In your SEO audits, you should pay close attention to:
- Bounce rates and dwell time: Lower bounce rates and higher dwell times indicate that users find the content valuable.
- Page loading speed: Faster load times enhance user satisfaction and are rewarded by Google's ranking algorithms.
- Mobile-friendliness: As part of mobile-first indexing, sites optimized for mobile devices perform considerably better.
The March 2024 update also placed additional emphasis on Core Web Vitals, Google's set of specific factors considered crucial for a webpage's overall user experience. These metrics include:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance. To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity. Pages should have an FID of less than 100 milliseconds to ensure a good user experience.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. Pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1 to provide a good user experience.
Mobile-First Indexing: Google has reiterated its commitment to mobile-first indexing, meaning that the mobile version of a website is now the primary point of reference for indexing and ranking. This shift reflects the growing number of users who access the internet via mobile devices.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Websites that clearly demonstrate these indicators of quality content have been given greater importance than ever before as Google tries to filter out unhelpful and low-quality results from the SERPs (search engine results pages.)
Local Relevance: The update also enhances the relevance of local search results. Google aims to provide searchers with the most relevant businesses in close proximity, which means law firms need to ensure their local SEO practices are up-to-date.
The Google Algorithm Leak and Its Impact
In conjunction with the core update, insights from a recent Google algorithm leak have shed light on Google's internal mechanisms for evaluating and ranking content. Here’s what we’ve learned.
Internal Metrics Revealed
The leak revealed that Google uses various in-depth metrics to assess content quality and relevance. Some of the key metrics include:
- Content Warehouse API: Utilized for content storage and retrieval, which Google uses to analyze and compare large sets of data for ranking purposes.
- Internal Microservices: These small, specialized services work together to evaluate different aspects of a website, such as content depth, user engagement, and backlink profiles.
While leaked documentation is interesting, it shouldn’t be used on its own to make SEO-related decisions. If anything, what we’ve learned time and time again from Google Core Updates is that peering behind the curtain can sometimes encourage SEOs to try too hard to appease Google instead of creating quality content that users actually want.
Case Studies of Law Firms Post-Google Core Update
Here’s a brief look at some anonymized examples from the legal sector:
Family Law Firm in California
- Pre-Update Traffic: ~10,000 monthly visits
- Post-Update Traffic: ~15,000 monthly visits
- Key Changes: Focused on long-form content about nuanced legal issues and improved site speed from 4 seconds to under 2 seconds.
Personal Injury Law Firm in New York
- Pre-Update Traffic: ~8,000 monthly visits
- Post-Update Traffic: ~5,500 monthly visits
- Key Issues: Thin content on service pages and slow mobile loading times.
Corporate Law Firm in Texas
- Pre-Update Traffic: ~12,000 monthly visits
- Post-Update Traffic: ~13,500 monthly visits
- Major Wins: Enhanced user experience and bolstered local SEO through ongoing client engagement and reviews.
While these patterns will vary from firm to firm, the underlying causes for changes post-update are generally consistent. Evaluating your specific data against these general trends can provide insights into the areas where your firm may need to make adjustments.
An Evergreen Approach to Adapting Your SEO Strategy Post-Update
An evergreen approach ensures that your content remains relevant, authoritative, and impactful over time, regardless of algorithm changes. Here’s how law firms can implement strategies to future-proof their content:
Focus on High-Quality, In-Depth Content
Your first priority in an SEO content strategy should always be developing detailed, well-researched articles that address the specific legal questions and concerns of your target audience. Next, be sure to incorporate visual elements like infographics and videos to enhance content engagement.
Identify the common questions and concerns your target audience has, and create content that addresses these needs. Use tools like Google’s People Also Ask, Answer the Public, and keyword research to find these queries.
Identify and improve underperforming pages by adding more depth, new insights, or updated information.
Set a Content Audit Schedule
Perform regular content audits to identify outdated or underperforming content. Update this content with new information, improved formatting, and additional insights.
Establish a schedule for these audits, such as quarterly or bi-annually, to ensure your content remains current and authoritative.
Crucial technical SEO aspects include optimizing site speed by compressing images, correctly using browser caching, and reducing server response times. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and that the mobile version is intuitive and easy to navigate, too. Finally, you should minimize layout shifts to maintain a stable visual appearance; this improves your Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score.
You should regularly audit your website for technical SEO issues using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog. When used correctly, these tools will help you address issues such as broken links, redirects, and site crawlability.
Improve User Experience
Simplify your website’s navigation to ensure users can easily find the information they need.
Using clear and descriptive headings and subheadings and responsive design means that your site adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes. Always test your site’s mobile performance and make necessary adjustments to improve loading times and usability.
Build Quality Backlinks and Authority
Focus on obtaining backlinks from reputable sources such as legal directories, educational institutions, and industry publications. For example, you can take advantage of guest blogging and contributing to authoritative sites within the legal sector.
To build credibility, your law firm website should prominently highlight attorney credentials, certifications, and affiliations, as well as client testimonials, case studies, and media mentions.
Optimize Your Local SEO
Keep your Google My Business profile up to date with accurate contact information, hours of operation, and service descriptions. Encourage clients to leave positive reviews and respond to all reviews promptly.
You can also bring your SEO efforts into the real world by participating actively in local community events and online forums to build local engagement.
Address User Intent and Common Queries
Identify the common questions and concerns your target audience has and create content that addresses these needs. Use tools like Google’s People Also Ask, Answer the Public, and keyword research to find these queries.
Clear, concise answers and detailed explanations will always rank higher since they’re fulfilling the user’s needs and search intent.
Final Thoughts
If this all seems like a daunting task, it might be time to seek professional help. Working with experts like those at Rankings.io can ensure your law firm remains at the forefront of search results. Our team specializes in SEO for lawyers and can build a tailored strategy that drives organic traffic, maintains your online visibility, and ultimately furthers your business goals. Don’t let the complexities of SEO hold your firm back—contact Rankings.io and let us use our expertise to achieve sustainable growth.
