How To Do Link Building for Lawyers or Law Firms?

You need links to rank in Google. High-quality incoming links boost your domain reputation and help your law firm website rank organically for your ta...
Ajay Paghdal
Outreach Labs Founder

You need links to rank in Google. High-quality incoming links boost your domain reputation and help your law firm website rank organically for your target search terms.

Link building for lawyers is the art and science of attracting natural, high-authority, and editorial inbound backlinks

Let’s understand the different link acquisition techniques for lawyers, attorneys, and legal consultants. These valuable link building strategies for lawyers will help you attract links from high-authority publishers and local legal resources.

1. Guest Posting 

Guest posting for law firms is the process of publishing your content on relevant legal websites with hyperlinks to your domain.

Guest posts can be both paid and free, depending on the publication's policies. For law firms, many industry-specific sites like legal journals or legal news sites accept guest articles for free if the content is original and well-written. However, some high-authority sites accept fees, which can range from a few hundred to even thousands of dollars, depending on the domain authority and organic metrics.

Inbound links acquired using guest posting are of high-quality because you have full control over the domains to approach, the anchor to use, and the content quality. Dofollow backlinks from relevant legal domains help to improve your website’s link equity and raise its overall authority. 

Lawyers should leverage guest blogging to build authority in their niche. Industry-specific guest posts increase audience reach, build authentic industry relationships, and establish thought leadership. Besides acquiring quality backlinks, guest blogs published on popular legal websites attract clients who are seeking legal advice and increase your visibility among peers.

To build effective guest post links, find legal websites accepting guest blogs. You can do that by using a combination of Google search queries like:

  • "submit a guest post" + law
(Google search query for finding legal sites accepting guest post contributors)
  • "write for us" + legal
  • "guest post guidelines" + attorney
  • "contributing writer" + lawyer
  • "accepting guest posts" + "personal injury lawyer"
  • "become a contributor" + "family law"
  • "guest article" + "criminal defense"
  • "law blog" + "contribute to"

Set a specific criteria and pick sites that match that criteria. For instance, sites should be from a specific domain authority or domain rating range, links should be dofollow, organic traffic of the domain should be more than 500 per month, the content should be relevant, etc. Setting a criteria helps you shortlist domains that are of high-quality. Another important thing to check is that the domain should not be a private blog network (PBN). If the website has below average organic traffic and publishes content on every theme, not just legal, it is probably a PBN. You should stay away from such sites as a large number of PBN links can harm your domain strength and lead to Google penalties

Once you have prepared a list of websites to approach, read their guest posting guidelines. Every website has a dedicated page that contains instructions to guest post on their domain. Carefully read the instructions and proceed accordingly. Some sites might ask you to prepare an article and submit it for review, while others might ask you to confirm your topic first. 

Your content should be top-notch. Stay away from submitting mediocre content and write something meaningful that helps the publishing website’s audience. Follow the EEAT guidelines and prepare original content, free from grammatical mistakes. Include contextual hyperlinks to your website. Avoid being overpromotional. Link back to pages that match the content’s theme. 

Once it's ready, proofread the content and submit it for approval. The editor might ask you to make some changes in the content if required, else if everything is okay, your content will get published in a few days or weeks. Here is an example of a legal guest post with contextual backlinks:

(Guest blog published by a law firm owner with in-content links)
(Guest blog published by a law firm owner with in-content links)

Along with guest posting, you can also try guestographic submission. Guest blogging is time-consuming, but the efforts are worth the time. You can drastically improve your business and domain reputation by publishing high-quality guest blogs on relevant legal domains. Taking the help of a legal guest posting service is useful because they help you outreach relevant websites on your law firm’s behalf. You can select the number of links you want in a week or month, and the link building agency will help you acquire those backlinks following a set of criteria. 

2. Directory Listings 

Backlinks from web directories are another useful link building tactic for lawyers.

A legal web directory is an online catalog of websites. You can submit your law firm under the most relevant category to acquire a backlink.

Inbound links from relevant and high-authority web directories help to increase domain relevance and influence in your specific niche. Also, dofollow external links from industry-relevant legal directories enhances your law firm's SEO by improving its link equity.

High-quality directory listings are invaluable for boosting local SEO. Well-placed directory listings ensure that your law firm appears at the top of local search results, which is crucial for attracting clients in specific geographic areas. Links from law directories are both free and paid. Free hyperlinks are mostly nofollow, while paid ones are dofollow. However, exceptions apply in most cases. Their fees can be one-time, monthly, or annually. They charge anywhere between $50-$500 or more.  You should check the specific directory about the type of link they offer.

The best directories for law firms include those with high domain authority, like Lawyers.com, Martindale-Hubbell, Avvo, and FindLaw. These directories not only deliver more significant SEO benefits but also lend credibility to the listed firms.

(Martindale-Hubbell offers an updated directory of legal professionals where you can submit your law firm details and gain a backlink) 

You should find and list your law firm on the leading legal directories in your service areas. Each directory will have an option to submit your practice. Follow that option and submit your business details carefully. 

(Top Legal Directory’s website submission page)

Once accepted, your lawyer profile will be added and displayed under the most relevant category. 

(Law directory listing example showcasing attorney details like profile picture, description, reviews, website link, and contact details)

To ensure the link is relevant, select directories based on factors like domain authority, traffic levels, and relevance to the legal industry. It's important to maintain accurate and comprehensive profiles across all directories. You should update practice areas, list notable achievements, and include descriptive firm bios. 

Setting specific criteria for selecting directories can help ensure that each listing contributes to enhancing your firm's online presence. For example, you should look for directories that require a verification process, as this indicates a higher level of quality and reliability. Additionally, you should avoid low-end directories that accept any link without human moderation.

3. Niche Edits or Link Insertions 

Relevant and high-quality link insertions are an excellent link acquisition technique for lawyers. Niche edits include adding a law firm’s hyperlink to existing articles or pages on relevant legal websites. 

Unlike guest posts that require creating new content, niche edits let you insert links into previously published content, which is already indexed and perhaps even ranking in search engines.

The cost of niche edits can vary. Some webmasters provide the insertion for free if it adds value to their content, but in most cases, a fee is involved. 

Also, not all sites offer niche link edits. You need to identify relevant legal domains and message them to see if they accept contextual external backlinks. If they allow link insertions, they will get back to you with their prices for link edit. Most charge a one-time fee, but there are some who charge annually. Fees can range between $50-$400 per link or more. The higher the authority of the website, the greater the fees. 

You can find sites for link insertions using Google search queries. For example, if you have a law firm in Montana, you can request link insertions from various law firms located in different cities in Montana. 

(Google search query example for finding law blogs for links insertion)

Apart from this, you can also search for the best legal blogs and research them further to see if they accept external links. Make sure to note down the DA, DR, organic traffic, and OBL count. Also, check their link submission guidelines, such as, dofollow or nofollow links and content quality. You should pick sites that have a high DA, DR, organic traffic, and a low OBL count for the page on which you are looking to accept links. 

Niche edits are useful because they help you acquire inbound links from theme-specific pages that are already ranking higher on Google. You are free to choose your own page from the domain and select your own anchor text. However, you should avoid using exact-match anchors, and instead opt for generic or branded anchors to keep your link natural. You can use our anchor text generation tool to generate natural anchors. 

Large-scale link insertions with keyword-rich anchors can lead to algorithmic search engine penalties. Also, you should stay away from links from PBNs or sites selling links explicitly for any theme. The selected site should have strict moderation to maintain the quality of content on their website. 

Remember, link buying is a practice that Google does not approve of. Hence, you should use this tactic very carefully. Pick websites that are selective in who they link to and look at their organic metrics like traffic, keyword rankings, and overall domain strength. 

4. Social Media 

Social platforms offer free backlinks to your legal website. There are popular social media channels where you can create your business profile with a hyperlink to your site. 

Inbound links from social media are mostly nofollow and are of lesser SEO value. Since these links are free to obtain, search engines know that they can easily be manipulated. Hence, you should not overuse links from social channels.

Pick the top social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Quora, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and others where your target audiences are present. Create a detailed business profile with proper hyperlinks (naked URLs are the best). 

(Facebook profile of a law firm with a backlink to their website)
(Facebook profile of a law firm with a backlink to their website)

Grow your social media community by connecting with potential prospects. Answer their queries and help your community members. This way, you should use social media not just as a link acquisition channel, but as a platform to connect with your target buyers and improve your branding.

Citations and links from social media improve your overall brand presence and let you acquire referral traffic. You can also use social platforms to share your firm's content, such as blog posts, case studies, and client testimonials, which can lead to organic sharing and potential backlink opportunities from other websites.

Answer legal queries in a simplified manner on channels like Quora or discuss recent changes in law on channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

(Example of a Quora post with an answer from an attorney. Remember, not all answers will lead to backlinks. You should solidify your profile and help the user first by providing them detailed legal help to their question) 
(Example of a LinkedIn post sharing a recent change in law with a backlink to their law firm website)

Furthermore, platforms like LinkedIn are ideal for B2B networking, offering chances to connect with other legal professionals and industry influencers who might share content or provide guest posting opportunities.

(Example of a LinkedIn profile of a lawyer with contact information)

Maintaining your business’s social profiles is great for enhancing your brand reputation. Even if the backlinks are nofollow, you should still build them as they are free to acquire and provide ample resources to grow your brand reach and visibility.

5. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) 

HARO helps legal websites gain trusted editorial backlinks from articles written by journalists. Although HARO and Connectively have been discontinued as a direct service to reach out to journalists, you can use CisionOne to connect with validated journalists and media outlets. 

By connecting with the right journalists and media outlets, you can secure high-quality backlinks through published articles, press releases, and other media coverage.

(Cision is the new home for HARO)

Links acquired with the help of CisionOne (previously HARO) are of high-quality. It is free to acquire, although you need to pay for the platform. You can’t buy these links. These are editorially given by prominent journalists in the legal niche. Hence, the content quality is exceptional, and the link type is natural and organic. 

Inbound links acquired by contacting journalists can be nofollow or dofollow. Mostly, these links are nofollow. However, links from trusted media publications like CNN, FoxNews, BBC, Reuters, The New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, TechCrunch, and others, even if they are nofollow, are of high-value. 

Search engines will follow these links and use them in their algorithmic calculation even if they don’t pass direct link equity. 

You should remain careful while approaching journalists and make sure your content ideas and information are original and of direct value to them. Generic information won’t get used. Instead, specific statistical data that only your company has that corresponds to a particular demographic or geographic region has the highest chance of being used and hyperlinked.

6. Broken Link Building 

Broken link building is the process where you email web admins and inform them about a broken link on their website. You share your webpage link as a replacement for the broken link. 

People have a habit of creating pages and not updating them regularly. Since content refreshes are not that common, broken links are common. You need to find such legal pages and suggest your website link as a replacement. 

You should only suggest links that are relevant. For example, if the page on your research site has a broken link to a page on divorce law, you should suggest a page on divorce law as a replacement and not general law. Keeping your link replacements relevant raises your chances of approval. 

(The flowchart above explains how to pursue a broken link opportunity)

The easiest way to find relevant dead pages is by identifying your competitor’s backlinks. You can use the Ahrefs Site Explorer to find such pages. Go to Site Explorer, enter your competitor’s website, go to the Best by Links report, add a filter for “404 not found,” and sort the report by Referring domains from highest to lowest.

(Findings the top pages with external links with the help of Ahrefs)

By researching your competitor’s URLs, you can quickly detect domains that link to your (now broken) competitor’s page. You can now reach out to their web admins and request that they link to your site as a relevant replacement.

You can also find broken link resource pages by searching on Google. Here are some Google queries to find legal pages with dead links:

  • inurl:links legal 
  • inurl:resources law 
  • intitle:"legal resources" 
  • "law advice" + "useful links" 
  • site:.edu legal resources filetype:pdf 
  • site:.org law links filetype:html 

While researching, you can check whether the hyperlinks are dofollow or nofollow. Also, look at the authority of the domain and its organic traffic. Shortlist pages that are of high-quality and relevant. Avoid pages containing links to spam domains. 

Broken link acquisition is a white hat link building technique that is free. However, finding sites containing broken URLs is not easy. A lot of time is spent on research and outreach. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don’t. Outsourcing link building to experts saves time and helps you acquire quality backlinks that boost your link equity.

7. Outreach Links 

Outreach link building is a strategy used in SEO where you actively contact other website owners, bloggers, and influencers to create backlinks to your website. 

The goal is to earn high-quality links from reputable sites by sharing valuable content, collaborating on projects, or offering something of worth that encourages them to link back to your site.

The process of identifying prospects, crafting personalized outreach messages, and following up can be very time-intensive.

Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to find websites with high domain authority in your industry. Look for sites that link to similar content and have engaged audiences.

Develop high-quality, relevant content that adds value. This could be in-depth guides, research studies, infographics, or original data that websites would find beneficial to link to.

Customize your outreach emails to reflect the recipient's interests and previous content. Mention specific articles or facts that show you have a genuine interest in their site. Here is an example of an outreach email:

(An outreach email example from SEMrush)

Instead of simply asking for a link, offer something of value. This could be a guest post, a joint webinar, or an offer to share their content with your audience.

Send a polite follow-up if you haven’t received a response within a week or two. Persistence can pay off, but always be respectful and not overly aggressive.

Also, not all outreach efforts will result in a link. Rejection is common, and the success rate can vary widely based on many factors, including the quality of your pitch and the relevance of your content to the audience of the site you're targeting.

If not done ethically, outreach can come across as spammy, damaging your brand’s reputation and potentially leading to penalties from search engines if executed poorly. Hence, you should take the help of expert blogger outreach services to maintain your link quality. 

8. Unlinked Brand Mentions 

Unlinked mentions are citations and references to your brand on other domains that don’t link back to your site. You can turn unlinked brand mentions into valuable backlinks. 

Turning unlinked brand mentions into inbound links is quick and easy. You can acquire a combination of links (dofollow and nofollow) from a variety of referring domains, which leads to a natural backlink profile.

You can use the SEMrush brand monitoring tool and create an email alert for your brand name.

(Creating brand query alerts in SEMrush)

Then, you can choose the sources to track, like unlinked mentions from news and blogs.

(Filtering tracked backlinks via SEMrush)

The tool will display a preview of brand mentions from the past 30 days. To see all mentions, click "Create query."

(Creating query for finding brand mentions in SEMrush)

Now, narrow it down further and click “Mention details” > “Backlinks” > “Without backlinks.”

(Filtering brand mentions without backlinks in SEMrush)

Now, you can export the final list of sites that mention your brand but do not link to it. 

Create a great outreach email and send it to sites that matter the most. You can sort them on the basis of domain importance, organic traffic, language, and geographic relevance. 

Unlinked mentions are one of the low-hanging fruits in link building for law firms. You should reach out to the right person with the right email to gain valuable backlinks.

9. Link Reclamation 

Link reclamation is the process of identifying and fixing broken or lost links pointing to your website. 

With time, some links are lost, and these lost backlinks impact your website authority. You can regain the value of links that previously directed traffic and passed authority to your site but no longer do due to changes like URL updates, page removals, or site restructuring. 

Reclaiming these links helps maintain your site's link equity and search engine ranking.

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console to detect lost or broken inbound links. For example, you can visit the Site Explorer in Ahrefs, enter your domain, go to Outgoing links, and then click on Broken links to locate all broken external links from different referring domains.

(Ahrefs is a great tool for finding broken links)

Analyze why the links were lost. For example, they might be moved or deleted. Reach out to the owners or webmasters of the sites with broken or outdated links. Politely request that they update the links to point to the current, relevant URLs on your site. Provide the exact URL they should link to for ease.

If lost links point to URLs that have been changed or removed, set up 301 redirects from the old URLs to the most relevant current pages. This not only helps reclaim the link value but also improves user experience by directing visitors to appropriate content.

10. Podcast Interviews 

Yes, podcasts offer great link building opportunities. Inbound links from podcasts are generally nofollow, but they can be dofollow. You can quickly build homepage links by participating in industry-relevant podcasts to build up your site authority.

You can do a Google search to find podcasts by searching using keywords like “top legal podcasts” or the 

“best podcasts for lawyers”.

(Finding law-related podcasts with Google search queries)

You can also search for podcasts in your niche by visiting different podcast directories like Apple Podcast, Spotify, Podchaser, Castbox, and others. 

(Searching for legal podcasts on Apple Podcasts)

As a best practice, when you are participating, you can request the host to include a link to your law firm's website in the podcast description.

Once you have your list of podcasts to reach out to, reach out by email and pitch yourself as a guest speaker. Make sure to check and follow the application process if the show has one.

Tell them about you, your achievements, and why they should invite you. Also, suggest topics that are yet to be covered on their show. That’s it. Once they respond and approve the topic, record your podcast, and you will likely receive a link in return. 

11. Legal Awards and Associations 

Expert law firms are more likely to rank on Google because search engines determine the lawyer’s reputation. Legal awards are a great way to boost your reputation. You can display these awards on your website.

(Showcasing legal awards on your law firm’s website)

When you partner with leading legal bodies, become their members, or receive awards from them, they link back to your website, and these backlinks are excellent for your website authority.

Here is an example of an earned backlink from Legal500, where they rank the best-performing law firms across the world. The below rankings are for the US:

(Example of an earned backlink from Legal500)
(Example of an earned backlink from Legal500)

To earn more inbound links from legal organizations, become active members of both local bar associations and larger national or international legal organizations. Regularly apply for awards in your firm’s specialty areas. 

(Apply for legal awards to earn more editorial backlinks)

Participation in award competitions increases visibility and networking opportunities. Also, contribute to seminars, write articles for association journals, or take part in panels and discussions.

However, gaining awards and maintaining association memberships can be costly and time-consuming.

Many reputable organizations provide nofollow links to avoid seeming biased or manipulative in the eyes of search engines. However, some might offer dofollow links, especially in less formal contexts or local association sites.

Links acquired from legal organizations are contextually relevant to the field of law, which enhances their value. Make sure the links look natural, and avoid using keyword-rich anchors. 

12. Resource Pages 

Resource pages are a collection of hyperlinks pointing to valuable resources on the curated topic. For lawyers, these pages include links to legal research, guides, statutory information, case law, regulatory updates, and practical resources for both legal professionals and clients.

To build links using resource pages, you should find lists containing URLs and approach the web admins to suggest the most relevant page on your website based on the curated resource’s topic. 

You can find resource pages using any of the Google search queries below: 

  • legal + "resources"
(Google search query for identifying legal resource pages)
  • employment law + "useful links"
  • intitle:resources + family law
  • inurl:links + criminal defense
  • divorce + "helpful resources"
  • estate planning + "resource page"
  • bankruptcy + "best sites"
  • personal injury + "recommended websites"
  • intellectual property + "useful resources"
  • business law + "recommended links"

Pick pages that are well-maintained, have a low number of outbound links, and attract a decent amount of organic traffic. Assess the authority of the domain, the quality of other links on the page, and the relevance of the content. High-quality, authoritative pages are preferable as they pass more valuable link equity.

When reaching out to the owners or webmasters of resource pages, personalize your messages. Reference specific content on their pages that you find valuable and explain how your resource adds additional value for their audience.

For high-quality resource page link building, acquire a few high-quality links from well-respected pages rather than a multitude of links from poorly curated resources. A few authoritative links can have a much larger impact on SEO than numerous low-quality links.

13. Linkable Assets 

Linkable assets are high-quality content pieces of content specifically created to attract and earn backlinks naturally. They help you earn editorial dofollow and nofollow links from relevant websites.

Creating valuable linkable assets is essential for long-term organic link building. A good linkable asset should have well-researched information with original data and clear information. They should be presented well with interesting graphics. 

Here are some of the popular types of linkable assets for lawyers: 

  • Legal guides and e-books 
  • Infographics on legal processes 
  • Data-driven studies on legal trends 
  • How-to articles for common legal issues 
  • Webinars featuring legal experts 
  • Case studies of notable cases or client success stories 
  • Checklists for legal procedures 
  • Interactive tools (e.g., settlement calculators) 
  • Interviews with prominent legal professionals 
  • State-specific legal advice articles 
  • Whitepapers on regulatory changes 
  • Opinion pieces on recent legal developments 
  • Podcasts discussing legal strategies 
  • Templates for legal documents 
  • Detailed FAQs on practice areas 

Good linkable assets simplify link acquisition, increase site authority, expand brand awareness, and help you acquire more potential referral traffic.

To create your legal linkable assets, find topics that target audiences will find useful. You can use the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer to prepare a good list of content ideas. Enter your seed keyword, click on Search, and head to the Matching Terms report. 

(Ahrefs can be used to find topics to create linkable assets)
(Using Ahrefs to find the best search terms for creating linkable assets

You can also filter keywords using modifiers like how, what, who, where, and why, as well as guides, tutorials, resources, ideas, tips, and many others.

(Filtering keywords based on modifiers in Ahrefs)

Now, pick the best keywords to prepare your linkable asset. Once the topic is finalized, select a format for your content. For example, you can pick an infographic, a comprehensive guide, a whitepaper, or a video tutorial. 

Thereafter, compile data, statistics, and insights that will form the backbone of your linkable asset. Use credible sources and up-to-date information. Find a unique angle or approach to make your content stand out. This could be new data, a novel perspective, or a particularly useful compilation of information. Make sure the layout is user-friendly, and the information is easy to consume.

However, the impact of linkable assets on traffic and rankings may not be immediate. The success of linkable assets heavily depends on effective promotion and outreach.

You should always prepare people-first content with original data. Ensure your content is not too promotional or sales-driven. Avoid misleading titles and promote your content rigorously. 

14. Link Bait Content 

Valuable, attention-grabbing, and interesting content that attracts backlinks is link bait content. They are great for grabbing immediate attention and going viral. 

Creating high-quality link baits for your law website is an excellent way to acquire natural backlinks for lawyers because it matches Google's perspective that the links should come as a natural result of the quality of the content.

To create a link bait, know what interests your audience, what problems they have, and what type of content they find shareable. Your content should evoke emotions, deliver practical value, be visually-appealing, have lots of statistics, and be easily shareable. 

Original infographics, easy-to-use tools, interviews, and opinionated pieces on controversial or less-discussed topics are great for producing linkable content. Here are some more content formats for crafting link-worthy content:

  • Infographics: Visually appealing, easy to understand, and highly shareable.
  • How-to Guides: Detailed, practical guides solve common problems or answer frequent questions in your industry.
  • Listicles: Easy-to-digest content format that's highly engaging and shareable.
  • Quizzes and Polls: Interactive content that encourages participation.
  • Research and Reports: Original research or comprehensive reports that offer new insights.
  • Newsjacking Posts: Content that capitalizes on trending news to draw quick, widespread attention.

For example, the page about common legal terms below from the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch’s website has 511 links from 95 referring domains.

(List of common legal terms as a link bait page)
(Ahrefs dashboard showing that the common legal terms page has acquired 511 links, out of which 77% are dofollow)

You can acquire both dofollow and nofollow links via link bait. Most importantly, it helps you gain incoming links from a variety of domains, which significantly increases the number of referring domains that point to your site. A high number of referring domains with natural anchors keeps your link profile natural and improves your overall domain authority.

Creating high-performing link bait content requires significant time, effort, and money. Also, not all link bait content catches on; its success can be hit-or-miss, depending on timing, relevance, and audience reception.

If not well-thought-out, link bait can backfire, attracting negative feedback or damaging your brand’s reputation. You should stay away from creating misleading headlines that could harm your brand’s reputation.

15. Local Citations 

Local citations are mentions of your legal business on the web. It consists of your law firm’s name, address, and phone number, known as the NAP. 

Citations can appear in local business directories, websites, apps, and social platforms. They boost local SEO, help internet users discover local businesses, and can also impact local search engine rankings.

(Sources of local citations)

Citations do not always have direct links, but they help Google know more about your business and its overall importance. Similar to links, citations are used by Google to understand your business relevance.

Some of the popular sites to earn citations are:

  • Google Business Profile 
  • LinkedIn 
  • BBB (Better Business Bureau) 
  • Yelp 
  • Yellow Pages 
  • Trustpilot 
  • Facebook 
  • Foursquare 
  • AttorneyPages
  • Angi

A well-diversified link profile should have citations from local web directories. Citations raise your search visibility, build an organic link profile, and let you acquire greater referral traffic. 

When doing citation link building, you should not spam the local directories with irrelevant or inconsistent NAP and forced backlinks. 

Also, your citation should be useful well-written descriptions, photos, videos, and customer reviews. 

16. Press Releases 

The press release is an indirect way to acquire inbound links to your law firm. 

By issuing press releases about significant legal victories, newsworthy client representations, or firm milestones, your law firm can capture the attention of the media and relevant legal marketing audiences.

(An example of a legal press release)

Also, if your legal organization engages in community service or charitable activities, announce these through press releases. This can enhance your firm's online reputation and encourage coverage from both local and industry-specific publications.

Services like PR Newswire or Business Wire can distribute your press releases to a wide network of outlets, increasing the likelihood of getting published across various platforms.

(Business Wire can be used to publish and distribute your legal press releases)

Google generally views these links as "unnatural" because they are not created due to genuine user interest or merit, but rather are placed by the company itself or its PR agency. Therefore, Google advises using the "nofollow" attribute on such links to prevent them from influencing search engine rankings.

Even if links are nofollow, press releases can drive direct traffic to your site from people interested in your announcement. Also, being featured on reputable news sites and publications enhances your brand’s credibility and authority.

If abused, PR links can lead to penalties from Google, especially if they are dofollow and appear manipulative.

17. Legal Forums 

Legal forum posting is a popular and well-used link building technique for lawyers. Under legal forum posting, you find legal community forums where you can register your profile and add your link in community questions. 

Forum links are mostly nofollow. You can rarely find dofollow forum links. Still, forum links are great for acquiring relevant referral traffic and maintaining a mix of backlinks in your link profile.

While doing forum link building, you should pick niche-specific forums that are popular and have comment moderation in place. You can find relevant legal forums on Google using any of these search queries:

  • "best legal forums for professionals" 
  • "legal discussion forums" 
  • "online legal communities"

After you shortlist the best forums, take the time to set up your profile. Choose relevant threads and categories and begin answering questions. You should answer questions that can set up your business as a trusted resource and build relationships with customers. 

You should not begin adding links from your first answer. Most forums also won’t allow hyperlinks in your answers from the first post. You should gain authority and improve your forum profile reputation by answering lots of questions. Gradually, with improved authority, you can begin including links in your answer. 

(Example of a forum post link from a legal forum)

Link to your website from threads that make complete sense. Avoid linking to your site from every answer, as this might look spammy.

Forum links are not as useful as they used to be. Google core spam updates are specially designed to filter such links and even take action on sites that have them in abundance.

18. Scholarship Links

How about offering a scholarship to students by partnering with educational institutions? If you do that, educational websites will link to your site. That’s what scholarship link building is. 

In scholarship link building, you create a page that provides information about your business offering a scholarship to students. You then approach educational institutions and universities and request them to link to your scholarship page. Obviously, the link should be thematic.

One of the biggest advantages of this type of link building is that it helps you attract links from .edu domains, which are trusted by search engines. 

Dofollow .edu links are great for your link profile. However, scholarship links should comprise a small part of your link profile. Google and other search engines have become smarter and then know the techniques businesses use to acquire .edu links. Hence, a large number of scholarship links are not good for your profile and lead to a manual link penalty. 

Google counts too many scholarship links as unnatural and considers them a part of a link building scheme. Building scholarship links in moderation is the key to success. Also, these links should be nofollow. John Mueler has explicitly stated that .edu domains are link-spammed, hence should be nofollow. 

(John Mueler’s advice on .edu links shared on Twitter)

Also, a successful scholarship link building campaign is not easy to run. You should get in touch with professional link building firms to carry it out on your behalf. You should keep scholarship links relevant to gain the most benefit. Also, keep in mind that it requires a significant investment because you have to run a scholarship campaign to gain these links. 

What To Know More about Before Building Backlinks for Lawyers and Law Firms?

Lawyer-specific link building improves your overall legal marketing strategy and boosts your law firm's online presence. 

You should secure high-DA backlinks from relevant legal domains with a lower spam score and high-authority in the legal space. Your links should be strategically placed on relevant legal content.

With high-quality legal link building, you can rank your law firm for competitive legal keywords and ensure your business appears prominently when potential clients search for legal consultation services. 

Effective link building involves careful planning and execution, including the utilization of citations and co-occurrences within authoritative content. These elements help to enhance the credibility of the links, making them highly valuable links to the firm’s SEO strategy. 

What are the Best Practices for Building Backlinks for Lawyers?

Law firms should prioritize the link building best practices below to maintain an organic and natural link profile: 

  • Focus on Quality Over Quantity: Prioritize acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant legal websites over merely accumulating a large number of links. Acquire inbound links from trusted legal journals, established law blogs, and authoritative industry publications for backlink opportunities. Avoid engaging in black hat SEO tactics that quickly accumulate low-quality links, such as link buying or participation in link farms. Building links from PBNs or other spam domains can lead to search engine penalties, reducing both visibility and credibility.
  • Build a Mix of Dofollow and Nofollow Links: Dofollow links pass SEO benefits (link juice) to your web pages, whereas nofollow links do not but can still drive traffic. Have a natural and balanced backlink profile by acquiring both dofollow and nofollow links. A lack of balance can lead to an unnatural link profile, which might trigger manual penalties.
  • Avoid Using Keyword-Rich Anchors Excessively: Overuse of keyword-rich anchor text is a black hat SEO technique that leads to web spam. You should prioritize natural, generic, branded, and long-tail anchors that reflect the context of the linking page and don't always target exact match keywords. Over-optimization of anchor text can lead to both algorithmic and manual penalties from Google, negatively impacting SEO performance.
  • Increase the Number of Unique Referring Domains: The number of unique domains that link to your website influences the breadth and diversity of your backlink profile. Aim to get backlinks from a variety of reputable legal websites rather than multiple links from a single domain. A limited number of referring domains can make your backlink profile look weak and less trustworthy to search engines.
  • Build Links to Each of Your Target Landing Pages, Not Just the Homepage: Distributing backlinks across various landing pages enhances the SEO value across your site. Secure backlinks to specific law content pages, legal practice area pages, and other high-priority law firm landing pages, not just the homepage. Neglecting deeper pages can result in the underperformance of potentially valuable landing pages in organic search.
  • Check the Placement of Link: Contextual links placed above the fold are of high-value compared to links placed down or in the footer or sidebar. You should prioritize acquiring links placed higher in the content, preferably in the first 3-4 paragraphs. However, if you are getting links placed in the middle of the content or in the conclusion from a high-authority domain, you should accept that link. Avoid taking site-wide links placed in the footers or sidebars (unless they are ideally structured), as they will lead to an increase in the number of links from the same domain, which is bad for SEO. 

What Makes a Good Quality Backlink For Lawyers?

Here are some common indicators that decide the value of a backlink:

  • Relevance: A relevant backlink comes from a website that has content closely related to the content on the law firm's site. It increases the value of the backlink because search engines consider the contextual relationship between the linking and linked pages, enhancing the authority and credibility of the law firm's website. The linking site should ideally be in the legal field or a closely related sector, such as law education, legal news, or specific areas of law that the firm specializes in. A bad backlink comes from unrelated sites, such as those focused on cooking, sports, or entertainment, which dilute the relevance and could be flagged as spammy by search engines.
  • Authority: Authority refers to how well-respected and influential a website is within its niche or on the internet overall. It is measured by metrics like Domain Authority (DA), Page Authority (PA), or Domain Rating (DR). Higher authority websites pass more link equity and credibility to your site, significantly boosting your site’s trustworthiness and search engine rankings. A backlink from a website with a high DR (typically 50+) indicates strong trust and influence. Links from a low-authority or newly created website that lacks credibility and influence, offer little to no SEO benefit and potentially can harm your site’s reputation. 
  • Organic Traffic: Websites with high organic traffic pass more direct referral traffic through the backlink, and high user engagement levels signal to search engines that the content is valuable. The linking site should have a substantial amount of consistent and relevant traffic that indicates active engagement and relevance. Backlinks from referring domains with little to no organic traffic, indicate a low-quality site, offering no real value in terms of direct traffic or SEO improvement.
  • Link Placement: Link placement refers to where your backlink is located on the webpage. Links embedded within the main content are more valuable than those placed in footers or sidebars because they are more likely to be integrated contextually and clicked by visitors. 
  • Anchor Text: Organic and relevant anchor text can help search engines understand what the linked page is about, boosting SEO if it naturally aligns with the content. Natural, branded, long-tail, and generic anchors without being overly optimized are good for SEO. Using overly optimized, keyword-stuffed, or completely irrelevant anchor text, can trigger spam filters and negatively impact SEO.

What are the Link Schemes that Law Firms Should Avoid?

Law firms must strictly adhere to policy-violating practices that breach Google's spam policies for web search. Engaging in black hat SEO activities and link schemes can trigger automated spam-detection algorithms. This includes the use of hidden text and link abuse, which is explicitly prohibited. 

Additionally, buying links or relying on low-quality directory links can severely compromise a site’s integrity. It's equally important to avoid widget links and keyword-rich links that are over-optimized, as a large number of such backlinks are seen as unnatural links by Google’s algorithms. 

Practices such as large-scale guest posting should be conducted with caution, ensuring that any sponsored links are appropriately marked with the rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute to adhere to Google's requirements. 

By avoiding these manipulative or malicious practices, law firms can protect their online reputation from being tarnished, maintain their search rankings, and adhere to ethical SEO strategies.

What Are the Best Link Building Services for Lawyers?

  • Outreach Labs: Yes, that’s us! We are a trusted link building agency offering white-hat editorial backlinks from niche domains. Our team of link building experts works with businesses of all sizes to grow your organic rankings. We offer high-quality link insertion, thematic guest posting, and digital PR services. Outreach Labs also helps you acquire organic backlinks by creating linkable assets that naturally get inbound links. From content creation to outreach, our team handles all. Our link building package starts from $850 per month. We also offer monthly guest posts and niche link inserts starting from $203 per link and $128 per link, respectively. 
(Outreach Labs, one of the top link building agencies for law firms)
  • Seeders: Niche quality link building is great for lawyers. Seeders believes in this philosophy and provides a custom-made link building strategy by offering high-grade backlinks from distinctive domains. They help you build links via guest posts on law-related websites. As a white-label link building agency, they help you earn influential backlinks from strong domain authority websites. You can contact them for custom pricing.
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(Seeders link building company offering white-label links for law firms)

  • RhinoRank: Starting from $55 per link, RhineRank specializes in link acquisition for lawyers and law firms. You can trust their team from natural and contextual text link placements on authority domains. They offer curated links, visual links, and guest posts. Curated and visual links start from $55, while guest blogs begin at $70 per link. They also offer separate discounted pricing for freelancers and agencies.
(RhinoRank link acquisition service for acquiring individual backlinks based on specific criteria) 
  • LinkDoctor.io: As a trusted link building agency, Link Doctor helps you get links from relevant, high-ranking websites. They prioritize quality over quantity and offer complete support with full performance tracking. Their team works on a month-to-month contract basis and offers a 100% link replacement guarantee. Link Doctor provides white-hat guest posting links from high DA and topically relevant sites. You can request their pricing.
(LinkDoctor link building service for law firms)

What Are the Benefits of Building Backlinks for Lawyers?

A thoughtful and well-executed link building strategy for lawyers offers the following advantages: 

  • Boost in Search Engine Rankings: When reputable websites link to a law firm's or attorney's website, search engines like Google recognize the site as a credible source of legal information. Endorsements from the Google algorithm enhance the site's search engine rankings, making it easier for potential clients to discover attorneys or legal consultants. Enhanced visibility is essential in attracting clients within competitive legal specialties.
  • Increased Website Traffic: High-quality backlinks from reputable websites drive significant referral traffic directly to a law firm's or attorney's website. These well-earned backlinks from authoritative legal or consulting sites not only increase traffic but also boost client engagement, potentially leading to more consultations and legal representations.
  • Enhanced Domain and Page Authority: Earned links from authoritative sources raise your website’s authority and trust. Building links to your target landing pages improves the individual page rankings along with the homepage. Higher authority helps ensure that the legal professionals’ pages are more easily found and indexed by search engines, enhancing visibility in a crowded legal services market.
  • Greater ROI of SEO: For attorneys and legal consultants, investing in acquiring high-quality backlinks from referring domains can significantly enhance the ROI of SEO efforts. These reliable backlinks are highly valued by Google's algorithm, leading to sustained high rankings and increased visibility for their services. 
  • Competitive Advantage in the Market: Securing robust backlinks provides attorneys and law firms with a competitive edge. Such links act as strong endorsements from Google, elevating the professionals’ visibility and credibility over competitors who may not have a strong backlink structure. This competitive advantage is crucial for attracting more clients and establishing a powerful presence in the legal market, especially in specialized areas of law where expertise and visibility can directly impact client trust and engagement.

Ready To Earn High-Authority Links For Your Law Firm?

At Outreach Labs, we understand that acquiring natural backlinks following a white-hat process is time-consuming. Hence, we offer organic backlinking services to improve your branding, traffic, and rankings. 

Our value-driven blogger outreach, link insertion, guest posting, and digital PR services are great for solo, mid-size, or large law firms. We have a dedicated team of link acquisition experts who have existing collaborations with reputed media outlets and legal websites to help you get backlinks in the shortest possible time. 

We provide a custom link building strategy after analyzing your current domain profile and also help you craft linkable assets so that your law firm can naturally attract backlinks. Organic and editorially-given links are of the highest quality and are loved by Google. We offer monthly custom outreach pricing depending on your exact needs. 

Sign up for our service to start seeing the difference our backlinks can bring to your SEO strategy. 

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