If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about SEO for law firms. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it is a time-tested way for lawyers to:
- Increase their online visibility
- Ramp up organic website traffic
- Convert more prospects into buying customers
- Improve brand awareness and authority
Back in the day, you needed a fair grasp of coding to harness the power of SEO, but not anymore.
Enter content management systems (CMS)! A CMS (like WordPress) lets users create, modify, and manage a website and the content within that website without manual coding. So, what’s the best website CMS for SEO?
While a good content management system is a must, one that’s optimized for SEO will put your page over the top. However, as with most software solutions, there’s plenty to choose from.
The Best Website CMS for SEO: 6 Features to Look For
Picking a website content management system for SEO is like choosing a car: it’s a significant purchase, and you’ll likely be stuck with it for a long time. That’s why you need a system that can evolve with your business, keep up with new technologies, and be ideal for SEO.
There are plenty of CMS platforms out there, but if you’re looking for one that works best for your search rankings, you should check for these six must-have SEO features. Here’s what to expect from the best website CMS for SEO.
1. Page Optimization
At the heart of every good CMS lies the ability to create SEO-friendly pages and formats. This is especially important if you aren’t well-versed in SEO for law firms yourself. Look for a solution that can develop crawlable HTML pages or SEO-friendly permalinks. Little things like altering the structure of your site can make all the difference with search engines.
2. Blogging Tools
Blogs are one of the most popular forms of media used in content strategies. Not only do they offer insight into your niche and answer complex questions, but they also establish you as an industry expert. Paired with the right keywords, SEO-optimized blog posts can be a lynchpin of your content marketing strategy.
The stats back this up. Blogging is the second-most popular content marketing format with a whopping 48% takers, according to the 2022 State of Inbound Marketing report. Hence, it makes perfect sense to pick a platform with blogging tools and templates to get you started.
Just about any website CMS for SEO worth its weight in gold will come packaged with a drag-and-drop blog editor that lets you add images, video, CTA buttons, and other interactive features.
3. Internal Linking
Linking to your own web content can be a great way to boost your search engine ranking. Internal linking helps search engines find all related content on a specific topic, which can help boost your site’s authority. Plus, it improves user experience, encouraging people to stay on your site longer so that they click through to other pages.
You can always manually link to your pages every time you create a new post. That said, a CMS with a built-in internal linking tool or add-on can help automate this process.
4. Customizable Page Elements
If you’re still wondering, ‘which is the best website CMS for SEO?’ or ‘what’s the one feature a CMS cannot do without?’, we have three words for you: customizable page elements.
At the very least, your CMS should let you customize the title, meta description, and image ALT text of your posts and pages. These are vital to your on-page SEO. Including your target keywords in different spots will help visitors and search engines understand what the page is about and improve your ranking as a result.
The best website CMS for SEO will also include a character counter that lets you know whether your titles and meta descriptions are within the ideal length for web crawlers. Plus, it’ll guide you toward optimal results with prompts for improvements. For example, they may ask you to add more headings or adjust the strength of your meta tags.
5. Responsive Themes
Mobile devices accounted for 63% of organic search engine visits in the fourth quarter of 2021. Given the numbers, it’s easy to see why Google displays mobile responsive designs first.
A responsive page structure that adapts to different screen sizes allows your site to reach a larger audience. Choose a website CMS for SEO that includes mobile-optimized themes and templates. Doing this will ensure all your pages and posts are optimized for multiple devices.
6. SSL Certification
A word of advice: remember to include SSL certification in your quest to find the best website CMS for SEO. Here’s why.
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables a secure connection. It minimizes the risk of data theft and allows for a private ‘conversation’ just between the two intended parties. But what does this have to do with SEO for law firms?
Search engines prioritize secure sites, with Google recently announcing that SSL would be a ranking factor. Visitors also prefer SSL-certified sites because it secures their sensitive information, such as passwords and banking details.
Find a website CMS for SEO with an SSL certificate in their plans. This way, you won’t have to worry about installing, purchasing, and renewing an SSL certificate separately.
SEO for Law Firms: Secure a Reliable CMS for Your Website!
If you’re in the market for a new content management system platform, you probably have a ton of questions. Will any CMS program work for me? Are some better than others? What exactly should I look for to get my money’s worth?
Hopefully, this post has cleared some confusion over the best website content management system for SEO. The goal is to look for a platform with built-in functionality to optimize your on-page and technical SEO. That’s it!
At ENX2 Marketing, we know SEO takes work. We also know that lawyers don’t have the time to run an SEO campaign on their own. That’s why we’re here to help our clients streamline their SEO efforts without giving up on their core focus. As experts in SEO for law firms, we can get you ahead of the game- no questions asked. Give us a call today to learn more!