For the vast majority of law firms, ranking on Page 1 of Google in Los Angeles is not possible in 2024. But, there’s still hope to obtain leads.
Here’s why, from someone who has watched the front page of LA for over a decade and actually ranks attorneys in major cities all over the USA.
If you’re an LA attorney and you want to save yourself a LOT of time and money, this article is for you.
There will be both problems and solutions below. I’ll keep this article as concise as possible.
Who We WILL Help:
Again, SEO is not for the “vast majority of law firms” in LA. I’ll get to that in just a moment. Will we work in LA? Yes, but, not unless we can provide a return on investment.
We have a loyal client in California. IF it were ok with them, we could work alongside the in house marketing teams of one the firms mentioned below. Or, if you have a specific niche, we may be able to help.
Ok, with that out of the way, let’s move on.
Wait, Don’t You Sell SEO to Personal Injury Attorneys?
Yes. My company sells SEO and content to personal injury law firms all over the USA.
Four times this week a Los Angeles Personal Injury Firm has asked us “how much to rank on page 1?”. Four times! I get asked this so often, I needed to write an article about it, so I can direct future inquiries here.
I’m just being honest. If someone tells you something other than what’s in this article – they’re wrong.
The Problem: You Need The Backlinks That Can’t Be Purchased.
I could be biased, but we are probably the best in the business at obtaining backlinks (that work) for Personal Injury Lawyers.
There are nearly 600 cities in the USA. 99% of the time, you can manipulate your way onto page 1 of Google’s search results.
However, in LA, law firms have the types of links money (usually) just can’t buy.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Panish, Shea, Ravipudi LLP is the firm which handled Michael Jackson’s Wrongful Death Trial.
- They also filed a negligence lawsuit against Caitlyn Jenner.
- The Dominguez Firm has multiple $20m+ verdicts & settlements and then there’s the banana story.
- The Barnes Firm’s Steve Barnes was tragically killed in an airplane accident.
- Law Offices of Jacob Emrani is a corporate partner of the NBA.
The above examples are events, lawsuits, and advertising which occurred that resulted in a tremendous number of powerful backlinks. Those firms, along with Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, LLP, Jacoby & Meyers, and a few others are usually going to be on page 1 or page 2 of Google’s search results. And, of course, Morgan & Morgan has set up shop there now, too. Combine those with the other sites which will always rank (Yelp, Justia, etc) and there’s just no room for anyone who does not have an extremely powerful site.
There’s nothing I or any other agency can do to get you press on CNN, NY Times, Bloomberg, Fox News, NBC News, Washington Post, CBS, MTV, TMZ, etc.
With a gigantic budget, sure, we can pull some strings. LA Times might mention you. With an interesting event, we might get a link from KTLA, ABC7 or FoxLA.. Yes, we can snag a .gov site. But you’re not going to beat all of these firms.
It’s just not how Google’s algorithms work.
At the very best, after years of effort, you MIGHT squeeze onto page 1 for a month or two, but you’re most likely going to end up on page 3 or 4. Page 3 and below is full of attorneys spending $5k – $35k/mo. Why? Some SEO salesperson told them they could rank, took their money, and now they’re churning and burning through these clients.
I mean, there are so many LA lawyers asking for SEO, I could probably sign up a new law firm once a week.
Don’t Even Think About PPC.
To make a long story short, I know someone running a PPC campaign in LA. They’re spending $1,700,000.00/mo.
The ads are $600 per click. On a great day, 1 out of 3 people call, and 1 out of 8 callers has a case. On average, they spend $16,000 per case.
Why spend $16,000/case?
- They market heavily to previous clients, reducing their cost per acquisition
- They have a huge operation in place and are waiting for a home run
- It prevents smaller law firms from using PPC cost effectively
Ok, Len, I Get It. So What Can Be Done?
At least 50% of the attorneys who landed on this page have left by now and gone out and hired someone to rank them on the front page, even though it isn’t going to happen.
Congratulations if you’re still reading!
Options:
Niche Down.
Even in Los Angeles, there is room to find a niche. You could be the dog bite specialist. You could exclusively represent nurses. You could be the go to attorney for cyclists. If you don’t think niching down = more cases, you need to listen to Podcast 52. Listen (or read it) here: When Does Niching Down Your Law Firm Make Sense?
Move.
We help personal injury law firms select their new locations all the time. You want to be in an area with as many people as possible and as few attorneys as possible. This will get you the greatest reach in the Local Pack possible. Whether you’re just getting an office in Alhambra or heading to Kansas, we can come up with a strategy. Where you move depends on your goals and ability to get reviews. Some attorneys want 2 or 3 cases/month, others want 100 cases / month. It depends. As a quick example, here’s a spot in East Pasadena w/ no PI lawyers:
The Bottom Line.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of attorneys attempting to rank for “Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer”.
I’ve had people offer us $50k/mo to rank. I cannot in good faith charge attorneys to rank here. If you keep shopping around, rest assured, someone will accept your money, but, you’re going to be disappointed.
That said, if you do have a budget and great reviews, maybe it is time to explore ways to get new cases in. If you need help finding a niche, finding a location, finding a new direction, we can talk!