On September 23rd, Google announced that it rolled out Penguin 4.0, a search engine algorithm update that affects how web pages are displayed on search result pages. Most search engine marketers have been eagerly awaiting this change; either with the hopes of recovering from a penalty, or wishing nothing would change with their site’s ranking.

So what does this mean for the average attorney? Hopefully, not a lot. Most sites are not affected by Google’s algorithm updates. Still, it is important to understand how Google values websites and how your firm can utilize what’s known of its search algorithm to set yourself apart from your competitors. Additionally, if your firm is hit by an algorithm update, your traffic could be severely affected. Changes to your site's traffic could force you to look for other, more expensive ways of acquiring new cases.

What is Penguin?

“Penguin” is an update to Google’s search that initially rolled out in April of 2012. Its goal was to target websites that used unnatural or low-quality link schemes. When one website links to another website, Google sees this bridge as a “thumbs-up.” The more websites you have linking to your firm, the higher the chances are of your firm’s URL displaying near the top of search results.

Of course, many webmasters took advantage of the benefits of linking. Some people would pay to have links added to other domains, and others would exchange links with low-quality websites. While the tactics were initially very successful, these sites were penalized when Penguin launched.

For your firm to avoid a Penguin penalty, your best bet is to publish web content that will gain natural links. This means you have someone publish a URL to your blog or content without even asking. If you do wish to get a couple more links, you could potentially offer your legal advice as a guest blog on authoritative domains. Be wary of guest blogging: If you submit low-quality, unhelpful resources, you could be penalized by Penguin as well.

What about other Google algorithm updates to be aware of?

One other major Google update that is relevant for attorneys occurred in February 2011. This update is known as “Panda.” Instead of dealing with links, Panda focuses on quality of content. To try to get more traffic, some websites would stuff keywords into their content, repeating the same phrase (such as “personal injury attorney”) dozens of times on the same page.

Panda also penalized low-quality content, or content that was “thin,” meaning it was short in length or uninformative. Firms that published pages with irrelevant content less than 200 words long likely saw a dip in traffic once Panda hit.

Panda affected considerably more sites than Penguin (12% of web traffic was affected, as opposed to just 3% for Penguin), and it’s more relevant for most law firms, as not many attorneys have the time or resources to focus on gaining more links. Keeping this in mind, it’s very important that the content you publish is relevant, informative, and spam-free. Not only will this avoid a Google penalty, but it will also entice users to use your firm over the competition.

How can your firm avoid a penalty?

Panda and Penguin work hand-in-hand. High-quality content will entice more webmasters to link to your firm naturally, and the more links you have, the more traffic will be directed to your site! If your firm has more backlinks and longer, more informative content than your competitors, you will be on the top of an online consumers’ list of firms to work with.

Content marketing is challenging. If your firm wishes to increase its caseload by supplementing your online marketing efforts, talk to us today about our legal case leads. Lead generation can be an inexpensive way for firms to sign more client.