Digital Marketing: The organic Click-Through-Rate: A critical metric for legal marketers

By Guy Alvarez

Most legal marketers know that ranking on the first page of Google is crucial for driving traffic to their firm’s website. However, achieving top rankings is only part of the equation. Unless searchers actually click through to the page, the odds that they’ll take the next step along the journey toward becoming clients are not very high.

This is where organic Click-Through-Rate (CTR) comes into play.

Why organic CTR matters

CTR measures the percentage of users who click on a page when it appears in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The higher the CTR, the more visitors to a website, and the more prospects for a firm to convert into clients.

It’s also possible that a high organic CTR will improve Google rankings over time. Although Google hasn’t confirmed that CTR directly influences rankings, many search engine optimization (SEO) experts have observed that pages with higher rates of organic click-through frequently perform better.

How to calculate organic CTR

Tools like Google Search Console automatically display a CTR for each web page. However, a CTR can also be determined by a page’s total number of impressions. For example, if a website appeared in organic search results 1,000 times and was clicked on 50 times, the organic CTR would be 5 percent.

10 strategies to improve organic CTR

Legal marketers looking to improve organic CTR, and ultimately bring more traffic to their firm’s website, should consider implementing the following tactics:

1. Target prospects through long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are specific search terms that align with user intent and can be leveraged to target searchers looking for the very legal services a firm offers. Tools like Ubersuggest can help identify relevant long-tail keywords to include in titles and meta descriptions.

2. Craft compelling meta descriptions

A meta description, the short text snippet below a title in search results, can significantly boost CTR, provided it’s clear, concise, and enticing. Including relevant keywords and a strong call-to-action (CTA) encourages searchers to click through the organic search result to visit the corresponding web page.

3. Implement structured data

Structured data, or schema markup, helps search engines better understand content and present it in richer formats, such as review stars or featured snippets. This enhanced visibility encourages more searchers to click through to a website.

4. Optimize title tags

Title tags, the first element users see in search results, should be simple, descriptive, and relevant enough to grab a searcher’s attention. Adding numbers, questions, or power words to a title tag can encourage more searchers to click-through to a page. However, title tags should be limited to fewer than 60 characters, otherwise the title will be cut off in search results.

5. Use descriptive URLs

Clear, keyword-rich URLs demonstrate content relevance to search queries. However, it’s best to avoid complicated URLs in favor of shorter, easy-to-understand alternatives.

6. Create high-quality, useful content

Well-researched, original content helps firms stand out in today’s crowded and highly competitive legal industry. To enhance CTRs, blogs and other content should address common legal questions and offer valuable insights that potential clients want and need.

7. Test headlines

A/B testing variations of headlines on social media allows marketers to understand which resonate better with an audience. Experimenting with styles—adding numbers, questions, or emotional triggers—can also highlight the most effective options.

8. Utilize rich snippets and featured snippets

Securing a featured snippet position on Google can dramatically increase CTR. To improve the chances of being featured, marketers should ensure content is optimized to provide clear, concise answers to common legal queries.

9. Optimize for mobile

With a growing number of searches occurring on mobile devices, websites must be mobile-friendly and load quickly to avoid losing potential clicks. Google’s mobile-friendly test can confirm site performance on all devices.

10. Use engaging images and videos

Relevant images or videos in content can make a law firm’s listing stand out on the SERP. Securing a spot in Google’s image or video results can capture even more organic clicks.

The bottom line

For legal marketers seeking to boost traffic to their firm’s website, improving their organic click-through-rate (CTR) is a highly effective strategy. By focusing on minor enhancements—such as crafting engaging meta descriptions, utilizing long-tail keywords, and simplifying URLs—marketers can achieve significant improvements in both website traffic and search rankings.

 

Guy Alvarez is a partner in Good2BSocial, L.L.C., a digital marketing agency that focuses on law firms and companies in the legal industry. He can be reached at [email protected].