Stock Photos are one way of getting more links to your site. They are very effective because they appeal to human nature of being visual. In SEO for law firms there are several ways of utilizing photos in getting more links to a site.
Law firm web sites are really unique in some sense as compared to other websites that offer professional service. Sometimes for ordinary people like us, we are not so used to the language being used in a lawyer’s site. Especially if the lawyer wrote the content himself/ herself.
What to avoid first
According to an article in lawyerist.com, using stock photos is one way of utilizing photos to optimize law firm sites. One advantage of using stock images is that they are readily available. If you want to create and use your own photos it will take a lot of time and extra cost.
- First and foremost, avoid going to the sites that appear on top of the search results.
- Then do not use the most popular stock photos.
- Also, avoid cliches and avoid being literal when choosing the images for your site.
- Next, the images should be used to add value to the page and enhance the message being conveyed.
- And of course, use the images that are related to what you have in your pages.
There are cliches here that should really be avoided. The most common themes used in law firm web sites include gavels, courthouse steps, handshake, and a customer service rep with a headset (usually a woman). To avoid having sites that look the same with other sites including your competitors, better avoid these images.
So where do we get the photos? You can settle for the ones with no royalties and that are free or you can pay to get unique photos.
There are a lot of lists to choose from
Many sites offer stock photos for everyone – for any type of web site or business. Here are some blog articles that compiled lists of sites that offer free stock photos. There are still a lot other options, and these are just some of the lists. Remember, always make sure that you read the license agreement and always credit your source. As of this writing, some of the sites that are included in the above lists could have already changed from a totally free stock photo site to a full paid stock photo site.
How different are law firms compared to other sites
According to one article by Matt Smyers, law firms are unique because:
- Law firms are subject to strict rules and regulations regarding advertising and marketing. In the case of the firms in the United States, they also have specific guidelines and regulations for each state so it’s better that a lawyer should really watch over this.
- They do not just sell any product, they sell professional service where expertise really matters a lot. Their selling point is their educational background, accomplishments, and the quality of the team of lawyers that comprise their firm.
- It’s generally viewed that web sites of law firms are outdated as compared to other who also sells professional services.
- There is a language of and for lawyers. The “technicality” of their write-ups is the main reason why those who visit their site do not bother to read the content of their sites.
So what photos should a law firm use?
It actually totally depends on you. The keyword here is uniqueness. If you want to portray a fresh image of your law firm, then use some images that represent it. Do not settle for the usual, the columns, law books, etc.
Go beyond the usual. The last thing that you want to see are your competitors’ site that have the same design and layout as your site.
Select an object that you want to represent your company. It can be part of your company logo or simply any photo that you want people to identify your company with. But of course, you still need to maintain the image of your law firm.
Do not always follow the suggestions of some stock photo sites. Imagine if all of those who use the site followed the suggested photos.
The bottom line here is that you structure your site based on an overall image and reputation of your law firm.
What can we get from photos
Site optimization using photos is a great way of getting more traffic to your site. Other than that, if the images are placed in the different pages of your site, then it will visually enhance the messages that you are trying to send to the visitors.
Photos can convey messages that mere words cannot. Blog articles are great but without the supporting images, these will appear plain and dull. Of course there are other options to visually catch the attention of the users – infographics, videos, & images.
Closing thoughts
The use of stock photos is one easy way of improving our site. We have a lot of sites where to get free stock photos from. For law firm sites, choosing and using the right photo to capture and send the message of the page or site is as important as the write-ups, sometimes even more.
