Rebranding needs to happen from time to time. For example, when an attorney forms a new partnership or they decide to change practice area focus, some website changes may need to happen. While rebranding sounds like you’ll lose all the hard work and success you’ve achieved throughout the years, this doesn’t have to be the case.
Below are some scenarios.
What if you want to…
Get a New Web Address
If you need to change your law firm’s web address, be aware that the SEO value (including rankings) attached to your original web address will most likely be lost. However, if done properly, firms can retain their search engine standing. There’s even a chance the renaming can result in a boost due to updated content.
If law firms change their address incorrectly, they could find themselves two pages back in ranking, as well as experience a major drop in organic traffic. This drop is due to losing the backlinks—and with it their authority—that you’ve built up over the years.
Change Your Firm’s Name or Address
Your firm’s name is important. It’s the way potential clients locate you when they search for a local attorney. Search engines also account for this and use local listings to build the confidence of the given contact information.
So when a firm rebrands its name or relocates it offices, it must update all the online information connected to the business.
How to Retain Local SEO Value
The most important aspect to remember to retain your law firm’s local SEO value is that if you’re going to change your name or address, you need to change it everywhere. This not only includes your firm’s website and social media accounts, but also on any number of citation websites and online directories that you’re apart of.
For big changes to your website, we recommend talking with one of our experienced legal SEO consultants.