Backlinks remain one of the most powerful ranking factors in SEO. For law firms, quality links from authoritative sources signal to Google that your content is trustworthy and valuable—essential for ranking in the competitive legal search landscape.
Why Links Matter for Law Firms
Google views links as votes of confidence. When a reputable website links to your law firm's site, it transfers some of its authority to you. In the legal industry, where E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is critical, quality backlinks are particularly valuable.
Link Quality Factors
- Domain authority: Links from high-authority sites carry more weight
- Relevance: Legal and local links are most valuable
- Placement: Editorial links within content beat sidebar links
- Anchor text: Natural, varied anchor text is best
- Follow vs. nofollow: Follow links pass more authority
Ethical Link Building for Attorneys
Lawyers must be particularly careful about link building tactics. Buying links or participating in link schemes can result in Google penalties and potentially raise ethical concerns. Focus on earning links through legitimate means.
What to Avoid
- Buying links or paying for placements
- Excessive link exchanges
- Private blog networks (PBNs)
- Spammy directory submissions
- Comment spam or forum link drops
- Automated link building tools
Legal Directory Links
Legal directories provide valuable, relevant links for law firms:
High-Value Legal Directories
- Avvo: Claim and optimize your profile
- Martindale-Hubbell: Peer review ratings add credibility
- FindLaw: Lawyer directory listings
- Justia: Free lawyer profiles
- Super Lawyers: If you qualify, valuable recognition
- Best Lawyers: Peer-reviewed recognition
- State bar directories: Official listings
Local Business Directories
- Google Business Profile
- Yelp
- Better Business Bureau
- Local chamber of commerce
- City/regional business directories
Content-Based Link Building
Creating valuable content that naturally attracts links is the most sustainable approach.
Link-Worthy Content Types
- Original research: Studies, surveys, data analysis
- Comprehensive guides: Definitive resources on legal topics
- Infographics: Visual explanations of legal processes
- Tools and calculators: Settlement calculators, deadline trackers
- Legal news analysis: Expert commentary on developments
- State-specific resources: Guides to local laws and procedures
Content Promotion
- Share on social media platforms
- Email outreach to relevant journalists and bloggers
- Notify sources cited in your content
- Submit to legal news aggregators
- Promote in professional networks
Digital PR for Law Firms
Media coverage generates high-authority links and builds firm reputation.
Media Opportunity Tactics
- HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Respond to journalist queries
- Press releases: Newsworthy firm announcements
- Expert commentary: Offer insights on legal news
- Local news: Build relationships with local journalists
- Legal publications: Contribute articles and analysis
Newsjacking
Commenting on trending legal news can earn media links:
- Monitor legal news and court decisions
- Prepare quick, quotable expert commentary
- Reach out to journalists covering the story
- Publish your own analysis quickly
Community and Association Links
Bar Association Involvement
- State and local bar associations
- Practice area sections and committees
- Speaking at bar events
- Contributing to bar publications
Community Involvement
- Sponsoring local events and organizations
- Pro bono work and legal aid
- Chamber of commerce membership
- Local nonprofit board participation
- University and law school connections
Guest Posting
Contributing articles to reputable publications builds links and authority.
Quality Guest Posting Guidelines
- Target relevant, authoritative sites
- Provide genuine value, not promotional content
- Include natural, contextual links
- Build relationships with editors
- Avoid sites that exist solely for guest posts
Target Publications
- Legal industry publications
- Local business publications
- Industry publications for clients you serve
- University and educational sites
- Nonprofit and advocacy organizations
Broken Link Building
Finding broken links on other sites and offering your content as a replacement:
- Identify sites linking to outdated or broken legal resources
- Create or identify your own relevant content
- Reach out suggesting your content as a replacement
- Provide value to the site owner while earning a link
Link Building Metrics
What to Track
- Total referring domains: Unique sites linking to you
- Domain authority growth: Overall site authority trend
- Link velocity: Rate of new links over time
- Anchor text distribution: Natural variety of anchor text
- Link quality: Authority and relevance of linking sites
Tools for Link Analysis
- Ahrefs
- Moz Link Explorer
- SEMrush Backlink Analytics
- Majestic
- Google Search Console
Building Sustainable Link Authority
Link building for law firms requires patience and consistency. Focus on earning links through genuine value—quality content, expert insights, and community involvement. These links are more sustainable and valuable than any shortcut.
The best link building strategy is simply being a great law firm that creates valuable resources. When you genuinely help people understand legal issues, media and other sites naturally want to reference your expertise. Build links the same way you build a practice: through reputation, relationships, and delivering real value.