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If you’re a personal injury lawyer, chances are you’ve been burned by an SEO agency (or you’re afraid to be).

You’ve heard all the pitches. “Rank #1 on Google in 90 days!” “Dominate your city!”

But somehow, your site still isn’t getting leads, or worse: you don’t even know how to tell if it’s working.

This article cuts through the crap and tells you what actually works in SEO for personal injury law firms, what’s a waste of money, and what you should demand from your marketing partners.

Why SEO Is Different for Personal Injury Lawyers

Personal injury SEO is not the same as SEO for a coffee shop or an e-commerce brand. Here’s why:

  • YMYL (Your Money or Your Life): Google holds legal content to a higher standard because bad information can seriously hurt people.
    👉 Read Google’s documentation on creating helpful content.
  • E-E-A-T: When it comes to SEO for personal injury lawyers, Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness aren’t buzzwords. Google wants proof that your firm is legit.
  • Local SEO stakes are higher: You’re not just trying to rank. You’re competing against billboard giants and national firms running 7-figure PPC budgets.
  • SEO + PPC warfare: Personal injury law is highly competitve and one of the most cutthroat spaces to be in. SEO becomes your long-term moat, but only if done right.
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Bottom line: PI SEO is high-risk, high-reward. It’s not for beginners, and it’s definitely not one-size-fits-all.

What SEO Should Include (The Non-Negotiables)

If your SEO strategy doesn’t check all these boxes, you’re leaving money—and cases—on the table.

  • Technical SEO: Site speed, crawlability, Core Web Vitals, schema markup, mobile responsiveness.
  • Content Strategy: Not just blogs, but service pages, location pages, FAQs, and even glossary entries. All optimized for real user intent.
  • Internal Linking: Topic clusters that actually guide both Google and users.
  • Local SEO: Google Business Profile, local citations, reviews, and location-specific content.
  • Link Building: Not Fiverr garbage. We’re talking curated placements on relevant, authoritative legal and local sites.
  • Tracking & Reporting: GA4, GSC, heatmaps, and clear attribution models that show where leads actually come from.
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Want a step-by-step breakdown of how to actually implement this? Check out my how-to SEO guide for PI law firm websites

Common SEO Agency Mistakes (and Straight-Up BS)

This is where most PI firms get taken for a ride.

  • Overpromising quick wins: SEO isn’t magic. Anyone guaranteeing overnight results is lying. Plain and simple.
  • Template content: Agencies spitting out cookie-cutter content that say “Accidents can happen at any time…” do more harm than good.
  • Conflicts of interest: Agencies repping multiple firms in your city. How are they optimizing you to win when they’re also helping your competitors?
  • Lack of legal industry context: If they don’t know what a soft tissue case is, they have no business writing your content.
  • No transparency: If you can’t see what’s being worked on, you’re probably being ignored, or worse, farmed out overseas.
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Discover how some agencies overpromise, recycle templates, and quietly serve your competitors. This exposé pulls no punches. → Read: The Truth About Shady Legal Marketing Agencies

What to Look for in a Good SEO Consultant

Cut through the noise with this checklist:

  • Exclusive relationships: Ask if they work with your direct competitors. If yes, walk away.
  • Legal SEO portfolio: Not just “law firm SEO.” Be sure to ask for PI-specific results.
  • Content samples: Read their writing. If it sounds like ChatGPT or corporate fluff, it won’t rank.
  • Strategy-first mindset: SEO isn’t a service; it’s a strategy. They should be able to walk you through their logic, not just give you a dashboard.
  • Real transparency: You should know what’s being worked on every month. Don’t fall for mystery retainers.

Why BetterCallSpencer.com Is Different

This isn’t an agency mill. It’s a boutique consultancy run by someone who built JimAdler.com’s digital presence from the ground up.

I don’t just know SEO. I know personal injury law, user psychology, PPC pressure, and what actually brings in signed cases.

  • I don’t take on competing clients.
  • I custom-build every strategy. I despise templates.
  • I’ve scaled PI firms from 5,000 visitors to 50,000+ with leads to match.
  • I don’t hide behind monthly reports. You know what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and what to expect.

If you want someone to actually move the needle, not just check boxes, you’re in the right place.

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SEO Basics,