A strong SEO campaign for a specific mass tort could result in hundreds of signed cases over time. If you get in early and the campaign is strong, it will be your lowest cost per signed retainer of any marketing channel. But there are several things you need to know before investing in such a campaign. This article will give you all the information you need to decide if SEO is a good tool to bring in new cases for a mass tort.
Understanding Timing for SEO and Mass Tort
The earlier you get in, the easier it will be for you to rank organically in Google. As you can imagine, every personal injury attorney in your town has a page on “car accidents” but, if a drug like Zantac suddenly gets recalled, there is almost no prior content indexed in Google for terms like “Zantac lawyer” or “how do I join the Zantac lawsuit”. Getting in early means there is little to no competition and Google will reward early movers. If you hear of a recall or talks of a JPML, that would be a good time to add content to your site or create a focused website with a keyword-rich URL.
SEO Strategy: Current Site or a Focused Website?
If you hear of a new potential mass tort you should immediately put that content up on your firm’s website. Make sure it’s original and at least 500 words. This technique may help you to pick up a few cases over time in your local market. In some rare cases, you’ll see these pages rank nationally, but most websites have SEO targeted at their local market. This makes ranking nationally rare and unpredictable. You will see websites that rank nationally for lots of different terms but those sites are usually targeting mass torts in general like drugwatch.com or levinlaw.com. A strategy like that takes a lot of time and resources. To rank nationally for a particular tort, your best bet is to buy a domain name with the device or drug name in it. Then you need to turn that site into one of the best resources on the web for that defective product.
How To Optimize Your Content on a National Website
Ranking for competitive keywords in a particular city is tough, but trying to rank nationally presents a whole new set of challenges. The key is to create lots of custom content that answers all the questions people may have about the defective product. Build out a robust FAQ section, provide litigation updates, target geographic areas that may be affected more by drug or device. For example, Roundup content focused in areas where there is a lot of farmers did very well. Pages that identify the types of injuries or demographics most likely to be affected are all good ways to increase the size of your website and keywords that will rank. Content is key, but adding pages alone won’t win the day. You also need a robust link-building strategy to boost your rankings.
How Confident Are You?
Not every product that is recalled is worth a focused SEO campaign. You as an attorney need to decide how much you believe in the litigation. Are there a large number of people who will qualify for the lawsuit? Is the window to sign up cases 18 months or longer? Is the defendant a large company that can afford to pay off a large settlement? Even if you get in early, SEO can take a few months to start producing results. Plus, in the beginning of a mass tort, there typically isn’t a lot of awareness. This means you could be ranking for all the terms you want but the search volume and traffic to your site will be low.
SEO Strategy: Do You Want to be the Tortoise or Hare?
In this case, SEO is the tortoise, and TV/Paid Ads are the hare. As the hare, you can wait at the starting line to consider all of the information and decide when the case looks good enough for you to jump in. You can run your paid ad campaigns or buy signed cases at a set price. As the case looks stronger and stronger for the plaintiffs, the cost per case will go up. The tortoise, in this situation, would be a strong SEO campaign. In the beginning, they won’t gain much ground, but when your costs are going up, theirs will plummet. As more dollars are spent on TV and Facebook, consumers will also flock to Google to do their own research. A larger number of them will trust the organic results over any paid listing. Since SEO is a set cost, a law firm could be signing cases for $50 to $100 per case while others are spending thousands per signed client.
Should I Execute SEO for Mass Tort Campaigns?
Most attorneys don’t consider SEO for mass tort campaigns. Many for all the reasons I’ve listed throughout this article. But, you can bet there are law firms across the country that are fighting tooth and nail to be at the top of Google’s organic results. They know how low the cost per signed case can be if the lawsuit gains traction.
Do a search for any mass tort right now and you’ll see the largest, most prestigious law firms in the country on the 1st page. They are not there by accident. Typically, it would be tough to compete with them but SEO for a new mass tort is about as level of a playing field as you can get.
We don’t like to push people into any campaign, and committing to a national mass tort campaign needs another level of scrutiny. But if the defective product meets these criteria, it’s worth considering an SEO strategy.
- Early in the process
- There are signs it will go to MDL
- It is in MDL and the facts look strong
- There are a lot of potential claimants
- The defendant can afford to pay a large settlement
- The is 18 months or longer to pull in viable cases
Trust the Experts at Market My Market to Give You an Edge
As millions of people are injured every year by dangerous drugs and defective products, firms need to stand out from the competition by gaining traction on search engines. That’s where Market My Market in. We aim to help your website outperform your competitors’ sites so you can dominate your niche. Contact us today to discover effective mass tort marketing and how we can help you outperform your competition and attract the highest quality leads.