The legal marketing glossary
41 short definitions to understand search, Google Ads and digital marketing when you run a law firm. Definition first, a law firm example, a Hendy data point.
The basics
Long-tail keywords (long-tail queries)
Long-tail keywords are specific, low-volume search queries, usually four words or more, that each bring little traffic on their own but together send more qualified visitors than broad, high-volume keywords, because the people typing them already know exactly what they need.
Read the definition →Search engine advertising (paid search, PPC)
Search engine advertising, also called paid search or PPC, means buying ads on search engines such as Google, shown at the top of the results with a "Sponsored" label, which bring immediate traffic for as long as the advertising budget is running and stop the moment it ends.
Read the definition →Search intent (user intent)
Search intent is the real goal a person has when typing a query into a search engine, whether that is learning about a topic, comparing options, or taking action by contacting a professional such as a lawyer, and it decides which kind of page Google shows first.
Read the definition →SEO (search engine optimization)
SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the set of techniques that improve a website's position in the organic, unpaid results of search engines such as Google, through technical quality, useful content, and authority, without paying for advertising.
Read the definition →SERP (search engine results page)
A SERP, or search engine results page, is the page Google displays after a search, combining organic links, paid ads, and rich features such as the Google Maps local pack and People Also Ask questions, arranged differently for every query depending on what the searcher wants.
Read the definition →Technical SEO
Crawling (web crawling)
Crawling is the automatic process by which search engine robots, such as Googlebot, explore a website by following its links to discover, read, and analyze its pages before deciding whether to add them to the index that feeds the search results.
Read the definition →Indexing (Google index)
Indexing is the step in which Google adds a web page to its catalog, the index, after crawling it, which makes the page eligible to appear in the search results for relevant queries; a page that is not indexed cannot rank, however good its content is.
Read the definition →Ranking (search position)
Ranking is the position a web page holds in Google's search results for a given query, set by Google's algorithm from relevance, authority, and user experience signals, and it changes constantly as competitors publish, earn links, and Google updates the way it evaluates pages.
Read the definition →Sitemap (XML sitemap)
A sitemap is an XML file that lists the URLs of a website, along with details such as the date each page was last modified, so that search engines like Google can find, crawl, and index those pages faster instead of discovering them only through links.
Read the definition →Content
Duplicate content
Duplicate content is text that is identical or very similar across several web pages, on the same site or on different sites, which Google treats as a problem because it dilutes the relevance of search results and blurs which page is the reference.
Read the definition →E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust)
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) refers to the four criteria Google uses to assess content quality: the author's firsthand experience, technical expertise, recognized authority, and the trust the page inspires, applied with the highest standard to legal content, which Google classifies as YMYL (Your Money or Your Life).
Read the definition →Heading tags (H1, H2, H3)
Heading tags (H1 to H6) are the HTML elements that organize a web page into a hierarchy, from the main H1 title down to H2 sections and H3 to H6 subsections, so that search engines and readers can understand how the content is structured.
Read the definition →Keyword
A keyword is the phrase a person types into a search engine to find legal information or a legal service, and the term around which a law firm structures its content so that it appears in the search results for that phrase.
Read the definition →Meta description
A meta description is the short text, 150 to 160 characters long, shown under a page's title in Google search results; it does not affect rankings, but it plays a decisive role in how many searchers click through to your site.
Read the definition →UX (user experience)
User experience (UX) is the quality of a visitor's journey through a website, covering page load speed, readability, mobile usability, and ease of navigation; since 2021, Google has used it as a ranking factor through the Core Web Vitals.
Read the definition →Strategy
Backlink
A backlink is a hyperlink on a third-party website that points to a page on your site; Google reads it as a vote of confidence, so the more recognized the sites that cite you, the more authority your firm gains in its ranking algorithm.
Read the definition →Internal linking
Internal linking is the set of hyperlinks connecting the pages of a single website to one another, which lets search engines map the structure of the content and pass SEO authority to the pages that matter most, such as a law firm's practice area pages.
Read the definition →Topic cluster
A topic cluster is a content architecture in which the pages covering one practice area are organized into a hierarchy and connected by strategic internal links, which strengthens the topical relevance of the whole site in the eyes of search engines.
Read the definition →Advertising
Cost per lead (CPL)
Cost per lead (CPL) is the amount a law firm spends on advertising to get one qualified contact, such as a completed form or a phone call, calculated by dividing ad spend by the number of leads generated over a given period.
Read the definition →Google Ads
Google Ads is Google's advertising platform for buying sponsored ads that appear at the top of search results pages, billed per click on the keywords you choose, which lets a law firm reach people searching for a lawyer right now instead of waiting months for organic rankings.
Read the definition →Landing page
A landing page is a web page built to receive traffic from an ad campaign and push the visitor toward a single action, such as a contact request, a download, or a consultation booking; how closely it matches the ad drives the conversion rate and directly affects cost per click.
Read the definition →Local SEO
Geo-targeted keywords (local search queries)
A geo-targeted keyword is a search that carries local intent, either because it names a place explicitly, such as a city, a neighborhood, or a ZIP code, or because the search engine detects the user's location automatically and adjusts the results to it.
Read the definition →Google Business Profile (GBP)
Google Business Profile is a law firm's free listing in Google's ecosystem, showing its contact details, hours, and client reviews, and it is what allows the firm to appear in Google Maps and in the local pack of search results.
Read the definition →Google reviews
Google reviews are the public ratings, from 1 to 5 stars, that clients leave on a law firm's Google Business Profile, and they directly influence both the firm's visibility in local search results and the trust of prospective clients who have never met the lawyer.
Read the definition →Local pack (map pack)
The local pack, also called the map pack, is the block of three businesses shown with a Google map at the top of the results for location-based searches, and it is the most visible position a law firm can hold when people search for a lawyer nearby.
Read the definition →Location pages (city pages)
A location page, or city page, is a standalone web page dedicated to one specific area a law firm serves, optimized for a geo-targeted keyword and carrying unique content about how the firm practices law in that place.
Read the definition →NAP (name, address, phone number)
NAP refers to the strict consistency of a law firm's name, address, and phone number across every online platform, including its website, directories, and Google Business Profile, a uniformity that search engines read as a trust signal when they evaluate local rankings.
Read the definition →AI & GEO
AI citations
An AI citation is when ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or another AI assistant names a law firm as a source in its answer to a legal question, a form of organic visibility built for conversational engines rather than for a list of blue links.
Read the definition →AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot)
AI crawlers, such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot, OAI-SearchBot, and PerplexityBot, are bots that AI companies send across the web to collect pages for model training and for the search answers their assistants cite, and your robots.txt file decides which of them can read your site.
Read the definition →AI Overviews (Google)
AI Overviews are summaries generated automatically by Google's Gemini models and displayed at the top of some search results pages, synthesizing information from several web sources and adding citation links to the pages they draw on.
Read the definition →Answer engine optimization (AEO)
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring web content so that search engines and AI assistants quote it directly as the answer to a question, from featured snippets to ChatGPT replies and voice assistants, without the user needing to click through to a website.
Read the definition →Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the set of techniques used to get your content cited by generative AI engines such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, going beyond a ranking in classic search results to a place inside the answer itself.
Read the definition →llms.txt
llms.txt is a text file written in Markdown and placed at the root of a website that gives AI models a structured index of its content: a short presentation of the site, its priority pages with their URLs, and the business context needed to describe it accurately.
Read the definition →Voice search
Voice search refers to queries spoken out loud to a digital assistant such as Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa, phrased in natural language and often carrying an immediate local intent, like finding a lawyer nearby who is open now.
Read the definition →Zero-click search
Zero-click search is a Google search in which the user gets a complete answer on the results page itself, from a featured snippet, an AI Overview, or the local pack, without clicking through to any website.
Read the definition →Ethics rules
Attorney solicitation letter (targeted written solicitation)
An attorney solicitation letter is a targeted written message, by mail, email, text, or direct message, offering legal services to a specific person the lawyer knows needs help in a particular matter. Unlike live contact, it is allowed under ABA Model Rule 7.3 if it is truthful, free of coercion, and dropped after a no.
Read the definition →Client testimonials and confidentiality
Client testimonials are statements by clients about a lawyer's services, shown on a website, in ads, or as online reviews. US rules allow them if they are truthful and not misleading, never fabricated or paid for, and if the firm has the client's informed consent before publishing anything about the matter (ABA Model Rule 1.6).
Read the definition →Lawyer advertising rules (attorney advertising)
Lawyer advertising rules are the ethics rules that govern how US lawyers promote their services. Based on ABA Model Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and adopted state by state, they allow advertising in any medium if it is truthful and not misleading, names a responsible lawyer, and pays no one for a recommendation.
Read the definition →Lawyer solicitation
Lawyer solicitation is a communication that a lawyer, or someone acting for the lawyer, starts with a specific person known to need legal services in a particular matter, offering to handle that matter. Under ABA Model Rule 7.3, written solicitation is generally allowed, while live contact for a fee is banned outside three exceptions.
Read the definition →Lawyer specialization (certified specialist claims)
Lawyer specialization claims are statements on a website, profile, or ad that a lawyer specializes or is certified in a field of law. Under ABA Model Rule 7.2(c), a lawyer may claim to be a certified specialist only if a state-approved or ABA-accredited organization granted the certification and the communication names it.
Read the definition →Posting attorney fees online (fee transparency)
Posting attorney fees online means publishing a law firm's prices and billing methods, such as hourly rates, flat fees, or contingency terms, on its website and in its ads. US ethics rules allow it, provided every figure is complete, truthful, and not misleading under ABA Model Rule 7.1.
Read the definition →