Most keyword research for law firms starts and ends with personal injury lawyer. That term is brutally competitive, and it is not where the winnable opportunity lives.
Start with case type plus city
The searches that produce signed cases are specific: truck accident lawyer Savannah, motorcycle accident attorney Macon, nursing home abuse lawyer Augusta. Lower volume, dramatically higher intent, far more winnable.
Mine your own intake calls
Your best keyword list is already sitting in your phone logs. The questions clients ask before they hire you are the exact phrases they typed into Google an hour earlier.
Judge competition honestly
- Who currently ranks — national directories or actual local firms?
- How strong are their local signals: reviews, links, content depth?
- Is there a realistic path to page one within six months?
Build the map before you write
Assign one primary keyword per page. If two pages target the same term, they compete with each other and both underperform. A clear keyword map prevents that from day one.