Industries · Professional services
SEO for professional services : trust you can demonstrate
Lawyers, tax advisers, gestorías, notaries, consultancies and other firms sell something clients cannot test before hiring: judgement. On Google that translates into high expectations of experience, authorship and reputation, and into searches that are either very local or very specific.
The search landscape
A YMYL field where generic content won't do
Google's guidelines for its search quality raters group under “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) the topics that can seriously affect a person's health, finances or legal situation. Legal and tax questions fall squarely within it. For these, Google gives more weight to signals of experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T): who wrote it, with what qualifications, the firm's reputation and whether the information is accurate and current.
Results usually mix public bodies, legal publishers, professional directories, Q&A platforms and content-heavy firms. A blog of generic articles written without a professional behind them stands little chance, and can be a reputational risk if it contains errors.
At the same time, many searches are local and urgent (“employment lawyer in Málaga”, “gestoría near me”) or very specific (“capital gains tax when selling an inherited house in Spain”). That is where a well-run mid-sized firm can compete with anyone.
- Visible authorship by registered or qualified professionals
- Local SEO for proximity searches
- Specific, accurate and up-to-date content
How your clients search
Three types of client, three journeys
An individual with a specific problem
First tries to understand their situation (a dismissal, an inheritance, a fine, an income tax return), then looks for someone trustworthy nearby. Reads several pages, compares reviews and usually contacts two or three firms.
A foreign client in Spain
Residents, property buyers and foreign companies search in their own language: residence permits and visas, cross-border inheritance, non-resident taxes, setting up a company. Being served in their language matters to them a great deal.
A company
Looks for ongoing advice or a specialist in one field (employment, corporate, data protection, international tax). The decision is more rational and usually involves several people reviewing the website, the partners' profiles and the articles published.
Common challenges
What we see on many firms' websites
Invisible professionals
Articles signed “Editorial team” or unsigned, no biographies, no bar registration or track record. Exactly the information Google and clients look for.
All practice areas on one page
A single “Services” page listing fifteen specialisms, instead of a full page per area with its questions and process.
Outdated content
Articles on rules that have since changed, with no review date, still attracting visits and passing on incorrect information.
Neglected local listings
Google Business Profiles with the wrong category, no reviews, or several duplicate listings for the same firm.
A token English page
A single page in English to serve foreign clients who, in practice, account for a large part of revenue.
Fear of publishing
Understandable: there are professional conduct and advertising rules. We work within them, with the firm approving every piece.
Our playbook
How we approach a project with a firm
The firm brings the expertise; we bring structure, writing, technical work and distribution. Nothing is published without approval from one of the firm's professionals.
Assessment and business priorities
We start with the areas that matter most to the firm in terms of margin, capacity and specialism, not the ones with the most search volume. We analyse local and topical competitors and how Google and AI assistants currently answer the key queries.
Activities
Outputs
- Opportunity map by practice area
- Priorities agreed with the firm
Trust signals and structure
We strengthen what shows who is behind the firm: professional profile pages with education, registration and experience, authorship on every article, clear information about the firm, and organisation and person structured data.
We reorganise the site with one page per practice area and, where it makes sense, per sub-specialism and location.
Activities
Outputs
- New site architecture
- Practice area and profile page templates
Expert content with review
We build clusters per area: a main page plus articles answering clients' specific questions. We write from interviews or notes provided by the professional, who reviews and signs off. Each piece shows a review date and is updated when the rules change.
We avoid promising outcomes or using claims that might clash with the profession's advertising rules.
Activities
Outputs
- Published, reviewed clusters
- The firm's editorial protocol
Local SEO and authority
We optimise Google Business Profile, keep details consistent across professional directories and bar or college listings, and set up a process for asking satisfied clients for reviews. We earn mentions in local and specialist media based on the firm's real expertise: commentary on legal changes, useful guides, talks.
Activities
Outputs
- Optimised local listings
- Relevant mentions and links
Enquiry tracking
We track forms, calls and emails by practice area and language, so we know which content brings clients and not just visits. We review monthly and adjust the strategy every quarter.
Activities
Outputs
- Enquiry dashboard by practice area
- Quarterly roadmap
Costa del Sol
Firms serving foreign residents and buyers
On the Costa del Sol many law firms, tax advisers and gestorías work mostly with international clients: property purchases, residency, non-resident taxation, inheritance with a cross-border element, self-employed people and foreign companies. Those clients search in English, German, Dutch, French or Scandinavian languages, often before they arrive in Spain.
For them we produce genuinely localised content (not machine-translated) that explains the Spanish system in terms the client understands, comparing it with their home country where useful, and always reviewed by the responsible professional. The same approach works for firms in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante or the Balearics with an international client base.
Content ideas
Formats that tend to work
A complete specialism page
Which cases the firm handles, the process, indicative timelines, documents needed and FAQs.
ExplainerProcedure guides for foreigners
NIE, residency, non-resident taxes or inheritance, in the client's language and reviewed by the professional.
CalendarTax deadlines and obligations
Recurring content updated every year that helps anticipate seasonal enquiries.
UpdatesCommentary on regulatory changes
A short, practical analysis of how a change affects clients, with the professional's view.
ProfileProfessional profile pages
Education, registration, areas, languages, publications and talks: the foundation of E-E-A-T.
LocalA page per office or area
For firms with several offices: team, practice areas and contact details specific to each one.
FAQ
SEO for firms: common questions
Who writes the legal or tax content?
Our team writes it from the professional's information and judgement, usually gathered in a short interview or from notes. The professional reviews, corrects and signs off. The firm spends little time on it and the content reflects its real experience.
Are there restrictions on advertising a firm?
Yes. Regulated professions have conduct rules on advertising, which vary by profession and professional body. In general you should avoid promising outcomes, comparing yourself with other professionals and using client information without consent. We work within those guidelines and the firm approves every piece before publication.
Is a blog worth it for a firm?
A generic blog, not much. A set of pages that precisely answer your clients' real questions, signed by the person who knows the answers, is: it attracts qualified searches, demonstrates judgement and is the kind of source AI assistants cite.
How do we get reviews without making clients uncomfortable?
With a simple process: ask at the right moment (when a matter closes with a good outcome for the client), make the link easy to find and always reply. We never recommend incentivising reviews or publishing fake ones, which is prohibited and very damaging to reputation.
We are a small firm. Can we compete?
Yes, especially in local searches and specific niches. A specialist firm with good practice area pages, visible professionals and genuine reviews can outrank larger firms with generic websites.
Do you also work with gestorías and tax advisers?
Yes. They share many of the same needs (trust, local searches, foreign clients) and also have a strong seasonal pattern tied to the tax calendar, which we take into account when planning content.
Related
Recommended services for professional firms
Local SEO
Local SEO in Marbella, Málaga and the Costa del Sol: Google Business Profile, reviews, NAP, local landing pages and schema to rank in Google Maps.
Content marketing
SEO-led content marketing: strategy, topic clusters, briefs, expert writing with E-E-A-T, content refreshes and pruning, and measurement tied to business goals.
Entity SEO
Entity SEO: Knowledge Graph, knowledge panels, Organization schema and sameAs, consistent NAP and topical authority so Google and AI recognise your brand.
Be found by the clients who need your specialism
We review your website, local listings and content, and propose a plan that respects your profession's rules.