How Small Law Firms Beat Big Brands in Google (Legal SEO Masterclass)
Release Date: 01/21/2026
From SEO TikTok to $18M Agencies: How Creators Actually Scale
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An $80 Press Release Ranked #1 on Google (And Tricked AI)
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Google Is Breaking SEO: Permanent Manual Actions, AI Search & the Rise of Black Hat
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How to Build Backlinks for a Brand New Website (From Zero Authority)
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How to Build Local Backlinks That Actually Increase Local Rankings
The Edward Show
E936: Local SEO lives or dies by local authority - and one of the biggest drivers of that authority is local backlinks. I break down exactly how to build high-quality local backlinks that help search engines see your business as an authority in a specific city or region. This applies whether you’re starting a local business, competing in a crowded market, or expanding into new locations. I cover practical strategies that send real referral traffic, strengthen local topical authority, and support long-term ranking improvements - not theory. What you’ll learn: - Why local backlinks matter...
info_outlineE931: Small and mid-sized law firms regularly can outrank national legal brands in Google, even with smaller teams and far lower marketing budgets.
This breaks down how that actually happens. We go deep into what drives legal search rankings, what converts traffic into signed cases, and why many common law firm SEO strategies fail. This is a practical, experience-based discussion focused on results, not surface-level SEO tactics.
Nick Cohen, a lawyer and the founder of Matador Solutions, joins the show to explain how legal SEO works in real markets. Nick has spent years helping law firms compete in some of the most competitive legal search landscapes in the United States, and he shares exactly what he’s seeing work today across content, Google Maps, reviews, links, AI, and compliance.
Topics covered:
- Why small law firms can outrank large national legal brands
- How Google’s algorithm became increasingly local for legal searches
- What makes legal SEO fundamentally different from other local SEO niches
- Why most law firm blog content generates traffic but no signed cases
- How practice area pages should be built to rank and convert
- Pillar pages, supporting content, and topical authority for law firms
- How informational content supports high-intent legal keywords
- What actually builds trust on law firm websites
- Conversion factors that matter in legal marketing (and what doesn’t)
- The role of copy, credibility, and clarity in legal conversions
- Why video testimonials are critical for law firm SEO
- How YouTube testimonials can rank for legal keywords
- Link building strategies that work in competitive legal markets
- Why local and relevant links often outperform high-DA links
- Earned media vs paid links for law firms
- Google Business Profile optimization in competitive cities
- The real impact of reviews on map pack rankings
- When keyword placement in Google Business Profiles works
- Common SEO mistakes agencies make when working with law firms
- SEO metrics law firms obsess over that don’t correlate with cases
- How to measure SEO success when one case can be worth millions
- How AI is being used in legal SEO today
- The risks of AI-generated content in legal marketing
- QA processes and verification systems for legal content
- Title tags, SERP optimization, and improving click-through rate
- Exact match domains, link velocity, and brand signals
- The single most important SEO lever for law firms with limited resources
Who this episode is for:
- Law firm owners and managing partners
- SEO agencies working with legal clients
- Marketers entering the legal SEO space
- Anyone focused on turning rankings into real business
⭐️ Matador Solutions - https://www.matadorsolutions.net/
⭐️ Nick Cohen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickecohen/
⭐️ Get in touch with Nick - nick@matadorsolutions.net
💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:52 Founding of Matador Solutions and Its Evolution
02:42 SEO Strategies for Law Firms
05:13 Matador's Recent SEO Success
12:20 Competing with Big Legal Brands
17:21 Content Strategy for Law Firms
25:43 Building Trust and Authority
30:02 Link Building and Citations
39:46 Facebook Posts for SEO
40:29 Importance of 24/7 Phone Answering for Lawyers
42:38 AI in Legal SEO: Benefits and Risks
44:39 Content Creation and AI Integration
53:58 Common SEO Mistakes and Best Practices
56:40 Optimizing Google Business Profiles for Lawyers
01:00:54 Measuring SEO Success in the Legal Industry
01:02:55 Personal Connection to Legal SEO
01:12:46 Lightning Round: Quick SEO Tips
01:14:55 Conclusion and Contact Information
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#legalseo #legalsearchengineoptimization #lawseo #localseo