Specific KW question...

[mrodriguez1440]

Hi,

I have this site:  http://www.aerlawgroup.com.

It's ranking very well overall for all targeted KWs.  However, I have seen a drop for one main KW:  "Los Angeles criminal defense attorney."  It currently ranks #8 (it used to be as high as #2).  What's interesting is that for similar (yet slightly less competitive KWs, he ranks much better - "Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer."

I'm not trying to be greedy with rankings, but I would love feedback and/or tips regarding any issues that could be contributing to this drop.

Thanks.

[Thriveworks-Counseling]

Good question. It's funny to hear you say "less competitive" as all searches related to "legal" and "Los Angeles" are going to be really competitive--fluctuations within the top 10 are normal, and are going to happen. I did a search for those keywords and it seems that your site shows up twice--once in the middle of the local pack, and again in the serps. Your drop in rankings could simply be because so many local listings are showing right now (7 by my search) pushing the serps down the page.

I'm noticing that you don't have any reviews for your local listing, while your competition has 22, 37, 22, and 35 reviews respectively, and are getting the much-coveted "5 stars" next to their local listing. I'd focus on getting some good reviews, as that will help with conversions.

Also, the hummingbird update really changed the chess board on long tail search, which will also effect rankings. The days of creating separate pages for "Los Angeles criminal defense attorney" and "Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer" are over. Google is rewarding high quality sites optimized for the general category, and preferring them for all types of long-tail searches. --Hope this helps!

[mrodriguez1440]

Hi, thank you. I probably should have specified my question was focused on Organic, not Local.  I think he's doing fine on local, given that his office is in Pasadena.

I agree with you 100%.  He needs more reviews for his listing.  Most of his reviews have gone to Avvo, as real criminal defense clients don't want to leave non-anonymous reviews.

Thanks again for the excellent feedback.  I appreciate it.