Struggling to get your estate law firm noticed online? You’re not alone. Many estate planning law firms offer trustworthy, personalised service, but still lose potential clients to firms with stronger digital visibility.
Most people now begin their legal research online. They search for estate planning help, browse firm websites, and read reviews before making a call. If you’re not showing up clearly and confidently during that search, you’re missing the chance to attract potential clients when they’re ready to act.
Digital marketing for estate lawyers helps bridge that gap. It places your firm in front of the right people at the right time and builds trust before the first phone call.
In this guide, you’ll learn what matters most regarding digital marketing, how to avoid wasted effort, and which tactics help bring in more leads.
Let’s get into it.
Understanding Digital Marketing for Estate Planning Law Firms
Digital Marketing for estate planning firms is a set of online strategies for reaching potential customers interested in planning their will, setting up a trust, or other family-related issues. It typically involves search engine optimisation, social media marketing, and local marketing so you show up for searches like “estate planning attorney in (city)”, and other forms of marketing.
Let’s break down what this looks like in practice:
Your website – The foundation of your online presence. It should clearly explain who you help and how to get started.
SEO (search engine optimisation) – Improves your visibility in Google when someone types in things like “how to make a will” or “estate lawyer near me.”
Google Business and reviews – Local tools that influence who gets seen first and who gets called.
Content marketing – Useful articles, FAQs, and guides that educate estate planning clients and answer common concerns.
Email marketing and paid ads – Ideal for following up with interested people or reaching new ones faster.
When these areas work together, your digital marketing strategy becomes a reliable system for attracting the right clients and helping your firm grow steadily.
Building an SEO-Optimised Website for Your Law Firm
Your website is often the deciding factor for new enquiries. It’s where potential clients figure out whether they trust you enough to reach out. For estate planning law firms, a clear, professional site can set the tone before a single conversation takes place.
Keep the structure simple
Overcomplicated menus and buried contact buttons drive people away. Imagine someone looking for help with their will. They’re not interested in exploring a maze of pages. Your site should clearly explain who you help, what you do, and how to get in touch. Nothing fancy, just fast and helpful. Think of it like your digital receptionist.
Use the right keywords in your website’s content
If someone types “estate planning law firms in Sydney” and those words never appear on your pages, Google won’t connect the dots. This is where search engine optimisation plays its part. Add phrases your clients would actually use. You’re not writing to impress other lawyers. You’re writing to be found.
Write for real people
Estate planning clients often arrive with real worries. They might be sorting out an aging parent’s affairs or planning for their own peace of mind. Speak to those concerns. “We’ll help you get your will sorted, clearly and calmly” is far more helpful than any paragraph of legalese. If your content sounds like a brochure from 2004, rewrite it.
Build in trust signals
Photos of your actual team, real quotes from past clients, and visible credentials are what create confidence. People want to see who they’ll be working with. A clutter-free homepage with friendly bios and recognisable law society logos gives a sense of stability.
Get help from people who provide SEO
Handling your own SEO is like trying to do your firm’s bookkeeping without any training. Yes, it’s possible, but it can take a lot of time and still miss the mark. A digital marketing team that provides SEO can spot the gaps, tighten up your web design, and help your firm appear higher in search results.
Content Marketing Strategies for Estate Planning Attorneys
Most clients won’t hire a lawyer after reading one page. They’ll visit your site, scan a few answers, and come back days or even weeks later. That’s why content marketing works so well. It builds familiarity over time and helps people feel more confident before they call.
Here is a step-by-step guideline to start:
Step 1: Start with what clients ask
Think about the questions you or your staff hear most often: “Do I need a will if I’m under 40?” “What happens if someone dies without one?” These are the starting points for useful online content. If you answer real questions, people will stay longer and start trusting your advice.
Step 2: Match your tone to your audience
Estate planning can be sensitive. Avoid sounding robotic. Instead of “Our estate planning law services are designed to optimise outcomes,” try “We help families prepare with clear, calm advice.” The right tone keeps things human.
Step 3: Use content across your practice areas
Don’t let good articles collect dust. Repurpose a blog on the power of attorney into a social post or an email tip. You’ll get more value from every idea and stay in front of your target audience more frequently.
Step 4: Mix in different types of content
A quick checklist for what to include in a will. A short explainer video about executors. Or, a comparison between trusts and standard wills. Compelling content isn’t always long, it’s always content that helps.
Step 5: Be consistent
One helpful article isn’t enough. To build authority in estate planning law, you need to create valuable content on a regular schedule. You don’t need to post daily, but weekly or fortnightly is a good start.
Enhancing Local Visibility with Google Maps and Reviews
Appearing prominently in local search results is truly important for estate planning attorneys. A well-optimised Google Business Profile (GBP) can significantly upgrade your firm's visibility and credibility.
Interested to know how? Here you go.
Claim and verify your Google Business Profile
Ensure your firm is listed on Google Business Profile. Claiming and verifying your profile allows you to manage how your firm appears in Google Search and Maps. This includes adding accurate contact information, business hours, and services offered.
Encourage and respond to client reviews
Positive client reviews enhance your firm's reputation and influence potential clients' decisions. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews and respond professionally to all feedback. According to business.gov.au, online reviews can:
"help shape your brand’s reputation, tell you what your customers want (and don’t want) from your products and services, give you insights to help you improve your processes, build trust and credibility, especially if you respond to feedback well, influence other consumers to use your business, boost local search engine rankings, which makes it easier for new customers to find you."
Use high-quality images and update regularly
Uploading clear, professional photos of your office, team, and services is kind of mandatory. Regularly updating your GBP with posts about events, blog articles, or changes in services keeps your profile active and engaging.
Ensure consistency across all online platforms
Maintain consistent information (name, address, phone number) across your website, social media, and online directories. Consistency reinforces your firm's credibility and improves search engine rankings.
Once you start actively managing your Google Business Profile and encouraging client reviews, your estate planning law firm can enhance its local visibility, attract more clients, and establish a strong online presence.
Using Paid Advertising to Reach the Right Clients
When someone urgently needs help with a will or power of attorney, they won’t wait to find you through a blog. They’ll head straight to Google, type in what they need, and call one of the first names that looks trustworthy.
We worked with an estate lawyer in Brisbane who wanted to bring in more clients without wasting weeks waiting for SEO to kick in. We set up a few simple ads targeting local searches like “estate lawyers near me.” Within two days, he received three solid enquiries, all from people actively looking for his help.
Paid advertising does this well. It brings in people who are ready to act.
Here’s how to make it work:
Google Ads – Appear when someone searches for services like yours. These clicks often turn into calls quickly.
Targeted ads on social media – Focus on life stages such as starting a family or planning for retirement. These campaigns keep your name in front of the right people.
Watch your ad spend – Start with a controlled budget. Run short tests, and put more money into what works.
Use PPC advertising for instant reach – Highlight a key service or seasonal message without delay.
So, a smart approach to digital marketing services helps your firm connect with more clients without wasting money on guesswork.
Email Marketing: Nurturing Client Relationships
Most people don’t hire an estate planning lawyer the same day they visit a website. They read, reflect, and often wait. Email gives you a way to stay connected during that time, so your firm stays top of mind.
Picture this: someone downloads a free estate planning checklist from your website. They’re not ready to book a consultation yet. But over the next few weeks, they receive short emails with helpful information like what documents they need, how to avoid common mistakes, and how your firm can guide them. When they feel ready, they already know who to call.
Here’s what tends to work well:
Start with a simple email offering helpful content marketing, like a guide or quick checklist.
Follow up with a few short messages that speak directly to prospective clients and their concerns.
Use calls to action that invite current clients to forward your emails to others who might need estate planning help.
A thoughtful email series supports your digital marketing for the estate without being pushy. It helps people get to know you before they decide.
Partnering with Experts for Effective Digital Marketing
Digital marketing isn’t a one-person job. It takes time, consistency, and the right mix of skills to get results, especially when you're focused on running an estate planning practice and helping clients.
At Matter Solutions, we help law firms like yours put together a customised plan that can bring fruitful results. From SEO and paid ads to refining your website and building a steady stream of new clients, we cover what matters most.
You don’t need a generic approach. You need a marketing strategy that reflects your firm’s strengths, speaks to your audience, and grows alongside your estate planning services.
If you’re ready to focus on your clients while a team you trust handles the marketing, we’re here to help.
Ben Maden founded Matter Solutions in April 2000 and remains the Lead Web & SEO Consultant today. While Matter Solutions originated in London, UK, the company took on Australian clients when Ben emigrated to Brisbane in November 2006.
