Fixing SEO Mistakes for Injury Attorneys in Portland

3. On-Page SEO Errors & How to Fix Them

❌ Mistake: Missing or Weak Title Tags

Many law firm sites still have titles like “Home | Johnson Law.” This doesn’t help with SEO at all.

✅ Fix: Rewrite with keyword + city:

Example: “Portland Personal Injury Lawyer | Johnson Law Group”

❌ Mistake: No Targeted H1s or Headings

Headings tell Google what your page is about. If you skip them—or use them randomly—you lose relevance.

✅ Fix: Every page should have:

• One H1 (e.g., “Portland Car Accident Lawyer”)
• Multiple H2s (for services, benefits, FAQs)

❌ Mistake: Thin Content on Key Pages

Google favors in-depth, original content. Having 100–200 words per service page won’t cut it.

✅ Fix:

• Add 500–1,000 words per core practice page
• Include local context (e.g., traffic stats in Portland, local court procedures)

4. Portland-Specific Local SEO Issues

❌ Mistake: No Google Business Profile (GBP)

If you don’t have a properly optimized GBP, you’re invisible on Maps.

✅ Fix Your GBP:

• Use correct business name and categories
• List address, hours, and Portland-specific areas served
• Add 20+ photos
• Post weekly and respond to reviews

❌ Mistake: No Local Landing Pages

Many firms try to rank for Portland but have zero content that mentions neighborhoods or surrounding areas.

✅ Fix: Create pages for:

• Downtown Portland
• Beaverton
• Gresham
• Pearl District
• Southeast Portland

Use location-specific terms throughout:

• “Serving injury victims in Beaverton and the greater Portland area”

5. Technical SEO Problems

❌ Mistake: Slow Page Load Speeds

Page speed is a direct ranking factor and huge for mobile users.

✅ Use PageSpeed Insights and:

• Compress images
• Reduce plugins
• Use clean code

❌ Mistake: No SSL (HTTPS)

If your site is still HTTP, Google flags it as “Not Secure.”

✅ Fix: Install an SSL certificate through your host — it’s free and critical.

❌ Mistake: Broken Links and Redirect Chains

✅ Use Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to:

• Find and fix 404 errors
• Clean up unnecessary redirects
• Update old internal links

6. Content Problems That Hurt Google Rankings

❌ Mistake: No Blog Content Strategy

Your blog should target long-tail searches and local intent, like:

• “Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?”
• “What is Oregon’s statute of limitations for personal injury?”
• “Portland bike accident claims – what to expect”

✅ Fix:

• Publish 2–4 times a month
• Internally link to service pages
• Include local events or legal updates

❌ Mistake: Duplicate or Copied Content

Using the same bio or practice description from another site can trigger duplicate penalties.

✅ Rewrite with:

• Original examples
• Local keywords
• Real client stories (anonymized)

7. A Full SEO Fix-It Checklist for Portland Injury Lawyers