Most employment searches start with one question: do I have a case? We help employment firms answer it clearly, for workers or for employers, so the right people call and poor fits screen themselves out.
By Robert McCrayUpdated 14 minute read
Most people who contact an employment lawyer don't become clients. In a 2014 survey, worker-side attorneys took 15.8% of the potential cases from workers who could go to court.6 Your pages should screen before your intake team has to.
People look online before they ask a lawyer. When Americans looked for information or advice on a serious legal problem, the internet was the most common source (31%), just ahead of lawyers (29%).8
Demand is up. Discrimination charges filed with the EEOC rose from a low of 61,331 in fiscal 20213 to 88,201 in fiscal 2025.1
Deadlines are short. A worker has 180 or 300 days to file an EEOC charge, depending on the state.4 Pages that state deadlines have to be right.
Expect map and technical gains in weeks. Guides and claim pages usually take three to six months to rank.
The basics
Employment law SEO is the work of making an employment firm easy to find when a worker or an employer is trying to figure out whether they have a problem. It covers Google's regular results and map pack, AI answers from tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews, and the reviews and profiles people check before they reach out.
People want to know if what happened was legal. When Americans looked for information or advice on a serious legal problem, the internet was the top source at 31%, ahead of lawyers at 29%.8
In a 2014 survey, worker-side employment attorneys accepted 15.8% of the potential cases from workers who could go to court, and 8.1% from workers bound by arbitration.6 Clear pages spare your intake team the rest.
A fired worker and an HR director search differently and want different things. A site has to make clear, on every page, who it is talking to.
Of potential cases were taken by worker-side employment attorneys in a 2014 survey6
That's for workers who could go to court. For workers bound by arbitration it was 8.1%
The usual limit for filing a discrimination charge with the EEOC. In some states it's 1804
It depends on whether a state or local agency enforces a similar law
Back wages recovered by the US Labor Department in fiscal 20255
For 176,957 workers
How clients search
Employment searches are questions first. People want to know if what happened to them was legal before they look for a lawyer.
Example searches. Part of our law firm SEO work.
Local search
Once someone decides they need a lawyer, the search turns local. Google says it ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance, and prominence.11 Here is what each one means for an employment firm.
Google's category is Employment attorney. Use the description and services to say whether you represent workers, employers, or both, and list each kind of claim.
You rank best near your real office. Employment law is mostly state law, so name the state and the metro areas you serve.
Reviews, links, and local press all count. Google says more reviews and better ratings can help.11
Pages
Someone who wasn't paid overtime doesn't search for an employment lawyer. They search for unpaid overtime. Each claim you take needs a page that explains the law in your state and helps the reader see, honestly, whether it fits their situation.
One main page for employment law, with a page for each claim linked under it.
Some firms represent employees, some represent employers, and some do both. A worker who lands on a page about defending companies leaves. So does an HR director who lands on a "know your rights" guide. If you serve both, give each its own section.
Content
These are the first searches, made long before anyone looks for a lawyer. A clear answer ranks, gives AI tools something to quote, and tells the wrong callers, kindly, that they don't have a case.
At-will employment in plain words, then the exceptions. Washington's labor department puts it simply: an employer can fire for any reason or none, as long as it isn't breaking an employee protection law.10
A checklist that screens honestly: protected reasons, timing, evidence. Say clearly when the answer is probably no.
The deadlines for your state, checked and dated. The EEOC deadline alone is 180 or 300 days, depending on the state.4
The test in plain language, with examples. The Labor Department recovered $259 million in back wages in fiscal 2025, so people are right to ask.5
Contingency, hourly, and flat-fee reviews. On the worker side, a contingency fee is often 33% to 40% of what's recovered.7
What a release gives up, what's normal, and when to have it reviewed. A flat-fee review is an easy first step.
Every answer opens with two plain sentences, then the detail. One of your attorneys reviews it, and the page shows their name and the date.
AI search
Question searches are where AI answers show up most. In a 2025 test of 540 searches, Google showed an AI Overview on 92% of informational searches and on 15% of local ones.15 Employment law is mostly question searches.
Yes, no, or it depends on these three things. AI tools quote the direct answer.
Wage, leave, and firing rules differ by state. Put the state in the title and in the first paragraph.
Rules change. The FTC's ban on non-compete agreements, announced in 2024, is not in effect and is not enforceable.9 A page that still describes it as law is wrong.
We ask the main AI tools the same worker and employer questions every month and record which firms they name.
Never tell a reader they have a case. Explain what the law covers, and let the consult decide.
Foundation
Three things sit under everything else. In employment law, the third does double duty. It also decides how much time your intake team spends on calls that go nowhere.
A client may not want a future employer to see their name on a review of an employment lawyer. Ask, but make it easy to say no.
Prominence comes from other sites talking about you. Which sites depends on which side you represent.
A good intake form screens before a person has to. It also tells you which pages bring real cases.
Budget
Ads bring volume fast. In employment law, volume is the problem, because most callers don't have a case. Pages that explain the law bring fewer, better inquiries.
| Google Ads | Local Services Ads | SEO and AI search | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Per click. Legal clicks average $9.8714 | Per lead, not per click13 | For the work, not per click or call |
| Who calls | Anyone who clicked, case or not | Anyone who tapped call, case or not | People who already read what counts as a case |
| How fast it works | Days | Days, once you pass Google's screening | Weeks for the map, months for guides |
| What you keep if you stop | Nothing | Nothing | Pages, rankings, reviews, and mentions keep working |
Google's Local Services Ads have no employment category. Employment firms run under Labor lawyer.12
Timeline
Timelines depend on your market and where your site starts. Guides matter more here than in most practice areas, because so many searches are questions.
Quick wins on the map are common here.
First steady map gains usually show.
Guides start to rank and get quoted.
Competitive city terms take this long.
Reporting
Rankings are a means to an end, and so is call volume. We tag every call and form by the page and the search that produced it, then match them to accepted cases when your intake software allows it.
See how we reportWhat to avoid
Ranking for "my boss is unfair" fills the phone with people you can't help. Aim for the claims you take.
Each side reads the other's content as a sign you're not for them.
The EEOC deadline is 180 or 300 days, depending on the state.4 A wrong date on your site can cost a reader their claim.
The federal non-compete ban is a good test. It is not in effect.9 If your site says otherwise, it needs a review.
No page can know that. Explain the law and let the consult decide.
Name, phone, and message isn't enough. A few screening questions save hours a week.
Try it yourself
You don't need us for this part. Six quick checks will tell you where you stand.
Found gaps? That's what the free audit covers, in detail.
Get a free AI visibility auditCareful by default
Guides explain what the law covers. Only a consult can say whether someone has a claim.
Filing deadlines are easy to get wrong, so every one is checked and dated.
Every guide says clearly that it is general information.
FAQ
Something else on your mind? Ask it on your audit call.
Usually by searching a question about what happened to them. The firm that answers it clearly, on Google or in an AI answer, is often the one they call.
Yes. Clear pages on what does and doesn't count as a claim help people screen themselves, so your intake team spends its time on stronger leads.
It depends on your market and how many claim types you want to rank for. A firm focused on wage claims in one metro needs less than a firm covering every claim across a state. We scope it after the free audit, so the plan and the price are based on your actual gaps.
Yes. Employer-side searches are different, like handbook reviews and responding to a claim. We build a separate section for them.
Map and technical fixes can move in a few weeks. Guides and claim pages usually take three to six months to rank.
Employment attorney on Google Business Profile. Google's Local Services Ads don't have an employment category, so firms run under Labor lawyer there.12
Each guide has a reviewer and a review date. When a rule changes, like the federal non-compete rule that never took effect, we update the page and the date.
Yes. People ask AI tools whether a firing was legal and who can help. We track those answers and work on the pages and mentions behind them.
Free audit
We'll check how your firm shows up on Google, the map, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews, and show you what to fix first. Free, with no pitch deck.
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