7 Ways to Improve Local Lawyer SEO with Google Business Profile
Why Aussie Law Firms Need to Pay Attention to Local Search
By Katie Wolf, Writer at Filevine
This is a guest post by Katie Wolf, a writer at Filevine, the operating core for legal professionals. Filevine’s technology helps firms get more done with less effort and frees them to focus fully on the needs of their clients.
Law firms know they need a good website. Many of them have invested time and money in creating attractive, engaging content with good SEO.
But the biggest new search trend means many people make their most important legal decisions before they ever click on your site.
This is the age of the local search, and it’s reshaping how we interact with the internet. We use Google and Google Maps to look up grocery stores, petrol stations, or restaurants in our area. Instead of bothering to look at the website or call, we often get all the information we need directly from Google Business Profiles.
Finding the right lawyer is more complicated than hunting down a nice cafe. Even still, the information you present through Google Business Profile can either lead to quick conversion—or signal to potential clients that they should look elsewhere.
This new search pattern presents a challenge for law firms. But it’s also a huge opportunity for you to take control of your online presence and adopt a powerful marketing tool.>.
4. Encourage Great Client Reviews
Your ratings and reviews might be the most important part of your Google Business Profile. Because there is so much at stake in choosing a lawyer, people want to get an objective sense of what current and past clients think about you.
It’s up to your clients to leave honest reviews—but there is still a lot you can do to help make it happen. Encourage your happy clients to leave their thoughts online. For extra help, reach out to a professional service like Podium.
Having more reviews also helps with your SEO, making it more likely that you’ll show up as a top result for potential clients.
It doesn’t end once you have reviews. You should also regularly respond to them. Thank positive reviewers for taking the time to write about their experience. And with negative reviews, express regret for their bad experience, thank them for their feedback, and invite them to discuss and remedy the issue with you privately. Even the best lawyers can’t avoid the occasional foul review—but a quick, personable response helps alleviate the problem.
5. Go the Extra Mile with Posts and Questions
One relatively new feature allows firm owners to add ‘posts’ to their Google Business Profile. This is an effective new way to speak directly to your potential clients. Posts stay live for 7 days unless they’re events (in which case they stay up until the day after the event’s end date).
What makes a good post? One popular option is to highlight a quote from a positive review, with an appealing font and background. You can also promote news, mention conferences you’re attending, link to your video on YouTube, or promote community events. Or take whatever you’re promoting on your blog or in social media and link to it with a short summary.
This isn’t the place for long explanations. Posts are limited to 300 words, but only the first 100 characters or so will appear on the panel.
You can also expand your profile by filling out the Q&A section with some of the frequent questions you receive. This helps people understand if you’re the right lawyer for them, and helps relieve any confusion they might have about the process. By regularly answering their own questions in the Q&A section, you show that you’re responsive and approachable.
6. Link In Your Other Marketing Efforts
One great way to connect your profile to other marketing efforts is through a Google Ad location extension. When you link Google Business Profile to your Google Ads, your ads expand to include your address and a map to your location. This creates more engagement with potential clients.
Google Business Profile is also a great place to use a campaign URL.
