If you’ve ever tried to market your legal firm online, you probably know how fierce the competition is. With over 700,000 lawyers scattered around the country, every firm is fighting for a share of the limited caseload. In larger cities, getting your name out there as a solo attorney or small firm can feel difficult, overwhelming, or even futile.
That’s where local SEO for lawyers comes in. In addition to other marketing and advertising strategies, local SEO is a great way to ensure that your brand’s name pops up beside Google’s map when searchers need legal aid. Though it’s easy to overlook, it’s also a crucial tactic for helping enhance your overall SEO efforts.
If you haven’t already invested in local SEO, it’s time to get started. Here’s what you should know about boosting your online presence in 2023 and beyond.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
One of the most important local search engine optimization strategies is building your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is the most important ranking factor for getting into the Local Pack, or the local businesses that feature on the map at the top of a Google search. Google will only feature a brand here once it has accurate information about that brand.
Business Description
Start by providing a business description. Google gives you 750 characters to work with, so make sure you’re using each one wisely.
Consider focusing on the most crucial information a searcher should know, including things like the name of your firm, its lead attorneys, and its practice areas. Feel free to add a keyword or two, but don’t start keyword-stuffing.
Don’t add keywords to your business name or adjust the name in any way. If you want to adjust your business name with Google, you’ll also have to file a Doing Business As (DBA) in your state, adjust your signage and business directory, update your logo and business cards, and change the business name on your website homepage. Google may ask you to send photo or video evidence of any or all these things to confirm your changed business name.
Categories
Make sure you’re selecting categories that fit your firm. If you’re a personal injury attorney first and foremost, select this as your primary category. You can also add additional categories below this section.
Photos
Not only do photos generate trust with searchers, but they also signal to Google that you are who you say you are. A GBP with photos will always get more clicks than one without.
Add photos of your attorneys, your logo, and your office. It’s also helpful to take a photo of the outside of your building so searchers can recognize it if they’re following directions online.
We also recommend changing the file name of your photos before uploading them. Adding keywords here is always a good idea.
Use Your GBP for Posts and Questions
Once you’ve laid the foundation by optimizing your GBP, add some posts. To do this, select “Add Update.”
Consider adding for each of your practice areas. You can also add other general information searchers might need to know, whether about your practice or directions to the building where you’re located.
In addition, consider setting up a FAQ section using the Q&A feature. To do this, you’ll need to open a new browser window and search for lawyers in your area until you find your GBP in the search results. Click “Ask a question” and type any common questions you get from clients.
You’ll then be able to respond from the browser window with your GBP by clicking “See all questions.”
Get Positive Reviews
We can’t talk about local SEO for law firms without discussing reviews. Your GBP is incomplete without them!
Getting these reviews can be an ongoing challenge for law firms, but more positive reviews can show Google that your brand is a trusted resource in your area. They also show searchers that your law firm is legitimate, acting as strong social proof. The more satisfied reviews a searcher sees, the more likely they are to contact you for legal help.
Reviews are great on any site, but your main focus should be the reviews on Google. These appear alongside your GBP anytime someone searches for your brand.
Get in the habit of requesting reviews from clients right as their cases are wrapping up, provided they seem happy with your services. Do this with a professional email, letting your client know that a quick testimonial from them can be a huge help for your business.
If you get a negative review, be careful how you handle it. Respond to the review politely, asking them to contact you and discuss the issue in private, especially if they have a problem you can make right. Reviewers have the option to change their reviews later, so you can often turn things around.
Build Local Citations
Google is where most people start their search for a lawyer, but it’s far from the only option. Getting your name into various online directories can not only help you reach clients who are browsing elsewhere, but it can also help your efforts to climb higher in Google’s search results. Google trusts brands with consistent mentions across the web, and it rewards those businesses with higher rankings.
Start by building profiles on common directories like Yelp or Yellow Pages. However, don’t forget about directories specific to the legal industry. Sites like Avvo, NOLO, Justia, LegalZoom, Lawyers.com, FindLaw, and Martindale are great places to add listings.
These listings, or local citations, are also called NAPW (name, address, phone number, and website).
When you’re adding your NAPW to a site, consistency is crucial. Make sure the details of your business are identical from directory to directory, and reach out to website admins if you notice any errors. In some cases, inconsistencies in your NAPW can even tank your rankings in the search results!
If you don’t have time to build local citations on your own, consider using a tool or service. There are various free citation tools online as well as citation service providers that will add, check, or maintain your NAP+W across the web. A local SEO service can also take care of this on your behalf.
Add Local Lawyer Schema
This next step is a bit more technical, but it’s crucial for helping search engines understand the info about your business. Local schema is a type of code that makes it easier for Google to understand where and how you operate. Having it on your website is also a crucial local SEO ranking factor.
You can simplify things by following the instructions for Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. Enter your business’s URL and click “Start Tagging,” then provide the required info about your business. Google will give you back some code that you’ll then need to paste into the head of your website.
Use Other Types of SEO
Many of the digital marketing techniques you’ll use for other types of SEO can also help your local efforts.
Off-Page SEO
Link-building is a major component of off-page SEO, and it’s also crucial for a local SEO campaign.
You’ve already done one type of link building by adding citations to various local directories. However, getting non-citation backlinks is also a smart idea, especially when you can secure backlinks from local sites.
Do some sleuthing online or use backlink tools to find link-building opportunities. Always make sure you’re looking at businesses that aren’t your direct competitors.
Start creating a diverse backlink profile on local and non-local sites. Use anchor text that includes keywords, your brand name, or your URL.
On-Page SEO
Your law firm’s website content should always make your location clear. Not only is this great for your rankings, but it’s helpful for your clients as well. If you have multiple locations, make this obvious by creating a different page for each one.
Make sure your NAPW is displayed at least once on your website, if not at the bottom of each page. Your business hours should also appear.
On your location page, make sure to embed a map to help searchers find you.
If you haven’t already done so, make sure your on-page SEO content uses variations of your keywords with local identifiers. For example, instead of using the phrase “Personal Injury Attorney” on the page that includes your bio, try using “Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney.” Other tricks include sprinkling “near me” or “near you” in title tags or content as well as including your location in meta tags and headers as appropriate.
Get Expert Local SEO for Lawyers
We get it: as a lawyer, you have a lot on your plate. You may not have time to figure out how to add code to your site or hunt down opportunities for backlinking. However, investing in local SEO is a crucial way to stand out from the competition in your area, earning you more clicks and clients.
If you’re struggling to manage your own marketing, let our team help! We specialize in local SEO for lawyers in today’s ever-changing online landscape. For hassle-free, data-driven solutions that get more eyes on your website, contact us today.
