One Simple Way to Use Local SEO for Lawyers

Is Local SEO Important for Lawyers in 2021?

The short answer is “yes, more than ever.” The pandemic shutdowns have pushed online traffic to new heights, and businesses — whether they’re retail outlets, medical practices, service providers, or law firms — all are seeing new opportunities in leveragign the power of SEO to help their revenue grow. I could give you a mile-long list of statistics about why mobile and search optimization is essential. However, for the sake of brevity, I want to discuss one number: 40%.

2 out of every 5 smartphone users find local businesses through Google.  Can you ignore 2 out of every 5 prospects who come to your door? If the answer is no, keep reading.

What is the number one thing I can do to improve my local SEO results in the shortest amount of time?

The successful road to local SEO for lawyers starts with a single step. In this case, we need you to sign up. That is it! Just set up an account on Google My Business.

Google My Business is a powerful tool that helps prospects find your law firm with ease.

Note: If you have a Google My Business Account skip this section and scroll down to “I Set Up My Google My Business Page. Now What?”

Have these items handy when you set up your account:

• Legal Business Name (or DBA)
  • Be sure to use the name consistent on your website and marketing materials so that you do not dilute your organic traffic. What’s more, be careful not to over-pack your name with keywords as this will also dilute the effectiveness of your Google My Business listing.
• Complete Address (street, unit/suite, city, state, and zip code)
  • You may also add service areas and additional office locations into your Google My Business listing, so be sure to include this pertinent information.
• Add Business Category
  • You can now include the category of business you service
• Customer Service Phone Number
• Website URL (ex. https://comradeweb.com)

Step 1: Add your legal business name

Step 2: Enter your address and whether you deliver goods or services to your customers.

Step 3: Add your business category.

Step 4: Add your customer service phone number and website.

Step 5: Verify your business via mail, text, or phone.

Also, note that Google My Business has added updates to its messaging features that will help your interaction with prospective clients run more efficiently. Once you verify your GMB page, you have a live page. Mission Accomplished!

“I Set Up My Google My Business Page? Now What?”

What should you do after you set up your page? What else can you do with the remaining two minutes before getting back to your legal briefs?

You might not be able to do this all in 2 minutes. However, you should start.

#1. Add Photos

The first thing you need to do is add photos to your Google My Business page. Create a personal touch with pictures of your team and corporate office.

Customers want to trust you. A few photos can go a long way in building that trust. Use a minimum 3-5 images. You can always change the pictures later, but you need to start.

A few photos to consider:

• Logo
• Corporate office
• Team
• Executive Team
• Behind the scenes

#2. Legal Directories

You also need citations to your new page. Here are a few legal directories you should add your company to which can boost your rankings. Legal directories are important as they provide a) credibility to your law firm; b) a broader online footprint that

boosts your firm’s search engine rankings.

• Avvo
• Lawyer.com
• Findlaw
• Nolo

#3. Confirm you have a mobile responsive website

If you want to get local SEO traffic, you need a mobile website to capture this traffic. The first step is to confirm your site is optimized for mobile. Use the Mobile-Friendly Test.

#4 Services

Be sure to include a detailed description of your services and refer to the Google My Business services editor page for details on how best to edit your listing.

How do you continue to use local SEO for lawyers?

The strategies we discussed above can provide a minimal jump in prospective calls. However, it requires more than this to drive a significant number of calls to your business. Local SEO is critical for law firms to ensure that the right prospects find their services. So, be sure to optimize your GMB and marketing efforts with local specifications for your services. Additional, powerful tips on localizing your Google My Business listing, available on the Google My Business website, will ensure your listing is a success. 

If you believe your career would be better spent defending your clients instead of optimizing pages on Google reach out to us for help.

Click the Local SEO for Lawyers Services button to schedule a free, initial consultation.