Most businesses understand the importance of online reviews when it comes to building authority and establishing an online presence. However, you may not realize just how important reviews are for improving your business’s ranking on search engines such as Google.
For law firms that rely on reaching local clients, local SEO is one of the most effective legal marketing strategies—and generating plenty of positive client reviews is a major key to local SEO for law firms.
However, unlike local SEO strategies such as using keywords on your website and publishing locally targeted content, generating client reviews isn’t something that a law firm can directly control. To ensure you have enough to climb search engine rankings, you have to get a little creative. To help you out, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Google reviews for law firms, including why they’re important, how to generate more of them, and how to leverage them as powerful marketing tools.
Why do Google Reviews for Law Firms Matter?
When people search for a business such as a law firm on Google, Google’s job is to show them the best businesses in the area that match what they’re looking for. And one of the ways that Google determines which businesses to showcase is through customer reviews.
When it comes to Google reviews, both quantity and quality are important. Having a large number of mostly positive reviews will have a major impact on your local SEO ranking. What this means is that when potential clients search for phrases like “law firms near me” or “law firms in [City]”, your business will be more likely to show up high in the search results.
There are other local SEO strategies for law firms that you can use to achieve this result. Without a good number of positive Google reviews, though, climbing the rankings can be a challenge. That’s why developing a strategy to get more Google reviews for your law firm is an essential first step in improving local SEO.
How to Get Google Reviews for Law Firms
Generating online reviews requires a proactive approach. Since law firms can’t incentivize reviews like some businesses, it’s essential to focus on ethical and professional strategies. That said, here are a few proven strategies that law firms can use to get more Google reviews:
1. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Before clients can leave reviews, you need a properly set up Google Business Profile. If you haven’t claimed yours yet, here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
- Go to Google Business Profile and sign in or create an account.
- Search for your law firm to see if a listing already exists.
- If you find an existing listing for your firm, claim it. If not, you’ll need to create a new listing.
- Complete all fields with accurate information, including your firm’s name, address, phone number, website, and business hours.
- Add high-quality photos of your office and team.
A well-optimized Google Business Profile will not only encourage clients to leave reviews, but it also helps boost local SEO by itself. Google is more likely to display businesses that have optimized profiles, and potential clients are more likely to click on your listing when it shows things like accurate business information and high-quality photos.
2. Ask Clients for Reviews at the Right Time
Happy clients are often willing to leave reviews, but they may not think to do so unless asked. The best time to request a review is right after a successful case resolution. That way you approach clients while they are feeling satisfied and while your services are still fresh in their minds.
If you have a strong rapport with a client, you can request reviews in person. Simply mention that their feedback would be greatly appreciated and briefly instruct them on how they can leave a review on your Google Business Profile.
Reaching out to clients via email or SMS to request reviews is another solid strategy, and this offers a couple of key benefits. For one, it allows you to include links in the message that make it easy for clients to find your Google Business Profile and leave a review. Another benefit is that it allows you to automate the process of requesting reviews. By leveraging marketing tools such as those provided by Surefire Local, law firms can set up automated campaigns that will automatically send out messages to clients following a successful case to request reviews.
3. Make Leaving a Review Easy
One of the most important concepts in business is creating a path of least resistance for your clients. When you want someone to do something—whether it’s signing up for a consultation, purchasing a product, or leaving a review—you need to make it as easy as possible.
Many clients don’t leave reviews simply because they don’t know how. Thankfully, there are several ways you can simplify the process for them. Creating a shortened link and/or a QR code that leads to your Google review page is one way to make it a lot easier for clients to get there. You can also embed CTA buttons on your website and in your emails that link to your review page.
4. Engage With Every Review
Responding to reviews—both positive and negative—shows that you value client feedback. For positive reviews, you should thank the client by name, express appreciation, and, if possible, try to reinforce a key aspect of your service that was mentioned in the review. Here’s an example of what this might look like:
“Thank you so much, [Client Name]! We truly appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear that you had a positive experience with our team. Keeping our clients informed and fighting for the best possible outcome is always our top priority, and we’re glad we could achieve that for you.”
When responding to negative reviews, it’s important to remain professional, acknowledge the concern, and offer to resolve the issue privately. You should never be defensive when responding to a negative review.
Keep in mind that other potential clients will see your responses to reviews. That’s why it’s important to respond in the first place to show that you engage with clients and encourage more reviews. However, it also makes it important to carefully consider how you respond to both positive and negative reviews.
5. Utilize Social Media and Your Website
Your website and social media presence are the two biggest tools in your digital marketing toolbox, so it makes sense that they would be key tools for generating Google reviews as well. On your social media pages, you can encourage client reviews by sharing posts about the importance of client feedback and directing followers to your reviews page. On your website, you can create a testimonial section to not only showcase client reviews but also include a CTA that encourages clients to leave their own reviews.
How to Leverage Google Reviews for Local SEO
Anytime a customer leaves a positive review for your firm on Google, it’s going to be a benefit to your ranking and online presence. However, you can also leverage these reviews in other ways to get even more value out of them. Here are a few effective strategies to try:
- Use Reviews as Website Content: We’ve already mentioned the idea of creating a testimonial page, but however you decide to use them, client reviews can make for valuable website content.
- Highlight Reviews in Marketing Materials: From social media posts to email newsletters to printed brochures, client reviews can be used to add social proof to a range of marketing materials.
- Encourage More Reviews Consistently: A steady stream of fresh reviews tells Google that your firm is active and relevant.
- Report Fake or Inappropriate Reviews: Spammy or misleading reviews can hurt your firm’s reputation and SEO. Use Google’s reporting tools to flag reviews that violate their policies.
Take Your Firm’s Local SEO to New Heights With Help From Surefire Local
Generating plenty of positive client reviews is an essential part of local SEO for law firms, and all of the strategies we’ve covered in this article are effective ways to go about it. However, client reviews are just one ingredient in the recipe for local SEO success.
If you would like to create a comprehensive local SEO strategy for your firm that will drive it up the rankings and bring in new clients, Surefire Local can help! Our advanced yet user-friendly marketing platform allows firms to execute a range of local SEO strategies with ease, including the process of requesting reviews from clients. To see for yourself how Surefire Local can help you boost your firm’s online presence, be sure to sign up for a free demo today!