Why Is Google My Business Important for Lawyers?

Google has always strived to target relevance for its users, primarily for those who search for and use local businesses. Consequently, the search engine populates and directs searchers to businesses in their own locale whenever someone does an internet search. As a lawyer, your best clients are those you have direct exposure to which is why Google My Business can have such a huge impact on driving future clients to your virtual doorway.

The Local Nature of Your Law Firm

Fact: Google reports that 46 percent of all web searches have local intent. And yet, businesses fail to take advantage of the Google My Business platform that targets their local presence and gives them added exposure to the very people who will be using their services. As a law firm, your most important clients are the ones you have local access to, and having an active Google My Business listing is one of the best ways to help your clients find you geographically. In fact, it may be one of the most crucial marketing tools in your digital marketing toolkit.

What is Google My Business?

If you have done a recent Google search, you may have noticed a few businesses that are highlighted on the page. These are Google My Business listings that populate on the page based on your location and the location of the businesses. For a law firm that wants to attract local clientele, this listing is critical and can give important information about your business and location, including:

A well-conceived and optimized Google My Business listing will be your “first impression” for some clients doing a web search, and you want to make this impression an effective one. This requires that all your information is correct and consistent with any other information across the internet about your firm and making sure that it is optimized regularly.

• The location of your firm, including any other satellite offices that you have
• Your business hours
• A link to your website
• Photos of you, your office, and staff
• A description of your areas of practice
• Reviews of former clients
• Frequently asked questions
• Your contact information

Keeping Your Firm Relevant and In Front of Your Clients

Like any other information about your firm on the internet, Google wants correct, consistently updated, and relevant information for its users. Once your firm’s listing is created and verified, you should continually add information, updates, special details about your firm, and photos to keep your listing well-optimized and ahead of the competition.

Because Google now allows you to publish content to your listing, this is a perfect space to keep updated with upcoming firm events, community involvement, speaking engagements, professional organization leadership positions, and other information about your services. The question and answer section allows you more direct interaction with potential clients and can impart more important information about your firm. The review section enables you to highlight your reputation as well as respond to client reviews directly.

Keeping Ahead of the Competition

At BSP Legal Marketing, creating and updating your Google My Business listing is just one of the critical ways we keep you in front of your potential clients and ahead of the competition. Especially in very competitive markets, the small firm that is diligent about its online presence can effectively compete even with the large firms. Our talented law firm marketing professionals use proven, time-honored approaches as well as creative strategies to help you stand out from the crowd. Contact us today to see how we can help.