Do you know that local organic searches make up to 69% of overall digital traffic? 87% of consumers used Google at one point in time to analyze a local business in 2022, while 42% of all local searches involved clicks on the Google map listing.

Google My Business is a key part of how local businesses acquire clients on Google search as you can see from the stats above. Not focusing on ranking at the top of local search results is leaving loads of money on the table and losing clients every day.

As a law firm, you know your clients are mostly local and you need to make sure you are cracking the code of Local SEO consistently.

Most people with legal issues will simply go to Google search and click on one of the top 5 results. This could be from ad listings, local map ads, or the organic Google map pack.

Is Google My Business Free?

Yes. Listing your law firm is free. You don’t need to pay to get your business details on Google Maps. While appearing on the local organic search results is free, appearing at the top requires loads of effort, and implementing expert legal local SEO strategies.

You can decide to do this on your own or hire a Google Maps SEO company to help you figure out the ranking at the top. Appearing at the top in a Google Maps listing has tremendous benefits as you can get leads/potential clients for free without paying for ads.

Check out the following services to help you take your Google Maps ranking to the next level:

1. Google My Business Management Service
2. Google My Business Optimisation Service
3. Google My Business Setup Service

You can hire a GMB Optimization service like GMBjet.com or local SEO consultation expert to ensure you have a consistent strategy to keep your business listing at the very top. Marketing is rapidly changing and as you can imagine AI has become a big catalyst and this will continue to happen soon.

How to Set Up Google My Business for Law Firms

1. Sign in to Google: Visit the Google Business website, and sign in with your Google account. You will need to create a new account if you don’t have one.
2. Enter Your Business Name: Once you’re signed in, enter your business name. If your firm doesn’t show up in the dropdown menu, click “Add your business to Google”.
3. Enter Your Business Address: Input your business address. If you don’t have a physical location where clients can visit, you can still list your firm, but you’ll need to select the option to “Hide my address (it’s not a storefront)”.
4. Choose Your Business Category: Select the category that best describes your firm. This helps Google understand what your firm does and who your potential clients are.
5. Add Your Contact Information: Input your business phone number and website URL. This makes it easy for clients to contact you or visit your website directly from your Google listing.
6. Verify Your Business: Google will need to verify that you’re the owner of the firm before your listing can go live. You can choose to verify your firm by mail (Google will send you a postcard with a verification code), phone (you’ll receive a code via automated phone call), or email (if your firm is eligible).
7. Optimize Your Business Listing: Once your firm is verified, you can optimize your listing by adding photos, business hours, a description of your firm, and any other relevant information that will help clients find and choose your firm.
8. Manage Your Business Listing: Keep your listing up to date by regularly checking for and responding to client reviews, updating your business hours or contact information as needed, and adding new photos or posts to keep your listing fresh and engaging. Many business owners do not have the time and expertise to do this, so they use Google management services to manage and improve their map rankings.

Useful Resources For Your Law Firm Marketing

• Marketing Strategies for Law Firms
• Finding a Digital Marketing Agency For Law Firms
• SEO For Law Firms
• Choosing a Law Firm Web Design Agency

Google Map Optimization For Law Firms: Stand Out in a Google Search

To effectively optimize your law firm at the top in your local areas requires implementing the proper Google Maps SEO tactics. Proper GMB optimization can be a lot of task for many business owners, but you can still do it if you have any spare time or you are able to hire an expert to get it done for you every month.

Ranking in the top positions of the Google Maps pack (now part of the broader Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business) is critical for local businesses. To rank at the top of Google Maps, here are some steps you can follow.

Complete Every Section of Your Profile

Fill out every section of your profile completely. Include your business name, address, phone number, and website. This should be consistent with the information listed on your website and across all other directories (known as NAP consistency). Include business hours, categories, services, and attributes (e.g.free Wi-Fi, accessibility).

Optimize Business Description

Write a compelling and detailed business description that includes keywords relevant to your business and location. However, avoid keyword stuffing; make it natural and useful for potential clients.

Add High-Quality Photos

Regularly update your profile with high-quality photos of your firm, including the exterior, interior, staff, and services. Photos significantly improve engagement and trust.

Collect and Respond to Reviews

Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews. High ratings and positive reviews can improve your firm’s visibility and attractiveness.

Respond promptly to all reviews, addressing any concerns raised by negative reviews professionally. Reviews are very important in determining top ranking on Google Local Map. You need to have as many top reviews as you can have and also reply to those reviews to signal engagement to the algorithm as well.

Use Posts to Engage with Your Audience

Utilize the Posts feature to share firm updates, promotions, events, and more. This keeps your profile active and engaging, signaling to Google that your firm is operational and relevant.

Add Products and Services

List products and services, which helps Google understand more about your firm and can help you appear for more relevant searches.

Leverage the Q&A Section

Monitor and answer questions in the Q&A section of your profile. This is not only helpful for users but also allows you to insert more relevant keywords naturally.

This section helps you to provide answers to potential questions, helping people familiarize themselves with your firm before contacting you.

It can also help you to set expectations correctly so clients can make informed decisions and know what services you offer and what you do not offer.

Keep Your Information Up to Date

Regularly update your profile to reflect any changes in your firm, like new hours, temporary closures, or updated services.

Adding fresh information to your business profile ensures potential clients know what is happening with your firm and can make decisions based on updated data about your business.

A good example is updating your opening hours during holidays and updating opening days as well. It can be disappointing for visitors to expect you to be available when your GMB profile indicates otherwise.

Track Your Performance with Insights

The Google Business platform has in-built performance tracking tools that allow you to track key metrics. You can see views, phone number clicks, website clicks, local direction requests, and your overall local map performance over a given period.

You can continue to improve and optimize your listing based on the data collected. If you want to consistently stay at the top in your local area, you need to pay attention to those statistics.

Engage with the Community

Engage with local communities both online and offline. Participation in local events and promotions can increase visibility and relevance to your local area. Executing this can be very effective if you know where to look.

You can sponsor community events, charity events, and organize donations for important community needs. Local mentions can have direct and indirect effects on your local recognition by Google as a local entity, which is now a crucial part of SEO.

Build Local Backlinks

Encourage local websites, blogs, and directories to link back to your website. Local backlinks can enhance your local SEO, thereby indirectly benefiting your Google Maps ranking.

Monitor Your Competitors

Check what top-ranking competitors in your area are doing differently. Learn from their profiles and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Consistency, engagement, and proactiveness in managing your Google Business Profile are key to climbing the rankings in Google Maps. Local SEO efforts such as optimizing your website and gaining local backlinks complement these steps, providing a comprehensive strategy to dominate local search results.