It’s no secret that Google is the most powerful search engine around, facilitating over 8.55 billion searches every day. As a law firm business owner, you’d be remiss not to leverage this platform as part of your law firm digital marketing strategy to send some of those searches your way!
But there are many ways to “rank” in Google, and many sections in the search results where your business can show up. One such place is Google Maps, Google’s online directory that connects users with local businesses like yours.
Learn how to create a Google Maps listing, rank higher in Google Maps, and attract more law firm clients with Google Maps marketing.
What is Google Maps?
Google Maps is an online application that provides users with navigational information, satellite images, traffic data, geo-tagging features, and more. People use Google Maps to search for (and navigate to) everything from hair salons to restaurants to residences to local parks.
In addition to directions, Google Maps provides detailed information about local businesses, such as their hours of operation, contact information, website URLs, photos, and customer reviews.
How it works is that Google uses satellite imagery and user-contributed information to create maps, and then leverages GPS technology to provide routes in real-time. This same technology can even predict traffic patterns, identify the correct speed limit, and recommend businesses nearby based on the user’s preferences.
In a nutshell, Google Maps helps people get where they want to go, whether that’s to the next hotel on their road trip or to a local service business like yours!
How Can Google Maps Benefit Your Law Firm?
Google is the #1 platform people use to find businesses, brands, and information online. This makes Google an obvious marketing tool for businesses looking to attract more customers or clients.
Law firms in particular can benefit from Google Maps marketing, as prospective clients are most likely to search for legal services in their geographic area. Marketing your business at a local level will reduce the competition level (compared to targeting nationally) and attract clients in your service area.
In fact, there are many benefits to leveraging Google Maps for your law firm:
Increased Visibility:
Listing your business in Google Maps improves your chances of showing up in local search results for potential clients who are looking for legal services nearby.
Build Trust:
Google Maps displays reviews directly on your business listing. Positive reviews enhance your firm's reputation and can sway potential clients to choose your services over your competitors.
Showcase Your Services:
On Google Maps, you can add information about your firm’s specialties, hours of operation, location, website URL, and more. This makes it easier for people to find you and understand the services you offer.
More Mobile Inquiries:
Many people search for legal services while on a smartphone. A well-optimized Google Maps presence ensures mobile users can find your firm quickly, contact you on the go, and navigate to your location easily.
Boosted Local SEO:
Posting a Google Maps listing with accurate business information and positive reviews can help improve your local Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This increases your ranking in the organic search, driving more traffic to your website.
Google Business Profile Integration:
By setting up and optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP), your law firm can appear in the local “3-pack” (the top three search results) when someone searches for legal help in your area. This boosts your firm’s visibility on both Google Maps and Google Search.
Get Started with Google Maps Marketing
Google Maps marketing is an obvious choice for law firm business owners looking to get more clients from Google. But if this sounds complicated, it’s not—you don’t have to be a marketing pro to use Google Maps to your advantage!
Here’s how to get started with Google Maps optimization for your law firm.
Create and Claim Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the primary asset used to rank in Google Maps. If you know you already have a profile, you can simply log in and move on to the next step.
If you do not have a GBP, or you’re not sure whether you have one, here’s how to create and claim your profile:
- 1 – Log into your Google account (Gmail) if you already have one. If not, create a new Google account.
- 2 – Once logged in, navigate to Google Business Profile and click “Manage Now.”
- 3 – In the search bar, search for your business name. If it appears, select it, and click “Claim.” This will allow you to manage the listing.
- 4 – If your firm doesn’t appear, click “Add your business to Google.” Then, follow the prompts to add your business information (outlined in the following section).
Add Business Information to Your Listing
Once you have a Google Business Profile and have connected it to your Google account, it’s time to optimize the information in your listing. The more information in your listing, the more likely it is to rank in the search results.
The firm set of information to add is your business description. This is a short blurb that should provide an overview of what your business does and the services it offers. Be sure to weave keywords (like “law firm”, “lawyer”, and/or “attorney”) into the description naturally.
Next, in your Google Business Profile dashboard, select the “Info” tab. This is where you can add your business address, service area (if applicable), hours of operation, phone number, website, URL, services, and attributes.
Overall, make sure your business information is consistent with what’s posted on your website and other platforms online. This builds trust with Google’s algorithm and with prospective clients.
Identify Your Business Categories
In the Google Business Profile manager dashboard, you’ll also see the option to add Categories for your business. In terms of ranking, how you categorize your business is very important.
You’ll want to select a primary category that best represents the main offering of your business. You can also add secondary categories for specialties that you offer
Some of these categories include (but are not limited to):
- Law Firm (general category for most law firms)
- Attorney
- Personal Injury Attorney
- Family Law Attorney
- Criminal Justice Attorney
- Estate Planning Attorney
- Immigration Attorney
- Employment Attorney
- Real Estate Attorney
- Corporate Law Attorney
- Tax Attorney
- DUI Attorney
Unfortunately, you can’t add custom categories, so just try to choose a category that most closely applies to your main practice area.
Add Photos to Your Google Business Profile
Upload photos of your law firm office, team, and/or relevant branding (e.g. your logo) to your profile. This not only humanizes your GBP, making your firm seem more approachable, but also makes your profile more visually appealing to users scrolling through the search results.
Here are some other examples of photos you can add to your GBP to make it more engaging:
- Behind the scenes
- Office interior and exterior
- Team events and volunteering
- Video introductions
- Awards and certifications
- Client success stories
- Office tour
- Client testimonials (with permission)
- Infographics
- Celebrations or milestones
Generate Positive Google Reviews
The presence of positive or negative reviews on your Google Maps listing can greatly influence your organic rankings. In fact, Google identifies reviews as one of the biggest ranking factors when it come to Local SEO.
Keep in mind that Google considers both the quantity and quality of reviews of your profile. Having a few negative reviews might not completely stifle your rankings, just as long as you have more, highly-rated reviews than your competitors.
As a lawyer, there are a few ways to encourage happy clients to leave a 5-star review on your Google Maps page. If a client gives you positive feedback in person, ask them if they’d mind reviewing you on Google. You could also send follow-up emails to past clients prompting them to leave a shining review.
Embed Google Maps on Your Website
This next tip makes it easier for prospective clients to navigate to your business once they’ve visited your website—and it can also influence your organic rankings!
First, find your business on Google Maps (assuming you have already created and claimed your profile) and click on the Share icon. Then, select “Embed a map” and this will provide you with an HTML code to add to your website. You can paste this code into your website’s HTML, usually in the body section of the page where you want the map to appear, such as the contact or location page. Once live, this will display an interactive map on the page.
Embedding Google Maps on your website also adds a layer of professionalism, showing clients that you are a legitimate local business. And this feature is particularly helpful for mobile users, who can simply tap to get directions directly from their mobile device.
Keep Your GBP Up to Date
Another factor that influences your law firm’s rankings in Google Maps is the accuracy of the information in your listing. Keeping your information up to date is essential to ensure your listing displays the correct business hours, phone number, website URL, address, and description.
For example, say your business name is “John & Swanson Law Firm.” Make sure your business name is EXACTLY that in your Google Business Profile—and not a variation like “John Johnson & Swanson Law Firm” or “Law Offices of John & Swanson.” Also, make sure this name is identical across all of your other online properties like Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn, Avvo, and the like.
It’s also important to make sure you are using the correct phone number. If you change it, be sure to update your GBP right away. If you use call tracking, use the tracked number as your primary business phone number and your local number as your secondary number (and make sure the local number matches what you have on your website and other profiles). Avoid using toll-free numbers (e.g. 800 or 877) altogether.
If your business is temporarily closed, out for the holidays, etc., be sure to update your hours on your GBP. Not only will this indicate to Google that your profile is actively managed, it will help prevent clients from making the trip out to your office just to find out it’s closed!
Increase Traffic with Localized Content
The foundation of your local SEO strategy (and, in turn, your Google Maps strategy) is your website. Your website must tell the story of what your law firm is all about, who it helps, where it’s located, and what services it offers.
This is where helpful and descriptive content makes all the difference. Don’t just tell users the basics of what you do (“We do family law”), but why you do it, the benefits of working with you, and how your approach differs from other firms. This applies not only to your service pages, but also the blog articles on your website.
This content should also be “localized” to the market you are trying to reach. In other words, include city-, region-, or state-specific terms throughout your content. If you are a DUI lawyer in Manhattan, mention “Manhattan,” “NYC,” and “New York” in your content. This will tip off Google’s algorithm that your business exists where you say it does, and that your Google Maps listing is a match.
Bonus Tips: Google Map Optimization for Law Firms
Once you’ve tackled the basics of Google Maps marketing, there are some additional steps you can take to improve your organic rankings. These tips will also help you attract more clients:
Publish Google Posts:
Use the Google Maps posting tool to regularly share updates, promotions, blog posts, or events to keep your profile active.
Add FAQs to your business Chat:
Use the Messaging feature to address common client questions directly on your profile. This can improve engagement and rankings.
Create more online listings:
Get your law firm listed in other reputable online directories such as Yelp, YellowPages, Lawyers.com, Avvo, and FindLaw. Ensure the information in these listings matches what’s in your GBP.
Add UTM parameters to links:
Use UTM tagging to track traffic from your GBP to your website, helping refine your marketing strategy.
Add schema markup to website:
Use local business schema on your website to help search engines better understand your location and services.
Want to rise to the top of Google search and rank as the obvious choice for potential clients? Google Maps marketing (plus SEO) will take you there!
At Hennessey Digital, we offer professional legal marketing services to help you rank high in Google Maps, drive more website traffic, and generate more leads.
Contact us to learn more about our law firm marketing services.