GBP For Lawyers: Complete Guide on Google My Business for Lawyers

Are you a lawyer looking to create a Google business profile? In this blog post, we’ll discuss all you need to know about creating and managing your Google business profile. We’ll also provide some helpful tips for getting the most out of GBP for lawyers. So, if you’re ready to take your law firm’s online presence to the next level, read on!

Taking care of your law firm’s Google Business Profile is one of the most crucial aspects of SEO for law firms. Google My Business (GMB) page is an essential part of SEO for law firms because it provides prospective clients with information about your practice. This includes reviews from other people who have visited or worked there, as well the phone number and address so they can contact you easily!. Hence, you should efficiently manage the listing or get a professional to manage your Google Map Marketing.

This way, customers get the chance to reach out to your business without any hassle. Moreover, you can track calls from GBP and take actions to optimize it accordingly.

Also, Read: How to Track Calls from GMB (Google Business Profile) on Your Website 

When it comes to numbers:

• More than 90% of consumers use online searches to find local businesses
• 42 percent of local searches result in clicks on the Google Map Pack.
• According to a 2018 study by FindLaw, 97% of consumers searched online for local businesses in the previous year, and 93% of those searches were on Google. 

So how to get started with GBP for lawyers? And how can you optimize your GBP listing? Let’s find out.

What is Google Business Profile?

Google Business Profile takes local search to the next level by creating a listing of the top three local business results in a given area.

These are shown beneath a map, and occasionally one standout business is highlighted in the side bar with a picture, contact information, and even reviews. In terms of law firm marketing, nothing beats having your firm featured in full color next to a map and above all other search results!

With “near me” searches becoming increasingly popular as more people turn to the internet for quick information on everything from dog groomers to family attorneys, a well-filled out Google Business Profile profile can quickly help your practice rise to the top (literally). This free tool can help place your practice on the first page of search results by combining information you enter with data scraped by Google.

And what if your website is not on the first page of search results? It is almost as if you do not exist at all.

Benefits of GBProfile for Lawyers

The main goal of Google Business Profile is to show users the most relevant businesses in their area. Aside from assisting your firm’s local presence, Google Business Profile can benefit your law firm in other ways. Among them are the following:

• A Google Business Profile contains business information that your potential clients may be interested in knowing about your law firm. This includes your law firm’s opening hours, phone numbers, directions, links to your website, and posts about your services.
• Shows what it’s like to work with your firm: former clients can leave a review on your law firm’s GBP to share their experiences with your services. Google reviews are a great way for potential new clients to learn more about the quality of your services. As a result, if your reviews are positive, they are more likely to contact you.
• GBP profiles only display local results that are relevant to the user’s location, which increases the number of local leads. As a result, leads generated by your law firm’s Google Business Profile profile are likely to be highly relevant for your firm as well.
• Aids your law firm’s SEO campaign: Your law firm’s SEO campaign is designed to increase your online presence and bring you more cases. If your Google Business Profile listing appears in the top three results, not only will your organic site traffic increase, but you will also receive more phone calls and inquiries.

Your Google Business Profile rankings are influenced by a variety of factors. Some of them are easier to manage (like getting more reviews and improving your organic rankings). Others, on the other hand, will necessitate tactical or strategic decisions (such as where your office is located in relation to a user’s location). Proximity is a significant local SEO factor.

How to Create a Google Business Profile for Your Law Firm

Before you begin, make sure you have a Google account because it will be linked to your Google Business Profiles. If you have already claimed or set up your profiles, you can skip ahead to the next section.

1. Check to see if your listing already exists

Once you have created your account, you will need to check to see if your listing already exists. Lawyers are frequently surprised to discover that their firm is already listed in Google, even though they did not create the profile.

This occurs because either a person suggested the location or Google created it based on information scraped from the web. Go to Google Business Profile Profile Manager and search for your law firm.

If you find it on the list, click on it.

If the listing has not been claimed, you will be asked to review and, if needed, update your law firm’s information. Make sure that your address is correct because you will need it for the verification process.

If you cannot find your business, click on ‘add your business to Google’ and skip ahead to the next section in this article. If the listing has already been claimed by someone else, you must request ownership of the profile.

2. Create a Google Business Profile For Your Law Firm

If your law firm is not already listed on Google, you will need to set up a profile for it. Fill in the required fields to do so. You will need to provide the following information:

• Enter the name of your law firm.
• Business Category: Enter and select the primary category for your law firm’s practice areas.
• Show location: select ‘Yes’ to make your address visible on the listing.
• Register your law firm’s business address. Check to ensure that the information is correct. If you have multiple locations, concentrate on one at a time.
• Phone number and website URL: Enter the phone number for this office as well as a link to your website.

Once you have completed this information, you will need to prove that you are the owner of this law firm. If you have separate web pages for each of your offices, each GBP profile should link to the appropriate one.

3. Verify Your Listing

Google will want to confirm that your law firm and the information you registered are correct before displaying your profile. This is simply a verification procedure. Although there are several ways to accomplish this, Google will only show you the options that are available to you based on your location and business type.

Receiving a Google postcard with a PIN number is the most common way to verify your law firm. This postcard will be mailed to the address you provided. You must enter this number into your profile once you receive it.

This is the slowest method, but it is also the most common.

Google may occasionally offer you the option of verifying your account via phone or email. Just a word of caution: if you choose to verify by phone, make sure you can receive the call or text because Google will use these channels to send your PIN number.

Google decides which verification methods are available to your company. You may have several options in some cases. Others may only allow you to receive a postcard. While you wait for your listing to be verified, do not make any changes to your profile.

Once you have full control of your law firm’s Google Business Profile listing, it’s time to optimize to make the most out of it!

How to Optimize a Business Listing for Your Law Firm on Google Maps

It is not easy to be discovered in Google Maps. There are, however, best practices you can follow to ensure that your law firm’s business listing appears in the local-3 pack, which refers to the top three businesses appearing on a map when users search for a local business on Google.

Step 1: Enter necessary information about your law firm (including your primary business category)

A business listing’s primary business category is critical to its visibility. This category describes your company and its products or services. It should be precise and specific in order for you to appear in relevant searches for the right potential clients.

Step 2: Include high-quality images of your office, the outside of your building, and so on.

Using high-quality photos of your office when creating your business listing is another factor to help with your local SEO strategy. 

Google suggests that businesses that upload photos are likely to receive more clicks on the website than businesses that don’t post any photos at all. To sum it up, Google recommends adding the following:

• Logo
• Cover photo
• Photographs for business

Please keep in mind that photos should be 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall and in JPG or PNG format. The Photos section may also include Google Street View, which provides viewers with a 360-degree view of your location.

Step 3: Include listings for all of your law firm’s locations.

If your law firm has multiple locations, include listings for each one. Kevin emphasizes the importance of implementing this strategy with the newly discovered importance of proximity.

“Because proximity is becoming increasingly important in maps, choosing a location close to your target audience will pay off.”

Examine the massive number of GBP listings for Morgan & Morgan’s various locations:

Step 4: Keep your business hours up to date

Updating your business hours is an excellent way to keep potential customers informed and ensure a positive customer experience. Furthermore, Google Maps shows when your business hours were last updated.

Follow these steps to change your business hours:

• Navigate to your Google Business Profile.
• Select “Business information” from the “Edit profile” menu.
• Select the “Hours” tab.
• Next to the tab, click the pencil icon.
• Select “Open during regular business hours.”
• Fill in the blanks with the days your business is open.
• Set your hours using the drop-down menus.
• Save the file.

Step 5: Confirm your company’s legitimacy

Before you can make changes to your information, Google requires that you verify your business. This crucial step also ensures that your law firm’s Google Business Profile can only be changed by you. Furthermore, it increases customer trust because verified businesses are more likely to receive visits and phone calls than unverified accounts.

You can confirm your company by phone, email, video recording, live video call, or postcard. The steps for each method are available on Google’s support page.

Google My Business Best Practices for Law Firms

After you have created your Google Business Profile, here are some quick tips for making the most of it.

1. Don’t make “law firm” or “attorney” your primary category

It is not a good idea to make your law firm’s primary category “law firm” or “attorney.” This is one of the most common mistakes that law firms make when creating a Google Business Profile.

When it comes to categories, Google says on their support page:

“Select categories that are as specific as possible while still representing your main business.”

Using this as a guideline, your primary category should be “X lawyer,” with X representing your niche or specialization. This could be anything from “divorce lawyer” to “personal injury attorney,” and so on. 

These law firms use the appropriate primary category to clearly state their business niche.

2. Increase the number of Google reviews

Obtaining reviews for your law firm should be one of your top priorities for local SEO success. Kevin believes that this is the second most common mistake made by law firms when marketing their services online.

Positive reviews help you gain the trust of prospects and improve your search ranking.

According to a Bright Local Consumer Survey conducted in 2021, 77 percent of consumers read reviews when researching businesses online. In the same survey, 85% of consumers said a company’s overall average star rating was “important” or “very important.”

Well, there is no shortcut to generate positive reviews. The only way to get positive reviews is by having an exceptional customer experience. This means focusing on their needs and doing everything possible for them. It is to be noted that asking for reviews in lieu rewards is prohibited by Google as stated in their guidelines.

3. Utilize Google posts

Google Posts are a new feature within a Google Business Profile that allows you to communicate with your customers. They are displayed directly on the local panel and Maps and typically include text, images, and videos. You can use them to promote your legal services or to provide valuable updates to your clients or prospects.

Using these posts on occasion could help you stay at the top of customers’ minds and establish your thought leadership. You can also use this area to publicize special promotions or discounts.

How to Add Multiple Locations on GMB Listing?

You can manage multiple locations for a single company from a single platform with Google My Business. You will be able to manage your time better and ensure that your business is represented uniformly across the board as a result.

• Adding Location on GMB for fewer than 10 Locations

If your company has fewer than ten locations, adding them one at a time is probably the easiest option. You can manage each of your locations independently by adding them separately. This means that you can post a promotion only for that location if it has an offer and other locations do not. Follow the below steps to add locations:

1. Locate your dashboard in Google My Business.
2. Select “Manage Locations” from the menu.
3. Select “Add Single Location” by clicking the blue drop-down menu on the right that says “Add Location.”
4. Follow the instructions and enter the information for your new business location. You can optimize your new location by getting good reviews from customers, using targeted keywords, videos, and images, including your business hours, and making sure your address is correct in the maps feature.

• Adding Location on GMB for more than 10 Locations

If you have more than ten locations, manually entering each one will probably take some time. In this instance, you can ensure that all of your listings appear on Google by following a simpler procedure. The procedure is as follows:

1. Locate your dashboard in Google My Business.
2. Select “Manage Locations” from the menu.
3. Select “Import Locations” from the drop-down menu that appears in blue on the right under “Add Location”.
4. You will be required to download a file, which is actually a Google spreadsheet.
5. Fill in the required information by opening the downloaded spreadsheet. In order to complete it, you will need access to store numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and store hours.
6. Follow the same procedure to upload the file back to Google My Business after it has been completed. This time, you will click the blue “Select File” button instead.
7. Finally, click the verification icon in the top right corner of your dashboard homepage to verify your new locations.

Importance of Adding Questions and Answers on GMB Listing

In Google My Business, Questions and Answers allows customers to directly ask questions about your company and for you to respond. On Google maps or search pages, people can see your business and ask you questions directly there. There is no need to contact you via email, your website, or a contact form. The questions can be viewed by anyone at any time and are also indexed by search engines. However, anyone who sees your profile or has the ability to ask you a question can also respond to any question.

• Helps Attract New Customers

A good sign of a potential customer is when users directly inquire about what you offer or what you can do for them. They came across your listing, expressed an interest, and are eager to learn more. This not only gives your business the chance to work directly with a single customer, but it also makes the questions and answers available to the public. It’s likely that other people have the same or similar questions. If your response was helpful, it will be helpful to many others who look at your information.

Google uses this data, which indicates that they are reading and attempting to comprehend it. It’s a good idea to include keywords in any responses. You can also include links to other resources like landing pages or service pages. If your response is robotic and unclear, it won’t work out well.

• Adds Value to SEO

Google provides searchers with information by utilizing signals from a variety of sources. If Q&A data from your Google My Business profile is being indexed and served by Google, this indicates that Google has identified a connection between the information people are looking for and the services your company provides. 

Your Google profile and website will display your website more prominently and with greater authority as this occurs more frequently. Your chances of attracting more customers will rise as a result.

Also, Read: The Complete Guide to SEO for Lawyers & Law Firms

What are Labels in GMB?

You can organize your business location using Google my business labels. These labels assist business owners in grouping outlets with multiple locations. You can manage them from your dashboard for Google My Business.

Although labels are essential for the internal organization of your listings, they have no direct impact on your business’s listing performance. You can easily search for a particular label in your GMB, if you assign it to a listing. Labels can be used for a variety of purposes, such as listing age, assigning regions, and any other business-related information.

Other Features on GMB

• Call Tracking

With call tracking, you can monitor phone calls from your clients on Google Search and Maps. Call history stores all of your calls in a single location, allowing you to respond to missed calls and maintain customer engagement. You might find that making these calls makes it easier for you to connect with customers who found you through Google. A brief message letting you know that the customer is from Google when you start receiving calls from your Business Profile.

Here are the steps to add call tracking to your GMB:

1. To edit your contact information in your Google My Business dashboard, select the Info tab. 
2. Enter your tracking number as your primary number, then select the Add Phone Number option. 
3. Enter your company’s primary phone number from your website as the additional phone number. 

Only the primary number will appear in your listing, allowing you to track calls. Google receives the information it requires to link your GMB listing to your website by including your local phone number as an additional number. Because of this, call tracking won’t hurt your SEO.

• NAP Consistency

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number in local SEO. And the rules are simple: keep these three elements consistent throughout the web, beginning with your law firm’s website and Google Business Profile.

When completing your GBP, make sure that your profiles contain the correct information and that it is consistent with the information on your website and other online listings.

It may appear to be unimportant, but if your NAP is inconsistent, your local rankings may suffer because Google is unsure about the legitimacy or current status of your business information. So, try to be as consistent as possible with your information.

How to Improve Your Law Firm’s Google Business Profile

Whether you have just claimed a new listing or your law firm already has a profile, there are some steps you can take to optimize it. Here are the tips I’m going to share with you to boost your law firm’s Google Business Profile performance:

Implementing these tips will not only help you have a more attractive profile for your visitors, but they can also boost your online presence.

1. Create your categories

The category is one of the most important aspects of your law firm’s Google Business Profile. After all, this is how Google and others understand the services you offer. In short, the primary category of your profile has a significant impact on its rankings.

These categories have already been defined by Google. So, all you have to do is pick the one that best fits your practice. Your primary keyword should be related to your primary area of practice.

Here are some examples of primary categories:

• Personal injury lawyer
• Criminal defense lawyer
• Lawyer for family law
• Attorney in general practise
• Attorney for Bankruptcy

After you have determined your primary category, you can add secondary categories to provide more context for the services you offer. Secondary categories for a family lawyer, for example, include ‘divorce attorney,’ ‘legal services,’ ‘trial attorney,’ and so on.

Your profile does not include secondary categories. They operate in the background, providing Google with more context about your practice.

If you are unsure about which categories to use, this tool can assist you in locating primary and related categories.

2. Get more relevant reviews

Google reviews are a significant factor that can influence your rankings. Reviews provide useful feedback for your practice while also informing Google and potential clients about what your previous clients think of your services.

Consider the number of reviews received by the top three law firms versus the bottom seven. There are some swings and discrepancies, and it is not a perfectly consistent trend (other Local SEO ranking factors must be considered), but there is a pattern.

To summarize, you and your team should devise a strategy to increase the number of Google reviews for your law firm. Getting reviews is no longer just about quantity. You should also strive for both quality and quantity.

That is, because this feedback will be highly relevant for Google and new leads, you should prioritize collecting reviews from actual clients. Working on your reviews is critical if you are serious about optimizing your GBP profile and SEO for lawyers (which is very competitive).

Also, Read: How to Remove Google Reviews: 6 Steps for Removing Bad Reviews

3. Create an optimized description

There are thousands of Google Business Profiles with poor descriptions full of keywords but little information about the business over the years. The description of your law firm is an excellent opportunity to tell potential clients who you are and what you do to help them.

This brief (maximum of 750 characters) description should be as compelling as possible. If you are having trouble coming up with something, consider this:

• What should prospective clients know about my law firm?
• What can we do to assist them in resolving their issues?
• What distinguishes us from the competition?

As a general rule, include your primary keyword near the beginning of your description. Keywords are useful as long as they are not overused.

4. Respond to feedback

You will be notified via email whenever your company’s GBP profile is reviewed. Make an effort to respond to it. All you need to do is leave a brief note thanking them for their feedback and something indicating that you read their review. Google even lists it as a factor in ranking your Google Business Profile in maps and search results.

Respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative, rain or shine. Taking this approach demonstrates that your company engages with all clients, not just the happy or disgruntled ones. We have seen businesses that only respond to negative reviews, others that only respond to positive ones, and still others that don’t respond at all! All reviews are responded to by the lawyers who perform, rank, and are perceived to be the best.

5. Refresh your Google posts

The ability to post and write descriptions for the services you offer is one of the many features that Google Business Profiles provides. GBP posts, unlike a law firm’s content marketing strategy, have no measurable impact on your local rankings.

Adding posts and descriptions for your services, on the other hand, is a good way to inform your clients about what you do and gives your listings an advantage in terms of ranking factors. The better an attorney’s GBP profile, the more comprehensive, complete, and active it is. Because this content is displayed in your law firm’s GBP, it may also help you increase the engagement and visibility of your listing.

6. Maintain consistency with your NAP

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number in local SEO. And the rules are simple: keep these three elements consistent throughout the web, beginning with your law firm’s website and Google Business Profile.

When completing your GBP, make sure that your profiles contain the correct information and that it is consistent with the information on your website and other online listings.

It may appear to be unimportant, but if your NAP is inconsistent, your local rankings may suffer because Google is unsure about the legitimacy or current status of your business information. So, try to be as consistent as possible with your information.

Conclusion

Google Business Profile is a useful tool for lawyers who want to boost their online visibility in a specific location. You need an optimized Google Business Profile if you want to get more leads, increase your revenue, or simply improve your online reputation. It is an important aspect of local SEO, but most law firms leave something out on their profiles. Book a consultation with PageTraffic to discuss the best strategies for your law firm’s local SEO strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions