Google offers a helpful free tool called a Google Business Profile, or GBP, that makes it simple for personal injury attorneys to list their law firm’s business information. A Google Business Profile is a fantastic tool and will appear in Google and Maps search results. Keeping your Google Business Profile recent makes attracting new business significantly more likely.
According to Google, it’s now simpler than ever for law firms to create profiles. Updating profiles, completing verifications, and resolving issues are also easier processes. After the law firm’s profile is active, attorneys can manage and customize the account. It is simple for people searching for legal services to find and interact with your GBP, which make them excellent for advertising and generating leads.
That’s because it provides advanced yet simple technology for tracking, marketing, and outreach to nearby future clients. Attorneys can streamline their profiles and stay on top of important tasks and meetings from everywhere. The platform will also have a significant positive impact on the law firm’s SEO strategies.
Most potential clients will perform a web search on Google that will allow them to read business descriptions and reviews. Users can also look through photos and check other details, such as business hours.
What is a Google Business Profile?
Google Business Profiles provide a quick “snapshot” of your personal injury law firm to consumers before they walk
through your doors (or even visit your website or call you). Google recently changed the name of
this platform from Google My Business to Google Business Profile. With the new name came many updated options and improved workflows.
Your law firm’s Google Business Profile also allows former and current clients to leave reviews about your services.
These reviews can attract future clients browsing online after reading about other people’s positive experiences.
Another excellent addition is that PI firms can update their Google Business Profile straight from Google Search or Maps. Simply head to the firm’s name from Google and look for “edit profile.” It’s important to note that any Google user can make suggestions and changes to GBPs. They can edit the hours, address, reviews, and even upload photos, so you must regularly check your Google Business Profile to ensure your profile is correct.
What are the benefits of a Google Business Profile?
There are many benefits of having an up-to-date Google Business Profile. Besides providing your firm’s contact information and hours of operation, adding detailed driving directions and client reviews is important. Through the platform, attorneys also highlight the firm’s culture and featured content. A complete Google Business Profile helps increase the number of local, organic leads to your business.
Google Business Profiles provide excellent potential for SEO marketing campaigns as well. Unfortunately, there are no simple strategies to guarantee a business appears in the top search engine rankings. Yet, there are some tips to follow that could help a business show as a leading local firm. Google lists company profiles based on relevance, distance, and prominence or popularity based on the individual’s search.
Creating a complete and up-to-date profile to show up in local searches makes the law firm about 70% more likely to attract business. Despite the fantastic potential for growth that Google offers law firms, there are still many offices without an open and active profile. Some of the most notable advantages of creating a Google Business Profile include the following:
- Google Business Profiles provide potential clients with your contact information, sometimes without them ever visiting your website or social media pages.
- The company’s profile illustrates the law firm’s work culture through photos and reviews.
- GBPs make it simple for potential clients to read reviews about the law firm’s services and experiences.
- GBPs increase the number of local, organic leads.
Building trust with consumers is a major hurdle that law firms face. Creating a Google Business Profile is a simple step toward spreading brand awareness and building trust with potential clients. Google originally designed Google Business Profiles with the goal of linking businesses to local consumers. The ever-growing demand for digital directories makes the platform vital for attracting new local clients in today’s legal market.
How to create your personal injury law firm’s Google Business Profile
Creating your personal injury law firm’s Google Business Profile is simple. There are a few steps to follow allowing you to create a professional profile that will lead your firm to success. The steps to create a Google Business Profile are below.
- Sign into your law firm’s Google account, or if you don’t already have one, it is simple to create one for free.
- Next, go to the Google Business Profile page and hit the “create” link.
- After you press the create button, go to the search bar to look for your law firm.
- If the business is not listed yet, go to the “Add business to Google” button.
- The next step is to identify as a Law Firm/Attorney and input the areas of law the firm practices.
- Next, input the company details, including phone number, hours of operation, and the URL for the law firm’s website.
- Make sure these are consistent with the information you have on your website and social media profiles.
- The last step is verifying the law firm, and Google will provide several options to complete this step.
It is important to note that your GBP will not be active until the verification process is complete, and companies must update their Google Business Profile whenever there are changes that potential clients should be aware of.
How to optimize your Google Business Profile
To get the most out of your Google Business Profile, you should optimize it. It is important to use keywords in the law firm’s business
description. The firm’s Google Business Profile allows 750 characters for an informative description. Including keywords throughout your description is vital for targeting specific audiences and clients.
Keywords are going to vary depending on your primary practice areas and location. Rank the keywords based on the words potential clients may use when they search for a personal injury law firm. Create a list of keywords Google users use in their searches. After you collect the keywords, sprinkle them throughout the business profile description. It will help you discover popular words and terms (also known as “queries”) consumers use to find personal injury law firms near their location.
Finally, ask happy and satisfied clients to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile. You should also promptly reply and thank them for their feedback. An important thing to remember is that you should respond to feedback, even if it is negative. This can be tricky, and you should put careful consideration when responding to a negative review.
A quick, thoughtful response can show others that the firm cares about its clients when a law firm receives a negative review or feedback.
As per Michigan Tech, most online business profiles and websites receive close to 80% of traffic from search engines like Google. A solid SEO strategy helps future clients find your law firm through simple online searches (and you don’t pay for the click).
Studies show that most of today’s consumers trust online customer reviews as much as recommendations. The combination of positive client reviews and a referral network for attorneys is the key to success. Google provides you with a link to make it easy to ask happy clients to visit your profile and leave a review. Just request a review and give them the link to do so.
Google makes it simple. Analyzing competitors is an excellent way to optimize your law firm’s GBP. Compile a list of potential competitors in the area. Review the GBPs closely to determine which keywords they use the most in their law firm descriptions.
- The platform is highly effective for local SEO for law firms.
- Keyword use and placement are critical for reaching future local clients.
- The platform allows for excellent competitor analysis.
- Firms can improve visibility by uploading images.
- Asking for client reviews is a fantastic and free way to get the law firm’s name out there and build trust.
Tracking lead generation with Google Business Profiles
Google Business Profiles also allow users to search for visibility insights under an insights tab. It’s easy to check essential information, such as how often your law firm appears in search results and which keywords are effective or not. You can also view the customer’s action insights.
Check to see how many online users completed the firm’s desired actions, such as clicking on the website URL from the business profile.
GBPs also make it simple to set up the law firm’s event goals using Google Tag Manager. You can add and update tags and then track potential client activities. You can also sync your Google Analytics with the GBP. It will provide an overview of future client behavior after they visit the company website.
Searches, including “close by’ or “near to me,” increased nearly 900 percent in the last two years. Google continues to grow and expand the services they provide. Taking advantage of all or most of the advantages they offer will have countless benefits for your personal injury law firm.
