Apple Maps, iPhones, Yelp & Your Law Firm

If you updated your iPhone to iOS6, you probably know by now that Apple fell short of its commitment to deliver the best experience possible to its customers. And while Apple’s CEO encourages you to use alternative map apps for now, if your clients use iPhones to search for law firms like yours, you should pay close attention to the Apple maps project.

Apple maps is:

Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning Flyover feature.1 All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease.

With regard to local search, Apple maps is using Yelp ratings and reviews. Which is another reason to put Yelp to work for your law firm. As Gregg Stewart notes at Search Engine Watch:

Yelp reviews directly affect position on Apple’s iPhone 4S results. In terms of update cycle, it would appear that the Siri database is updated on a 30-day cycle. Additionally, the incremental review citation for the client location improved position ranking on Google Maps from positions third, fifth, and seventh to second, fourth, and sixth.

It’s likely that Yelp will continue to play a significant role in determining visibility on iPhones.

If you haven’t claimed and optimized your firm’s profile at Yelp, go do it now. It’s pretty fast (you will have to phone verify your profile) and it’s free.

Don’t partially complete your profile either. Spend some time adding photos and details. This stuff matters for local search.

You should also have a process for encouraging happy clients to review your firm’s services on Yelp (of course check your state bar’s rules on testimonials first).