Will this be the year that you break bad internet marketing habits?
1. Resolve to Earn Positive Reviews
When people ask me what the most important thing they can do to improve their web presence, I usually answer: earn more positive reviews from clients.
No matter how someone hears about you, they expect to be able to find information about you online. Even people who are referred to you by a friend are likely to want to know what your other clients think about you.
Furthermore, as Greg Gifford notes at Search Engine Land:
Customers want to read honest, unbiased reviews on third-party sites. They simply donโt care about (or trust) the reviews on your testimonials page.
This is true for legal services consumers too, a/k/a potential clients.
Obviously, earning honest, unbiased reviews starts with delivering exceptional service. However, it doesn't end there. Many lawyers would benefit from implementing systems and processes for encouraging happy clients to sing their praises online.
Of course, be sure to check with your State Bar with regard to whether or not encouraging testimonials is permissible in your state. Some states have very specific restrictions relating to lawyer testimonials.
The nature of some practice areas make it more difficult to earn online reviews. For example, your happiest criminal defense client is likely to be reluctant to post how grateful they are for their acquittal. On the other hand, they may be willing to say something more general about how you listened to their concerns, answered their questions and treated them with respect. Remember, testimonials don't necessarily have to speak directly to the specifics of the representation.
If you're looking for places to send happy clients, here are a few suggestions.
First, focus on Google My Business. Hopefully, if you're growing your web presence, your Google My Business listing is what will show up for local relevant legal searches.
I can't tell you how many lawyers who are spending a lot of time and money trying to "rank number one in Google" who don't have a single review. This is particularly problematic when competitors appearing in the same results have reviews. Even if you're the first listing, potential clients are skipping over you and contacting firms lower on the page who have validation from clients.
After locking-down Google My Business, I encourage you to perform various searches on your name, firm and relevant local searches. Take note as to which sites have the highest visibility in search results. Start with those. Some of the most common sites that you'll likely see include:
Make it easy for people find out what other people think about you.
2. Resolve to Be More Social
I get it. You're a lawyer. You're busy.
However, have you noticed that lawyers that tend to spend more time investing in relationships tend to get more business? They do.
Make this the year that you commit to investing more time in creating, nurturing and solidifying relationships. Look, I'm not suggesting that you spend your entire day on Facebook and Twitter. But how much time do your conscientiously budget every week for relationships? My guess is not much.
Take inventory of the people who send you the most business. Are you regularly connecting with them? Thanking them?
A big part of the true power of the internet for client development is the efficiency with which you can stay in touch with the people who are most likely to send you your next client.
Spend fifteen minutes every morning on your relationships.
Make more friends. Be online.
3. Resolve to Measure Better
Finally, make this the year that you actually measure your client development activities. Set goals for yourself and your firm. Define what a successful 2016 would look like.
From a logistics perspective, implement client relationship management tool. Your physical address book or rolodex simply can't keep up.
Track new clients and fees back to their original source.
If one of your goals is to earn new clients from the web, implement systems to track phone calls and web form fills. Measure how many people are opening your emails and figure out why some people aren't.
Figure out how much you can spend to acquire a new client that makes business sense for your firm.
If you're spending time and money on activities and advertising that isn't helping you reach your goals, stop doing it and paying for it.
Make 2016 the year you add accountability and transparency to your client development.
Here's a recent Google SERP for "๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ." Ads? โLSAs? โLocal Pack? โLinks? โ ๐ท AI Overview? โ 6 firms listed. Only one tiny ๐. Click the ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ button? ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐: Here's a more detailed look at some of these firms: THE PEARCE LAW FIRM, P.C.Edith Pearce, […]
On April 22, 2025, Google sent an email updating Local Services Ads Additional Terms for Providers: Subject: Action required: important updates to Local Service Ads Additional Terms Many people are arguing that lawyers cannot participate in Local Services Ads, as this would constitute a per se violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct related to […]
Conrad and I recently joined Zack at Lawyerist to record a conversation about AI and marketing. You might think that we spend the whole time on how lawyers can use AI to publish content. You'd be wrong. While AI can certainly support publishing, there are many more interesting ways to use it in legal marketing. […]
As more legal services consumers turn to ChatGPT for local law firm recommendations, a fascinating intersection between AI, search, and maps unfolds. While Google remains the undisputed leader in local business data, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming an entry point for searchers seeking legal representation. But hereโs the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: โข PPC Ads โข SEO Rankings โข Lead Generation Very few want to talk: โข Brand โข Trust & Recognition โข Emotional Connection Admittedly, much of this concerns that AttorneySync is known for lead generation across those common digital channels. But even when we start […]
According to an October 2024 study by SE Ranking: "The legal niche triggers the highest percentage of AIOs (77.67%). The average number of links matched between the AI Overview resources and the top 20 search results was 6.49 for legal topics. AI Overviews for legal topics most frequently link to NYCourts.gov (114 links), YouTube.com (48 […]
I'm grateful for my friend, Charley Mann of Law firm Alchemy. If you're a lawyer, subscribe to his Free Email List. In a recent email, Charley calls out bad guru advice on hiring: "Trying to execute a major SEO improvement? You need to find people who will help you, instead of trying to DIY it […]
If youโve spent any time on LinkedIn, youโve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an โup and to the rightโ trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And itโs not just the agencies celebratingโ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ […]
Meh, links! All things being equal, links still tend to move the dial more than any other factor in legal SERPs. Maybe links are having a diminishing impact internet-wide. But in my experience, quality links, especially relevant links (both topically and geographically), tend to improve law firm visibility in search more than most everything else. […]