When it comes to buying goods and services online, the proof is always in the pudding. Trust is everything to modern consumers. It doesn’t just stop when you’re buying some new fitness equipment off Amazon, or looking on Tripadvisor for a new restaurant recommendation. Reviews are the bread and butter to any brand’s online credibility, and none more so than law firms. A weak Google review profile might make the difference between your law firm bringing in leads or not.
So how can you swing the tide in your favour and generate some positive Google reviews. It has to look authentic of course, so you can’t just go and create 50 new accounts and spam your way to the top. Ultimately, you need your clients to do the hard yards for you.
Here’s a look at why you should get your clients to leave positive Google reviews, and how it can impact your law firm.
Google Reviews For Law Firms – Why Should You Care?
According to this report from Bright Local the sector in which consumers pay the most attention to reviews are service businesses. 84% to be precise. Law firms naturally fall within this envelope. More than any other industry, it is critical that your Google Review profile is visible and positive. Generally this applies to any review platform you’re using, but again Google is the most trusted platform in the review space. It has the highest level of trust amongst consumers, 81% compared to the 2nd highest at 53% (Yelp). Those are some pretty damning statistics in favour of using reviews, but how can you generate them, and what influence do they have?
How to Generate Reviews
As I mentioned you can’t just create reviews out of thin air. They’ve got to come from your client base. Here’s a few ideas you can use!
1) Put in place a review system
Once you’ve resolved a case for your client, reach out and ask. If you don’t ask, you won’t get, and if you’ve done a great job for someone, most people won’t mind spending a few minutes of their day to help you. Maybe set up as a follow up email, or as a CTA somewhere.
A good idea in this scenario is providing some stimulating questions so people know what to write about. How was your experience? What was your problem & how did we help? Did you get the results you were looking for? Provide some stimulation and follow a process, it’s key to have a system that you consistently follow for all your cases.
2) Use Business Cards (Digital/Virtual)
Business cards are not just for providing contact information. You can repurpose them to contain whatever you want, like a QR code for your GMB (Google My Business) page for example. Users’ feedback is always important, so encourage people by making that process as easy as possible.
3) Contact Your Past Clients
Most past clients who you’ve problem solved for will be more than happy to leave a review if you ask nicely. You should have a nice folder somewhere with everyone’s contact details available, so send them a nudge. Once again if you don’t ask, you don’t get.Happy clients are never going to react poorly. The worst that happens is someone says no or ignores you.
4) Reply To Reviews
Thank clients for their feedback each and every time, even if they have something negative to say. This responsiveness shows that you care about your clients and their experience. It highlights your care for your customer service, is generally very friendly, and it might make said client think about you the next time their friend comes asking who knows a lawyer.
What Influence Do Reviews Have?
The most obvious advantage of reviews from a search perspective is of course the credibility they provide. As we’ve addressed, people need trust nowadays, and reviews are the easiest and most reliable way to provide this online. Much the same as credibility, star ratings will always draw your eyes attention, and improve your visibility.
Of course the most direct benefit is client feedback. It is always important to know how and where you can improve and streamline your services. Take any feedback or criticism onboard and reflect on it!
Thirdly, you can’t create reviews without a GMB page. GMB pages are well known to have a positive impact on SEO, by helping tie your business to a location. Having a business location ratified by Google will no doubt help your search engine results for any location based search queries.
Finally, your click through rate to your website will be improved, encouraging more prospects to reach out. In turn you’ll generate more MQL’s, SQL’s, and a more sustainable lead generation route.
Final Thoughts
Using Google reviews for your law firm is a bit of a no brainer. Google is the most trustworthy of all review platforms, and the legal & service industry is the industry that requires the most trust to generate a sale. Explore some avenues and processes that will see you generate reviews, and you’ll begin to reap the benefits. Finally, remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
If you’d like to find out more about the benefits of Google Reviews, or are looking for more digital marketing support for your law firm, please contact us here for a free consultation.
