The era of phone books and paper maps has long gone and all kinds of businesses have moved from local marketing to the internet. This is a great evolution because it makes your law firm easier to contact, find, and learn about. Online directories, such as Google My Business, allow you to reach more potential clients and make it easier for them to reach you. Google has indicated that 46% of searches are intended to find local services and businesses. Yet, even though the platform is free, many businesses don’t take advantage of the possibilities GMB has to offer. In this article, we will cover a few reasons that make Google My Business a necessity for your law firm.
Proximity and Being Found Easily
With customer reviews and feedback, proximity is one of the deciding elements of whether a potential client will choose your law firm or not. Google search remains a great option to find the location of a given law firm. However, the absolute majority of searchers prefer to find the businesses and services they need on Google Maps. Creating and verifying a Google My Business listing will enable your law firm to pop up to local searchers who are looking for the services you have to offer.
Establish a Good Online Reputation
Existing and previous clients influence potential clients. This influence is carried out through the reviews previous clients leave on a business’ Google listing. It’s vital for every kind of business, including intellectual property law firms, to diminish the time a potential client takes to decide whether they’re going to trust the business they found or not. Having previous clients on your listing who will vouch for your legal services will help you in this process.
Rank Higher in Local Search Results
Google has a very specific and complex algorithm that decides which listings show up first in a Google search. There are many elements that have to be present for Google to trust a certain business and show it to its users. Of course, the more elements a certain listing fulfills, the higher it will show up in local search results. The main and most important part of these elements is the information you submit about your law firm; all the details have to be accurate and you need to update them consistently. Google needs to have as many accurate and helpful details to show your potential clients and by providing these details, you will be a likable candidate by the Google Local Search Algorithms.
These details include (but are not limited to) your office’s phone number, your address, your exact location on the map, etc. Google My Business remains the best tool to provide Google with all the information, details, and updates to list your law firm higher for intellectual property law seekers.