For law firms, websites are a key marketing asset. They act as your virtual front door and the landing pad for most other marketing initiatives (e.g., Google ads and paid social ads). Further, you can bet that even if a client has been referred to your firm, they will also go poke at your website, often before they reach out.

However, there are other online projects that your firm can complete that help support your website visibility in search. The following list includes some basic low-to-no cost “should dos” for law firms along with a few tips.

1. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) are free and are what everyone sees when searching on Google – mobile in particular. Don’t have a Google Business Profile? Here’s how to set one up straight from the horse’s mouth.

• Tip 1: Make sure your firm’s GBP is set up with a firm-owned email address and NOT the personal email of one of the firm lawyers or staff. The easiest thing to do is to set it up using a Gmail account that has been designated for setting up firm online platforms and infrastructure.
  
• Tip 2: Ensure the phone number linked to your GBP is under firm control. Do NOT use a number owned by a third party to verify your profile. If that third party gives up the phone number, or you part ways, you are potentially in for a whole lot of pain trying to recover your account because account recovery is tied to the original phone number used to verify the account. If an agency or marketing partner is setting up your profile, instruct them to use a firm-owned number (e.g., reception) to maintain control.
  
• Tip 3: Maximize your firm’s visibility by utilizing all available options to share firm details. Verify that contact numbers and office hours are accurate, and don’t forget to include a link to your website along with links to your other social media profiles.
  
• Tip 4: Use the “Add update” function on your GBP to share blog posts and keep your profile active and engaging.
  
• Tip 5: Add photos for your firm e.g., logo, lawyers, firm environment shots. If you don’t, you may see Google adding them for you and this can end up having mixed results. We’ve seen situations where Google has selected a “Street view” when a firm’s office building was under construction and in one particular case the photo representing the firm’s building was of the loading dock, not the entrance.
  
• Tip 6: Think about adding Google Service Descriptions to help with local search. These are short (300 character) descriptions of the different services that you offer. This can help in local search.

2. Set Up a Branded LinkedIn Company Page

In keeping with #5 our list of 6 New Year Resolutions to Kick Start your Law Firm Marketing, if you don’t have a LinkedIn Company Page, now’s the time to get one. It’s free and we recommend that firms claim their turf on every online platform they can for two reasons. First, it’s a proactive step to protect your reputation. Second, it offers another online pathway to your office. Even if you don’t actively use LinkedIn, a Company page acts like a directory that provides contact details and can highlight “who” is at your firm provided your lawyers have set up personal profiles and connected them to the firm properly.

Your Company page should display our logo and a branded background header as well as all relevant contact information for the firm including your website URL.

• Tip 1: Company pages need to be set up using a firm email address. So, make sure that is done by someone who is going to stick around for the foreseeable future. Once the page is set up you can add at least one other person at the firm as a Super Admin as a back up (you do that through “Settings” on the backend dashboard. You can also add your marketing partner as a Super Admin if you want them to help you with page management. LinkedIn offers different roles for page management but only Super Admins can change key page elements.
  
• Tip 2: When posting to your LinkedIn company page, hit the “Notify Employees” when done to alert lawyers and staff with connected profiles that the firm has posted new content. Encourage your team to amplify firm posts by sharing them out to their own networks where appropriate.
  
• Tip 3: When posting firm content to LinkedIn it’s advisable to use an image with your posts to attract attention. Social media is visual and posts with “pics” or graphics capture better engagement.

3. Encourage Lawyers and Staff to Set Up LinkedIn Profiles

As noted, LinkedIn is free and is a platform that is well optimized (meaning it typically shows up on page 1 of search results). That means that even a basic profile for your lawyers is going to show up well. Not having one is a missed opportunity to claim space online and to provide prospective clients with another way to get in touch. Similarly, if someone is doing their due diligence before making a decision on what lawyer to contact, LinkedIn offers a credibility check and a way to showcase a lawyer’s credentials, expertise and thought leadership.

Make sure your lawyers (and staff) link their profiles to the firm’s Company page properly.

• Tip 1: Provide your lawyers and staff with bio photos from your website that are sized for LinkedIn.
  
• Tip 2: Provide your lawyers and staff with a branded firm background image for use on their profiles.
  
• Tip 3: Provide your team with an outline of what minimum information should be included on their profiles.
  
• Tip 4: Consider what you need to include in your firm’s social media policy. That is, what to post and what to avoid. Personal LinkedIn profiles are not within firm control so setting expectations for engagement when someone is representing the firm is something worth thinking about.

4. Claim and Brand Social Media Profiles for Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Not all of these profiles will be appropriate for your firm. Pick and choose according to where your target audience is likely to be online, whether you have capacity to post regularly and whether the content you have to share makes sense for that platform. For example, Instagram is a highly visual platform so if you haven’t got capacity to create graphics or access to original photography then it may not be the best choice. In addition, Instagram does not support “in text links” to other spaces on the web. You get around that by using an app (e.g., Linktr.ee) that allows you to provide links on your page bio.

• Tip 1: Make sure your profiles include links back to the firm’s website and reference your firm’s other social platforms where possible.
  
• Tip 2: Do you do presentations or webinars? Get a YouTube channel, brand it and make use of the channel description and individual video descriptions to drive traffic back to your site. YouTube is the second biggest search engine next to Google and is Google-owned. It makes sense to have a presence there if you have the content to support it.
  
• Tip 3: Instagram and Facebook both provide spaces where you can share your firm’s personality and community engagement (think recruitment drives and community sponsorships). If you have team members attending community events or involved in local organizations, getting photos of your “team in action” can be a good way to broadcast your firm’s commitment to local causes. Side note: do be careful about posting pictures that include people not associated with your firm, especially children. Consider whether you need to get releases to post photos of “others” on your feed.

5. Take Advantage of All Free (Reputable) Directory Listings Relevant to Your Practice Area

Getting listed on online directories is part of a viable SEO strategy. Backlinks from directory sites that are relevant to your practice area or are focused on your location can be helpful for local visibility in particular. However, make sure you vet any directories before you add your firm.

Need help accomplishing these projects? You can always contact us and we’ll be happy to assist.