As is true with all businesses, online reviews are a highly important part of a law firm marketing strategy. Especially now where client behaviour and preferred interactions have shifted significantly, the uptick in the use of digital resources and services is here to stay.
Law firms that promote a culture of client feedback in their practice understand how beneficial online reviews are. In this article, we take a deep dive into the importance of user-generated reviews, where to gather them, and how you can leverage your reviews better.
How can online reviews help your law firm?
Online reviews play a big role in reassuring prospective clients of your law firm’s credibility and can validate the reasons behind why a person has been referred to your firm. When someone refers a friend or a family member to you, they will most likely Google your law firm before they reach out to you.
With that in mind, you need to have exceptional online reviews from previous clients to attract new ones. Here are some of the ways lawyer reviews can help you:
- People rely heavily on online reviews when they have less knowledge of a product or service.
Prospective clients tend to consult outside informational opinions when dealing with something they don’t have enough knowledge about. Legal matters require expert intervention, which means reviews aren’t just an afterthought for your prospective clients — they’re a popular means prospects find and evaluate your practice. So, if your law firm doesn’t have a presence on popular online reviews sites, you could be missing out on opportunities to attract new clients and earn more revenue. - Online reviews improve your visibility in search engines.
Building your online reviews is an easy, free and proven method of boosting your website’s local search engine rankings. When you have plenty of positive reviews, search engines take this as a signal that your law firm is reputable in your local community, and consequently a good fit for people looking for legal services in your area. Therefore, earning more positive reviews help grow your firm’s ranking in both the traditional, organic search results and the local search results that appear below the map on the results page. - Reviews are as important as word-of-mouth referrals.
Many lawyers regard word-of-mouth as their best business generator, but online reviews also play a powerful role in bringing new clients to your firm. A huge 90% of clients say that reviews they read online have a big impact on their purchasing decisions, including who they hire to assist with their legal matters. - Reviews help you improve your business.
Online reviews allow you to gain insight into what areas of your business need improvement and ultimately, understand how you can better serve clients.
Which review sites matter?
While your website can be a good place to have some customer reviews, the majority of prospective clients turn to third-party review sites to find honest or unfiltered feedback. This means you will want your reviews to be seen on sites where search engines will direct potential clients.
- Google Reviews
Undeniably the number one search engine and review site on the Internet, having a positive presence on Google can help build your client base. - Facebook Reviews
A very popular social media platform, people go to Facebook to create connections and look for local businesses, so you will want to have an online presence there as well.
How can you attract better reviews?
There are several ways a law firm marketing can attract better reviews, but the best way to is to deliver quality service to your clients. Much like excellent service inspires word-of-mouth endorsement, it also inspires to leave 5-start ratings.
You also need to make sure your law firm is on popular review sites so your business is more visible to prospective clients when they’re looking for legal services. Monitor your profiles on these platforms regularly and respond to client feedback, both good and bad. When you do this, you show both the clients and the site visitors that you are professional and you are ready to resolve any issues that may arise but be mindful not to violate the client-attorney confidentiality.
Get more happy reviews with FirmRanker
No matter how you gather reviews, a law firm’s online reputation is vital to success and so collecting high-quality testimonials is crucial. Many law firms do not pay attention until a negative review comes in, to which their first response is, “Can we get that taken down?” The usual answer is no, and that review stays for all past and prospective clients to see.
A single negative review can cost you a lot of clients, and we find that looking for platforms that can streamline your online reviews and making sure you have a five-star strategy in place are useful in avoiding these situations.
FirmRanker acts as a reputation management platform for law firms. It allows you to get more 5-star reviews and fewer bad reviews so you can get more clients and better local SEO results. To find out how FirmRanker can help your law firm, you can explore its features or book a demo.
