Help Clients Find Your Firm

From music to clothes to shoes to groceries, shopping online is the norm.  The same holds true for attorneys, too.  When clients need an attorney, they have options. Looking online has grown substantially in importance. To have a healthy firm,  you need to be where clients are looking. And you need to make it easy for potential clients to find your firm. See the below 5 tips to help clients find your firm.

Website

It goes without saying, you must have a website. But just because you build it, that doesn't mean they will come. It's critical to consider more than just having a website. There are key elements that must be present to ensure it attracts potential clients.

• Say who you are: Make sure you specify the area of expertise of your firm.
• Answer potential clients' questions: Make it easy for them to connect with you,  either by phone, email, chat, or other.
• Tell visitors why they should hire your firm over another option.
• Keep content updated.
• Provide easy to understand news updates about your area of law and how it may affect potential clients.
• Professional images and modern look and feel.

If you haven't updated the look and feel of your website in a while, consider making an upgrade. The layouts of websites are constantly advanced. No need to change it up every year, but definitely a good idea to review it annually. 

Rating Sites

Think Google Business or Yelp Reviews. These review sites are important for potential clients. Before engaging an attorney, 98% of potential clients said they read review sites before making. a decision. The top review sites are Google and Yelp. Set up your review page and make it part of your practice to ask clients to provide feedback to the page. But don't stop there.

If people do submit ratings, respond to them. It doesn't need to be long. Just a quick 'thank you' or 'great to work with you, too' or some acknowledgment. If a negative review is posted,  reply with a request to set up an appointment or call to discuss their concerns. The last thing you want to do is have that conversation online. Be sure to listen carefully when you do connect with the client. It's important to listen for understanding and take it to heart. Look at your processes and see if anything needs to be adjusted. 

SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a series of blogs in itself! However,  for our purposes, we will cover it at a high level.

What is SEO? To optimize traffic to your website, consider the words, or keywords, users type into the search tool. Someone looking for help with a divorce will likely type 'divorce attorney' or 'family law attorney'. If it's bankruptcy, for example, they would type that. That is the keyword. Now, people can type in 'find a good bankruptcy attorney near me' into the browser. The keyword is still 'bankruptcy' or 'attorney' or 'bankruptcy attorney'. 

Each search engine, like Google or Bing, has its own algorithm. That algorithm is created and adjusted to give the person searching the best possible response to their request. As an example, Google has over 200 elements to its algorithm. Suffice it to say, spending your time chasing that algorithm is crazy, in our opinion. But the good news is, Google is trying to do the same thing you are - answer the searchers' question. So don't worry about the algorithm. Focus on answering the searchers' questions on your website.

Consider adding a blog that addresses potential clients' questions. Content includes anything from how to work with an attorney to an overview of a process in your area of law. As long as you are answering your potential clients' questions, Google will handle the rest. Be sure to keep content updated. Make it easy to find. And above all, stay active. A website that has regular content additions that use keywords and answers searchers' questions will do fine. 

Social Media

It's important to be present on social media. 82% of people in the United States are on at least one social media platform. But like your website, having a presence isn't enough. You need to make it easy for potential clients to find you. And you need to keep your content relevant, timely, and. show your expertise. Consider the below elements for your social media plan.

• Do your research. For your target client, find the social media platform used most often.
• If you have time to manage more than one platform, go for multiple. But be careful. Quality over quantity.
• Research hashtags to gain greater awareness. Check out Hashtagify or Postcron. Be sure to add high-ranking hashtags that are related to your posts to extend your reach.
• Be patient. It takes time to build a following.
• Be diligent. If you aren't seeing followers, try changing hashtags. Adjust your content. Try different times of day to post. Just keep trying different approaches.
• Drive social media readers to your website to continue the conversation. Include a link back to your website where they can find more information.
• Have fun too. Engage followers with non-legal questions, too. Anything from pictures of your pets or a weekly joke, you get the idea. It's important to show that your firm is approachable, too.

Directories

So many options! How many directories you choose to participate in depends on your budget and your time. 

For your budget, if you are considering a paid option, find out the conversion rate. On average, how many people review the listings and then book a call or even better,  engage a firm. That may be difficult for the directory to know unless the client books through the listing site. But be sure to ask. Some directories offer a preferred listing - top spot or paid options for rankings. Ask about the details. How long are you committed? Can you cancel anytime? What if you don't receive any inquiries nor any clients? You have to kind of roll the dice on these and see for yourself if it's a productive directory.

Consider non-paid options, too. But be careful. You need to maintain every directory with updates. So watch the time investment, too.

We recommend starting with your Bar Association. If your association offers a listing option, take it. Make sure you offer viewers a link to your website. 

To be found online, you need to be active online. It's also challenging to do all of the above while running a firm. Consider this list in order... your website is a must. From there, add on what you have time and budget to do. Be sure to respond to everyone who reaches out to you, too.