We have all come to recognize the importance of GOOGLE in the world of Law Firm Marketing. Simply stated, GOOGLE is king and that won’t change in 2019…. Of course, trying to figure out what Google is looking for and how to boost you and your firm’s standing and ranking in the GOOGLE world is the hot topic for many lawyers across the country! SO, here are a few pointers to help you enter 2019 strong and achieve a higher standing and ranking in the GOOGLE world.
1) GOOGLE Reviews:
For 2019, make it a firm priority to keep those GOOGLE reviews coming in!
If you haven’t already, make sure you put procedures in place to ensure that you are seeking 5-star reviews with every case you close. If you haven’t gone to your PILMMA toolkit to check out our Fast Track Modules, you want to do so today. (Inside you will find a step-by-step tutorial on obtaining client testimonials and Google reviews that will help you get up to speed.)
2) Vetting for 5 stars:
Unfortunately, what is said can’t be unsaid. Once you have a bad GOOGLE customer rating or comment, you can’t remove it. What you can do, however, is vet your clients to make sure that you obtain 5-star reviews whenever possible.
One of our PILMMA members submits a short client questionnaire to each client at the close of the case. In the short form, they ask the client to rank the firm from 1 star to 5 stars, for client satisfaction and service. Whenever the case manager sees that the client is giving the firm 5 stars on paper, then there is every reason to suspect that the client would also give the firm 5 stars on a Google Review. Those select clients are then contacted by someone in the firm whose specific job is to assist the client in submitting a Google review.
But remember, Google is like Big Brother; they know where the review is coming from and you will lose standing if the client uses the firm’s internet while posting the review. So, make sure the client uses their own phone’s cell service when posting the review.
3) Respond to EVERY COMMENT:
Positive Customer experiences and interactive engagement is important to GOOGLE. In fact, Google Best Business Practices includes responding to any and all GOOGLE reviews. So, every time a client posts a comment about your firm, you want to make sure that your firm immediately responds with a positive reply. A number of our PILMMA members have confirmed that this simple step can really earn you brownie points where GOOGLE is concerned.
4) GOOGLE Business Photos:
Believe it or not, GOOGLE actually certifies photographers that can take firm photos to be added to your GOOGLE Business site. So, if you aren’t satisfied with the satellite photo, or haven’t added photos of both the outside and inside of your firm, add that to your 2019 to-do list! Expect costs of about $500 for a GOOGLE certified photographer’s services. Consider posting a 360-degree photo or video as well.
5) Google My Business Articles:
“GOOGLE wants to see traffic going to GOOGLE BUSINESS first. That’s their push,” Ken Hardison, PILMMA President noted in a recent PILMMA Mastermind meeting. What you may not have noticed is that GOOGLE My Business has an Articles section, where you can publish articles that can boost your GOOGLE standing.
Create an Action plan to publish 1-2 short, 250-word articles each week for 6 weeks. Remember that your content should be designed to answer questions or be of interest to your ideal client and it needs to be FRESH material. In other words, don’t just repurpose a blog post from your website. Once again, Big Brother Google knows when you repurpose, and those shortcuts won’t help you in the rankings!
One of our PILMMA members recently shared that this simple action plan of 1-2 short, 250-word articles posted on GOOGLE BUSINESS each week for 6 weeks yielded “tremendous results with ranking!”
For article and content ideas, Ken suggests that you and/or your case managers keep a tablet by your phone and jot down questions that your clients actually ask for several weeks. This simple step will let you know exactly what your clients are interested in and the content that would be most useful and helpful to them so that your Google Business articles, as well as your blog posts, videos, Facebook live, etc. are fresh and relevant.
GOOGLE is still the Internet Giant, and GOOGLE rankings will remain critical as you work to differentiate your firm in your market for 2019. As you start this New Year, why not take some simple steps to increase your GOOGLE leverage today?
