More Cases. Better Clients. Real Results.
Start a Conversation with GAVLGetting and managing client reviews is a vital part of running any type of business. As consumers, most of us rely on reviews to help us pick everything from a new favorite coffee shop to a new pair of sneakers. Even if we don’t consciously take the time to read every individual review about a business or product in question, that little star rating that’s displayed often plays a big role when we make choices regarding which doctor we choose or which restaurant we stop at while on the road. It’s a simple fact that reviews act as a way to guide our decisions and make us feel better about how we spend our time and money. That guidance helps build trust.
The same can be said for attorney reviews. Trust is crucial to anyone seeking legal help, so most law firm clients won’t hesitate to look at attorney and law firm reviews on Google. Getting Google reviews as an attorney is not always easy, however. You may find that clients, even when they have a case that’s successfully settled and leave your office pleased with a check in hand, are hesitant to leave a review for a variety of reasons. Clients may feel uneasy about leaving a review for a service that’s so closely related to trauma and/or pain they may have experienced. They may be worried about having their name “out there” in public spaces. Others may simply not know how to leave a review or know what to say in it.
The good news? GAVL has your back. We understand the importance of attorney reviews as well as the complications. Google reviews are massive for local SEO, and it’s a simple fact that a 5-star review score will net your firm at least 25% more clicks than scores at a lower-star rating. That’s the kind of uptick that simply can’t be ignored.
Want some more good news? We’re here to share some great information about getting more reviews as an attorney as well as managing them:
Step 1: Always Opt for Ethical
While it may be tempting to fall for some of the less-than-ethical review-gathering schemes out there such as offering payment or bribes for reviews, you never want to, especially as an attorney. The legal industry is one of the most heavily scrutinized regarding Google reviews and their ethical nature since many areas of the law, including personal injury law, fall under Google’s Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) business category. This category includes businesses that offer legal information and services that impact a person’s health, safety, or financial stability. This is additionally why the crucial elements of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (commonly referred to as E-E-A-T) are so vital for law firm SEO.
And there’s that vital element of trust again. Trustworthiness. You want your clients to trust you. You need your clients to trust you. Any reviews they encounter about your services must also be trustworthy. It’s that simple.
Step 2: Make Reviewing Easy for Clients
Most folks don’t realize just how large of an impact reviews have on local businesses. That little section on Google’s search results page that displays a few local businesses and their reviews along with a map? That’s referred to what we call the “map pack”. These results show up where they do thanks to local SEO. It’s estimated that over 40% of Google’s web traffic goes to results that are featured in the map pack. This makes getting more reviews almost a requirement for any law firm looking to be placed within the map pack.
The best way to get more reviews from clients is to make it easy for clients to leave you a review. While it may be impossible to get every client to leave you a review as an attorney, the less steps a happy client has to do to leave that review, the greater chances they have of leaving you one. And it stands to reason that if the client is pleased with their results, that review will be positive. If a client is dissatisfied with their results for whatever reason, you will want to refrain from asking them to leave a review (though they may decide to leave you one regardless).
Here are some tips for making leaving a review as simple as possible:
- Have a system in place for encouraging clients to leave a review. Generally the offboarding process is the best time to ask for a review. When the final paperwork is being signed can be a great time, as is when the client comes in to pick up their settlement check. Another strategy is to wait a week or so and then follow up with the client, ask how they’re doing, and encourage them to leave a review.
- Make the reviewing process easy. Google provides businesses with a link they can offer to clients that directs them to where they can leave their review. Simply click the “Get more reviews” button on your review page and copy it. That link can be used to send through text message or email. You can also create a QR code with the link to use on business cards or letters/postcards. Having that QR code easily accessible in your office is also a great idea for clients to use on the spot. In general, the more options you have available to clients, the better. Ask them what method works best for them, and be ready to answer any questions or concerns they may have about the process. You may find yourself having to explain how to log into Google or even create a Google account. Having these steps ready to explain (or on a flyer/pamphlet) can help clients a great deal.
- Encourage clients to leave commentary. Google places reviews with commentary at a much higher value than a review that just has a star rating. Be upfront about encouraging clients to leave comments, and be ready to answer any questions they may have about how to best do so. If a client is concerned about privacy concerns, for example, you can suggest that they leave out the details of their case and instead talk about the law firm’s approach and how they were treated, etc. A good law firm review doesn’t have to include any specific details about the case in question.
- Consider automation tools. To make life easier on yourself, have a system in place for automating whatever steps you can of the review-gathering process. CRM tools or law practice management tools that send out automated emails (with a personalized touch) or automated reminders can be a huge help for obtaining more reviews. Remember that the process doesn’t have to stop with a single request, either.
- Talk to former clients. While you may have the greatest chances of getting a review from a client who just recently resolved their case with you, don’t forget about former clients, especially those you are still in contact with. Sending out personalized emails or letters to these clients can remind them about what a great job you did.
One other thing to remember is that you will want to make sure your clients leaving reviews do so on the correct Google Business Profile for your office. If your firm has multiple office locations, make sure they leave a review for the office that’s local to them. Google can and will penalize businesses that have the same review posted on multiple profiles.
Step 3: Don’t Neglect Management
Getting more reviews is only half the battle. You’ll want to make sure you’re managing your reviews and responding to your reviews ethically. It’s a good idea to respond to every review you get. Respond favorably to any favorable reviews. Thank them, and keep your message short and sweet. The goal is to let anyone who happens to see those reviews know you appreciate those kind words. By being responsive to a review, you show that your firm is responsive in general. This can instill a huge amount of trust in someone looking to hire a lawyer.
Responding to negative reviews can be difficult, but it’s important to do so, and in a respectful manner. If the criticisms given involve legitimate complaints, address those complaints while saying how your firm will improve upon those matters in the future. A reply where the tone is focused on acknowledgement and improvement will be looked upon far better than a negative review that has an equally-negative reply or none at all.
If the negative review isn’t legitimate, you fortunately do have options. You can report the review to Google and request for it to be removed. After reviewing, you will be notified if your request has been approved or denied. If the outcome is not in your favor, you may be able to appeal the decision.
GAVL Has You Covered
If you or your firm needs assistance in getting new reviews, managing those reviews, and knowing how to best make use of positive reviews (which is another matter entirely!), GAVL is ready to help you improve your review process and improve how reviews are placed in front of prospective clients. We can help make the most out of your Google Business Profile as well as your entire SEO strategy to ensure you’re doing everything you can to show off your positive reviews. Reach out to us to learn more.
