Beyond the Courtroom: Protecting Your Law Firm’s Reputation Online
Did you know that there are more than 1.35 million lawyers in the United States? All of them are vying for clients and brand growth, which is easier said than done in today’s marketing landscape.
For this reason, numerous firms of different sizes are now taking to the Internet to advertise their services, joining millions of other companies online. Those with glowing reputations draw more clients, shedding light on why lawyer reputation management is becoming increasingly important among attorneys.
As trivial as this concept sounds, it has a statistical basis. Up to 90% of customers avoid visiting a business that has a negative reputation. In addition, 70% of workers are more likely to reject job offers from poorly regarded businesses. On the other hand, 90% of people are more likely to frequent a company that has positive reviews.
As such, an online image maintained through attorney reputation management can spell the difference between attracting people and losing them. This guide provides an overview of how a law firm can optimize its efforts when it comes to handling its reputation online.
Why Law Firm Reputation Management Matters
Reputation management is essential for any business, but this is doubly true for law firms and attorneys. This is because their line of work requires them to have a trustworthy image, which involves being able to efficiently handle their clients’ legal concerns.
This can be gauged by potential customers through attorney reviews by clients from the past. Like with any company, putting a law firm in review is instrumental in helping people decide whether or not to hire it. Hence, building a good image through reviews can lead to client loyalty and brand growth.
How Online Reviews Impact Law Firms
When people look for a specific law firm that can assist them, the search results they encounter will likely show Google lawyer reviews. These can easily highlight the success of a firm’s attorneys in court, indirectly telling users that it may be able to help them with their legal battles or issues.
Furthermore, a good review can translate into positive word-of-mouth. Simply put, clients can easily vouch for a firm’s services and performance when sharing their experience with friends, relatives, and acquaintances. This can spread further to other people, enabling a firm to reach a wider audience without engaging with people directly.
Meanwhile, on the more technical side, reviews contribute to a firm’s visibility on search engines like Google or Yelp. An influx of good reviews will make it more likely for a search engine to include a business in its front page results.
Since most users treat Google and Yelp as go-to sources of answers to their questions, they will also see any companies shown on these sites’ top search results as equally trustworthy. As a result, this positively influences their decision to check these businesses out.
What Law Firms May Face if They Disregard Online Reviews
As discussed above, a law firm has much to gain in terms of growth and client retention when receiving user reviews. On the other hand, it can face certain problems when it chooses to stay passive online and neglect them.
For one, ignoring or disregarding reviews of lawyers can make a firm miss out on opportunities to cultivate its brand and image. It will also make people think it does not care enough about their concerns and feedback. Since potential clients are more likely to check a firm out if it is proactive, it is wise for attorneys to acknowledge reviews, whether they are good or bad.
When ignoring reviews, a firm risks letting negative feedback discourage new clients from inquiring. Meanwhile, addressing a review will show others that a firm is open to acknowledging its areas for improvement. It can also indicate how it handles not just constructive reviews but also malicious ones.
How Attorneys Can Assess Their Current Online Reputation
Now that the significance of reputation management through online reviews has been summarized, it is time to determine how you can monitor your firm’s reputation through strategies like the following:
Conducting a Basic Google Search
Conducting a Google search using your firm’s name is a simple way of measuring how you are faring online, particularly within your location. Depending on the results, you can recalibrate your firm’s online strategy accordingly, whether by adjusting your search engine optimization efforts or soliciting feedback from people.
Do not be discouraged if your firm is not part of a search engine’s top results. Instead, use it to determine why others are on the front page so you can identify ways to boost your own firm’s visibility. You may also look up common client queries to learn the types of concerns that users typically have.
Checking Legal Directories and Review Sites
Another option for checking your firm’s reputation is to visit established legal directories and review sites. These platforms can easily show various law firms’ ratings within their respective areas, allowing you to gauge how yours is performing in case you are listed on them. Doing so will help you assess whether your ongoing marketing and reputation management efforts are working.
Tips for Lawyers Aiming to Improve Their Online Reputation
While Google lawyer reviews and those from other platforms are important, remember that they are not the sole answer to your online reputation’s growth. Different strategies and factors will always come into play. This is why you must familiarize yourself with your firm’s options to expedite the improvement of your reputation.
Establishing a Professional Web Presence
With the vast majority of consumers now relying on online platforms to look for businesses, your firm needs to have an informative and optimized website. Having a layout that is easy to navigate will make it ideal for users to find the information they need. To accomplish this, your website must have:
Cohesive and concise information sections.
Readable font style and size.
Working links to other sections on your site.
Important details, such as your contact information.
In addition, you must ensure that everyone can access your website by calibrating its accessibility features and mobile device compatibility. The former will make your web pages easier to navigate for those with cognitive disabilities or limitations. Meanwhile, the latter will allow people to access your website through mobile phones.
Claiming and Managing Online Listings
Once your web presence has been optimized, you can expand your efforts further by claiming and organizing your online listings. These are profiles of your firm that appear in legal directories and on review platforms. They help people discover your firm when they look for legal services online, particularly within local directories.
By claiming your online listings, you are establishing ownership of your firm and preventing duplicate listings from being made under its name. You can manage your listings by providing business information, such as your firm’s name, contact number, address, and website link.
When managing listings, you must give each one the same branding to ensure consistency across multiple platforms. This way, you can promote your brand and message to all potential clients, regardless of where they discover your firm online. Additionally, remember to update your information, links, and images as needed. You may also include online reviews as a way to boost your reputation.
Maximizing Social Media Platforms
As of January 2024, there are over 239 million social media users in the United States alone. This makes social media sites a good source of engagement for businesses that wish to attract new clients. Not only will these platforms help you market your brand to numerous audiences, but they can also help you display your legal expertise.
You can take advantage of social media opportunities by:
Uploading engaging content such as informative posts or videos.
Initiating discussions or polls where you can gauge the concerns and interests of your audience.
Connecting with other attorneys and legal professionals to form your network.
However, remember to act responsibly when posting and interacting with others on social media. You must account for not only the rules of these platforms but also the Model Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers.
Tips on Proactive Online Reputation Management for Lawyers
Once you have launched your efforts for attorney reputation management, you can start looking for strategies or methods that will fit your long-term goals. The following section will give some practical tips.
Monitoring Online Reviews
Actively monitoring your firm’s reviews will help you stay up to date on how your clients view you. In return, you can adjust your strategy when handling client concerns in the future. Good reviews can help you assess which things you are doing right. On the other hand, poor reviews can tell you where your firm needs to improve so that you can curb potential issues quickly.
You can use various tools and resources to track your firm’s online mentions on different platforms and listings. Some can even support your online marketing prospects, such as content creation and market research. Examples of these include:
Responding to Reviews the Right Way
As stated above, acknowledging reviews is one of the most critical steps in maintaining your online reputation. However, since your firm’s image is at stake, it can be challenging to find the right approach, especially when it comes to negative reviews. Fortunately, there are ways for you to craft an appropriate response, as follows:
Directly address the matter in the review. If it is a positive one, express gratitude for the client’s feedback and trust. If it is negative, apologize for your lapses and present a possible resolution.
Never overexplain poor reviews. If you wish to offer a solution, ask the client whether they are open to resolving the matter privately.
Remain professional when dealing with a poor review. Never use foul language or argue with a client.
If you encounter a bad review with no basis or context, treat it as an ordinary one and respond like you normally would. Do not argue or attempt to highlight the review as false, even if it may seem so.
Building Trust Through Positive Engagement
In addition to review responses, you can improve your firm’s reputation using positive engagement methods like comment replies and content uploads. You may also incorporate feedback surveys that can help clients share their opinions.
Moreover, you can ask your previous clients to leave reviews about your firm. Refrain from relying on automated messages or sending overly long requests for this. Instead, use short and personal messages with a polite request. If needed, you may specify where a client can leave their review.
Tips on Measuring the Success of Your Reputation Management Efforts
Now that you are familiar with reputation management and its marketing processes, you can begin assessing whether your strategies are successful. The following section will describe the basics behind this step.
Knowing the Key Metrics to Track
When evaluating your ongoing plan of action, remember to keep track of the key metrics that predominantly contribute to your long-term engagement goals. These can include:
Review ratings, quantity, and quality.
Your firm’s reach.
Engagement on social media, such as comments or posts.
Your website’s traffic and conversion rate.
These metrics will help you determine how many people are actively engaging with your firm and their perception of it. You can also use them to gauge your target audience’s needs and concerns, along with what they perceive as areas for improvement.
Adjusting Strategies Based on Data
Tracking key metrics is instrumental in helping you adjust your subsequent plans for attorney reputation management. Since people will react differently to your efforts, making adjustments will always be a part of the process.
For example, if your law-related content generates a significant amount of feedback, you can take advantage of this by increasing your uploads. On the other hand, if surveys or polls do not attract that much attention, you can scrap them and look for other ways to assess your audience’s opinions.
In short, you can use data to devote less time, budget, and resources to action plans that are not performing well.
Manage Your Law Firm’s Reputation with Expertise
If you wish to learn more about reputation management or adjust your existing action plans, Expertise.com has a directory of digital marketing companies and consultants you can explore. Some firms can help you with your public relations efforts, while others can assist in projects involving SEO, branding, or social media.
FAQs on Lawyer Reputation Management
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