If you run a law firm, you already know how important your reputation is – people need to trust you, and they need to feel safe coming to you with big, often personal problems. That’s not going to change because that’s your job, and it’s what you need to show you can do.
But the way that people actually find a good law firm these days really has changed, and it’s changed a lot. In the past, it was enough to be well-known in town, and perhaps someone’s neighbour recommended you, or you helped someone’s family five years ago and now they’ve come back for more help. But now people search online first, and even if a friend gives them your name, they’ll still check your website. They’ll look for reviews and they’ll want to know more about you before they decide to call.
That’s why having a good name isn’t enough anymore – people need to know about you, and they need to be able to find you more easily. With that in mind, let’s take a look at why reputation and reach matter more than ever for legal firms.
Why Your Name Needs To Be Online
Perhaps you’ve helped hundreds of people over the years and you’re well-respected in the local community, and if that’s the case, that’s fantastic. But if someone searches for help with a legal problem and your name doesn’t appear in the results, they might never even know you’re there, and that’s not so fantastic. In fact, that could be a disaster.
People are going to search for specific terms – the keywords – that they need, like ‘divorce lawyer near me’ or ‘help with personal injury in whatever town they happen to be in’ and so on. If your law firm isn’t in the results and no one’s told them about you (because word of mouth only goes so far) then you’re definitely missing out on new clients, even if you’re one hundred percent the best lawyer in town.
What People See Matters
Showing up in search results is step one, and step two is making sure what they see looks good because if it doesn’t, they’ll go to the next link in the results and not think twice about who they’re not using. So think about whether or not your website is easy to use, and if it’s clear what services you offer. And it’s also wise to think about whether people can quickly and easily find your contact details, and perhaps you’ll also want to add some good reviews from previous happy clients, because that can certainly sway people towards using you.
Every part of this is designed to build trust with people before anyone even contacts you or speaks to you, and it’s the first impression you’re making with potential clients, so it’s got to be good. You can use the top marketing agencies to make certain your message lands correctly.
Word Of Mouth Has Changed
People still talk to one another, and they still recommend lawyers to their friends and family, but now, even if someone hears about you through a friend, they’ll go online and check you out first. That means your website, your reviews, and your Google profile all matter just as much as what someone says about you in person. If what people find online doesn’t match your good reputation, they might be elsewhere, so it’s vital to keep up with what’s being said.
It’s not always easy to monitor every conversation that’s being had about you, but it is wise to set up some alerts to make sure you’re being seen in as positive light as much of the time as possible. Plus, keep an eye on your reviews – hopefully the majority of them will be good, but there will always be negative ones (you can’t please everyone, after all), and it’s good to be aware of them. Respond if need be, even if it’s in private, but don’t get angry and don’t argue – that’s never a good look (even if you’re totally in the right).
There’s More Competition Now
It’s important to be aware that you’re not just competing with other local lawyers anymore – some clients are willing to work with firms outside their town or even in other parts of the country, especially if those firms show up first when it comes to their web search. And although that might mean that they’ve got bigger marketing budgets than you, it doesn’t mean you can’t stand out as well.
The fact is that even small companies can improve how they turn up in search engine results, and to do that, it’s usually a good idea to work with someone who knows how these things work, like an SEO consultant for lawyers. In that way, you can make sure you’re being seen by the right people, who are essentially the people who are searching for the things your firm does and ideally in your area. Of course, you don’t need to be the number one search result everywhere, which is why it makes sense to focus just on where you are – it’s far easier to conquer a smaller area than a massive one, and you can always branch out from there once you make it.
People Still Want Someone They Trust
Clients want to know they’re in good hands, and even if a lot has changed, that certainly hasn’t – and it won’t, which means it’s something you can rely on to build your business on. Of course, as we’ve said, trust now starts online, so it’s really a matter of switching your focus to that to make sure it’s enough to get the clients you want.
However, as well as making sure your online listings and website are accurate, you’ll also want them to be human because, in the end, that’s what people want – they want to work with real people, and they’d prefer that to stark professionals who are all about the case and not about the people.
To help with that, you can add a nice team photo to your website, a simple ‘about us’ page, and a blog where you can go into detail about who you are, why you do what you do, and perhaps some behind the scenes information to help people see you’re good people to work with.
Keep Your Online Info Fresh
If your website still has news from years ago as the first thing people see or your contact details have changed but no one’s updated them, that doesn’t look great, and it might even make people wonder if you’re still in business. And since people don’t have a lot of time, they won’t try to find out, and instead, they’ll just move onto the next firm in their list and you’ll have lost a potential client.
This is such an easy problem to fix, and the result should start coming in right away – just post regular updates on your website. You don’t have to do it every day, but it’s a good idea to have a routine in place and perhaps add a blog post once a week or so, and check your other details every month to make sure it’s all showing the right details. And of course, when you get a new glowing testimonial, it’s crucial to post that as soon as possible because that’s exactly the kind of thing people are going to want to see.
Ask For Reviews
One easy and helpful thing you can do is ask your happy clients to leave a review for you online – people trust reviews, especially when they’re recent and honest, and a few kind words can go a long way in helping someone choose your firm instead of someone else’s.
To make sure it happens more often than not, make it easy – send a short follow up email with a direct link so they can quickly leave a glowing testimonial, and that’ll make a big difference. Of course, you shouldn’t push too hard or that’s going to put them off; just ask politely, and if they don’t decide to do it, leave it there.
Plus, when someone does leave a review, reply to it, and say thank you (if it’s positive). If it’s not… stay professional and polite because a good response can make even a negative review look good for you.
It’s About Being Seen And Trusted
The truth is, your law firm might be brilliant, but if people can’t find you, or if they don’t feel confident when they do, you’ll lose out. That’s why both reputation and reach really do matter and are so important now.
In the end, you want people to hear good things about you, and then, when they search your name or service, you want them to feel like they’ve come to the right place. Your name should come up in the right searches, and your website needs to make them feel safe – plus, if you’ve got reviews to show, that’s going to back everything up nicely. The fact is, when that all works together, people are sure to choose you over anyone else.