8 Online Growth Essentials for Law Firm Owners

Being a business owner is hard work, but owning a law firm, where you must do everything, including lawyering, is even more challenging. My respect goes out to all the law firm owners out there. Marketing your law firm is just one of the many tasks you must invest time and money in. It is hard work, it requires daily attention and optimization, and there are so many things to do than there are hours in the day.

That’s why I’ve put this guide together, to give you a starting point and help you make sense of it all.  In today’s saturated world of local competition, strategy and consistency are what win. What I am about to share with you comes from years of experience helping a criminal defense law firm quadruple in size, combined with more than 18 years of experience helping businesses grow and thrive through digital marketing.

Without further ado, here are the 8 essentials of online growth for law firm owners:

1. Foundation and Positioning: The foundation of everything you do online begins with your brand and how your potential clients see you. This of course includes your website, which is the hub of all traffic, and for that you must bear the following in mind:
   • Mobile friendliness
     • Does it load fast?
     • Is it easy to navigate?
     • Is it easy to read?
   • Communication options
     • Is your “contact us” form front and center?
     • Do you have a sticky phone button?
     • Do you have a webchat or text functionality?
   • Clear practice areas
     • Create dedicated pages for each practice area. This helps your potential clients understand your expertise, signals search engines and AI tools that you are an authority in those areas.
   • Trust signals
     • Display third-party badges from Avvo, Super Lawyers, BBB, or local chambers of commerce. These inspire confidence.
2. Local SEO and Google (Business) Profile Dominance: Nearly half (46%) of Google searches show local intent, which makes this a critical area for law firms. Your Google Business Profile is often the first impression potential clients have of you, and it plays a major role in both visibility and trust.  Here are a few must-dos:
   • Choose the right primary category in your Google Business Profile. For Criminal Defense Attorneys, make sure you select “Criminal Defense” as your main category, for Personal Injury Attorneys, make sure you select “Personal Injury”, and so forth. Rare are the cases when you select “law firm” as your primary category, that simply too broad. You can always add related services as secondary categories.
   • Keywords in your business title can help, but you must be very careful and only do this if they are part of your actual legal business name. Otherwise, your profile could get flagged and penalized for keyword stuffing.
   • Reviews are one of the strongest signals for both trust and rankings. You should always encourage satisfied customers to leave you positive, 5-star reviews, and if possible, to mention the specific service and location in their reviews. Stay away from buying reviews at all costs, Google is quite savvy when it comes to identifying “paid reviews”, and they will delete reviews they find suspicious, and this could also hurt your profile’s rankings.
   • Proximity to the searcher is out of your control, but you can optimize your profile details. Make sure your address is accurate and use the service areas feature to outline the regions (cities, zip codes) you serve.
   • An active profile signals legitimacy to Google and reassures potential clients that you are engaged. Post weekly updates, upload fresh photos, and respond promptly to reviews to show both Google, and potential clients that you are paying attention to. Play special attention to your business hours and ensure they are “always” up to date.
3. Reputation engine: Your reputation is one of the most valuable and influential factors, not only for clients but also for Local SEO.
   • Reviews: Online reviews are without a doubt the new word of mouth, and they can make or break your business. According to FindLaw’s 2024 U.S. Consumer Legal Needs Survey, 82% of people read online reviews before calling an attorney, and 40% of them said online reviews were their primary source of information when choosing whom to call. Focus on getting 5-star reviews on:
     • Google
     • Avvo
     • Super Lawyers
     • Martindale

(Tip: Avoid Yelp at all costs! They are hard to deal with, their review “algorithm” hides legitimate reviews because they aren’t as active as they would like them to be. Save yourself the headache.)

• Testimonials: Nothing more powerful than hearing directly from the people you have helped. Testimonials build trust, and show your future clients what’s like to work with you. They are harder to obtain in criminal defense, but extremely powerful nonetheless. Encourage all attorneys in your firm to collaborate in requesting them.
  • Case Results: You can share the basics without compromising the identity of the client. These not only serve as social proof but show the breath of what your firm can do. Don’t pass these opportunities up!
• Content That Answers Crisis- Mode Searches and solidifies you as a subject-matter expert: When someone is facing a legal crisis, they or their loved ones will almost certainly search online. Queries like “ what is the penalty in [STATE] for [CRIME]?” are common. If your content provides clear, state-specific answers, you will earn trust and likely a call.
  • Build an intentional content calendar based on keyword research.
  • Include local specifics such as county processes, judges, and courthouses.
  • Cite statutes and link to official court resources for credibility. This not only helps your audience but also boosts your SEO and Local SEO.
• Paid Acquisition (Google Ads, Local Service Ads, & Paid Social): If you have made it this far into the article, you may by now be aware that Marketing is a puzzle with many pieces. Paid acquisition is one of the fastest-working pieces, unlike SEO (a long-term must-have), paid campaigns can deliver quicker wins, while also feeding data back to strengthen your SEO strategy.
  • Google Ads  are highly effective because they position you in front of people urgently searching for criminal defense help. Ads often appear before the local map pack, which makes their visibility critical.
  • LSA’s (Local Service Ads) Foster trust with Google’s “Screened” green check mark. LSAs display your review rating, an attorney’s photo, and your location. They may cost more per lead but are often well worth it.
• Intake and Speed-to-Lead:  Let’s be honest, even the best marketing will not work if your intake process fails. You need a seamless system:
  • Provide 24/7 phone or text coverage with bilingual options.
  • Answer leads within 60 seconds.
  • Use intake scripts with specific questions to ensure consistency.
  • Track calls, forms, and consultations with a CRM. Automate follow-ups for missed calls.
  • Offer same-day consultation links when possible, and measure every step from lead to retained client.
• Measurement and Optimization: If you don’t track your efforts, you cannot optimize them. That goes for every function within your business. Setting up measurements can be time consuming, but it’s worth every second. Make sure you are tracking:
  • Origin of Incoming Calls: Ask every caller how they heard about you. It is very important to know which marketing efforts are yielding the best results
  • Website visitors: Use Google Analytics (it’s free!) and UTMs to track traffic sources.
  • A/B Test: Test one ad (headline, description, call to action) component at a time for accurate insights.
  • Lead quality: Measure  how many clicks or calls turn into qualified leads. This will give you an idea of the quality of your marketing efforts.
  • Closing rate: Track how many leads become clients to evaluate sales skills and offer clarity.
• Authority and Community Building: Authority boosts SEO and trust, while community engagement strengthens referrals and brand recognition.
  • Optimize your legal directories (Avvo, Justia, Martindale, Super Lawyers).
  • Build high quality backlinks from community partners.
  • Partner with bondsmen, treatment centers, or other legal professionals, host “know-your-rights” seminars.
  • Engage with local chambers of commerce and local media through press releases and guest articles.

These are just some of the steps you should be implementing to grow your practice presence online. As always, we are here to help you navigate the ever-changing world of Digital Marketing. Do not hesitate to reach out with questions, always here to help you grow your business.