No matter how well your firm is doing, or how much you hate asking for them, acquiring Google reviews is THE most important thing a law firm can do to help its marketing teams.
Check this out:
(“Local Search Ranking Factors 2023,” Whitespark)
Reviews place in three of the top five conversation factors. Not only do reviews help your rankings, but they also help convert window shoppers into clients.
But how important are reviews for law firms? And how do they lead to conversions?
Why Reviews Are Important for a Law Firm’s SEO Campaign
Businesses ranked 1 to 3 in local results — i.e. those who win placement in Google’s 3-Pack — earn 126% more consumer traffic and 93% more conversion-oriented actions than businesses that ranked further down. Reviews are important for local SEO, Google local service advertising, and branding your firm. This is because they improve not only your local SEO but also your ability to serve Local Service ads.
Having something good is great, but having more of it is better! The more Google reviews you have, the better your click-through rate (CTR) will be – and the more likely you are to appear in multiple placements. Conversely, a low rating and/or low star rating can, of course, significantly hurt your firm.
A poor Google review not only reduces your chances of being in the 3-pack, but it also hurts your intake conversion rate, making it harder to retain clients.
Which Platform Is the Most Effective for Reviews?
Google reviews are, by far, the most important reviews a business can have on the internet. Google is the only platform where your reviews impact your law firm’s SEO and PPC. It has the highest traffic and impressions of all the platforms, and it’s the only one that interacts with multiple listings simultaneously. These things all add up to impact your CTR.
Top Review Platforms:
- Yelp
- Legal Directories (ex. Avvo)
Your “Stars” Matter Too
Your star rating is just as important as the content of your reviews. For example:
- More reviews = better SERP results. If your Google star rating falls below 4.4 stars, your profile is less likely to appear in the top three results of a local search.
- Many people choose businesses solely based on their star rating. Your star rating is often the first thing people see when they search for your business, which largely influences whether they click on your site or scroll past it.
- A high star rating builds trust. The more positive reviews left for your business, the more likely potential customers are going to trust you and give you a chance to help them.
Marketing Automation Can Help You Get More Reviews
Chasing reviews can feel like a full-time job – but it doesn’t have to be! This is where marketing automation can swoop in to save the day.
Imagine this: you deliver outstanding service, and then your client automatically receives a friendly email or text gently nudging them to leave a review for your business on Google. Add a personal touch, like a “Thank you” message from your team, and voilà —you’re collecting glowing reviews like infinity stones.
It’s like having a virtual assistant who never takes coffee breaks. Plus, happy clients are more likely to leave a review if you catch them while they’re still basking in the glow of your stellar service.
Can You Get Bad Reviews Removed from Your Website?
Yes. As a full-service marketing agency that handles reputation management, we can help you get more good reviews and remove the bad ones. This is especially helpful for those times when an otherwise satisfied client leaves a mid-tier 3-star review with zero context, or when a flood of unwarranted 1-star reviews pour in that have nothing to do with your services.
Getting rid of bad website reviews isn’t always easy, but it is possible, depending on the platform, the reason you want it removed, and your approach to removing it. We recommend working to remove any reviews that are blatantly false, spammy, or violate content guidelines (think harassment, hate speech, or promotional nonsense). Success rates vary, but if the review clearly breaks the rules, then it is more likely that your request to remove it will be approved.
If the review is just negative but technically fair, your best bet is reaching out to the customer to resolve their issue. Sometimes, they’ll update or remove the review themselves.
Is It Shady to Remove Bad Reviews from Your Website?
It isn’t shady to remove bad reviews if they’re fake or if they violate policy. But trying to erase every negative comment can backfire and make your business seem untrustworthy. A better move is to respond to criticism professionally, show your customers you care, and use their feedback as an opportunity to improve.
Plus, let’s be real—every business gets a bad review now and then. What matters is how you handle it. Encourage more happy customers to leave positive reviews so the occasional negative one doesn’t bring your GBP – and your reputation – down as significantly as if there were fewer reviews to display.
In the long run, transparency and great customer service do more for your brand than trying to scrub the internet clean of the occasional bad review that comes your way.
Work with the MeanPug Team on Improving Your Reviews
At MeanPug, we work with clients to ensure their GBP is not only active but thriving. We keep a close eye on your reviews so you don’t have to, and we alert you if anything seems fishy. Our goal is to ensure your 5-star reviews are plentiful and prominent.
Reach out today, and let’s get started on improving your GBP and lead conversions.
