Case Study - Optimizing a Client's Google Business Profile (increasing local search results, map views and rank)

Why Google Business Profile is so important for law firms 

Over the last few years, Google My Business, now Google Business Profile, has become an increasingly essential marketing tool for law firms. Coming up with a strategy for your Google Business Profile, and investing the time to maintain, manage and optimize your profile takes some work. However, Google Business Profile is a free tool that many law firms do not use to their advantage. 

A recent study states that potential clients are five times more likely to visit your Google Business Profile than your website. That means a possible client will read your reviews, good and bad, look at your photos and read your latest GBP updates before even going to your website. 

Learn How to Get Outstanding Client Reviews For Your Law Firm

Also, when Google sees you are consistently posting, adding content and updating your profile, Google will begin to rank you higher in the map pack. The goal for your law firm is consistently rank in the top 4 of the map pack. By increasing your ranking, you are also increasing your local search views and increasing the views to your Google Business Profile. 

So, what does this mean for your law firm? You could potentially increase traffic to your Google Business Profile and website resulting in more leads and clients.

Google Business Profile is a vital marketing tool for your law firm. 

The challenges my current client was facing with their Google Business Profile 

My client hired us six months ago to manage his multiple Google Business Profiles. This client has a thriving law firm in various cities within his state. However, he was having numerous challenges with his Google Business Profile, including;

• The client didn't have the time to post and manage his Google Business Profile consistently (something most law firms don't have time to do)

• The client's Google Business Profile would not appear when you search for the primary law firm location.

• The client's Google Business Profile description on his profiles didn't use local keywords and was not optimized correctly.

• The client's Google Business Profile posts did not naturally use his target and local keywords.

• The client was not ranking for his target sub-cities

• Social profiles were not listed on his Google Business Profiles.

Solution for optimizing and ranking his Google Business Profiles

Month #1

I reviewed his Google Business Profiles, website, citations and social media profiles during the first month. Then, I wrote a marketing strategy to include monthly goals and SEO strategies to improve and update the current website and blog articles. I also included:

• The types of content I would create and post to each Google Business Profile. Note: SEO My Law Firm was not his content writer; the law firm had an outside marketing agency creating his content strategy and writing his blog posts and social media posts.

• I would review monthly performance analytics and would continue to add monthly suggestions on how to improve SEO and the current marketing strategy.

• Updating FAQs and adding new FAQs

• Adding high-quality images to all Google Business Profiles.

• Organically using top keywords when asking for reviews and responding to reviews.

• Lastly, update and adjust each Google Business Profile as Google released new algorithm updates and changes. 

Month #2-#4

During these months, I followed my marketing strategy by;

• Posting content to all Google Business Profiles about every five days. Content included;

  • content from blogs, services, firm news updates and testimonials

• Adding high-quality photos to all profiles

• Rewriting profile descriptions and updating information for all profiles

• Updating FAQs

• Providing a monthly report with results and giving suggestions on what we could do to improve the strategy each month and how to enhance their current marketing strategy

Month #5 - #6

In month five, I begin working on another strategy to target sub-cities and target keywords for those sub-cities for each Google Business Profile. For example, each Google Business profile is the central city, and within this city are about 7 to 15 sub-cities or towns. Along with the strategy, I put together a spreadsheet to target each sub-city with the target keyword.  

Along with posting content every five days, I also included a separate post to target each sub-city and target keywords. These posts organically use specific keywords and include mentioning the sub-city multiple times. 

Month #6

As we headed into month six, I started to add an additional post for each central city because this law firm has a lot of competitors that are also very active with optimizing, maintaining and adding content to their Google Business Profiles.  

Currents results after six months   

After six months, here are the current results;

• For all central cities, the client has been fluctuating between the first and third spot of the map pack #4 for top target keywords

• The client's Google Business Profile will appear when you search for the primary law firm.

• For all profiles, 12 sub-cities are already beginning to rank on the map pack.

• All profiles have been optimized and updated based on any current Google updates.

• Because of constant posting, search and map views consistently increase monthly.

Here are a few screenshots to show an increase in Google Business Profile interactions from March 2022 through July 2022. I am using the client's primary Google Business Profile to show these results.

This screenshot shows how many people have viewed their primary Google Business Profile over the last six months. This is over 15,000 potential leads for your law firm. This statistic does not include website traffic. As you can see, 15,000 views over approximately six months demonstrates why your Google Business Profile is essential for your law firm. 

Future Strategy

The most important thing that I tell my clients is consistency is key. So, as I continue this Google Business Profile marketing campaign, the most significant component to increasing and then maintaining their ranking is to post good and relevant content consistently. In addition, content should organically use your target keywords and phrases.

I also will continue to follow the 2nd part of my GBP strategy and target those sub-cities for my client.

As Google continues to update, make changes, and improve Google Business Profile, I will continue to update, make changes, and improve my client's Google Business Profile.

Summary

Consistency and understanding of how to better manage a Google Business Profile is the key to ranking for your local keywords in the Map Pack top #4. Of course, profile ranking high is not something that happens overnight. However, results will happen with a good focus on your Google Business Profile and making it a priority in your marketing strategy.

Once your content marketing efforts are successful and you organically reach page 1 and the coveted map pack, your GBP effort isn’t over - your law firm has just as much work to do to maintain your rank because trust and believe: your competitors are monitoring your law firm’s online growth, just as you are monitoring theirs!

Do what you do best - and outsource the rest!

SEO My Law Firm’s legal content writing solutions can help your law firm get more online visibility and rank higher on search engines. Contact us to discuss how we can help grow your law firm’s Google Business Profile - and increase your profits!