Google Review Updates for Law Firms
Reviews matter! People are more likely to believe Client Reviews and Testimonials about your law firm than just take your word for it! Ask your clients for Google Reviews and ask LinkedIn contacts for Recommendations - and reply to every review!
Why do Google Reviews matter? Google is the 1st place most people look online for information about a business. Google cares about client reviews because your potential clients care about reviews. Google My Business integrates with Google Reviews and Google Maps. Google uses the star ratings and review copy to rank your website in their search results - and that’s why law firms should care about Google Reviews.
Google is in business to solve people’s problems. And if your law firm has 5-star Google Reviews from dozens of different people, Google takes that as a strong positive signal that helps increase your rank!
Note: Google rolls out new features slowly, so if a new feature isn’t available in your region yet, it may be coming soon. Plus, Google giveth and Google taketh away - while Google Reviews regularly adds more features they also quietly take some features away.
Recent Google Review Updates
Here are some recent updates to Google Reviews and Google My Business that will impact your law firm’s rank and online visibility.
In April, Google added a “NEW” label to feature recent reviews.
In May, Google made the following updates to Google Reviews:
Users can enter into Google My Business the date they interacted with your law firm.
Google Maps has more artificial intelligence features, including live view.
Google is featuring businesses that post more frequently. They are adding a red dot on your GMB profile and likely rank businesses higher if you update your GMB profile frequently:
post updates
Tip: Post a GMB update weekly - posts expire after 7 days!new images and videos
responses to all Google Reviews - positive and negative
updated Questions and Answers
Tip: If no one has asked you any questions on GMB, you can ask and answer your own questions!
In June, Google launched:
A new tool to manage your reviews and report untrue or ‘fake” user reviews to go with the new review takedown request tool Google released in March.
A review scoring system based on Punctuality, Quality and Responsiveness primarily targeting businesses that take appointments - such as law firms.
Showcasing Google Review snippets highlighting specific terms, versus random snippets.
Google Maps will show not only your location but also your business’s average star rating.
Keyword filters on reviews, such as promptness and responsiveness.
Emojis such as smiley faces indicating the Google Review rating.
Upcoming Google Review Changes
The following Google Review changes are expected in coming months:
increased emphasis on video
more weight given to thoughtful, lengthy Google Reviews
Increase Your Law Firm’s Online Visibility
What’s the point of having a website if no one can find it - or if it doesn’t convert?
Do your website and social media increase your law firm’s brand identity, online visibility, rank and overall effectiveness?
Does your content drive the right traffic to your website?
Does your content include strategic keywords and local optimization?
SEO My Law Firm’s Content and Online Visibility Audit can find out your visitor’s UX (user experience), identify your missed opportunities - and see what your competitors are doing that you’re not! Contact us: SEO My Law Firm provides SEO content writing, marketing services and other content solutions for law firms. Contact Us Today!
