How Google Business Profile Updates Will Affect Your Law Firm in 2023
Toward the end of 2022, numerous updates were made to Google Business Profile which changed how you manage your law firm’s profile moving forward. Understandably, it can be confusing to know what has all changed and what all the updates mean. Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to put together an overview of the updates made so that you can better understand what has changed and create a new strategy for your law firm’s Google Business Profile. For 2023, one of your top law firm marketing goals should be managing, updating, and creating a strategy for your Google Business Profile.
#DYK: 97% of people go to Google when they want to find a law firm. Most potential clients will read reviews, look at photos, and look at your recent content post before even clicking on your law firm’s website or contacting you.
If you need help with managing your Google Business Profile, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We offer this service and are happy to discuss how we can help.
Managing your Google Business Profile account through SERP
You now have to manage your GBP through SERP or Search Engine Results Page. What is great about managing through SERP is that now Google is giving us insights into what it recommends that you add to your Google Business Profile each month. It’s important to take a look at this at least once per month and make the necessary changes or add updates to your GBP. You can dismiss any areas that are not applicable to your law firm.
Google Search Console part of Google Business Profile
For those of you who are managers on your law firm’s GBP and are also added to Google Search Console, you might now have noticed that GSC is also part of managing your Google Business Profile. This is a great “collaboration” because it gives you a snapshot of how your website is currently performing. This is new, so it might not yet be available to everyone.
#DYK: Nearly 50% of law firms never claim or log in to their Google Business Profile
Photo insights are no longer available.
As of November 1st, 2022, Photo Insights are no longer available on Google Business Profiles.
Previously, these insights provided data regarding the types of views your photos received. You would also be able to find out how many photos you had contributed to your profile compared to the number of photos your customers had uploaded.
You could use this data to find out what influences your photos had on your Google Business Profile and, ultimately, how engaging and active your profile was.
Of course, the in-SERP editor has only just been rolled out, so we can expect changes and improvements going forward. It will be interesting to see if Google provides anything similar to photo insights going forward.
Google FAQs: Now available in chat.
Google also recently announced last quarter that you can add the most common questions your clients may ask you in your Google chat. You can add up to ten (10) FAQs.
To enable Chat FAQs:
In Google Search, search for my business.
Click on Messages.
Click on the Menu (three little dots)
Click Chat settings, then Add FAQs.
Click Add a question.
If you have messages turned on and your client messages you to ask, for example, what types of services you provide or if you offer a free consultation. You can set up your FAQs to immediately respond to them with answers. This saves you time responding, and you are providing instant helpful responses to your potential clients.
*It is important to note that someone in your law firm should be responsible for responding to and monitoring all messages. The same goes for all Google reviews. You will read below why this is so essential for your law firm.
Map Pack #5
It has been rumored that Google will start rolling out Map Pack Top 5, which is great news that increases the odds of your law firm being included in the highly visible Map Pack. Also, the map now clearly indicates who uses paid ads to position themselves at the top of the Map Pack.
Responding to reviews and messages.
Google will now start penalizing rankings for law firms that do not respond to clients via messages or reviews. It is essential for your law firm’s local search ranking, reputation, and customer service that someone in your law firm should manage both messages and reviews. Google is recommending 24 hours or less as an acceptable response time for a response to a review or message. This is directly from Google’s guidelines;
“The following requirement is for any business that uses messages on their Business Profile.
You must reply to your messages within 24 hours. It can promote trust and encourage engagement. If you don’t respond within the time frame, we deactivate chat for your business.”
Google’s Big Update: Focus on people-first content
#DYK: Potential clients are x5 more likely to visit your Google Business Profile than your website.
What Google calls the “helpful content update” rolled out on December 5, 2022, and is an effort to ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results. The helpful content update aims to reward better content where visitors feel they've had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn't meet a visitor's expectations won't perform as well.
Tip: Avoid creating content for search engines first.
SEO is a helpful activity when it's applied to people-first content. However, content created primarily for search engine traffic strongly correlates with content searchers find unsatisfying - and will result in lower Google ranks and decreased online visibility.
Google Link Spam Update: Spammy links
On December 14, 2022, Google’s link spam update was fully rolled out. According to Google:
“Our launch today, which we refer to as the December 2022 link spam update, will take about two weeks to fully roll out. Ranking may change as spammy links are neutralized and any credit passed by these unnatural links are lost. This launch will affect all languages.”
Spammy or low-quality backlinks are links pointing to your domain from spam or poor authority sites. If you naturally link your content within your website, link to other good authority websites, or create a quality backlink through guest blogging, featured articles, podcasts, PR releases, case studies, etc., your law firm’s website should not have this issue.
What Google Business Profile and Algorithm Updates Mean To Your Law Firm
For law firms, the Google updates mean that the old saying remains true:
Content Is King.
And as the December Google algorithms demonstrate, well-written, quality, useful content is ranked higher than spammy, keyword-stuffed content.
Quality Content Is King.
Quality content with strategic use of service keywords and local keywords will help your law firm get found by people who need your legal services.
SEO Optimized Quality Content Is King.
The changes to GMB demonstrate UX - User Experience - is central to Google’s ranking system.
Providing useful, relevant information on your profile.
Responding to queries promptly.
Loading FAQs for an enhanced user experience.
Accurate addresses, hours, and services.
Relevant photos
Consistent updates
You might also want to read; 10 Things Every Law Firm Should Include in Their Google Business Profile for 2023
Does Your Law Firm Need a Content Strategy - And Content?
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