A strong online presence is crucial for law firms to stand out from the competition and attract potential clients. While many firms focus on optimizing their website and social media presence, one powerful tool is often overlooked: legal directories.
The Benefits of Legal Directories
Legal directories, such as Avvo, Justia, and Law.com Lawyerpages, are online platforms that provide comprehensive information about law firms and individual attorneys. These directories are a go-to resource for individuals seeking legal services, making them an invaluable asset for law firms.
Here's why your firm should be in legal directories:
- Increased Online Visibility: Legal directories often have high search engine rankings, which means your firm's listing has the potential to appear prominently in search results. This increased visibility can attract more visitors to your website and generates valuable leads. Lawyerpages, with its highest domain authority, boasts some of the top legal search engine rankings available, ensuring your firm gets the exposure it needs to thrive.
- Credibility and Trust: Being listed in reputable legal directories enhances your firm's credibility and builds trust with potential clients and Google. These directories offer detailed profiles, including client reviews, ratings, and endorsements, which can influence a potential client's decision to choose your firm.
- Targeted Audience: Legal directories are specifically designed to connect individuals with legal needs to qualified attorneys. By being listed, you gain exposure to a targeted audience actively searching for legal services, increasing the chances of attracting clients who are ready to hire an attorney.
At Big Voodoo, we have a wealth of knowledge and can guide you through picking the right legal directories for you. We can also vet them if they're new to ensure you end up in the right spots.
Getting Listed on Legal Directories
How do you get your law firm listed?
- Identify Relevant Directories: Identify the most reputable legal directories in your jurisdiction or practice area. Look for directories with a strong online presence, positive user reviews, and a focus on your target audience.
- Review Submission Guidelines: Each directory has its own submission guidelines and criteria for inclusion. Thoroughly review these guidelines to ensure your firm meets the requirements and follows the necessary steps for submission.
- Create Compelling Profiles: When creating your profiles, pay attention to the details. Provide accurate and up-to-date information about your firm, including practice areas, attorney bios, contact details, and links to your website and social media profiles. Optimize your descriptions by incorporating relevant keywords to improve search engine visibility.
When you sign on as a Big Voodoo client, we make sure you're added to the big legal directories—as long as they’re not paid listings (unless you want to). If you’re already set up, even better! Optimization is your next goal.
Optimizing Your Directory Listings
The job isn’t finished once you have a listing in a legal directory; it’s crucial to keep it updated and optimized.
As a Big Voodoo client, you won't have to worry about this. We manage and optimize your profiles as needed. However, we need your assistance with updates, as many legal directories don't accept third-party requests.
To maximize your legal directory presence, consider these strategies:
- Keyword Research: Identify terms potential clients use and incorporate them into your profiles to improve search visibility.
- Consistent NAPW: Ensure your firm’s Name, Address, Phone number, and Website (NAPW) information is consistent across all directories and matches your website information to improve local search rankings.
- High-Quality Visuals: Include professional images or videos to enhance your brand image and increase engagement. Note that this may not be available in all directories or for some free or standard listings.
- Citation Building: Use the directory's citation capabilities to reference relevant pages on your website, driving traffic and improving search engine rankings. Most listings allow one website link; ideally, this should go to your homepage, the location page for the featured office, or an attorney bio.
When done right, legal directories are a powerful tool. By listing in reputable directories, optimizing profiles, and leveraging available features, you can connect with a targeted audience and attract more clients.
Embrace legal directories as essential to your law firm's marketing strategy, and watch your online presence flourish.