Transcript
Hey there! I’m Emily Frickey and I’m here to keep you up to date on all things digital marketing.
Today’s topic is about the importance of online reviews. I’ll be giving you three tips to help your firm get more reviews and three tips on review strategies you need to avoid.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Online reviews are important for not only your online reputation but as a ranking factor as well. Over the last few years, reviews have grown to be one of the top ranking factors in SEO right behind links, a claimed Google My Listing and on-page optimization.
Even outside of the SEO arena, reviews are a powerful tool to convert potential clients. According to Bright Local’s annual local consumer report, more than 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. And 90 percent of people formed an opinion of a business after reading less than 10 reviews.
If a potential client searched for your firm’s online reviews right now what would they think about your business? Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing.
How To Get Reviews
Here are a few tips to get you meaningful reviews for your firm.
You will never get a good review if you don’t ask. So when you have a happy client ask them to leave a nice review for your firm. Train your intake staff to follow up and ask for a review. Consider following up with an email through your CRM platform.
Most clients will pick their favorite place to leave a review, but if you can ask them to leave one on Google, Avvo or Facebook. Google rewards good reviews and it can help your SEO strategy. AVVO is an industry-specific review site that also ranks well in search engines. And Facebook has the largest active user base out of any other social platform and is often a top traffic referral source to your law firm’s website.
After getting a review make sure someone is going to respond to them. This is a powerful way to show potential clients that you care and how great your customer service is.
How Not To Get Reviews
Here are a few tips on what to avoid.
Avoid using a review station at your office. Sites see the reviews coming from the same computer and could decide that the reviews are fake.
Paying a third-party to post reviews as customers or setting up customer profiles to aggregate reviews. Getting too many reviews all at once. This could trip filters that review sites have set in place, which could cause the reviews to be deleted.
Law firms can’t afford to ignore online reviews. They are part of your SEO strategy and they’re are how potential clients are deciding who to hire.
If your law firm needs help with online review strategies, or any other marketing needs, please reach out to Network Affiliates. We are committed to providing quality legal messaging that speaks to the integrity of your attorneys, the greed of the insurance companies, and the hope of victims everywhere.