Optimising your Google Business profile is essential if you want to rank well in local search results.
For example, we were able to increase calls and qualified leads for one injury solicitor by 400% by taking advantage of these quick changes.
Optimise Your Business Name
Unfortunately one metric that Google relies too heavily on is the business name. This is because Google has put a lot of emphasis on the importance of brands and returning the proper “brand” for a search result when they think that’s what the customer is looking for. For example, if your law firm was named “Dublin Solicitors” you would find it easier to rank for keywords related to “Dublin + Solicitor” just based off of the fact that it was your name.
Unfortunately for existing businesses it’s usually not prudent to change your name. However if you’re looking to start a new firm or rebrand this is an area you can take advantage of by appending the practice area name to your practice name. Let’s look at a quick example of what I mean.
Old Firm Name: McCarthy Solicitors
New Firm Name: McCarthy Personal Injury Solicitors
This will of course also only work if you plan on practicing in a specific niche. Generally speaking we consult with our clients and help them become known for being great at one thing. In the long term this brand strategy will help attract the best cases once your reputation is known.
Make Sure You’re Using The Proper Primary Category & Secondary Categories
Making sure your primary business category in your Google Business Profile is set is essential to your success. One of the bigger mistakes I see is solicitors using a generic category such as “Attorney” or “Solicitor” as their primary category when the firm really focuses in more specific practice areas.
To optimise your categories start by figuring out your primary practice area (or where most of your revenue comes from + which area of law you want to focus on). Set this as your primary category and then make sure to fill out all additional RELEVANT categories.
Now this is important. While Google Guidelines will typically advise against a lot of categories we have found that you will get the most visibility by having as many relevant categories as you can. These might include things like personal injury attorney, law firm, solicitor, etc.