SEO Director
Google is a valuable source of traffic and leads for law firms, and we’re not just talking about ranking in the ten blue links. Ranking in Google Maps (Local SEO) can be a critical source of business for your law firm. But ranking in the map pack is more competitive than ever, so we’ve broken down the most important things you need to know about your Google Business Profile in 2025.
Local SEO for Lawyers: Trends and Learnings from 2024
In the past year, we’ve seen some consistent trends that shed light on what’s most important for law firms to keep in mind when optimizing their listings. These are:
- Not every law firm is eligible for a GBP, and Google is cracking down on businesses that aren’t.
- Your primary business category on GBP should be as specific as possible (e.g., Choose “Divorce Attorney” instead of “Lawyer” if that more accurately reflects your practice.)
- Not everything will significantly impact rankings (images, for example) but are worth adding to help convert customers directly from your listing.
- Reviews are a crucial part of ranking in Google Maps. Plus, they can turn potential clients into leads and conversions.
- Traditional SEO best practices and your website are an important part of your Local SEO (Google listing) strategy, too.
What is Google Business Profile (GBP) and why is it important for lawyers?
A Google Business Profile or “GBP” (previously called “Google My Business”) is a free online listing for local businesses, including professional services such as law firms. Law firms can use GBP to reach and retain more clients.
If you are an attorney, your Google Listing is an important part of your SEO efforts, specifically if you’re interested in ranking in Google Maps for search queries related to your law firm.
How GBP can help lawyers attract more clients and grow their business
Having a GBP is the only way to rank in Google Maps. Even if you want to rank in Maps via paid ads (these are called “Local Service Ads”) you need to have a GBP in good standing to participate.
What’s more, a GBP listing can eliminate the need for potential clients to visit your website. Your Google listing has a lot of information—enough that some searchers may choose to pick up the phone and call you without visiting your website.
It’s important to make sure your listing is filled out completely and accurately, so it’s as easy as possible for prospective clients to find what they need and see that you’re the best choice for their legal needs.
GBP Basics for Lawyers and Law Firms
Managing your Google Listing doesn’t have to be complicated, but setting one up (or getting access to it) can be tedious. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know:
How to create a GBP listing
First, double-check to see if you already have a listing on Google. (You might have one even if you don’t remember creating it!) To do this, go to https://business.google.com/create and follow the on-screen instructions.
Type in the name of your firm to check and see if Google has a listing for you already. If nothing comes up, select “Add your business to Google” and follow the instructions to create a listing.
Note: Your listing will not be visible to potential clients until you verify it!
There are a few ways to verify your listing, but if your business is new, Google may request a video verification. These can be cumbersome, but your listing won’t help your firm grow unless it’s verified.
Tips for Video Verifications on Google
Video verifications are, in theory, a great idea: What better way to prove your business is legit than showing Google where you work and meet clients? Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple and there are a few common issues we see with video verifications:
1) The business isn’t eligible for verification.
Not every business can have a Google listing, and some law firms do not qualify. According to Google’s guidelines, a business must “make in-person contact with customers during its stated hours” to be eligible for a Google listing.
Example: If a coffee shop is open from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., customers can make in-person contact with the business during its stated hours. Pedestrians might see the business sign and decide to drop in and make a purchase. Simple, right?
For service-based businesses, the guideline is more complicated, which can make verifying the eligibility of your firm difficult.
Example: If you share office space with another firm, potential customers won’t be able to reach your firm during regular business hours unless you have unique signage and a dedicated suite. Video verifications require visible signage; if your firm doesn’t have it because the space is shared, your listing will remain unverified and inaccessible to prospective clients.
Things to avoid:
- Sharing an office with another firm or business
- Using a coworking space without a dedicated office
- Using a virtual office and/or sharing a phone line
2) The video verification process is finicky and tedious
Video verifications should be simple (and they are, ostensibly). However, we’ve worked with a few firms who experienced issues getting their listings verified even when they were technically eligible. To give yourself the best chance of success, follow these guidelines:
- Do not show sensitive information (tax IDs, bank information, etc.)
- Keep the video short. Between one and two minutes (but no shorter than 30 seconds!)
- Do not include others’ faces or your own private information in the video.
- Record it from a mobile device, like your phone.
Verification videos must be recorded and uploaded through your Google Business Profile. You cannot record it offline and upload it later. Do not make any edits to the video; it must be continuous and unique.
If your video is not accepted, Google may provide specific feedback, such as the business name not being shown on the storefront. If the video is accepted, your listing is now verified and you are ready to start optimizing it!
GBP Ranking Factors for Law Firms
GBP optimization is pretty simple. That’s because there aren’t too many factors you can easily control that have a significant impact on your rankings.
According to Google, there are three main factors that impact your rankings in Google Maps. these are:
- Relevance
- Distance
- Prominence
At a glance, distance is the easiest to understand: Google is more likely to rank your firm when you are in close proximity to the person searching for your services.
Relevance and prominence, on the other hand, are a bit less obvious. Fortunately, SEO best practices have a pretty good grasp on what can impact these factors. Some of the most important ones are:
- Your business category (Choose the one that’s most relevant and specific to your area of law.)
- Your reviews (Not only the volume and quality but the velocity and recency of your reviews.)
- Traditional SEO signals such as your website optimization, media mentions, backlinks, and other directories—even your rankings in traditional Google Search—can impact your rankings in Maps.
In other words, SEO best practices apply to GBP, but GBP comes with some additional levers you can pull to show up more often. Once your profile is filled out completely, create a review management strategy to make sure you’re making it as easy as possible for any of your clients (regardless of their experience) to leave a review for you.
When possible, ask clients to leave an honest review about their experience with your firm and, if you get a negative review, respond to it tactfully. From a conversion standpoint, a few negative reviews aren’t going to ruin your Local SEO strategy, but responding to them can show prospective clients that you are willing to improve on their behalf.
Challenges for new law firms
Google Business Profile is a free tool for law firms that plays a critical role in online marketing success, but it can be challenging for new law firms to leverage. One pattern we’ve seen in recent years is difficulty getting a firm’s listing verified even though the address is legitimate.
Anecdotally, one possible reason for this is that if the business is new, Google won’t have as many (or any) external sources to corroborate the legitimacy of the location.
In this situation, the best path forward is typically to set up a few other core directories first, such as Bing and Yelp, plus legal-specific directories like Avvo, Jusita, HG, Martindale, etc. Fill them out completely and link them back to your website. Once they’re crawled (and ideally indexed), continue verifying and optimizing your Google listing. It’s not guaranteed, but it is an extra step you can take if Google is wary of granting a listing to a business it suspects may not exist.
Start your Local SEO journey with OneFirst
SEO takes time, but two of the first steps are a user-first website and a verified Google Business Profile listing. If you need a well-designed site that can convert readers after the first click, check out our complete guide to website design for lawyers or peruse our tested website design templates for lawyers.
