When it comes to succeeding in the Internet age, attorneys must put themselves in their clients’ shoes. How do people find the legal representation they need to get their case resolved? Where are they searching and what new technologies are they using?
Over the years, Google has consistently updated their search engine to cater to consumers and help them find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible—and that means attorneys need to be proactive about staying up to date, aligning their online marketing strategies with the trends and innovations they see on Google.
The Rise of Voice Search
One of the fastest-rising trends of the past few years has been voice search. Modern consumers want convenience, and smart speakers’ explosion in popularity, combined with the ubiquity of smart assistants on mobile devices, has made a wealth of information available without having to lift a finger. According to Search Engine Land, 70% of people say they’ve already incorporated voice search into their daily lives, and 78% believe they’ll use voice search more than desktop or mobile search in the next 5–10 years.
With millions of voice-enabled smart speakers already in Americans’ homes and new devices constantly hitting the market, the time is now to take voice search seriously if you want your firm to stay a step ahead of the competition.
Optimize Your Firm for Voice
A survey by BrightLocal shows that 58% of people are using voice search to find information about local businesses, highlighting the importance of making sure your firm is front and center for potential clients who prefer it. There are a number of ways to optimize your online presence for voice search, but one of the simplest and most effective is getting approved to run Local Services Ads.
We’ve talked about the advantages that LSAs provide, as well as how to get your firm approved to run them, in the past—but in case you’re not familiar with them, here’s a quick rundown.
LSAs appear at the very top of the search results page and give potential clients at-a-glance information about your firm: your review score, years of experience, and contact information. They also give searchers the opportunity to get in touch directly from the ad and are more efficient than traditional pay-per-click ads, due to the fact that you’ll only be charged when someone actually calls your firm.
On top of all of these benefits, LSAs also make your firm more visible in voice searches. This is because Google Assistant pulls results directly from LSAs to create its list of results when someone makes a search that’s relevant to your firm.
Your Google My Business profile is also an important piece of your visibility in voice searches. The more accurate and up-to-date your profile is, the more useful and relevant it is to potential clients—and like we mentioned above, Google is always looking for ways to help consumers find the information they’re looking for as conveniently as possible. Having a robust profile is especially important for “near me” searches, so make sure yours includes your hours of operation, photos of your office, and anything else that might be relevant to potential clients.
Beyond Google’s products, your website is an important piece of your online strategy if you want to boost your firm’s visibility in voice searches. Consumers search via voice differently than they do while typing:
A typical text search might look something like this:
“Best accident attorney near me”
Whereas voice searches are typically more “conversational.”
“Who can I talk to if I’ve been injured in an accident?”
Therefore, it’s important to tailor your search engine optimization and advertising strategies to longer, more specific searches like these. You should also consider adding content to your website, such as blog posts or a frequently asked questions page, that cover common topics and help your potential clients quickly gather the information they need about finding an attorney that can help them navigate their unique situations.
How Scorpion Can Help
From your online listings to your website content, Scorpion can help you build a comprehensive online strategy that will make you more visible to potential clients—no matter how they’re searching for legal help.
Our all-in-one platform makes it easy to manage your firm’s information across the web, ensuring your information is accurate, your profiles include all the necessary details, and that your online reputation is as strong as possible. It also gives you transparent information about how potential clients are finding your site, providing valuable insights about the keywords and types of content you should focus on to improve your search rankings.
Using cutting-edge technology that gathers data from across the web, we also give your firm a personalized growth analysis—a rundown of the strongest points of your digital presence, the areas you should focus on strengthening, and how each component stacks up to other attorneys in your area. A growth analysis reveals your unique opportunities for increased success and lays out a step-by-step plan for reaching your revenue goals as efficiently as possible.
If you’re interested in getting your firm’s free growth analysis, just click here. If you have any questions about how Scorpion can help you attract more clients with a strategy that adapts to current trends, please feel free to reach out to me directly by emailing Ben.Fiandaca@Scorpion.co
