Maximize Online Reviews To Grow Your Firm

Like so many things these days, we turn to online reviews to help us make purchasing decisions. Whether it's to pick a specific hotel or which attorney to hire, online reviews are key. In the U.S., those searches are predominantly done on  Google. In fact, in the U.S. in the month of September 2021, 88% of searches used Google. Overall, 93% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase (or hiring) decision. So put those things together and you guessed it, Google Reviews is the top online review resource used and trusted.  Whether it's Yelp or Facebook, #2 and #3, the same standards apply. Suffice it to say, your firm must have an online review page, preferably in Google. Put our suggestions to work to optimize the growth of your firm using online reviews.

Rating Targets

Not all online reviews are positive, just like everything else in the world. But for online reviews to help you grow your firm, a minimum rating of 3.3 stars is required. Of course, your firm should aim for higher. In fact, a rating of at least 4+ stars is key. But don't go for that 5-star rating. Consumers tend to not trust those ratings when they are so nearly perfect. 

If you already have an online review site, great. If you don't and are just starting out, be patient. Those 5-star reviews and the typical and expected 2-star ratings take a while to compile. The key is getting enough reviews and ratings, and keeping them current. But more about that below. In a recent study, 89% of individuals said law firms should have between 4-stars and 4.5-stars for them to consider hiring that firm. Suffice it to say, that's the target. Anything outside of that range limits potential client interest.

Increased Confidence

For potential clients, trust with your law firm is increased after reading online reviews, presuming your rating is high enough. How important is confidence for the potential client? As you may imagine, it's fairly critical. 92% of individuals are more likely to purchase or hire after reading a trusted review. 

Trusted Reviews

So, what does a trusted review look like? A few elements are key here.

• Timely - Generally speaking, reviews should be recent, within the last 2 months at the longest. 
• Reliable source - Trickier to manage, of course. The goal here is for actual past clients to post their reviews. If you see a spammy review or something posted by someone who you haven't worked with, ask the review site to take down that review. Remember, you cannot disclose whether that reviewer was a client or not. Simply ask the review site to take it down. 
• Authentic - Obviously, the reviews need to be from actual clients. It's never a good idea to try to game the system... it will backfire. 

So, how do you get these trusted reviews? Ask! Make it part of the process after a case is closed. Even better, give yourself time to course-correct during a case by asking clients how it's going, with feedback for your firm only. That way if the client has needs or issues during the case, you can at least be informed if not make some corrections while the rest of the case processes. 

Google Reviews allows entities to ask their clients to post reviews. Yelp does not. But there are ways you can encourage clients to post to Yelp without asking. 

Active Review Page

We already mentioned the importance of keeping reviews semi-current, or at least as current as possible. It's a good idea to respond to reviews, too. If the review is a good one, and the user specifies something that they found particularly helpful, like feeling informed, you can reinforce that strength in your response, something along the lines of taking pride in keeping clients informed throughout their case. If the review is negative, well, that's different. The ABA issued guidance for online review management in January 2021.  They suggest law firms do not reply to negative reviews. The key, if you choose to reply, is to maintain confidence and move forward with offering to discuss their issue offline. Now, it's critical that if you reply with that statement, which we recommend, that you actually follow up. Pick up the phone and call that client. If they don't answer, send an email or use whatever communication method you used during their case. 

Share Your Ratings and Page

Make sure you have a link to your review page on your website. Make it easy to find. Include it in the firm's signature line. Be sure to add it to the law firm or attorneys' online profiles and biographies. Include the link on all of the firms' social media platforms. You get the idea... spread that far and wide. Make it easy for that 93% of consumers who read online reviews before deciding to hire. If they can't find your review site easily, they will move on to the next law firm that makes it easy. 

And show your personality a little, too. Let's say you are near a threshold number of reviews, like 200 or 300 or the like. Put that out there on social. Make it fun and thank your clients who have submitted reviews in your post. Always remember that without clients, your firm doesn't exist. So thank them when you can.

The importance of online reviews is only growing. Make it easy for clients to give their reviews. And celebrate and learn along the way. Remember, those negative reviews serve to remind you that no matter how good you are, there are ways to improve. Be open to critical feedback and savor the good ones, too. It's all about balance and making sure your firm's online review is trustworthy.