Should Your Law Firm Solicit Reviews?

November 8 , 2017 | BY Matthew Stark

Law Firm ReviewsLaw firms have traditionally relied on word-of-mouth from their previous clients to get new ones through their doors. But in this digital age and cutthroat competition, it is difficult to stay competitive without opting for the modern way of word-of-mouth, i.e. online reviews.

Over the past few years, online reviews have influenced the way people develop a perception of a product or service, and law firms are no exception.

Since a lot is at stake in legal matters, potential clients consider it an important decision-making tool to establish trust and confidence in an attorney and their capabilities. According to a survey by Bright Local, about 84 percent of customers rely on online reviews, just like they do a personal referral or recommendation. Moreover, 90 percent of people read 10 or fewer reviews before they develop a perception regarding a business.

How Important are Online Reviews for a Law Firm?

Here are a few great reasons to consider soliciting online reviews from your existing and previous clients:

  • Increased Business: Perhaps the biggest reason why you should be taking online reviews seriously is that they attract customers to your law firm. By providing information to potential clients about your services and credibility through others’ perspectives, more people are likely to contact you to schedule an initial consultation with your law firm.
  • Improve Organic Traffic: Not only do they establish trust in your law firm, but online reviews are also great for your search engine rankings. Google, Bing, and other search engines tend to rank businesses with positive reviews, leading to higher organic traffic to your website.
  • Understand your Clients’ Needs Better: Through online reviews, you can get an idea of whether you are providing up-to-the-mark legal services. They also help you identify the areas where you need to improve that are highlighted by your clients, giving you an opportunity to efficiently and effectively resolve those issues and offer a better experience.
  • Clients Do the Marketing for You: If you get a handful of online reviews, they can create a positive impression on potential clients who are reading what others are saying about you. They work better than any other marketing campaign, as your satisfied clients are sharing a good experience they had with your law firm, benefitting your law firm in the short and long run.

Getting your Clients to Review your Law Firm

While some customers may leave a review without you having to ask for them, a majority of them will not. Here are a couple of ways to get online reviews from your satisfied clients:

  • Just Ask: You will be surprised to see how many clients will leave a review if you only just ask them. People who had a good experience with your law firm will be eager to right something nice about you, especially if you won a major settlement case for them.
  • Make the Process Easy: Most people will not go through the hassle of going to a review site, finding your law firm, and leaving a review. You should make the entire process easy for them by sending an email with links to your law firm profiles to different review sites.

Lastly, you can hire a lawyer marketing agency for online reputation management services to help you get reviews and manage them effectively. Contact FORWARD Lawyer Marketing today at (888) 590-9687 for more information.