AI Local SEO: A Guide for Lawyers to Increase Client Inquiries
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·6 min read
Table of Contents
AI Local SEO: A Guide for Lawyers to Increase Client Inquiries
I. Introduction
Like many other professions, the legal profession must change and adjust to digital advances with innovations like Artificial Intelligence and Local SEO. These advances provide opportunities for lawyers to digitize practice management and make research easier. Local SEO can also bring them increased online visibility within their area.
Gone are the days when lawyers relied solely on word-of-mouth. With Local SEO, attorneys and law firms anywhere can reach potential clients searching online for legal services. This will allow them to be able to attract more clients with the help of AI and Local SEO in order to remain relevant in our digital age.
II. Understanding AI and Local SEO
Local SEO is an important strategy to help law firms become more prominent in local search results on search engines. This is particularly important for attorneys; most law firms do business locally with immediate customers in their local geographical area.
Local SEO consists of tactics like having your firm's name, address, and phone number listed in a consistent way on your website and other online legal directories and location-specific legal keywords optimized on your website's content and metadata.
Local SEO helps attract clients to specific geographical locations; it will help improve the visibility of law firms on local search results.
It is the process of making law firms and attorneys visible in local search through tactics such as the consistent listing of contact information and legal and location-specific keyword optimization.
AI can greatly improve these Local SEO strategies by automating and optimizing a range of tasks. For example, AI can help with keyword research because it can analyze a vast amount of search data to identify legal keywords that can be most effective for your firm. It can also help with content optimization by analyzing your website and suggesting improvements that can improve your local SEO on both your Google Business Profile and your website. By implementing AI and Local SEO, law firms can effectively reach prospective clients who are searching online for legal services in their area.
III. Local SEO Keywords for Lawyers
Here are some examples of Local SEO keywords specifically for lawyers:
Keyword | Intent |
"Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a lawyer in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Family Lawyer" | Users are looking for family law services in a specific location |
"Criminal Defense Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a criminal defense lawyer in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Divorce Lawyer" | Users are looking for a divorce lawyer in a specific location |
"Personal Injury Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a personal injury lawyer in a specific location |
"Small Business Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a lawyer specializing in small business law in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Immigration Lawyer" | Users are looking for an immigration lawyer in a specific location |
"Estate Planning Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a lawyer specializing in estate planning in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Bankruptcy Lawyer" | Users are looking for bankruptcy law services in a specific location |
"Workers' Compensation Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a workers' compensation lawyer in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Intellectual Property Lawyer" | Users are looking for an intellectual property lawyer in a specific location |
"Real Estate Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a real estate lawyer in a specific location |
"Civil Rights Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a civil rights lawyer in a specific location |
"[Location Name] Employment Lawyer" | Users are looking for an employment lawyer in a specific location |
"Corporate Lawyer in [Location Name]" | Users are looking for a corporate lawyer in a specific location |
As you can see, to rank higher than competitors you could choose a specific niche and location: for example, “Corporate Lawyer in Minneapolis” or “Divorce Lawyer in Las Vegas”
Notice how the first result has “Divorce Lawyer” in their business title and thus they have chosen the niche and location!
Thus, you should consider what keywords will help you rank and the more specific and niche, the better it is at the start!
IV. Optimize your Business for Local SEO with AI
Now that we know the importance of local SEO keywords, let’s look at ways you can optimize your local business (your Google Business Profile and Website) for local SEO keywords.
1. Choose the right local SEO keywords
It's crucial to select the right local SEO keywords that your potential clients might use to search for your services. Use keyword research tools to identify these terms, and consider the intent behind each keyword.
You want to go for local SEO keywords that are specific to your local business and separate you from the competitors. This may often be very niche, specific keywords like “Criminal Defense lawyers in Las Vegas”
2. Consider having keywords in your GBP title
Having relevant local SEO keywords in your Google Business Profile (GBP) title can improve your visibility in local search results.
Notice how so many of the top results have “Criminal Defense” in their title
3. Verify Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) Information on GBP
It's essential to ensure that your law firm's name, address, and phone number are accurate and consistent on Google Business Profile / Google My Business and all other online platforms. This practice helps search engines identify your law firm as a legitimate business committed to providing excellent service to clients, boosting your local SEO significantly.
A law firm should, at the very least, clearly list an appropriate name, full address, phone number, website, services offered, and hours of operation on Google Business Profile and other platforms.
Our platform, LocalPanda, allows law firms to leverage AI to manage local SEO through Location & Listings management, Smart Weekly AI tasks, Reviews, AI Panda Chat, and many other features!
We’ve also extensively discussed how to optimize your law firm's Google Business Profile with AI.
4. Optimize Your Law Firm's Website for Local SEO Keywords
Optimize your law firm website for local SEO keywords.
You understand what potential clients are looking for and then address those queries on your website.
It could be landing page copy, frequently asked questions, service pages, or success stories of clients—any kind of content that helps your potential clients understand the value that your law firm brings.
And don't forget to include the local SEO keywords in the content of your website, meta tags, and URL structure. This will help the search engines understand your law firm's location and the services it offers. This should improve your visibility in local search results.
5. Get reviews from customers
Having more reviews and especially positive reviews can greatly enhance your business's credibility on Google Business Profile and other platforms and improve your local SEO.
In addition to getting positive reviews, the number of reviews, recency of reviews, and replies to reviews also matter tremendously in ranking. Thus, you need a process for getting regular reviews from customers and it’s recommended to use software to automate the process of review management. Our platform LocalPanda enables you to get reviews on autopilot and leverage AI to respond to reviews, in addition to managing your local SEO with Location & Listings management, Smart Weekly AI tasks, AI Panda Chat and many more features!
Encourage your clients to leave reviews on your GBP and respond to these reviews in a timely manner.
6. Get citations from legal websites
Citations are NAP (name, address, phone number, website etc.) mentions of your law firm on websites related to your niche, for example, legal directories that would list you as a service provider.
There are general citation websites and industry-specific citation websites. Here are some examples of general citation websites:
- Google Business Profile
- Yelp
- Bing Places
- Apple Business Connect
- HereMaps
- BrownBook
Here are some examples of legal industry specific websites:
- FindLaw
- Avvo
- Justia
- LawInfo
- Nolo
Citations from reputable legal websites can boost your local SEO. These references to your law firm should include your NAP information and, if possible, a link to your website.
7. Create posts about your local business
Regular posts about your services, events, or offers can keep your GBP fresh and relevant. This can improve your visibility in local search results.
You can create regular posts about updates, offers and events pertaining to your local business on Google Business Profile (GBP) and other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
8. Create a blog
A blog can be a great platform for sharing useful information and showcasing your expertise. By including local SEO keywords in your blog posts, you can improve your visibility in local search results.
For blogs, you want to ensure that you are answering your customers’ / clients’ questions related to your local business.
VI. Conclusion
In conclusion, the integration of AI and Local SEO has become indispensable in today's digital landscape, particularly for law firms. These technologies can amplify online visibility and enhance operational efficiency, which is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the legal industry.
Thus, it's a wise strategy for law firms to incorporate AI and Local SEO into their business models to stay current and ensure continued success in their field.
If you’re interested in learning about how to grow local SEO for specific industries, we’ve written at length about it:
AI Local SEO for Dentists