The Importance of Client Reviews for Lawyers

The Importance of Client Reviews for Lawyers

Client online reviews have become so important for law firms today. People trust the opinions of past clients more, and these reviews are proving to be as valuable as regular advertising, even more. Potential clients first examine the client reviews of a law firm before deciding to do business with the firm.

No one wants to hire a law firm that won’t be able to provide them with the help they need effectively. Client reviews are the new word-of-mouth, written by past or current clients and posted on your official website, and sites such as Facebook, Google and Avvo. If you want to run a successful law firm, then you have to start prioritising client reviews. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of client reviews.

The Effects Of Client Reviews On Lawyers

1. It Influences Hiring Decision Your client reviews significantly influence a consumer’s decision to hire your legal services. Recent studies discovered that 97 per cent of consumers read online reviews as an essential part of their buying or hiring process, and 85 per cent trusted these reviews even more than recommendations from friends or family. This signifies that client reviews make a lasting impression on consumers, and gain you, new clients.

2. Competitive Edge Having positive client reviews gives you an edge over your competitors. If you have a larger per cent of bad reviews, consumers will opt for another lawyer to handle their legal issues. Even more, having no reviews at all is equally detrimental as no consumer wants to hire a court representation that is not experienced. Your reputation expands with each positive client review you get, and this further distinguishes you from your competitors.

3. SEO Boost Online client reviews appear in search engine results, and they have a great impact on search engine optimisation. A huge per cent of positive online client reviews will boost the SEO of your law firm. This is crucial, as based on Search Engine Watch reports, 90 per cent of customers choose a business that appears on the first page of their search results.

Positive client reviews are an essential marketing tool. They can powerfully move your law firm to the first page of Google search results, ignite your referral engine, and validate the decision of a potential client to hire your law firm.

4. Quality of your Service Client reviews also allow potential clients to see the quality of the services you offer.

They can determine the overall customer experience you provide from the client reviews.

Important Clients’ Reviews Sites for Lawyers As a lawyer, it is vital to have your client reviews on platforms that can enable you to reach as many potential clients as possible. First, these client reviews should appear on your website, but besides this, the majority of your client reviews should appear on review sites where search engines will direct your potential clients.

Google Reviews Google is the number one review site for consumers. It has a reputation as the number one reliable site for relevant content. Client reviews play a major role when a client searches for a lawyer in your locality.

There are surely several attorneys offering the same services in your area, and this is where the reviews come in. Positive client reviews will determine which law firm Google prioritises when a search is conducted. Google recognises the fact that ratings primarily influence consumers and that they are only interested in paying for the services of a law firm with a quality reputation. This is why the more positive client reviews you have on Google, the easier it is for potential local clients to locate you.

Facebook Reviews Facebook is a vital review site that plays a different role from Google. Potential clients search for a lawyer on Google, while they seek quality information about the lawyer they’ve found.

People go to Facebook to do a “branded search”, which means they are aware of who you are, and are now looking at your social media pages for more information about you. Facebook reviews provide these potential clients they need before contacting you.

Even though you have an effective combination of pictures, posts and videos, your Facebook page is not complete without detailed clients’ reviews.

Yelp and Avvo Reviews You can bolster your online presence by with Yelp. Meanwhile, Avvo is an impressive review site for you as it is an online marketplace specifically designed to enable lawyers to build their clientele. Potential clients who are familiar with the legal scene may go to Avvo directly, so ensure that you have great reviews of your law practice on the site.

How to get Reviews from Clients

It can be quite daunting to ask former or current clients for reviews. You don’t want to appear too pushy. The ideal course of action is to ask your clients for a review of your services immediately after you are done with the representation. This way, your services will still be fresh on the client’s mind, and he/she will be more receptive to giving you a review. You simply do this by sending a follow-up email after the termination of the contract.

Make it easy for clients to drop reviews by sending site links that can take them straight to where they can drop a review. A consistent flow of fresh reviews is critical to your success, so endeavour to always reach out to former clients for reviews.