| Updated: February 28, 2025
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Local SEO is one of the most cost-effective components of a law firm’s SEO strategy. When executed properly, it not only builds brand recognition but also attracts a significant number of potential clients.
But what exactly is local SEO for lawyers, and why do law firms invest thousands of dollars on local service ads or rank in Google’s local pack?
This guide will explain local SEO for lawyers, its key benefits, and how an effective local SEO strategy can enhance your law firm’s local presence.
Any lawyer or law firm owner with a basic knowledge of SEO understands the importance of local SEO and how it can quickly boost client acquisition and brand awareness.
Local SEO also helps establish your authority and enhances your law firm website’s EEAT. Google favors local services for location-based search queries and has reported a rise in searches with “near me” attached, highlighting the growing demand for local services.
The simplest definition of local SEO is that it helps your website or service rank higher for location-based search queries.
Location-based queries typically include keywords with a city or state name. People use these keywords to find products or services nearby.
Chances are, you’ve done this yourself—searching for phrases like “best steak joint near me” or “best steak joint in NYC” indicates local intent. The same applies when searching for gas stations, dentists, or other local services.
Attorneys can leverage this user behavior by optimizing their websites for local SEO & keywords. These keywords can trigger Google’s location-based or map results, driving more traffic to law firms’ websites in that area.
Your next potential client could be searching for “personal injury lawyer near me” or “divorce lawyer in NYC.” If your local SEO isn’t up to par, they’ll likely find your competitors in the local pack instead.
I searched for “Personal injury lawyer near me” from Yulee, Florida, and here are the Google results:
While it may seem that the local ads and PPC ads would receive the most clicks since they are positioned at the top, research suggests otherwise. Studies show that users with more experience using Google will likely avoid clicking on ads, preferring to trust organic results instead.
This makes the “Businesses” section with the local 3-Pack the most attention-grabbing area, as users perceive it as more credible and relevant to their search. Additionally, local SEO allows law firms to rank consistently in this local pack, whereas paid ads require a continuous budget.
The first and second law firms ranking organically have page titles that include the location name “Yulee.” The location is also strategically placed in the page content, meta title, and description. This is a prime example of how location-based pages boost local SEO, helping businesses rank higher for location-specific keywords.
Law firms can achieve long-term visibility and authority in their local market by focusing on local SEO and optimizing content with relevant location keywords.
Here is a list of activities you can do yourself to improve your law firm’s local SEO:
Here are the best law firm local SEO strategies that you make you stand out of the crowd without spending on ads.
A Google Business Profile is one of the most powerful tools for local SEO for lawyers and a key ranking factor for law firms.
The best part? It’s completely free and hosted by Google. This profile allows your law firm to appear prominently in local search results, often showing up on the right-hand side of SERPs when someone searches for your brand name.
Your Google Business Profile displays essential information about your law firm, including your name, phone number, website, office address, photos, and more. When optimized effectively, it can also help your law firm rank in the local pack for targeted keywords, increasing your visibility and attracting potential clients.
You’re missing out on potential clients if you haven’t created or claimed your Google Business Profile. Setting it up is quick and straightforward—just provide some basic information and complete a verification call.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile can significantly boost your visibility and help you appear in the local pack. Here are the essential steps to optimize your GMB for law firms in 2025:
Keep your profile updated with any changes to your business details, such as office locations, phone numbers, or website URLs. Posting updates, news, and articles can boost your search ranking, as Google values user engagement as a key ranking factor.
You can’t control the distance between the searcher and your business, as Google prioritizes nearby profiles that are highly relevant to the search keywords and well-known.
However, you can enhance your firm’s relevance and prominence by following the steps mentioned above. Focus particularly on step 4—adding relevant, location-based keywords to your GMB description to increase relevance.
Additionally, positive reviews attract clicks, so encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews, positively impacting your law firm’s local SEO.
By following the steps outlined to create and optimize your law firm’s GMB, you can significantly enhance local SEO. Once your Google Business Profile is fully optimized, the next step is to focus on ranking organically for relevant, location-based keywords.
The best strategy for ranking locally on competitive keywords is to include the city or town where your law firm is located. Google will promote your website in organic results if you conduct keyword research for law firms correctly and effectively.
The process requires basic knowledge of SEO tools knowledge. Let’s say you are a family law firm operating in Manhattan, New York.
You deal with divorce cases, child custody and support, spouse rights, alimony, etc. Now, add these keywords to SEO tools like Semrush or Ahref to find their search volume and discover related keywords that we can target.
Now, create a list of related keywords and add your location to it. For example, a divorce lawyer in Manhattan or a family law firm in New York.
These tools will provide valuable data on search volume (SV) and keyword difficulty (KD) for each keyword. SV indicates how often a keyword is searched monthly, while KD shows how competitive it is to rank for that keyword, considering the existing domains already ranking for it.
Analyze the keywords by balancing high search volume with manageable keyword difficulty to identify the best opportunities for your website. If you are a new law firm, I recommend targeting less difficult keywords to build credibility and quick rankings.
Once you’ve finalized your keywords using SEO tools, the next step is to create or optimize content tailored to local search intent and relevant keywords.
The key to successful content creation for law firms is to write for people, not search engines. Focus on providing valuable, informative, and helpful content that genuinely benefits your readers. Ensure that your content is well-written, engaging, and error-free to build trust and credibility with your audience.
Create a strategic mix of content by targeting location-based, money-making keywords on landing pages to attract potential clients actively seeking legal services. For example, use keywords like “divorce lawyer in NY” or “child custody attorney in Miami” on service-specific landing pages.
For blog posts, focus on creating informative and educational content that addresses common questions and concerns. This could include topics like “How to file for divorce in New York” or “What to expect in a child custody hearing.” This approach helps build authority, engages your audience, and supports your overall SEO strategy.
Link-building for law firms from relevant and high-authority websites remains a powerful ranking factor that can make or break your local SEO strategy. To rank higher in local search results, it’s crucial to secure backlinks from local magazines, newspapers, and authoritative community websites.
However, most lawyers are too busy lawyering to focus on link-building. That’s where we come in. Let us handle your local SEO by building high-quality, relevant local backlinks.
Contact us today for a tailored local SEO link-building strategy. Within three months, you can start seeing improvements in your organic traffic.
Local legal directories are crucial in enhancing your law firm’s local SEO. Submitting your law firm to these directories offers two key benefits:
In addition, there are reputable national directories like Avvo, Lawyer.com, Yelp, Bing Places, and Yellow Pages that can drive traffic to your website.
Ensure that your business information is consistent across all profiles, as discrepancies in your name, address, or website URL can confuse both Google and potential clients. Also, explore industry-specific directories to showcase your law firm and attract more leads.
Make sure to only submit to credible and reputable websites to maintain your firm’s authority and trustworthiness.
Client reviews are one of the most influential factors in driving sales and service inquiries. In fact, research shows that products or services with five or more reviews have a 270% higher chance of being purchased compared to those with no reviews.
Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews for your law firm on platforms like Google Business Profile, Trustpilot, Clutch, and Facebook. Potential clients often research a law firm’s reputation before making a decision, and positive reviews can influence them in your favor.
Additionally, positive client feedback demonstrates your expertise in your legal practice area, establishing you as a trusted authority. This not only boosts your chances of acquiring new clients but also enhances your law firm’s EEAT, improving your overall lawyer local SEO.
You can leverage local ads and PPC for relevant and location-based keywords. This is not part of local SEO for lawyers but still has an impact on law firm revenue.
I believe Google Local Service Ads (LSA) are more effective than traditional PPC campaigns for law firms. While results can vary depending on the case, LSAs charge you for leads, not clicks, providing free branding for your law firm and enhancing your local SEO.
Additionally, new users receive a $500 credit when they sign up for Google LSA. You also have full control over your budget and can pause or adjust your ad spend at any time.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is a digital advertising strategy that allows you to promote your website and services on Google’s search results pages. Your website appears at the top of the organic results as a Sponsored listing, boosting brand visibility and attracting clicks.
However, PPC in the legal industry is highly competitive and costly. To see meaningful results, law firms typically need a minimum monthly budget of $10,000.
Legal Directory Ads are a form of online advertising that promotes your law firm on reputable legal directories such as Avvo, FindLaw, and Lawyers.com. These ads increase your firm’s visibility and attract potential clients by placing your profile at the top of relevant search results within the directory.
While Legal Directory Ads can effectively enhance brand awareness and generate leads, they can be quite expensive in the competitive legal space. To achieve noticeable results, it’s recommended to have a monthly budget of at least $5,000 to $10,000, depending on your practice area and location.
Local SEO is an essential component of a successful digital marketing strategy for law firms in today’s digital age. It not only boosts your online presence but also drives client acquisition through positive reviews and by showcasing your expertise and authority.
Google My Business is a key element of local SEO for lawyers, and every law firm should have a well-optimized GMB profile. It’s easy to create and manage, and the results can be highly rewarding.
In addition to GMB, I have outlined other effective local SEO strategies for lawyers, including:
With these strategies, you have everything you need to implement an effective local SEO plan for your law firm.
However, if you don’t have the time or expertise to execute these strategies, contact us today to discuss your local SEO needs, budget, and resources. Get a customized local SEO plan tailored specifically for your law firm—absolutely free.
I’m Micheal Clark, an experienced SEO consultant specializing in law firms and attorneys. With over seven years in SEO, I help legal professionals rank higher on Google, attract clients, and grow their practice. From technical SEO to local optimization and content strategy, I provide tailored solutions to dominate competitive legal searches.
