What are Listings?

 

Have you heard of a listing but don't understand the role it plays for your law firm? Then you are in the right place. Let us clarify first what business listings are. Listings are digital tools containing simple yet essential details about your firm. In other words, listings are how clients discover your firm online plus find your office in real life.

 

Seems straightforward, but what "simple yet essential" information is needed for a business listing? Think NAP+W.

 

(N) Name

(A) Address

(P) Phone 

+

(W) Website

 

While this uncomplicated acronym (NAP+W) is a good jumping-off point, your listing shouldn't contain only these four bits of detail.  Clients need to be drawn in by your listing, stimulating them to dig deeper and learn all they can about your firm.  Including more information such as services available, partner bios, and operating hours gives clients the detail needed to make a mindful decision.

 

Do Listings Really Drive in New Clients?

 

It's all about how you create and manage your listings. Do you think your listing can stimulate results if a client can't find it online? Or even worse, if your listing has erroneous information? No!  

 

Luckily, businesses like yours have many options to create the needed visibility for your listings. You can start with search engines (Bing, Google), but make sure to work your way onto social media (LinkedIn, Twitter) and online directories (El Paso Law Firms, Yelp) as well. It becomes simple for clients to find your law firm online with all the available listing options.

 

Now that your law firm is visible online, it's time to ensure it's free from errors on every published site. This uniformity facilitates branding for your law firm, helping you achieve the expected results.

 

Ok, My Listings are Visible and Error Free. Is that it?

 

As we mentioned, it's also about how you manage this process. You cannot simply create all your listings and then leave them unattended. You must make sure to actively manage each listing, especially as details of your law firm change over time. It only takes ONE error for clients to doubt your firm's reliability.

 

Why are Listings Important?

 

Let's move to why visible and error-free listings are important for your law firm.  

 

Delighted Verses Displeased Clients

 

Draw in clients by providing easy-to-find, reliable business listings.

 

Business listings with erroneous information can lead to uncertainty.  Uncertainty can push potential clients towards your competition.

 

Really? Take a second to "think like the client." If you drove to the address on the law firm listing and found no office, would you feel delighted? No, you will feel displeased. Worse, you may start to question the law firm's capabilities. Maybe you are now thinking about how they would handle your case's smaller (but potentially more important details) if they are unable to update a minor (but crucial detail), such as their address?

 

With uniform and error-free listings, you can turn a negative review into a positive first impression for your client. And why wouldn't you want that?

 

Including Reviews in Your Listings is a Must

 

Growing your law firm's reputation and brand requires a solid approach to client reviews.

 

Consider reviews as the doorway to your law office. Reviews create a helpful awareness for you, but your responses can also benefit your clients. These benefits include a comprehensive look at your law firm, so clients can make mindful decisions when selecting an attorney. Not to mention, reviews create another channel for your law firm's visibility.

 

What Role Do Search Engines Play?

 

Each online review and listing creates backlinks. In turn, these backlinks help boost the search engine rank of your firm.

 

SEO may seem complex, but it is a great way for law firms like yours to market themselves. Optimizing your SEO rank can be achieved by ensuring uniform and error-free listing management. Consequently, your law firm's optimized SEO rank directly impacts your visibility, thus stimulating results.