In today’s internet-driven marketplace, there is nothing more important than a strong presence online. For law firms, this means ranking in Google’s 3-pack – the map boxes at the top of local search.
Those in need of a law firm will be looking for firms in their local area, so it is vital that you are easy to find online. If you are not ranking in Google’s 3-pack, you will be losing potential clients to your competitors. This means fewer cases, lost revenue, and missed opportunities. The good news is that the 3-pack is not set in stone, and there are a few tips and tricks you can use to wrestle control back from your competitors. Interested? Let’s get started.
The Importance of the 3-Pack
First, you need to understand what the 3-pack is and why it is so important for law firms. Essentially, this feature in Google Search results displays the three most relevant and prominent local business listings for a location-based search query. The listing displays the business’s position on a map, along with key details such as name, telephone number, and opening hours.
Essentially, this means that the 3-pack shows a potential client everything they need to get in touch with the business. If you do not appear in the 3-pack, the user will have to dig deeper to find your business. When potential clients need the services of a law firm, they want fast results and will trust Google’s ranking. This means that the 3-pack is where the battle for local clients is lost or won.
Why Your Competitors Are Winning
So, why are your competitors currently winning the Google 3-pack battle? This could be for a few different reasons, but here are a few of the most common:
Lack of GBP: Google Business Profile (GB), formerly Google My Business (GMB), is your most important digital asset. If you have not filled out or optimized your profile, you are leaving the door open for your competitors.
Low GBP Engagement: GBP engagement, including clicks, calls, and website visits, is a hugely influential ranking factor. If your competitors are generating engagement and you are not, you will struggle to break into the top 3.
Lack of Reviews: Reviews are another heavily influential ranking factor. Google favors businesses with high review volume, velocity, recency, and rating. This means that if your competitors are consistently receiving 5-star reviews and you are not, then they will outrank you and develop a stronger reputation.
Proximity: The physical distance between the searcher and the business is another factor. While there isn’t much that can be done to control this, you can define your service zones to improve visibility.
Our Plan to Reclaim the 3-Pack
We have a proven strategy to help you reclaim your position in the Google Search 3-Pack. These are the steps involved:
Audit & Optimize GBP
First, you should audit and optimize your GBP. As mentioned above, we consider this to be your most valuable digital asset as it has a huge impact on visibility while also providing users with key information about your firm. Follow these steps to optimize your GBP:
- Make sure business details are accurate and consistent across all listings
- Choose relevant primary and secondary categories (such as family law attorney or car accident attorney)
- Add service areas strategically
- Create a business description that naturally integrates high-performing keywords
- Upload high-quality and relevant images
Use Our Review Growth System
Google Reviews can be a secret weapon that builds credibility, impacts your Maps ranking, boosts LSA performance, and increases conversion rate. It is not always easy to obtain reviews, but we have a proven review growth system that will help you turn clients into local trust signals.
Our system involves reviewing your calls every week, ensuring that everyone receives a perfectly written text, and utilizing an app that sends out reviews to all callers of the law firm. Our system has delivered game-changing results, such as one firm that saw growth from just 20 reviews to over 150 in as little as six months.
Be Active
Google will also look at how people interact with your GBP, not just what is on it. This is why activity is another key consideration that can make all the difference to your position.
You can improve your ranking by creating a steady stream of high-quality, relevant content and sharing via the GBP “Posts” feature. This can include industry news, business updates, case studies, how-to guides, and any other kind of content that your target audience will find valuable.
The Q&A section is another useful section that can be optimized. Add any frequently asked questions you get or you can think of, and answer them in plain, client-friendly language. You can also naturally integrate keywords into the questions and answers to improve visibility.
Another way to demonstrate activity and encourage engagement is to post regular visual content. This can include new office photos, team pictures, and short videos – this will keep your profile fresh while also humanizing the brand and building trust with your target audience.
Use Linkbuilding
Finally, you can use link building as a way to improve your search engine ranking. Essentially, this involves obtaining links from relevant, credible, and local sources to your website. There are a few effective ways to build your backlink profile, including registering with directory listings, guest posting, niche edits, and creating high-quality, shareable content.
It is also smart to monitor your backlink profile and remove links from spammy websites (this is something Google is cracking down on). You should also ensure that your website’s on-page signals, such as schema and location pages, support your GBP.
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation
Presence in the Google 3-pack can make all the difference to the success of your law firm in the internet-driven age. If you are currently not ranking in the 3-pack, you are losing out on clients to your competitors. Fortunately, there are ways to reclaim the 3-pack and leapfrog the competition.
If you want to see how we can help your business dominate the 3-pack and succeed online, contact us for a free consultation. We will conduct a scan of your rankings and send the results to you within 24 hours.
