Step by Step Guide to Tracking Local SEO Performance for Law Firms

Tracking your local SEO helps you see what’s working and what needs to be fixed. You can use free tools to start measuring your progress right away. This guide will cover the key steps to monitor your law firm’s online visibility and improve your local search rankings.

1) Set up Google Business Profile account

Creating a Google Business Profile is a key step for law firms to boost their local SEO. Start by going to the Google Business Profile website and clicking “Manage now” to begin the process.

Enter your law firm’s name and choose the right category, such as “Law firm” or a specific practice area. Add your office address and service areas if you serve clients at their locations.

Next, input your phone number and website URL. Make sure this info matches what’s on your website to avoid confusion.

Choose how you want to verify your business. Google usually sends a postcard with a code to your office address. You can also verify by phone, email, or instant verification in some cases.

While waiting for verification, fill out your profile. Add your business hours, services, and a detailed description of your law firm. Use keywords related to your practice areas.

Upload high quality photos of your office, team, and logo. These help potential clients get to know your firm better.

Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on your profile. Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, in a professional manner.

Keep your profile up to date. If your hours change or you offer new services, update this info promptly.

A well maintained Google Business Profile helps your law firm show up in local searches and attract more potential clients.

2) Claim and optimize local citations

Local citations are mentions of your law firm’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites. They help boost your local SEO performance.

Start by claiming your Google Business Profile. This is a free listing that shows up in Google Search and Maps. Make sure all your information is correct and up to date.

Next, find and claim listings on other popular sites like Yelp, Facebook, and legal directories. Check that your NAP info matches exactly across all platforms.

Use data aggregators like Foursquare to submit your information to multiple directories at once. This saves time and helps ensure consistency.

Look for industry specific citation opportunities. For law firms, this might include local bar association websites or legal review platforms.

Keep your citations current. If your firm moves or changes phone numbers, update all listings promptly.

Add photos, business hours, and service descriptions to your citations when possible. This extra info can help potential clients find you more easily.

Monitor your citations regularly. Remove any duplicate or incorrect listings you find. This keeps your online presence clean and trustworthy.

Remember, quality matters more than quantity. Focus on getting citations from reputable, relevant sites rather than trying to get listed everywhere.

3) Use local SEO tools like BrightLocal

BrightLocal is a powerful tool for tracking your law firm’s local SEO performance. It offers several features to help you stay on top of your rankings and visibility.

With BrightLocal, you can monitor how your firm appears in local search results. This includes tracking your position for important keywords related to legal services.

The tool also lets you manage your online listings across various platforms. This helps ensure your firm’s information is accurate and consistent everywhere it appears online.

BrightLocal’s review monitoring feature is valuable for law firms. It allows you to keep an eye on what clients are saying about your services across different review sites.

You can use BrightLocal to analyze your competitors too. This gives you insights into their SEO strategies and helps you find ways to improve your own.

The Local Search Grid feature is particularly useful. It shows you how your firm ranks for different keywords across a specific geographic area.

BrightLocal also offers reporting tools. These help you create easy to understand reports on your local SEO progress. You can use these to track improvements over time.

By using BrightLocal regularly, you can identify areas where your local SEO needs work. This allows you to make targeted improvements to boost your firm’s online visibility.

4) Track keyword rankings using Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a powerful tool for tracking keyword rankings. To get started, enter your law firm’s website into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer.

Next, navigate to the Rank Tracker feature. Here you can add the keywords you want to monitor for your local SEO efforts.

Make sure to include location specific keywords like “divorce lawyer in [city name]” or “personal injury attorney [state]”. These are crucial for local search visibility.

Ahrefs will show you where your website ranks for each keyword in Google’s search results. It also provides data on search volume and ranking difficulty.

You can see how your rankings change over time. This helps you spot trends and measure the impact of your SEO work.

The tool also lets you compare your rankings to competitors. This gives you insights into where you stand in the local legal market.

Pay attention to the “SERP” dropdown for each keyword. It shows the top 10 search results along with helpful SEO metrics.

These metrics include Domain Rating, URL Rating, and the number of backlinks. They can guide your strategy for improving rankings.

Remember to check your rankings regularly. Monthly or bi-weekly checks are usually sufficient for most law firms.

By consistently tracking your keyword rankings with Ahrefs, you’ll gain valuable insights to refine your local SEO strategy.

5) Analyze user behavior with heatmaps

Heatmaps are a powerful tool for tracking local SEO performance for law firms. They show you where users click, scroll, and spend time on your website.

To use heatmaps, install tracking software on your law firm’s site. This software will gather data about user interactions.

Click heatmaps reveal which parts of your pages get the most clicks. This helps you see if important elements like contact forms or practice area links are getting attention.

Scroll heatmaps show how far down your pages users typically scroll. This tells you if people are seeing all your content or leaving before reaching important information.

Mouse movement heatmaps track where users move their cursors. This can indicate areas of interest, even if users don’t click.

Use heatmap data to make informed decisions about your website layout. Move important elements to “hot” areas where users look and click most often.

Pay attention to areas that get little interaction. Consider removing or improving these sections to make your site more engaging.

Heatmaps can also help you spot usability issues. If users are clicking non-clickable elements, it might mean your design is confusing.

Compare heatmaps before and after making changes to your site. This will show you if your updates improved user engagement.

Remember to analyze heatmaps for both desktop and mobile versions of your site. User behavior often differs between devices.

6) Measure local search impressions in Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a powerful tool for tracking your law firm’s local SEO performance. It shows you how often your site appears in search results for specific queries.

To measure local search impressions, log into your Search Console account. Go to the Performance report and select the Search results tab.

Look for the Impressions metric. This tells you how many times your site showed up in search results. Filter the data to focus on local searches related to your law firm.

You can see which queries are bringing people to your site. Pay attention to location based searches like “[your city] lawyer” or “[your state] attorney.”

Check how your impressions change over time. An increase means more people are seeing your site in local search results. This is a good sign for your local SEO efforts.

You can also compare mobile and desktop impressions. This helps you understand how people are finding your law firm online.

Use the Average position metric to see where your site ranks in search results. A lower number is better, as it means you’re closer to the top of the page.

By tracking these metrics regularly, you’ll get a clear picture of your law firm’s visibility in local search results. This information can guide your SEO strategy and help you improve your online presence.

7) Check online reviews on platforms like Yelp

Online reviews play a big role in local SEO for law firms. Yelp is a key platform to keep an eye on. Many people use it to find and evaluate local businesses, including law firms.

Make it a habit to check your Yelp page often. Look at your overall rating and read new reviews. Pay attention to what clients are saying about your services.

Respond to reviews in a professional way. Thank people for positive feedback. If you get a negative review, address the concerns politely. This shows you care about client satisfaction.

Encourage happy clients to leave reviews on Yelp. More positive reviews can boost your local SEO. They also help potential clients trust your firm more.

Keep your Yelp profile up to date. Make sure your contact info, office hours, and services are correct. Add photos of your office and team to make your profile more appealing.

Watch how your Yelp rating changes over time. If it goes up, your local SEO efforts are likely working well. If it goes down, you may need to improve your client service.

Compare your Yelp presence to other law firms in your area. This can give you ideas for improvement. It also helps you stay competitive in local search results.

8) Track call tracking data

Call tracking is a key part of measuring your law firm’s local SEO success. It helps you see which marketing efforts lead to phone calls from potential clients.

To start, pick a call tracking service that fits your needs and budget. Many options exist, like CallRail or CallTrackingMetrics.

Set up unique phone numbers for different marketing channels. This includes your website, Google Business Profile, and any ads you run.

When someone calls these numbers, the tracking system logs it. It records details like the caller’s location, call duration, and which marketing source led to the call.

Look at your call data regularly. Pay attention to which channels bring in the most calls. Also note the quality of these calls are they from potential clients or just general inquiries?

Use this info to adjust your marketing strategy. Put more effort into channels that bring high quality leads. You might scale back on those that don’t perform well.

Remember to update your call tracking numbers if you change service providers. This ensures you don’t miss any important data.

By tracking calls, you can see how well your local SEO efforts translate into real world results for your law firm. It’s a vital tool for measuring and improving your marketing ROI.

9) Monitor social media engagement

Social media plays a big role in local SEO for law firms. Keep track of how people interact with your posts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Look at the number of likes, shares, and comments your posts get. This shows how interested people are in what you’re sharing.

Check how many new followers you gain over time. Growing your social media audience can help boost your local visibility.

Pay attention to which types of posts get the most engagement. Use this info to create more content that resonates with your local audience.

Look for mentions of your law firm on social media. Responding to these can help build relationships with potential clients in your area.

Use social media analytics tools to track your performance. Many platforms offer built in insights that can help you understand your local reach.

Compare your social media engagement to other law firms in your area. This can give you ideas for improvement and show where you stand in the local market.

By monitoring your social media engagement, you can better connect with your local community and improve your law firm’s online presence.

Understanding Local SEO Metrics

Local SEO metrics help law firms track their online visibility and effectiveness in attracting nearby clients. These metrics show how well a firm ranks in local searches and how often people interact with its online presence.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Google Business Profile views are a key metric. They show how many times people see your firm’s listing in Google Search and Maps. More views mean better visibility.

Click through rate (CTR) is also important. It measures how often people click on your listing after seeing it. A high CTR suggests your listing is appealing to potential clients.

Local rankings track where your firm appears in search results for key terms. Aim for the top spots to get more clicks.

Reviews are crucial. Track both the number and average rating. More positive reviews can boost your local SEO and attract clients.

Tools for Tracking

Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how your website performs in search results. It reveals which keywords bring people to your site and how often your pages appear in searches.

Google Analytics helps you understand website traffic. It shows where visitors come from and what they do on your site.

Local SEO tools like BrightLocal or Moz Local offer more detailed tracking. They monitor your rankings, track citations, and compare your performance to competitors.

Your Google Business Profile dashboard provides insights on views, actions, and customer interactions. Use it to see how people find and engage with your listing.

Analyzing Website Traffic

Website traffic analysis provides key insights into how users find and interact with your law firm’s site. Monitoring these metrics helps optimize your local SEO efforts and improve your online presence.

Organic Search Traffic

Check how many visitors come to your site from search engines. Look at which pages get the most organic traffic. This shows which content performs well in search results.

Track keywords driving traffic to your site. Focus on local search terms potential clients use. See if people find you when searching for lawyers in your area.

Use Google Analytics to see which cities visitors come from. This helps target your local SEO efforts. Pay attention to traffic changes after updating your content or Google Business Profile.

Bounce Rates and Session Duration

Bounce rate measures how often visitors leave after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may mean your content isn’t relevant to searchers.

Look at average session duration to see how long visitors stay on your site. Longer visits often mean more engaged users.

Compare bounce rates and session duration for different pages. This shows which content keeps visitors interested. Use this data to improve underperforming pages.

Check if mobile users have higher bounce rates. If so, make sure your site works well on phones and tablets.

Evaluating Local Search Rankings

Tracking your law firm’s local search rankings helps you understand how visible you are to potential clients in your area. Regular evaluation lets you spot trends and make improvements.

Google Business Profile Rankings

Check how your law firm appears in Google’s local search results. Look at your position in the “Local Pack” the top 3 local listings shown on search results pages. Track changes in your ranking over time for key search terms like “lawyers near me” or “[practice area] attorneys in [city]”.

Pay attention to your Google Business Profile listing details. Make sure your name, address, and phone number are correct. Keep your hours, services, and photos up to date. Ask happy clients to leave reviews, as these can boost your ranking.

Competitor Analysis

Compare your local search rankings to other law firms in your area. Make a list of your top local competitors. Track their rankings for the same keywords you target. Look at how they appear in local search results.

Check out their Google Business Profiles. What information do they include? How many reviews do they have? See what they’re doing well that you could apply to your own efforts.

Use SEO tools to dig deeper into competitor strategies. Look at their backlink profiles and website content. This can give you ideas to improve your own local SEO.