This document discusses local web strategies for law firms. It explains that 97% of consumers search online for local businesses and outlines the local web ecosystem. It provides tips on how law firms can increase their visibility locally, such as claiming their Google My Business listing and getting citations from local directories, blogs and practice-focused sites. The document also discusses local search ranking factors like on-page, place page and off-site signals.

1. Local Web Strategies
for Law Firms
@Gyi Tsakalakis
Founder AttorneySync
Staff Writer Lawyerist
Also Blogging at gyitsakalakis.com
Discuss on Twitter with: #local4law

2. Overview
• Why the local web matters to law firms.
• An overview of the local web ecosystem.
• How to increase your visibility within the local web.
• Resources and tools for marketing your practice in the
local web.
• Questions & Answers.
@gyitsakalakis

3. Why Local?
Local Search Evolved – MDG Advertising
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4. Why Local?
97% of consumers search for local
businesses online.
- Google
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5. Why Local?
- GetListed.org
@gyitsakalakis

6. Why Local?
Keyword Local Monthly Searches (United States)
[chicago personal injury lawyer] 1300
[chicago personal injury lawyer] 1300
[chicago law firms] 1000
[chicago lawyer] 720
[chicago personal injury attorney] 590
[personal injury lawyer chicago] 590
[personal injury lawyer chicago] 590
[chicago personal injury attorney] 590
[chicago injury lawyer] 590
[chicago dui lawyer] 590
[chicago lawyers] 480
[chicago dui attorney] 390
[personal injury attorney chicago] 320
[personal injury attorney chicago] 320
[chicago personal injury lawyers] 320
[chicago attorneys] 320
[chicago car accident lawyer] 260
@gyitsakalakis

7. Why Local? It’s Free (well, sort of).
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8. You Can’t Pay Google
for Local Places Listings!
(at least not yet)
“Adding your listing to Google Places is free, and Google
doesn’t accept payment to include particular listings or sites in
our search results. However, we do offer locally-targeted
advertising through Google AdWords Express.”
- Google Places
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9. What “They” See
Online Marketing Landscape – GetListed.org @gyitsakalakis

10. Deriving Local Intent
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11. How Does Google Rank Local?
Local Search Ranking – Google YouTube Video
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12. How Does Google Rank Local?
1. Make sure your listing is complete and accurate.
2. Choose the most appropriate, specific categories for your
business.
3. Establish a strong, accurate presence on the web.
Google improves search results by aggregating information about
your business from all over the web. Make sure information about
your business on third-party sites is accurate, and try to contact
the respective site directly to correct any inaccurate information.
Encourage clients and colleagues to review your business by
clicking Write a review on the Place Page.*
*Check your state’s ethics rules!
@gyitsakalakis

13. NAP
Name - Represent your firm exactly as it appears in the
offline world.
Address - Use a precise, accurate address to describe your
firm’s location.
Phone - Provide a phone number that connects to your
individual office location as directly as possible, and provide
one website that represents your individual firm location.
@gyitsakalakis

14. Google Places Interface
@gyitsakalakis

15. No-No’s
Do not include marketing taglines in your business name.
Do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name field, unless they are part of your business
name.
Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your
business in the business name field.
Do not create a listing or place your pin marker at a location where the business does not physically exist.
P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations. If you operate from a location but receive mail at
a mail box there, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mail box or suite number
in Address Line 2.
Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple
accounts.
Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain your business’s physical location (e.g.
URLs, keywords).
Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or “refer” users to landing pages or phone numbers
other than those of the actual business.
Do not “stuff” entry fields with multiple categories. @gyitsakalakis

16. More No-No’s
Businesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a
single location, should not create a listing for every city they
service. Businesses that operate in a service area should
create one listing for the central office or location and
designate service areas. Learn how to add service areas to
your listing.
Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firms
and doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all of
their specialties. You may create one listing per practitioner,
and one listing for the hospital or clinic at large.
- Google Places Quality Guidelines
@gyitsakalakis

17. The #1 Rule: Consistency
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18. Prominence
Citations are defined as “mentions” of your business name and
address on other webpages, even if there is no link to your
website. An example of a citation might be an online yellow
pages directory where your business is listed, but not linked to.
It can also be a local chamber of commerce, or a local business
association where your business information can be found,
even if they are not linking at all to your website . You may also
see the term “web references” used on other websites—a
synonym for “citations”.
- GetListed.org
@gyitsakalakis

19. Local Search Ranking Factors
David Mihm’s
Local Search
Ranking Factors
@gyitsakalakis

20. On-Page | Place Page | Off-Site
• On-Page: On your actual website.
• Crawlable location information
• Site structure
• On-page optimizations
• Microdata
• Place Page: Information on your place page.
• Name
• Address
• Phone
• Categories
• Custom Attributes
• Off-Site: Signals from around the web.
• Citations
• Links
• Reviews / Ratings / Social Mentions
@gyitsakalakis

21. On-Page
• On-Page: On your actual website.
• Crawlable location information
• Site structure
• On-page optimizations
• Microdata
1. URLs
2. Title
3. Description
4. H1 & H2
5. Anchor Text
6. Alt Tags
7. Content
8. Footer – Name, Address,
Phone
@gyitsakalakis

22. Place Page
Place Page: Information on your place page.
• Name
• Address
• Phone
• Website
• Description
• Categories
• Custom Attributes
• Photos
• Videos
• Additional Information
• “Post”
• Offers
@gyitsakalakis

23. Off-Site
Off-Site: Signals from around the web.
• Citations
• Links
• Reviews
• Ratings
• Social Mentions
@gyitsakalakis

24. Where?
Where to Get Citations
to Improve Your Local
Search Engine Rankings
1) Local search engines
2) Local blogs
3) Locally-focused directories
4) Practice-focused directories or blogs
@gyitsakalakis

25. Third-Party Data Providers
Primary Data Providers – GetListed.org (.pdf)
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26. Third-Party Data Providers
Local Search Ecosystem – Get Listed.org (.pdf)
@gyitsakalakis

27. Pro Tips
1. 100% completeness.
2. 5 Google reviews.
3. DOUBLE sets of average-review stars with
hReview microformat.
4. Add photos to major third-party sites.
5. “Post" to your Places page with link.
6. Reply to reviews.
- Whitespark.ca Blog
@gyitsakalakis

28. Competitive Intelligence
Where and how are your
competitors (that are appearing
prominently in local results)
getting links, citations, and
mentions?
@gyitsakalakis

29. Local Citation Finder
Whitespark – Local Citation Finder @gyitsakalakis

30. Custom Attributes
“While this data may not appear on the Place Page, this information
continues to help our system understand more about your business
and ensure your organic listings appears and ranks appropriately on
Google and Google Maps when potential customers perform searches
related to your business.”
- Google
@gyitsakalakis

31. A Brief Word on Paid Search
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32. Getting Help
• Who have they worked with? Law firms?
• What (specifically) are they going to do?
• Where (specifically) are they going to build citations & links?
• When can you quit if you’re not seeing results?
• Why are they doing what they propose?
• How will you measure the results?
• Trusted Providers
@gyitsakalakis

33. Further Reading
• 25 Local Law Firm Web Marketing Strategies
• Google Places Custom Attributes for Law Firms
• Google Webmaster Tools for Local businesses
• Google Places Support
• GetListed.org
• Mihmorandum
• Mike Blumenthal’s Blog
• Local SEO Guide
• WhiteSpark.ca Local Citation Finder
• Localeze
• Yext
@gyitsakalakis

34. Thank You!
Got Questions?
Short on time?
You can also email me questions at:
gt@attorneysync.com
@gyitsakalakis