How to Get Glowing Client Reviews for Your Legal Practice (in 5 Minutes or Less)
As a trial attorney, I know how important it is to have plenty of positive reviews from clients. It’s critical to building credibility and trust, and it gives potential clients and referrers the confidence they need to choose you.
Client reviews are also essential to making your listings shine on Google My Business and Local Pack. That means better visibility for you, which increases leads and calls from prospects.
Fortunately, you have the power to attract the positive reviews you need. I’ve found a simple method that’s helped me accumulate over 50 client reviews and counting. Best of all, the process is easy as pie—and it only takes about 5 minutes to do.
Why Positive Google Reviews Are So Important for Attorneys
Getting good reviews can make all the difference in the world. Here are just a few of the benefits they can bring you:
- A large percentage of people who are looking for a local attorney read these reviews. In fact, more than half of the people who contact me mention my Google reviews during our first discussion.
- Good reviews handle most of the “selling” for you. This helps your client conversations go much smoother.
- If your last review is from two years ago, people are going to wonder if you are still practicing. Fresh reviews establish professionalism and prove that you’re actively engaged and in-demand.
- Trust me: Potential clients will compare your reviews to those for other attorneys they are considering.
- Positive reviews provide great visibility in Google Search and Google Maps, two of the primary ways for potential clients to find you.
Good reviews combined with close proximity to the client’s search location gives you a strong advantage over other attorneys.
So how do you go about getting glowing client reviews from your clients? Here’s my step-by-step process.
1. Make Sure the Client Is a Good Fit
When I’m hoping to get a good client review, I always start by picking a client I already have a good relationship with. That’s the kind of person who is going to leave me the right review. (I’m always gauging this toward the end of a case.)
So ask yourself: “Which clients are most happy with me and my work?” There’s your best lead.
2. Ask The Client
When you meet with the client for a case recovery, ask them two questions:
- “Do you have a Google account?”
- “If so, would you be willing to write a review of your experiences working with me?”
The Google account is important because Google reviews always provide the biggest benefits. And since almost everyone has an account with Google these days, that’s rarely going to be a problem.
3. Make Leaving a Review Easy for Them
If the client is up for a review, go ahead and grab your computer right then and there and follow these steps:
- Have your client log into their Google account.
- Navigate to Google Maps, and find your practice. In my case, I’d search for “SiebenCarey
- Personal Injury Law” in the Lakeville, Minnesota area.
- Click on your listing to open it. (Note: If you don’t already have a listing, be sure to create one. There are plenty of step-by-step instructions and even videos explaining how to do it.)
- Scroll down in your listing until you see the “Write a Review” button. Click it.
- When the review form pops up, go ahead and click the fifth star for a 5-star review
- Turn the computer over to your client and ask them to type in their review.
- Once they’ve finished, just click the “Post” button in the bottom right corner of the popup form to post the review.
And that’s it! The whole process should take less than five minutes from start to finish, and most clients are more than happy to do it.
This method is much more reliable than asking them to submit a review from home, by email or by text message. From my experience, any time a client promises a review later, there’s about a 50/50 chance (at best) that they’ll actually follow through. This way, you know it’s going to happen.
Boost Your Visibility, Credibility, and Results with Better Google Reviews
I’ve used this exact method time and again, and as you can see by checking out my Google Maps listing, it works. By following these simple steps, you can strengthen your online presence in no time.
And if you’d like some more expert support, check out our done-for-you social media program for trial attorneys. At Let America Know, we’ve helped lawyers across the nation improve their online reputation and get out in front of potential clients and referrers.
We’ll be more than happy to tackle your internet marketing strategy so you can focus your attention on running a successful legal practice.