Page 14 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 1

5 Most Dangerous Google My Business Mistakes
Attorneys Make
BY TAYLOR MCARTHUR
Google My Business (“GMB”) is arguably the most powerful local citation that you can
acquire. In essence, it is THE search engine that majority of your potential clients will use to nd your law rm. If your GMB pro le is not complete or depicts incorrect information, you’re missing out on free business.
IF YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, YOU MAY BE LOSING OUT ON FREE BUSINESS!
Your GMB Knowledge Panel (“KP” A.K.A., the place that allows you to edit your business information) should provide vital information regarding your law rm to local searchers, such as address, practice areas, photos, and telephone number. It is your opportunity to convince a potential client that your law rm is THE law rm that they need to contact.
With that in mind, when was the last time you reviewed your GMB KP? If your answer is “longer than a month ago,” you need to do a quick audit of your pro le to ensure all of your information is added and cor- rect. You can do so easily by logging into your GMB KP Account. Once you are signed in, you can easily edit the information that is listed on pub- lic view.
If you are not consistently audit- ing your listing, you are providing a
bad user experience and as a result, you are hurting your chances of being found on local search... which, as an attorney, is one of the most invaluable lead generation tools you can utilize. If you are not avidly monitoring your listing, the below mistakes may pre- vent you from acquiring free business:
5 MOST DANGEROUS GOOGLE MY BUSINESS MISTAKES ATTORNEYS MAKE
1. UNCLAIMED LISTINGS.
If you do not claim your business listing, you cannot manage it. Fur- ther, you run the risk of unwanted edits and suggestions by your peers and competitors. In some cases, a user can suggest that your business is closed or has moved, and Google will likely accept that suggestion and close your listing completely! Moreover, your competition can claim the list- ing themselves and capitalize on your tra c.
By claiming your listing, you as- sume full control of your account. You can reply to reviews, edit your address, telephone number, website address, add photos and create local promotional posts that are visible to every local searcher.
e simplest way to assume your listing is by directly accessing the GMB Knowledge Panel. Select the op- tion to “manage now” and follow the steps to claim your business!
2. MISSING INFORMATION.
If you have already claimed your GMB listing, go ahead and conduct a quick audit to ensure your listing is not missing important information.
Important information to audit:
• Photos of your practice: Published by you AND your clients.
• Streetview Photos: Google will use a default streetview photo. If you are dissatis ed with their photo, upload your own.
• Map: Ensure the location displayed on the map is correct. Note: adding your map to your website will en- hance your local SEO ranking.
• Website Address: Open a new browser window, type in your site address. Once the site loads, make sure the URL that is rendered is identical to the URL listed on your GMB listing. (Ex: https vs http).
• Physical Address: Make sure it is identical to the address listed on your website.
• Reviews: Make sure you are re- sponding to both positive AND negative reviews.
• Hours
• Telephone number: MUST be iden-
tical to the telephone number listed
on your website.
• Questions and answers: Respond to
any questions and answers in the
Q&A section. • About Section
Auditing the above information is
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 11 NO. 1 14