§ 02 Why this vertical
Why law firm SEO is different
The local-SEO fundamentals are universal, but what actually wins cases for a firm is specific. The audit and the work both account for it:
- The highest-value clicks in local search. A single case can be worth thousands to six figures, and legal keywords are the priciest in PPC. Ranking organically captures that intent without the per-click bill.
- Practice-area intent. Clients don't search "lawyer." They search "DUI attorney," "personal injury lawyer near me," "family law attorney [city]." Your profile and site need to map to your exact practice areas.
- Reviews and trust signals decide it. People hiring a lawyer are anxious and skeptical. Review volume, recency, and thoughtful responses move both ranking and whether they call you or the firm above you.
- Beatable competition. Many firms over-rely on LSAs and PPC and neglect organic and their Google profile. That's the opening to own the map pack.
§ 03 Sample
What your audit looks like
Roughly a one-page report built on your real numbers and your three closest local competitors. Below is the format, yours will be specific to your numbers and the businesses competing with you for top-3 visibility.
Where you're losing high-value clients
- Review volume: 28 reviews vs the top-3 average of 110+. For an anxious, high-stakes decision, review count drives both ranking and the call.
- Local pack position: #6, off the map pack for your primary practice area, where the highest-intent searches happen.
- Practice areas unmapped: your profile says "law firm" but not "personal injury," "family law," or "criminal defense", so you miss the searches that match your best cases.
Three levers that would move the needle
- Review velocity system: a structured ask at case close plus a response on every review, closing the gap to the top-3 count.
- Practice-area-mapped profile + posts: services and weekly GBP posts targeting each practice area by name.
- Citation + NAP cleanup: consistent name/address/phone across legal directories like Avvo, Justia, and FindLaw that Google cross-checks.
§ 04 System
How this works
The recurring work agencies bill $2,500 to $5,000/mo for, review monitoring, weekly posts, rank tracking, citation cleanup, reporting, is mostly repetitive. Software does repetitive well; strategy still needs a human. Here's the split.
1
Week 1
Audit + setup
You take the 5-minute self-audit. I review it personally and reply within 24 hours. If we work together, week one maps your practice-area keywords, baselines your reviews and citations, and sets your brand voice.
2
Daily, ongoing
Automated delivery
Review monitoring with drafted responses, GBP posts in your voice, rank tracking, competitor scans, citation building, all on schedule. Your tier sets the cadence.
3
Before publish + monthly
Human review + reporting
Nothing publishes without my review first, important for your bar advertising rules. On the 1st you get a real report: rank changes, review delta, what moved, what's next.
§ 05 AEO + GEO
Built for how people search now
More and more, customers don't scroll, they ask Google's AI or an assistant for the best law firms near them and trust whatever it answers. That new layer has a name, AEO and GEO (Answer and Generative Engine Optimization), and it runs on the same signals as the map pack: your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and consistent business data. I tune for both, so you're the one that gets found and recommended, not just ranked.
Live rankings
See where you rank right now
I publish live Google Map Pack rankings for law firms across 100+ U.S. markets, who owns the top three spots, their ratings and review counts, and who's stuck below the fold. Find your city and see exactly where you stand today.
§ 06 Engagement
Plans & pricing
Flat monthly, month-to-month, no contracts. Same plans as everything else I do.
Starter
$1,000/mo
- Daily review monitoring + drafted responses
- 2× weekly GBP posts (Tues + Thurs)
- Monthly progress report (1st of month)
- One-time citation cleanup across 30-40 directory sites in your first 30 days
- Rank tracking on your top practice-area keywords + alerts
Start Starter, $1,000/mo →
Standard
$1,500/mo
- Everything in Starter
- 3× weekly GBP posts (Mon + Wed + Fri)
- Bi-weekly competitor scan with specific actions
- Quarterly keyword expansion (5 new practice-area long-tails every 90 days)
Start Standard, $1,500/mo →
Full retainer
$3,000/mo
- Everything in Standard
- 5× weekly GBP posts (every weekday)
- Weekly content briefs + 2 SEO blog posts/month (1,500-2,500 words)
- Bi-monthly reports (1st + 15th)
- Monthly 30-min strategy call
Talk to Jonathan →
Month-to-month. Cancel anytime. No setup fees.
§ 07 Answers
Law firm SEO FAQ
How is this different from Google LSAs or PPC?
LSAs and PPC charge per lead or click and stop the moment your budget does. Map-pack rankings are owned and compound over time, they capture the same high-intent searches without the per-click bill. They work best running alongside paid, not instead of it.
We handle multiple practice areas, can you rank us for all of them?
Yes, prioritized. We map each practice area to your profile services and content and start with your highest-value, most-winnable areas, then expand. The audit shows which are realistic in your market.
Bar advertising rules are strict, is review collection compliant?
Yes, done carefully. We never solicit prohibited testimonials, and every response is generic and drafted for your approval before it posts. You keep control of the ethics line.
How fast will I rank for a competitive area like personal injury?
Competitive metros for PI take longer; suburban and secondary practice areas move faster. Most map-pack gains land in 30 to 90 days. You'll get a realistic, area-by-area timeline in your free audit.
Do you only work with law firms?
No, the same playbook works for any local service business. But legal is a vertical I work in often, so the audit understands practice-area intent and the LSA/PPC landscape. See the main page →
§ 08 Start here
Start with the audit
No call, no contract, no pitch. Tell me about your business and I'll send back exactly where you rank, your three biggest gaps, and a 60-day plan, usually within 24 hours.
