Contribution from our SPONSOR ZipBooks authored by Aubrey Milligan. Aubrey is a writer and marketer at ZipBooks.
It’s likely that the last time you were trying to figure out a new restaurant to go to for a girls night out, you used review websites like Google and Yelp to decide the ideal destination. Though online reviews are often associated with these kinds of service industries, as an attorney, your practice also provides services that people want to know about. Here’s how reviews (and other tricks) can help you grow your practice.
Full disclosure: ZipBooks does more than bookkeeping. We grow your online presence by generating customer reviews, improving your Google search results, and listing your business across maps, yellow pages and more. Mention Girl Attorney and get 10% off forever.
Reviews Make Your Practice Discoverable
People turn to Google (and Bing and Yahoo too . . . I guess) for pretty much everything nowadays–and researching a lawyer is no exception. If you want potential clients to find your practice’s website, you’ll need a good SEO (search engine optimization) strategy, which online reviews are an essential part of.
The more reviews you accrue, the more Google will favor your business and show it off in the earlier pages of the search results. The earlier you appear in search results, the more prominent your practice is online and the easier people can find you.
Reviews Inspire the Trust of Potential Clients
Your reviews may have helped you get noticed online, but the work doesn’t stop there. Businesses that have online reviews are more likely to be trusted by potential clients. According to one study, 73% of consumer respondents trusted a business that had positive reviews more than businesses that didn’t. Write all you want on your website about how great of an attorney you are, but unless you have the reviews to corroborate that claim, you may not be taken seriously.
Reviews Offer Valuable Feedback
Reviews inform potential clients about your practice but they also inform you about how your practice is perceived. Reviews from past clients can show you what you do well–and what may need some work. You have to know your weaknesses to improve them, so take the time to address the criticisms that you receive, either by reaching out to a miffed client or resolving more core issues. Use the review process as an opportunity to connect with your clients.
How You Can Get Reviews
Now you know reviews’ benefits, but how do you get reviews? The best way is to simply ask.
With a click of a button (or just set it on auto-pilot), ZipBooks will send an email or text message requesting a review from your clients, making the review process easy for you and your clients.
You can even install the ZipBooks widget that will automatically populate your website with the reviews you’ve received. No matter how you do it, gathering reviews is a simple and worthwhile way to help grow your practice.
If you want a hand in keeping your bookkeeping up-to-date, let us know. We’re happy to add a personal bookkeeper to your team — or just answer your questions. ZipBooks fully supports Girl Attorney, so check out our Girl Attorney special and get 10% off bookkeeping forever.
