Law firms market in the same places as any other business: their website, Google’s search and map results, paid ads and, sometimes, social media. The difference is that lawyers work under their own professional conduct rules for advertising, on top of the rules Google and the FTC apply to everyone. A marketing plan for a Chicago law firm has to start from those rules, not add them at the end.
Marketing Company Chicago is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work.
Attorney advertising rules come first
Lawyer advertising is governed by professional conduct rules for attorneys, and those rules can affect what a website, an ad or a social post may say. This site does not set them out or give legal advice. Before anything runs, check the rules that apply to your firm with your bar and a lawyer who knows them, and ask any agency how it reviews its work against them and who signs off.
Ask before you sign
Ask an agency whether it has worked with law firms before, how it handles the rules on lawyer advertising, and whether the firm approves every page, ad and post before it goes live.
Practice-area pages
People search for a kind of lawyer, not a law firm in general. A page for each practice area lets that page answer one kind of search in depth: what the area covers, what a first conversation involves, what to bring, and the questions people ask. Google says its ranking systems are designed to prioritize helpful, reliable information created to benefit people, and that is the standard to write to. Avoid copying the same page for every suburb; Google’s spam policies call that doorway abuse.
Google Business Profile for a firm
- The firm’s real name. Google says the name should reflect the business’s real-world name, as on the door, website and letterhead, without keywords such as a practice area added.
- The most specific category. Use as few categories as possible to describe the core business.
- One profile per office. Google says not to create more than one page for each location.
- The real address. Keep the office address on the profile.
Paid search and Local Services Ads
Search ads put a firm in front of people searching now, through Google’s auction. Google’s Local Services Ads bring leads as phone calls and messages, and the advertiser pays only for leads related to its business. Google also says that regularly failing to answer calls or respond to messages may affect the ad’s ranking, so intake matters as much as the ad. Check eligibility for your practice area and location in Google’s Local Services Ads sign-up.
Reviews, inside every set of rules
Reviews on a firm’s profile are read closely. Google’s Maps policy bans paid reviews, incentives for reviews and asking only happy clients. The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews, incentives tied to a particular sentiment, and undisclosed reviews by the firm’s own officers or managers. Professional conduct rules may add more. Ask clients for honest reviews, offer nothing for them, and check the professional rules first.
What a law firm marketing proposal should include
- How the agency reviews work against attorney advertising rules, and who approves it.
- The practice areas it would build pages for, and the searches each targets.
- The state of the firm’s Google profile and what it would fix.
- Whether paid search or Local Services Ads fit, and how intake will be tracked.
- That the website, profile and ad accounts are in the firm’s name.
Planning marketing for a Chicago firm? Tell us what you need and an independent marketing agency can prepare a written proposal.
For search in general, see what an SEO company Chicago owners hire should do. For the profile, see local SEO Chicago.
Questions people ask
Are there special advertising rules for lawyers?
Lawyer advertising has its own professional rules. This site does not set them out or give legal advice: check with the bar and a lawyer before anything runs.
Can a law firm use Local Services Ads?
Check eligibility for your practice area and location in Google’s Local Services Ads sign-up.
Can we add our practice area to the firm’s name on Google?
Only if it is part of the firm’s real-world name. Google says not to add keywords to the business name.
Can we offer something to clients for a review?
No. Google bans incentives for reviews, and professional rules may add more limits.
Should a law firm hire an agency that only works with lawyers?
Not necessarily. What matters is that the agency knows how to work within attorney advertising rules, follows Google’s policies, and lets the firm approve everything before it goes live. Ask for examples of its previous work for professional firms.