A reputation strategy for a law firm
What to own, what to monitor and what to ignore, for a practice where one page-one result changes who calls.
Own page one for the firm name and every partner name, keep directory profiles claimed and current, maintain a steady flow of compliant reviews, monitor for new results monthly, and remove what is genuinely removable rather than tolerating it. For a referral practice the objective is defensive: nothing on page one that stops a warm prospect calling.
Define the asset precisely
The asset is not a brand impression. It is the first page of results for a defined list of names: the firm, each partner, each practice area paired with the city.
Write that list down. Most firms have never enumerated it, and consequently monitor the firm name while a partner name quietly carries a problem.
Write down every name a prospect might search. That list is the asset.
What to own
- The firm site, ranking first for the firm name, with clear organisation and person structured data.
- Claimed and completed profiles on the directories that rank for your names.
- A current, credible review presence on Google above all, since it appears in the local pack.
- Individual professional profiles for each partner, controlled and current.
- Substantive content answering the questions clients actually ask, which is what gets cited by assistants.
What to monitor, and what to ignore
Monitor monthly: the name list, review profiles, and what two or three assistants say when asked about the firm and its partners. Watch page two, where next year problem is currently sitting.
Ignore: vanity metrics, social follower counts, and any platform that does not rank for your names. Effort spent on a profile nobody sees is effort not spent on page one.
Remove rather than tolerate
Firms are unusually tolerant of bad results, partly from a professional instinct not to appear thin-skinned. That instinct costs money in a referral practice, where the prospect simply does not call.
Where an item is a non-client review, a competitor attack, a stale directory entry or an outdated disciplinary record, it is frequently removable, and leaving it there is a choice. See how to remove a negative review of a law firm and reputation management for attorneys.
Common questions
Who should own this in the firm?
One partner with authority, supported by marketing. Delegating entirely to marketing fails because the confidentiality judgements require a lawyer.
How much should a firm spend?
Less than most expect if the work is removal and profile hygiene, and far more if it becomes an open-ended suppression retainer. Establish what is removable first.
Does content marketing help?
Yes, when it answers real client questions. It occupies page one for your names and is increasingly what assistants cite.
Find out if it can come down.
The scan is free and confidential. You get a viability answer on each item, a fixed price, and a timeline. Anything accepted and still published at 14 days is refunded in full.
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Working through this for a business? See Reputation management for attorneys.