May 12, 2025 • 10 mins
Do Online Directories Still Matter for Law Firms?
Ready to stop leaving clients on the table? This eye-opening episode tackles the overlooked power of online directories for law firms in today's digital landscape. While many attorneys dismiss directories as outdated marketing tools, we reveal why they remain critical components of your visibility strategy—even in the age of AI.
Discover the "Local Trinity" of law firm SEO: your website, Google Business Profile, and directory presence. We break down how these three pillars work together to establish your digital authority and why directories continue to show up prominently in search results—often ranking above actual law firm websites.
Cut PPC Costs Instantly (Free E-Book)
Subscription link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/965479/subscribe
Visit: Legal Marketing 101 Youtube
For more, visit rosenadvertising.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:05):
Do online directories still matter for law firms and
are they worth it?
Welcome to Legal Marketing 101.
I'm Toby Rosen.
Today, we are digging intoonline directories.
They're those listings youprobably set up five years ago.
You haven't touched since, andwe've talked about local SEO a
lot.
We are diving into the thingabout local SEO that I think
really matters the most.
(00:27):
So do these listings stillmatter today?
Are they worth the money?
And yeah, obviously, the shortanswer is yes, but it's really
only if you're strategic,especially when it comes to the
paid stuff.
If you have these profiles,though, that you haven't touched
since 2018, you are probablybleeding SEO power somewhere and
missing out on clients.
(00:47):
So let's get this out of theway up front.
I just said it, but, yes,online directories still matter.
Even in the age of AI, theyseem to still matter a lot, and
no, this isn't the leftoveradvice from 2012.
They are not dead, and they'renot just for solo firms that are
trying to scrape together somebottom level visibility.
In fact, if you're ignoringdirectories today, there's a
(01:09):
good chance you are leaving alot of SEO value, and that means
actual clients on the table.
Here's the big picture.
When it comes to local SEO forlaw firms.
There's a local trinity thatGoogle pays attention to.
We've talked about this before,but this is your website, your
(01:29):
Google business profile and yourlegal directory presence.
These three pillars worktogether to tell search engines
who you are, what you do andwhere you do it, and directories
play a really key role inreinforcing that information.
One reason is because ofsomething called citations.
We've talked about this before.
I'm really just regurgitatinginformation.
You've already heard, but itseems like it hasn't sunk home,
because I keep running auditsand finding terrible situations
(01:50):
and that's not the point.
But these citations are not thelegal kind.
They're the SEO kind.
These are the mentions of yourbusiness name, address and phone
number across trusted sites.
That's what we call the NAPinformation name, address and
phone.
When your NAP is consistentacross Avvo, justia, finelaw,
superlawyers and all of theseother sites Yelp, foursquare
(02:11):
there's a million of them itsends really strong signals to
Google, both on the local andjust on the search level, and
this helps you show up higher inGoogle Maps and near me
searches, but we're also seeingit work really well for AI.
It's like putting your businesscard in all the right places
and making sure that all of yourbusiness cards match, never
having one version that has onephone number and one that has
(02:32):
another.
But even beyond, seo directoriesshow up in search a lot.
You've probably seen ityourself.
You Google divorce lawyer inDallas and before you even get
to an actual firm website,you're hit with listings from
lawyerscom, avvo, thumbtack whatis the other one, not Glassdoor
, that's for offices Nextdoorand probably half a dozen others
(02:55):
.
That means if you're notoptimizing those listings, your
competition can and they'regoing to show up where your
website isn't.
And then let's not forget,there is the human side of all
of this.
Even if a potential clientfinds you through a referral, or
Google or Facebook or whatever,there's a decent chance that
they're still going to pop yourname into a directory like Avvo
(03:17):
or Justia just to check you outa little bit.
And it's not always conscious.
People are just wired to do alittle bit of extra research
before they fully commit tosomething that could be
expensive.
And when they land on ahalf-filled profile with no
photos, no reviews, a defaultbio, well, that just doesn't
scream trust.
But on the flip side, a profilethat's dialed in, complete with
(03:37):
a sharp headshot, thoughtfulbio, a few reviews, maybe, maybe
even a peer endorsement.
Some of those sites offer that.
This reinforces yourcredibility.
It tells the client this personis not only legitimate and that
other people trust them, butthat you can too.
The bottom line here is thatdirectories are still a really
critical part of your onlinefootprint.
(03:57):
Ignore them and you'reinvisible when people and search
engines are actually lookingfor you.
So let's talk money, becausethat's the only way I can really
keep your attention, and thereality is not all directory
listings are created equal andnot all of them deserve your
budget.
So, first things first.
You should always claim andfully optimize the major free
(04:18):
listings that are available toyou.
This at the top of the list isGoogle Business Profile, avvo,
justia, finelaw, superlawyers,lawyerscom, yelp, maybe the US
News site, if that's still freea bunch of these options, and
even your Facebook page for yourfirm.
These are the baseline tools.
There are yes, there arehundreds of other directories
and the free ones are great touse.
(04:38):
You can build up more links,you can build up more local SEO
juice, and even if you're not afan of Yelp or you feel like
super lawyers feels more like apopularity contest.
Look, leaving these profileshalf finished is a missed
opportunity.
Free real estate is free realestate.
But when it comes to a paiddirectory listings, we need to
get a little more tactical.
(04:59):
This is not something I doevery day, not being tactical,
but paying for directorylistings, paying for a profile,
is really only worth it If thedirectory is actually going to
do some of this heavy liftingfor us.
So a good rule of thumb if thelisting ranks well for our main
practice area and city combo inour Google searches, then it's
interesting.
So, for an example, if you're apersonal injury attorney in
(05:22):
Tampa and you're seeinglawyerscom showing up
consistently spot three, spotfour, always on page one for
searches like Tampa PI lawyer,tampa personal injury lawyer,
whatever it is, that's a signthat maybe it is worth the
investment.
But it's also important toreally track whether you're
getting measurable traffic orleads from these paid listings,
especially because we can put adollar amount on those leads.
(05:44):
And this is where tools likeGoogle Search Console and GA4,
yeah, they're helpful, butreally you want to be sending
stuff into your CRM.
So if you can track it that way, that's the ideal scenario If
your directory profile issending you a steady stream of
visitors to your site or, betteryet, actually converting into
phone calls form fills, thenthat's a green flag.
Go ahead.
(06:05):
But another thing to watch for,especially when it comes to the
paid stuff, because some ofthese sites like to bundle a
little bit in.
Something to look out for isSEO perks.
Some directories include dofollow backlinks, which are
really good for boosting yoursite's authority, and some offer
bundled services like some kindof ads management, enhanced
review features, or I've heardAvos tell you they'll put you at
(06:26):
the top of every page.
No matter what things like that, if the package includes a
bunch of benefits that actuallyalign with your marketing goals,
then yeah, it could bejustified, it might make sense.
But here's the key Don't justthrow cash at every directory
that promises visibility,because that's what they do.
They promise visibility.
Be a smart spender.
(06:46):
Check the rankings, monitoryour referral traffic.
Make sure you're actuallygetting some value and not just
a fancy badge on the website.
I know those are fun, but assomeone who has to install those
on websites, it doesn't matter.
Okay, so I'll back off a little.
Let's talk about how we actuallydeal with this.
You've claimed your freeprofiles.
You've figured out which paidones are actually worth the
(07:07):
money.
Now what do we do?
How do you squeeze every bit ofvalue out of these directories?
This is where a lot of firmsfall kind of flat.
They claim a listing, they fillout the basics and then they
move on.
But if you want real ROI, youhave to treat these profiles
like living, breathing marketingassets.
So first is the foundation.
This is your NAP, your name,address and phone number.
(07:29):
It must be 100% consistentacross every directory, and I
mean down to the suite numberand the punctuation, because if
Google sees suite S-U-I-T-E 200on one site and S-T-E dot 200 on
another, it can create a littlebit of algorithmic confusion,
which I wouldn't say.
It dings your local SEO power.
(07:50):
But it's not ideal.
And yeah, is this boring?
Yes, very, and it takes a lotof work.
That's why we offer a servicefor it, but it is absolutely
critical.
Next, make sure your profileslook sharp.
Don't just settle for the text.
Add some photos of the team,the office, the logo and, if the
directory allows videos, uploada quick intro client
(08:12):
testimonial clip.
Think of each of thesedirectory pages as mini landing
pages for your firm, becausethey could be.
The more visual and moreengaging it is, the more likely
people are to trust you and thento reach out, and here's a
trick most firms skip.
Ask for reviews on thedirectories that actually
perform best for you.
Yeah, everyone focuses onGoogle and, yes, it's crucial.
(08:32):
You have to do it, sure, but ifAvvo is working well for you,
or Lawyerscom or US News,whatever it is, ask people to
leave reviews and make it ahabit to send those happy
clients a direct link to leave areview there too.
Social proof works everywhere,not just on Google.
Finally, keep your contentfresh and targeted.
(08:52):
This isn't something we'regoing to go into because it's a
kind of long statement, but mostdirectories allow you to write
a little description or listyour practice areas, and Google
has like an updates or newssection.
You can rotate in new contenton these and whenever you're
trying to work on something newor bring in new clients in a
specific arena, you can rotatein the types of cases that you
(09:13):
want more of.
You want to build the mediationpractice.
Make sure mediation is frontand center.
First sentence If you want tobring in more high asset divorce
clients, say so and be clearabout it.
This helps the directoriesmatch your profile to the right
searches, and that's just.
If it matches, it's good forall of us.
I don't know how many ways I canexplain this, so the final
takeaway from all of this is acouple of things, but the big
(09:36):
one is that directories aren't aone and done deal.
With a little bit of effort,they're going to quietly deliver
this steady stream of trust andvisibility and, at the end of
it, clients, but only if youkeep them fresh and focused.
There's really something thathas to happen here to make sure
that you're actually engagingwith the system and not just
letting it run, becausedirectories are still relevant,
(09:59):
but they only really help if youuse them right.
They are the basis of our webof trust, of our visibility and
the core of a lot of our SEOpower.
But, as you know, seo isn't myfavorite game and in some of our
next episodes we're going to betalking about PPC, we're going
to be talking about tracking and, of course, we are going to be
talking about AI and how can youuse it more effectively in your
(10:21):
practice, not only to draftdocuments and, you know, create
text but how can you start usingit today to actually get things
done?
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvertisingcomfor more Thanks.
Do online directories still matter for law firms and
are they worth it?
Welcome to Legal Marketing 101.
I'm Toby Rosen.
Today, we are digging intoonline directories.
They're those listings youprobably set up five years ago.
You haven't touched since, andwe've talked about local SEO a
lot.
We are diving into the thingabout local SEO that I think
really matters the most.
(00:27):
So do these listings stillmatter today?
Are they worth the money?
And yeah, obviously, the shortanswer is yes, but it's really
only if you're strategic,especially when it comes to the
paid stuff.
If you have these profiles,though, that you haven't touched
since 2018, you are probablybleeding SEO power somewhere and
missing out on clients.
(00:47):
So let's get this out of theway up front.
I just said it, but, yes,online directories still matter.
Even in the age of AI, theyseem to still matter a lot, and
no, this isn't the leftoveradvice from 2012.
They are not dead, and they'renot just for solo firms that are
trying to scrape together somebottom level visibility.
In fact, if you're ignoringdirectories today, there's a
(01:09):
good chance you are leaving alot of SEO value, and that means
actual clients on the table.
Here's the big picture.
When it comes to local SEO forlaw firms.
There's a local trinity thatGoogle pays attention to.
We've talked about this before,but this is your website, your
(01:29):
Google business profile and yourlegal directory presence.
These three pillars worktogether to tell search engines
who you are, what you do andwhere you do it, and directories
play a really key role inreinforcing that information.
One reason is because ofsomething called citations.
We've talked about this before.
I'm really just regurgitatinginformation.
You've already heard, but itseems like it hasn't sunk home,
because I keep running auditsand finding terrible situations
(01:50):
and that's not the point.
But these citations are not thelegal kind.
They're the SEO kind.
These are the mentions of yourbusiness name, address and phone
number across trusted sites.
That's what we call the NAPinformation name, address and
phone.
When your NAP is consistentacross Avvo, justia, finelaw,
superlawyers and all of theseother sites Yelp, foursquare
(02:11):
there's a million of them itsends really strong signals to
Google, both on the local andjust on the search level, and
this helps you show up higher inGoogle Maps and near me
searches, but we're also seeingit work really well for AI.
It's like putting your businesscard in all the right places
and making sure that all of yourbusiness cards match, never
having one version that has onephone number and one that has
(02:32):
another.
But even beyond, seo directoriesshow up in search a lot.
You've probably seen ityourself.
You Google divorce lawyer inDallas and before you even get
to an actual firm website,you're hit with listings from
lawyerscom, avvo, thumbtack whatis the other one, not Glassdoor
, that's for offices Nextdoorand probably half a dozen others
(02:55):
.
That means if you're notoptimizing those listings, your
competition can and they'regoing to show up where your
website isn't.
And then let's not forget,there is the human side of all
of this.
Even if a potential clientfinds you through a referral, or
Google or Facebook or whatever,there's a decent chance that
they're still going to pop yourname into a directory like Avvo
(03:17):
or Justia just to check you outa little bit.
And it's not always conscious.
People are just wired to do alittle bit of extra research
before they fully commit tosomething that could be
expensive.
And when they land on ahalf-filled profile with no
photos, no reviews, a defaultbio, well, that just doesn't
scream trust.
But on the flip side, a profilethat's dialed in, complete with
(03:37):
a sharp headshot, thoughtfulbio, a few reviews, maybe, maybe
even a peer endorsement.
Some of those sites offer that.
This reinforces yourcredibility.
It tells the client this personis not only legitimate and that
other people trust them, butthat you can too.
The bottom line here is thatdirectories are still a really
critical part of your onlinefootprint.
(03:57):
Ignore them and you'reinvisible when people and search
engines are actually lookingfor you.
So let's talk money, becausethat's the only way I can really
keep your attention, and thereality is not all directory
listings are created equal andnot all of them deserve your
budget.
So, first things first.
You should always claim andfully optimize the major free
(04:18):
listings that are available toyou.
This at the top of the list isGoogle Business Profile, avvo,
justia, finelaw, superlawyers,lawyerscom, yelp, maybe the US
News site, if that's still freea bunch of these options, and
even your Facebook page for yourfirm.
These are the baseline tools.
There are yes, there arehundreds of other directories
and the free ones are great touse.
(04:38):
You can build up more links,you can build up more local SEO
juice, and even if you're not afan of Yelp or you feel like
super lawyers feels more like apopularity contest.
Look, leaving these profileshalf finished is a missed
opportunity.
Free real estate is free realestate.
But when it comes to a paiddirectory listings, we need to
get a little more tactical.
(04:59):
This is not something I doevery day, not being tactical,
but paying for directorylistings, paying for a profile,
is really only worth it If thedirectory is actually going to
do some of this heavy liftingfor us.
So a good rule of thumb if thelisting ranks well for our main
practice area and city combo inour Google searches, then it's
interesting.
So, for an example, if you're apersonal injury attorney in
(05:22):
Tampa and you're seeinglawyerscom showing up
consistently spot three, spotfour, always on page one for
searches like Tampa PI lawyer,tampa personal injury lawyer,
whatever it is, that's a signthat maybe it is worth the
investment.
But it's also important toreally track whether you're
getting measurable traffic orleads from these paid listings,
especially because we can put adollar amount on those leads.
(05:44):
And this is where tools likeGoogle Search Console and GA4,
yeah, they're helpful, butreally you want to be sending
stuff into your CRM.
So if you can track it that way, that's the ideal scenario If
your directory profile issending you a steady stream of
visitors to your site or, betteryet, actually converting into
phone calls form fills, thenthat's a green flag.
Go ahead.
(06:05):
But another thing to watch for,especially when it comes to the
paid stuff, because some ofthese sites like to bundle a
little bit in.
Something to look out for isSEO perks.
Some directories include dofollow backlinks, which are
really good for boosting yoursite's authority, and some offer
bundled services like some kindof ads management, enhanced
review features, or I've heardAvos tell you they'll put you at
(06:26):
the top of every page.
No matter what things like that, if the package includes a
bunch of benefits that actuallyalign with your marketing goals,
then yeah, it could bejustified, it might make sense.
But here's the key Don't justthrow cash at every directory
that promises visibility,because that's what they do.
They promise visibility.
Be a smart spender.
(06:46):
Check the rankings, monitoryour referral traffic.
Make sure you're actuallygetting some value and not just
a fancy badge on the website.
I know those are fun, but assomeone who has to install those
on websites, it doesn't matter.
Okay, so I'll back off a little.
Let's talk about how we actuallydeal with this.
You've claimed your freeprofiles.
You've figured out which paidones are actually worth the
(07:07):
money.
Now what do we do?
How do you squeeze every bit ofvalue out of these directories?
This is where a lot of firmsfall kind of flat.
They claim a listing, they fillout the basics and then they
move on.
But if you want real ROI, youhave to treat these profiles
like living, breathing marketingassets.
So first is the foundation.
This is your NAP, your name,address and phone number.
(07:29):
It must be 100% consistentacross every directory, and I
mean down to the suite numberand the punctuation, because if
Google sees suite S-U-I-T-E 200on one site and S-T-E dot 200 on
another, it can create a littlebit of algorithmic confusion,
which I wouldn't say.
It dings your local SEO power.
(07:50):
But it's not ideal.
And yeah, is this boring?
Yes, very, and it takes a lotof work.
That's why we offer a servicefor it, but it is absolutely
critical.
Next, make sure your profileslook sharp.
Don't just settle for the text.
Add some photos of the team,the office, the logo and, if the
directory allows videos, uploada quick intro client
(08:12):
testimonial clip.
Think of each of thesedirectory pages as mini landing
pages for your firm, becausethey could be.
The more visual and moreengaging it is, the more likely
people are to trust you and thento reach out, and here's a
trick most firms skip.
Ask for reviews on thedirectories that actually
perform best for you.
Yeah, everyone focuses onGoogle and, yes, it's crucial.
(08:32):
You have to do it, sure, but ifAvvo is working well for you,
or Lawyerscom or US News,whatever it is, ask people to
leave reviews and make it ahabit to send those happy
clients a direct link to leave areview there too.
Social proof works everywhere,not just on Google.
Finally, keep your contentfresh and targeted.
(08:52):
This isn't something we'regoing to go into because it's a
kind of long statement, but mostdirectories allow you to write
a little description or listyour practice areas, and Google
has like an updates or newssection.
You can rotate in new contenton these and whenever you're
trying to work on something newor bring in new clients in a
specific arena, you can rotatein the types of cases that you
(09:13):
want more of.
You want to build the mediationpractice.
Make sure mediation is frontand center.
First sentence If you want tobring in more high asset divorce
clients, say so and be clearabout it.
This helps the directoriesmatch your profile to the right
searches, and that's just.
If it matches, it's good forall of us.
I don't know how many ways I canexplain this, so the final
takeaway from all of this is acouple of things, but the big
(09:36):
one is that directories aren't aone and done deal.
With a little bit of effort,they're going to quietly deliver
this steady stream of trust andvisibility and, at the end of
it, clients, but only if youkeep them fresh and focused.
There's really something thathas to happen here to make sure
that you're actually engagingwith the system and not just
letting it run, becausedirectories are still relevant,
(09:59):
but they only really help if youuse them right.
They are the basis of our webof trust, of our visibility and
the core of a lot of our SEOpower.
But, as you know, seo isn't myfavorite game and in some of our
next episodes we're going to betalking about PPC, we're going
to be talking about tracking and, of course, we are going to be
talking about AI and how can youuse it more effectively in your
(10:21):
practice, not only to draftdocuments and, you know, create
text but how can you start usingit today to actually get things
done?
That's it for Legal Marketing101.
Check out RosenAdvertisingcomfor more Thanks.
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.