Many law firms have multiple locations. How should multi-location law firms handle websites and marketing? Law firms in multiple locations have different marketing strategies and require more planning and management than marketing in one location. may be required. A multi-location company can host multiple websites or just one his-her website incorporating multiple links. Law firms based in multiple locations may focus on improving their Google Business Profile, or using legal blogs and informative content to drive traffic to specific locations. Depending on your law firm’s practices, expertise, and goals, there are marketing strategy best practices to follow.

Website creation for a multi-location law firm
Does my multi-location law firm need to have one or more websites? may seem like a good decision. Consider the following scenario.

multiple websites
Some law firms may choose to create multiple sites, but that requires a little extra planning.Choosing to have one or more websites is complicated. Some law firms may have multiple website plans available. You may need multiple websites in the following situations:

• Your locations are multiple, but not connected at all.
• Each location offers different services that are incompatible with each other. For example, one of him in your base deals with real estate planning and the other with personal injury law.
• Your law firm wants to establish itself as a leader in a particular legal area.
• Your law firm aims to cover time-sensitive cases.

single website

While your law firm can benefit from multiple websites in the situations above, there are times when having multiple websites is not desirable. Using multiple websites may not be effective in the following situations:

• Your law firm operates the same laws everywhere.
• There is no reason for your law firm to have multiple websites.
• Competing law firms have many websites.
• Your company is changing plans with its marketing vendor.
• All you want is a new website design.
• Your company is planning to abandon a failed website.

Before deciding whether a multi-location law firm needs more than one website, it is beneficial to consult a digital marketing professional to help the firm determine its website plans. If you’re building multiple her websites, it’s wise to get professional help.

Multiple website challenges

Creating, managing, and marketing multiple websites can be challenging for law firms, especially if you don’t have a dedicated employee responsible for managing and maintaining multiple sites. Before deciding on this marketing strategy, you should ensure that your company can handle the extra work and planning of creating and handling multiple websites. Before building multiple websites, answering the following questions may help you prepare for this venture.

Do you have the time and energy to handle multiple websites?
Creating multiple websites takes a lot of time and money. Creating a professional website takes time and budget. You may need to hire one person or create a dedicated team to perform this additional work.

Do you have enough content for multiple websites?
Each website should have consistent content. If his website in each location doesn’t have enough content, it may make sense to run only one website. When a blog becomes sporadic and the company doesn’t provide consistent content on a regular basis, its credibility is questioned.

Do you have the patience to wait for results?
Results take time. Improving your SEO rankings doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be patient and wait for the result. If you’re building multiple websites, you’ll need double (or triple) your patience. Each one is unique and separated for SEO purposes.

Are you informed about best practices and Google guidelines?
There are certain guidelines and rules that all website owners must follow. You should be aware of these practices so as not to damage a website’s online reputation. We recommend that you review these practices and understand their intricacies before deciding to manage multiple websites.

Do you have the technical expertise and support to maintain and manage multiple websites?
If you do not have the expertise to support multiple websites, we recommend limiting your website to one site. Again, you may need to hire a specific person or team to support, maintain, and manage multiple her websites for your company.

Tips for local search results

Discrepancies in law firm information can cause problems with local search results. To be successful on Google, you should consider the following tips.

Consistency of contact information
For multi-location law firms to perform well in local search rankings, names, addresses, and phone numbers (NAPs) must be consistent. To ensure that the information on your website and your Google Business Profile is always accurate, you should consider the following points when evaluating the accuracy of your NAP:

• name: If your law firm changes name or rebrands, adds new partners, or removes partners, you need to verify that the name your location uses online is correct. Find all company name versions, update and remove the ones that are not up-to-date.
• phone number: A location can have multiple phone numbers, and each office can have many. Make sure each office has one official contact number and update your website and profile accordingly.
• addresss: There may be multiple address lists and there may be additional address information after moving or expanding. Please ensure that the current address for each location is up to date and accurate and that all details are correct including room number, zip code and zip code extension.
• URLs: URLs can be difficult. Updating URLs incorrectly can break links and interrupt user sessions. If you need to change the URL, follow the correct steps to update it and make sure the URL link works correctly.

Website consistency
Your website is a resource for sharing local data about law firms. Be consistent online. For consistency, focus on the following elements of your website:

• landing page: Your website must have a separate landing page. The landing page for each location should include the address, phone number, hours of operation, and services offered. Maps and directions also add useful information to each location’s landing page.
• accessibility: All landing pages must be reachable by Google’s spiders, which crawl and index webpages. It should also contain a unique URL and a clear sitemap with internal links. A website is useless if it isn’t open to the public.
• Formatting: Use a consistent format for dates, times, and other information elements to work across all web pages, websites, and social media. A consistent format across location websites indicates credibility and credibility. This lack of consistency calls into question its reliability.
• site quality: Focus on the overall quality of your site and follow Google’s best practices. Use your own content on each page and make sure it’s relevant and well-written. Also, make sure your site loads fast and is user friendly.

A clear and concise website shows that your company is responsible and trustworthy. This credibility helps build trust with future clients.

Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile is an effective tool to increase and strengthen your law firm’s local presence. Your Google Business Profile must appear in local search results and map search results. Consider the following guidelines when creating or updating your Google Business Profile:

• Do not include keywords in your law firm name.
• Your company should have unique phone numbers for all locations.
• The address must be stated exactly as it appears on the website.
• Use the same firm name and category for all locations.
• Adopt a review strategy to make your profile stand out among your competitors.

Google Profiles are an important aspect of your marketing strategy, regardless of the size of your company and regardless of how many offices you have. With the right marketing strategies and controls, your Google Business Profile can help your business grow over time.

The next step in digital marketing

There are many things to consider when devising a marketing strategy for a multi-location law firm. It depends on your company’s culture, brand, and plans. Sometimes multiple websites are the best plan for a law firm, and sometimes you find multiple websites that don’t fit your time frame or budget. When adopting multiple websites, be prepared for the challenges you may face. Knowing your limits and what you need to prepare for is half the battle. Consistency of data, a reliable and consistent website, and a fully optimized Google Business Profile provide a superior marketing foundation for law firms with multiple locations and multiple websites.

Annette Choti, Esq. Graduated from law school 20 years ago and founder of Law Quill, a legal digital marketing agency focused on small and private law firms. Annette is the author of the best-selling book Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms and hosts her Legal Marketing Lounge podcast. She is a popular keynote speaker and her CLE speaker throughout the United States and Canada. Annette used to do theater and professional comedy, but honestly, she’s not that different from the legal field.Annette can be found on her LinkedIn or at her URL below. Annette@lawquill.com.