Chapter 10 | Reviews, Reputation, and Real-World SEO Power

Your Online Reputation Drives Rankings and Wins Clients

If your law firm doesn’t have a 4.9-star rating or better, you’re already behind.

In personal injury law, trust is the currency that drives both rankings and new cases. That trust lives and breathes through your reviews.

Reviews aren’t fluff. They’re signals Google reads and prospects trust. The better your review profile, the more visible you are in local search, and the more likely someone is to choose you over the firm next door.

This chapter is about putting your reputation to work so it earns clicks, leads, and long-term credibility.

How Reviews Influence Rankings

Google’s local algorithm relies on three signals:

Relevance, Distance, and Prominence.

Prominence is Google’s way of measuring trust, and reviews are a big part of that calculation.

Reviews tell Google:

• How often people are mentioning your firm online
• Whether you are relevant to your practice field based on keywords (i.e., “injury lawyer” or “car accident attorney”)
• How to display you based on your star ranking
• Your level of activity is made evident by the real-time feedback you provide and the steady flow of reviews you earn over time

Firms with strong ratings, fresh reviews, and keyword-rich content tend to win the top spots in local search.

How Reviews Drive Conversions

Imagine you’re a prospect.

You search “best personal injury lawyer in Denver.”

You see three firms on the map pack.

All within a few miles.

How do you decide?

• Who has the most reviews?
• Who has the highest rating?
• What do the reviews say?
• How does the firm handle negative feedback?

Choosing an attorney is an emotional decision. It’s about trust. Reviews give people a reason to choose you before they ever speak with you.

Your Review Profile = Your First Impression

If your firm averages:

• 4.9 stars or higher: You’re building confidence
• 4.7–4.8: You’re in the game, but not a standout
• 4.4 or lower: You’re being passed over

But it’s not just about your score. Google and your prospects also look at:

• How many total reviews do you have
• Whether reviews keep coming in
• How specific the language is (keywords, case types, cities)

It all adds up to how visible and trusted you appear.

Focus on Building a Review System That Scales

Here are three things we focus on when we work with PI Law Firms:

1. Ask at the Right Moments

Train your team to listen for gratitude. When a client says, “Thanks for everything,” that’s your signal to ask for a review.

2. Follow Up Consistently

Once a client agrees to leave a review, follow up until the review shows up. Use text, email, or a quick phone call, whatever works best for that client.

3. Use Text and Email Review Links

Send the review link via text while you’re still on the phone. It increases completion rates and makes it easier for the client.

4. Track Reviews by Location

Use a simple dashboard to monitor:

• Weekly review totals
• Staff participation
• Rating averages by office
• Response time

5. Respond to Every Review

Even the tough ones. No canned responses. Show professionalism and a willingness to make things right.

Note: If someone leaves a bad review on the wrong office profile, and they never worked with that location, you can request that Google remove it.

Fixing a Damaged Review Profile

If you’re under a 4.7 average, have gaps in review volume, or see recent negative trends, you need to act fast.

Start by:

• Pinpointing which team members or offices are triggering complaints
• Creating a process for personal outreach after negative reviews
• Calling unhappy clients to resolve issues and request updates
• Making review health a leadership metric, not just a marketing task

We’ve seen firms turn around 1-star ratings simply by calling the client and having a real conversation.

Final Word: SEO Needs Reputation to Win

Even the most innovative SEO strategy will fall flat if your review profile is weak.

People don’t just look at what you rank for; they look at how trustworthy you appear.

Trust gets clicked.

Trust converts leads.

Trust builds firms that last.

If you need help building a review strategy, improving your ratings, or making this process part of your firm’s DNA, we’re ready to get to work.

Chapter 10 Checklist: Managing Reviews and Reputation

• 4.9+ average star rating across all office locations
• More total reviews than top local competitors
• New reviews coming in weekly
• Automated SMS and email review follow-ups
• Team trained to ask at key client moments
• Review responses posted within 48 hours
• Keyword-rich language in reviews (organically)
• A system is in place to address and recover from negative feedback
• GBP profiles are managed and monitored by the office
• Insights from review content used for SEO and training