The Five Things Every Louisiana Law Firm’s Google Business Profile Is Missing
If you run a solo or two-attorney law firm in Louisiana, your Google Business Profile is doing more for your phone line than your website is. It is the first thing a hurt mom in Lafayette sees when she searches “personal injury lawyer near me” at 9pm. It is what a family in Baton Rouge clicks before they ever read a single page of your firm’s site.
And after auditing dozens of small Louisiana firms over the last few years, I can tell you with confidence: most attorney GBPs are missing the same five things. Fix these and you will look like a more serious firm than the one across the parking lot — without spending a dollar on ads.
1. A category list that actually matches what you do
Google lets you pick one primary category and up to nine secondary categories. Most solo firms set “Lawyer” as primary and stop there. That is the equivalent of putting a sign on your door that just says “Law Office” — technically accurate, completely unhelpful.
Your primary category should be the practice area you most want phone calls in. If 70% of your revenue is auto accidents, your primary is “Personal Injury Attorney” — not “Lawyer.” Then layer in secondary categories that match every real practice area: “Family Law Attorney,” “Estate Planning Attorney,” “Criminal Justice Attorney,” “Trial Attorney.” Each one is its own door into your firm from search.
2. Real photos of the actual office, the actual attorney, and the actual town
Stock photos of gavels and scales of justice tell Google and your potential clients nothing. They tell both that you could be anywhere, doing anything.
Upload at least 15 real photos: the exterior of your office with the street sign visible, the front desk, the conference room you actually use, the attorney in a suit standing in front of the building, and — this is the one most firms skip — a few photos that prove you live in the community. The courthouse you walk into every week. A Friday lunch spot. Even a photo from a local festival. Google’s algorithm rewards profiles that look local because they are local.
3. A review reply on every single review — good, bad, and one-star
Reviews are the second strongest local ranking signal after proximity. Most solo firms I audit have 12 to 40 reviews and have replied to maybe two of them. That is leaving money on the table.
Every positive review deserves a short, personal reply that names the practice area without being weird about it: “Thank you, Sarah — glad we could get your auto accident claim resolved this year. We appreciate you trusting our firm.” That single sentence puts the keyword “auto accident” in your profile in a way that looks natural to both Google and the next person reading reviews.
And the one-star review from someone you have never represented? Reply professionally, note that you have no record of the person as a client, and move on. A calm reply to a bad review converts more clients than ten five-star reviews with no response.
4. Weekly posts — yes, weekly, and yes, they actually work
Google Business Profile posts are the most underused free marketing channel in the legal industry. They show up in the side panel when someone searches your firm name. They get indexed. And they give Google a fresh signal every week that your profile is active.
You do not need to write a novel. One short post per week is enough. Examples:
- “Three things to do in the first 24 hours after a car accident in Louisiana”
- “Why a handwritten will is rarely enough in Louisiana succession court”
- “What to bring to your first family law consultation”
Each post should be 100 to 200 words, include one photo, and end with a call to your office. That is it.
5. Services listed individually — not just “Law Firm”
Inside your GBP dashboard there is a Services section that almost every solo firm leaves blank. This is where you list every specific service you offer, with a description for each. “Auto Accident Claims.” “18-Wheeler Accidents.” “Wrongful Death.” “Slip and Fall.” “Divorce.” “Child Custody.” “Successions.” “DUI Defense.”
Each service you fill out is another keyword Google understands your firm for. Most firms have 4 services listed. The best-ranking solo firms in Louisiana have 20 or more.
The honest truth about GBP optimization
None of this is hard. None of it requires a marketing degree. It requires about three hours of upfront work and 15 minutes a week after that. The reason solo firms do not do it is the same reason they do not do most of their own marketing: they are too busy actually practicing law.
I do not promise rankings. Nobody honest does — Google’s algorithm changes constantly and proximity will always favor the firm closest to the searcher. What I do promise is the work. Every week, on the calendar, getting done by someone whose only job is your marketing.
If you want me to look at your firm’s GBP and tell you exactly what is missing — for free, no pitch attached — request a visibility audit at abodetheagency.com. I take one solo firm per Louisiana market, so the answer is usually yes if I have not already taken yours.
— Kayce Sadler, Abode Marketing
