Maximizing Your Martindale-Avvo Profile: Tips for Lawyers To Stand Out and Attract More Clients

An online profile can be a client’s first impression of you. There are some features a client expects that you should include to increase visibility and response rates. Here are some ideas to make your profile stand out so more people contact your practice.

Highlight Responsiveness

Lawyers have a narrow window of time to grab potential client leads. People looking for a law firm won’t wait long for a response. In our Martindale-Avvo Understanding the Legal Consumer study from 2022, 47.6% cited responsiveness as a critical factor in choosing an attorney. By 2023, that statistic had doubled: 80% of consumers will contact another attorney if they don’t hear back in 48 hours.

It seems needless to say, but a person’s legal issue is important to them, and they want a lawyer who treats them and their issue with the same level of importance. To put it bluntly, responsiveness is a sign of respect. It also sends a signal that the lawyer isn’t so busy or overstretched as to be unable to give the client’s case the attention it deserves.

To highlight responsiveness in your lawyer profile, note if you have an online scheduling portal, live chat, or answering service capabilities in addition to your regular contact information. 

Talk About Costs

The cost of legal services is another determining factor in lawyer choice. Address the costs issue on your lawyer profile by mentioning if you offer sliding scale or contingency fee payment plans. If you offer a low-cost or free consultation, say so: on Martindale-Avvo, “free consultation” accounted for 27% of all filters applied in lawyer search.

You might also consider noting your hourly rate in your profile to gain more client interest. It can also help you screen out clients whom you simply can’t afford to help unless they pay a minimum hourly fee. 

Encourage Reviews

As much as you might take reviews with a grain of salt – legal work is complicated and legal clients are typically experiencing a challenging situation – consumers place a great deal of importance on business reviews. 

You can enhance your attorney profile by encouraging reviews. Ask clients in person during the wrap-up meeting, or note it in a closing email. Place reviews on your site and highlight them in your directory profile. 

Reviews and client testimonials offer authentic evidence of your abilities as a lawyer. It’s a form of “social proof” that is akin to a word-of-mouth recommendation.

Take a Professional Headshot

A photo is a necessity for an online profile. For lawyers, a professional headshot is best. As much as you want to appear welcoming or even friendly, you also should seem professional and trustworthy. Lawyers handle some of the most personal and consequential events in a person’s life. Your image should instill a sense of confidence in your abilities.

A cell phone selfie or casual shot doesn’t support the image you want to project. These can reflect poorly on your capacity to adequately represent your client’s interests. Also, don’t forget to update your photo from time to time. Images quickly appear out-of-date, which can add to discomfort when your potential client meets you for the first time. 

Discuss Credentials and Experience

The word “experience” can strike fear into the hearts of new lawyers. But what you lack in years of call to the bar you can make up for with other credentials. In your profile, note professional associations and relationships. Include your membership in practice sections of the local bar and added training in niche areas.

Past work outside of the law can also be relevant to potential clients. A car accident client might readily choose a young personal injury lawyer who was a past volunteer with a brain injury support organization. A new business law attorney might attract clients through their undergraduate studies in commerce. 

The upshot is to highlight the areas of your education and background that make you right for a particular client – even if you are new to the legal industry.

Offer a Value Proposition

Lawyers differ in what they ultimately strive to offer clients. It’s the intangibles that often make the most impact on a person’s life. Think about those intangibles as value propositions that are part of your service. As an estate attorney, perhaps your intangible is “peace of mind.” A personal injury lawyer might offer the chance for “justice” or “making things right.”

Place this language in your profile biography. Alongside your credentials, experience, and satisfaction of former clients, it gives your clients an idea of what to expect. 

Note Media Mentions and Appearances

You can structure media mentions and appearances as an opportunity for potential clients to learn more about you. News reports and online journalism interviews support your status as a trustworthy advocate.

Consider linking out to select appearances from your profile. You can also mention your media presence briefly at the end of your bio, noting that you are called upon by respected media outlets to offer your perspective on legal issues.  

Use Keywords

All of the tips so far focus on making your profile appealing to potential clients. There’s another important audience for your profile: search engines. That includes large search websites like Google and the search and filter functions on lawyer-specific sites like Martindale-Avvo. 

For the search function to work to your benefit, it’s important to include keywords and phrases in your bio that match the search phrases of your potential clients. Remember to include practice areas and services. A divorce attorney might mention “prenuptial agreements” and “child custody.” A personal injury lawyer might include phrases like “car accident” or “insurance benefits.”

Take a minute to jot down essential words relevant to your practice and pepper them throughout your bio for better visibility. 

Make Your Profile Stand Out With Martindale-Avvo

Providing excellence in legal services is just half the battle when it comes to building your legal practice. You can drive your brand identity and attract more clients with the right marketing services. Consider partnering with Martindale-Avvo to get more leads and bolster your online reputation. Talk to us today about digital marketing for lawyers!