Law firms and attorneys: what do potential clients see on Google?
People looking for a lawyer often start on Google and call from the listing. Get a free audit of your name, hours, phone, website and reviews.
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Why your Google listing matters for law firms and lawyers
Your Google listing is often the first and only thing people see before they call, visit or book.
The call has to reach the firm
Potential clients often tap call straight from Google. Google's guidelines say the phone number should connect to your location and be under your direct control.
Keyword-stuffed names risk suspension
Adding practice areas or a city to your profile name, like "Smith Law Car Accident Lawyer Downtown", goes against Google's name guidelines and can lead to suspension.
Careful review replies
Reviews matter when someone is choosing a lawyer. Replies should be professional and shouldn't reveal anything about a client matter. Review Guard drafts calm replies you can review.
Website and Google should agree
Your site and Google should show the same phone, address and hours. Website Match checks that for you.
What the free audit looks at: reviews, Google Maps and hours
The free check runs every check below and shows your top 3 issues. The full list with step-by-step fixes is in the paid Fix Pack or Profile Watch.
Listing basics
Whether Google shows you as open or closed, and whether your phone number, website link, photos (fewer than 10 is flagged) and business category are there.
Hours
Whether regular hours are set, whether special hours are set for upcoming holidays, and, if you enter your real hours, whether Google's hours match them.
Reviews
Your average rating, how many reviews you have, and recent 1 to 3 star reviews among those Google shows. Google doesn't tell us whether you replied, so check those yourself.
Your website
Whether the site loads, uses HTTPS and responds quickly, broken homepage links, domain expiry, and whether your homepage shows the same phone and address as Google.
Paid only: every issue with fixes, draft review replies, and copy-paste hours (Fix Pack, $19). Monthly re-checks and alerts (Profile Watch, $9/mo). Website Match, Review Guard and Competitor Watch are listed below.
When you want to go further
Review Guard
Find reviews that may break Google's rules, get report steps and draft calm replies. Only Google decides what happens to a review.
Website Match
Compares the hours, phone and address on your own website with your Google listing and shows what differs.
Competitor Watch
Your Google rating and review count next to up to 3 nearby competitors, plus weekly checks of their websites for changes.
FAQ: Google reviews, Maps and hours
How do I avoid a suspension for my law firm's Google Business Profile?
Follow Google's guidelines for representing your business. Use your firm's real-world name as it appears on your signage, website and letterhead, with no added practice areas, locations or taglines. Use an address where clients are actually received during stated hours, not a virtual office, and pick the fewest, most specific categories.
Can individual attorneys have their own profiles?
Yes. Google treats lawyers as individual practitioners. A public-facing attorney who can be reached at the verified location during stated hours can have a profile, separate from the firm's profile when several attorneys share an office. A solo attorney at a branded firm should share one profile named Firm: Attorney Name.
Can I compare against other firms nearby?
Yes. Competitor Watch shows your Google rating and review count next to up to 3 nearby firms and checks their websites weekly.
How do I change my hours on Google Business Profile?
Sign in with the Google account that manages your profile, search for your business name on Google or open it in Google Maps, choose Edit profile, then Hours. Use special hours for holidays or one-off closures. Edits can take some time to show up.
Why does Google keep changing my business hours?
Google can update listings using suggestions from the public and information it finds online, such as your website. Check your Business Profile for suggested updates and approve or reject them, keep the hours on your website the same as on Google, and add special hours ahead of holidays.
How do I mark my business temporarily closed on Google, or reopen it?
In your Business Profile, choose Edit profile and change the open status under business information to Temporarily closed. Change it back to Open when you reopen. The free audit flags a listing that Google shows as temporarily or permanently closed.
Why don't my edits or reviews show up on Google Maps right away?
Google may review edits and new reviews before they appear, which can take some time. Your Business Profile and Google Maps use the same listing, so once a change is live it shows on both.
Are you affiliated with Google?
No. Storefront Checkup is independent and reads public Google listing data.
See what customers see
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