Review & Reputation Grading Guide
for Family Law Firms

Anthony Karls, an expert in growing family law practices, understands what it takes to elevate a law firm’s presence online utilizing Local SEO and client reviews. Below is a comprehensive grading sheet designed for evaluating reviews based on the specified criteria. This sheet is organized into five main parts: Store Fronts Listings, Review Response, Review Encouragement Strategy, Review Quantity, and Review Quality. Each part includes specific grading criteria to facilitate consistent evaluation.

The grading system is from A to D, with A indicating excellent performance and D indicating the need for significant improvement. We use this audit system internally to assess the online reputation management opportunity for clients before consulting with their businesses. To elevate your law firm, schedule a FREE audit with Rocket Clicks today!

Grading Sheet for Reviews

Part 1: Store Fronts Exist

Pass: All of the following are completed.

  • Claimed, verified, and active listing for each storefront location.
  • Complete profile on each platform—detailed business description, high-quality images (interior, exterior, logo, owner(s), and team), owner bio, and other subcategories filled out.
  • Consistent weekly postings on each platform.

Fail: Missing any of the above components on any of the four major platforms (Google Business Profile, Facebook, Bing Places, Yelp).

Part 2: Review Response

  • A: Timely responses (within 24 hours) to all reviews with a focus on empathy, especially in sensitive cases like divorce or custody.
  • B: 1-2 reviews have delayed responses or lack empathetic engagement.
  • C: 3-5 reviews have delayed responses or do not reflect empathetic engagement.
  • D: More than 5 reviews have delayed responses or lack appropriate empathy.

Part 3: Review Encouragement Strategy

  • A: Existence of a scalable, measurable process that consistently encourages satisfied clients to leave detailed reviews, highlighting the firm’s capacity to handle emotionally complex matters with expertise.
  • B: Process in place but not consistently executed, resulting in moderate client engagement.
  • C: Limited process without measurable outcomes, leading to sporadic client reviews.
  • D: No process in place to encourage client reviews.

Part 4: Review Quantity

  • A: 50+ reviews.
  • B: 30-49 reviews.
  • C: 20-29 reviews.
  • D: Fewer than 20 reviews.

Part 5: Review Quality

  • A: Average rating of 4.8 stars or higher.
  • B: Average rating between 4.5 and 4.7 stars.
  • C: Average rating between 4.0 and 4.4 stars.
  • D: Average rating below 4.0 stars.

How to Use This Sheet:

For each business location, evaluate the following information:

  • Verify that each storefront has claimed, verified, and actively managed listings.
  • Check for timely and empathetic responses to client reviews—assign a grade from A to D using the criteria.
  • Assess the existence and effectiveness of a scalable review encouragement strategy—grade from A to D.
  • Evaluate the number and quality of reviews and apply the criteria for grading the review quantity and quality.

This guide will assist you in effectively assessing review management quality and identify areas for improvement. Through our experience executing and continually auditing this process, we ensure a solid online reputation and significant quality lead generation through positive client interactions and visibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

A: Yes, reviews significantly impact local SEO. Positive reviews can enhance your business’s visibility in local search results and improve your presence in the Google Business Profile. Google considers both the quantity and quality of reviews as ranking factors, as they signal credibility and customer satisfaction.

A: Here are five things to consider to increase your local SEO ranking with reviews. 

  1. Encourage Reviews: Implement a process to ask satisfied clients to leave positive reviews.
  2. Respond to Reviews: Engage with all reviews, both positive and negative, to demonstrate excellent customer service and build trust.
  3. Optimize Your Google Business Profile: Ensure your profile is complete with accurate business information, high-quality images, and regular updates.
  4. Incorporate Keywords: Encourage clients to naturally include relevant keywords in their reviews, as they can enhance search relevance.
  5. Maintain a Steady Review Flow: Consistently garner reviews over time rather than a large influx at once, which looks more natural to search engines.

A: Yes, Yelp can affect SEO, particularly local SEO. While Google may not directly use Yelp reviews as a ranking factor, a strong presence on Yelp can improve your overall online reputation. Yelp is primarily used for restaurants, but it is also used in other industries. For the family law industry Yelp is the four most important online store front. A high Yelp rating can also influence consumer decisions and lead to increased local brand recognition.

A: Reviews play a substantial role in SEO, especially locally. They not only impact search engine rankings but also influence click-through rates and user engagement. Search engines like Google see reviews as a measure of trustworthiness and relevance to users. While reviews are not the sole factor in SEO, they complement other elements like on-page SEO, backlinks, and overall website quality to form a comprehensive SEO strategy. The precise impact varies by industry and competition level, but generally, businesses with higher quality and quantity reviews are shown greater favor by search engines.

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