Quick summary: Before hiring an SEO company for your law firm, ask who will do the work, who owns the accounts, what the monthly report shows, how AI is used in content, what the plan is for Google Maps and AI search, what the contract says about leaving, what results they can document, and how they handle attorney advertising rules. Get the answers in writing.
Most law firms hire an SEO company after a referral and a good sales call. The problems tend to show up six months later: reports nobody can read, content the attorneys never approved, and a Google Business Profile the firm doesn't control. A few direct questions before you sign will tell you most of what you need to know.
1. Who will actually do the work?
Ask who manages your account day to day, and who writes the content, builds links, and fixes technical issues. Many agencies sell with a senior strategist and hand the account to a junior coordinator. That isn't always a problem, but you should know the name of the person answering your emails and how many other accounts they carry. A manager with 15 accounts can give you real attention. One with 40 can't.
2. Who owns the accounts?
Your Google Business Profile, Google Analytics, Search Console, website, and ad accounts should be in your firm's name, with the agency added as a manager. If an agency creates them under its own login, leaving gets messy. Ask for this in writing. The same goes for content: pages written for you should stay on your site if you part ways.
3. What will we see each month?
Rankings alone don't pay the bills. A useful report ties search activity to calls, form fills, and, where your intake system allows it, signed cases. For local search, ask for map grid reports, which show where you rank across your whole service area instead of from one spot. For more on how those work, read how to read a map grid report.
Ask to see a sample report before you sign. If you can't tell what happened last month and what happens next within two minutes, you won't get much from a year of them.
4. How will AI be used in our content?
Almost every agency uses AI now. The question is how. A good answer sounds like this: AI handles research and first drafts, a person edits and fact-checks every page, and the firm approves content before it goes live. For law firms that last step matters, since every page is attorney advertising under your state's rules. Our content process builds that approval into every page.
5. What's the plan for Google Maps and AI search?
Many people looking for a lawyer start on Google Maps, and more of them now ask ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews. Ask how the agency handles your Google Business Profile, reviews, and citations, and whether it tracks AI mentions at all. If the answer is vague, the plan probably is too. Our local SEO and AEO | GEO pages show what that work looks like.
6. What does the contract say about leaving?
A minimum term isn't automatically a bad sign. SEO takes months, and an agency needs time to show results. But know the term, the notice period, and what happens to your content, links, and accounts when you leave. A reasonable setup is a short initial term followed by month-to-month service, so the agency keeps earning your business.
7. What results can you document, and who can I call?
Ask for results from firms in your practice area and a market of similar size. A case study from a 40-attorney firm in a major metro tells a solo practitioner very little.
Ask what the numbers measure. Signed cases and qualified calls are meaningful. "Impressions" and "keywords ranked" are not, on their own.
Then ask for two references you can phone, including one client who left. How an agency handled a departure says a lot about how it will handle yours.
8. How do you handle attorney advertising rules?
Your website, your Google Business Profile, and your review replies are all attorney advertising. The firm is responsible for them, whoever wrote them.
Ask the agency:
- Who checks content against your state bar's advertising rules before it is published?
- Do you avoid words such as "specialist" or "expert" where the state restricts them?
- How do you present past results and testimonials, and with what disclaimers?
- How are review replies written so they never confirm someone was a client?
An agency that works with law firms regularly will have ready answers. ABA Model Rule 7.1 prohibits false or misleading statements about a lawyer's services, and most states have their own version.
What a good answer sounds like
| Question | Good answer | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work? | A named person, and how many accounts they carry | "Our team handles it" |
| Who owns the accounts? | The firm owns everything; the agency is added as a manager | Accounts created under the agency's login |
| What will we see monthly? | Calls, forms, and signed cases, with map grid scans | Traffic charts and a list of rankings |
| How is AI used? | Drafts by AI, edited and fact-checked by a person, approved by the firm | "We don't use AI" or "It's all automated" |
| Maps and AI search? | A specific plan for the profile, reviews, citations, and AI mention tracking | "That's included" with no detail |
| Leaving? | Short initial term, then month to month; content and links stay | Long auto-renewing term; content removed on exit |
| Results? | Comparable firms and references you can call | Only large-firm case studies |
| Advertising rules? | A named review step before publishing | "That's the firm's job" |
Red flags to watch for
- Guaranteed first-page or number-one rankings
- No clear answer on how links are built
- Accounts created under the agency's name
- Reports with traffic charts but no calls or leads
- Content published without your review
The short version
Hire the agency that answers these questions plainly and puts the answers in writing. If you'd like a second opinion on your current setup, we offer a free audit of your profile, site, and rankings. See our packages or request an audit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does law firm SEO cost?
It varies widely by market and practice area. Solo and small firms in smaller markets often spend in the low thousands per month. Personal injury firms in large metros spend far more. Ask what the fee covers, page by page and link by link.
How long does SEO take for a law firm?
Google Business Profile fixes can show within weeks. Competitive practice-area rankings usually take six months or longer.
Should a small firm hire a legal-only agency?
Legal experience helps with advertising rules and intake tracking. What matters more is whether a senior person works on your account and whether the scope fits a firm your size.
Can an SEO company guarantee first-page rankings?
No. Google's own guidance warns against agencies that make that promise.
What should a law firm own if it leaves an agency?
The website, the domain, the Google Business Profile, Analytics and Search Console, the ad accounts, and every page written for the firm.
Is local SEO or content more important for a law firm?
Most small firms should start with the Google Business Profile and reviews, because map results drive calls. Practice-area pages come next. See our local SEO services and SEO content writing.
Free guide: Law firm SEO hiring scorecard. Eight questions, an answer key, a contract checklist, and a score sheet for three agencies.
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