Someone searches Google for "lawyer near me" or "advogado perto de mim." Before the usual list of results, they see a map and three law firms. For a solo lawyer or a small practice with an office, appearing there can determine whether that search leads to a call.

Reaching the first results for a broad term such as "advogado" often takes months of work on the website and mentions from other sites. Many small firms do not have the time or budget for that. Searches connected to a city or the searcher's location use additional information that is easier to correct, yet many law firm websites still leave it incomplete.

Why the map gets more clicks

When a search suggests that someone needs a nearby service, Google places a map with three results above its usual listings. This area attracts much of the attention and clicks on the page. Google's documentation on local business structured data explains how business details help the search engine identify and present a local firm.

For "advogado [city]," a practice mainly competes with nearby offices. Distance from the person searching carries weight, along with accurate published information and signs of recent activity on the firm's profile. Publishing useful legal articles can help, but it cannot correct an outdated address or a poorly chosen business category.

Set up the Business Profile

Many lawyers have already created a Google Business Profile, the listing that displays an address, opening hours, phone number and reviews beside the map. Open it and check these four points:

Category — Choose "Law firm," or the closest local equivalent such as "Escritório de advocacia" in Portugal, as the primary category. Labels such as "Consultant" or "Office" are too broad to connect the profile clearly with searches for legal services.
Contact details — Write the firm name, address and phone number in the same way on Google, in the website footer and in every directory that lists the practice. Local SEO guidance recommends this consistency. A different suite number or an old telephone number leaves Google and potential clients unsure which version is current.
Reviews — When appropriate, ask satisfied clients for a review soon after a case closes. The number and recency of reviews influence local positions; three reviews published two years ago provide little evidence of recent activity.
Complete information — Add practice areas, office hours and genuine photographs of the premises where relevant. A person opening the profile can then decide quickly whether the firm deals with the matter they need help with.

Someone in the practice can complete this check without a developer. Repeat it whenever an address, telephone number or schedule changes, because a profile created once and then forgotten soon becomes unreliable.

What the website should include

The website should also give Google a clear description of the firm. Alongside the details visible to visitors, it can contain a short, organised record of the name, address, telephone number, opening hours and type of business. Developers call this "structured data." It simply arranges information that should already appear on the page.

A lawyer does not need to know how to write it. Ask the person responsible for the site: "Can Google identify the firm's name, address and telephone number here, and do they match our Business Profile?" Analysis of how law firms appear in AI-generated answers also points to the value of clear, unambiguous business details.

Adding this record is usually a short task for a developer. Before publication, check that Google can read it and that the site does not contain two addresses, an old number or different versions of the firm name. The free test linked below provides a straightforward way to verify the result.

A law firm project

I built the website for Dr Bárbara Barbizani, a lawyer in Portugal, during a complete brand refresh. The site needed to explain her legal services clearly, build confidence on a first visit and give Google enough reliable information to show the practice for relevant searches.

The work included choosing the correct Business Profile category, reviewing the published contact details and adding the organised business information while developing the site. Doing this at that stage avoided having to reconcile different versions later.

In the months after launch, visibility for the firm's main local search terms rose by roughly 40% [estimate — confirm]. This result is consistent with the ranges reported in independent local SEO studies for firms moving from a missing or incomplete profile to a properly configured one.

Dr Bárbara Barbizani described the work afterward: "André is not only extremely attentive but also an impeccable professional who understands our needs and meets deadlines. I highly recommend him." — Dr Bárbara Barbizani, Lawyer.

What to check first

Start with the category and contact details on the Business Profile, then compare the firm name, address and phone number with the footer and contact page on the website. This review usually takes an afternoon and requires no code changes.

Next, ask the person responsible for the website to add or confirm the structured business information. Use Google's Rich Results Test before publication. Recent reviews, photographs and useful pages about each practice area can support visibility once the basic details are correct.

If the firm remains absent when you search for its services from the local area, send me the website address. I will check the profile, the contact details and the information Google can read, then identify the first corrections to make; the law firm websites I review commonly have at least two of these gaps.

Frequently asked questions

Why do only three firms show up on the map in Google results?

For searches involving a nearby service, such as "lawyer near me," Google highlights three businesses beside a map before the standard results. For a practice with an office, this area tends to receive more clicks and uses its own criteria, including distance, profile information and reviews.

How do I set up Google Business Profile for a law firm?

Choose "Law firm," or the closest local equivalent, as the primary category. Check that the name, address and telephone number match everywhere they appear online, and ask clients for reviews soon after a case closes when appropriate.

Do I need a developer for the technical setup?

You can update the Google Business Profile yourself. Ask whoever built or maintains the website to add the short description that helps Google recognise the firm's details. It is a limited change that can be checked with Google's free testing tool.

How long does it take to see results from local SEO?