Avvo, a leading online attorney directory, issues ratings for lawyers to help consumers evaluate the background and experience of different attorneys. Calculated from a mathematical algorithm, Avvo Ratings can be powerful marketing tools for lawyers, especially when the rating is at or near the highest level of 10.
When an Avvo Rating is less than superb, however, there are a number of things that can be done to improve this Rating. And taking these steps can make a big difference in:
- Validating a lawyer’s experience
- Enhancing a lawyer’s and/or a law firm’s visibility online
- Generating more leads and new business.
Improving Avvo Ratings Starts with the Profile
The profile a lawyer has in Avvo will generally serve as the basis of his or her Avvo Rating. In fact, Avvo explains that:
[It] evaluates the information in [a lawyer’s] profile. If it’s not in [the] profile, then we don’t know about it, and if we don’t know about it, then we can’t give [a lawyer] credit for it.
Specifically, some of the information to include in attorney Avvo profiles in order to enhance Avvo Ratings include:
- Relevant work experience, including any experience acquired since passing the bar exam – Details matter here, as adding years of experience, dates and descriptions can boost ratings.
- Peer endorsements, which are endorsements from “fellow attorneys” – Each peer endorsement counts as 0.1 of a point (so 10 endorsements would be needed to raise a Rating by 1.0 point). There is, however, a limit to the number of endorsement-related points a lawyer can earn.
- Recognitions, awards and legal associations, including any honors earned from legal associations, any affiliations with professional legal organizations, and any positions of leadership held with these associations – Again, details matter here, as more recent recognitions and affiliations will typically result in greater positive impacts to ratings than older ones.
- Publications, including articles written for legal publications, legal associations' blogs, legal newsletters, etc. – Attorneys who are not published are encouraged to get published and list their published works in their Avvo profile in order to boost their Rating.
- Speaking engagements, including those for educational purposes, professional gatherings, etc.
Increasing Avvo Lawyer Ratings: More Important Info & Tips
- Client reviews do NOT impact Avvo Ratings. These reviews, however, can have other benefits, as we recently explained here.
- Adding dates is necessary for profiles. If dates are not added, Avvo will assume the oldest date, which usually results in the least benefits for Ratings.
- Current information is more highly regarded than older information. In other words, continuing to update an Avvo attorney profile with new work experience, awards, publications, etc. is key to maintaining a high Avvo Rating.
Need to Boost Your Avvo Attorney Rating? Contact Epic Web Results
Do you need help boosting your Avvo Attorney Rating or integrating your Rating into an effective Internet marketing strategy? If so, contact the professionals at Epic Web Results. We are up to date with the latest advances in Internet marketing and SEO best practices, and we are highly adept at maximizing attorneys’ and law firms’ visibility online.
To learn more about our customized, innovative Internet marketing solutions, contact Epic Web Results by calling (800) 501-9724 or by emailing us using the contact form on this page.
