Local SEO Keyword Research For Law Firms [2025 Updated]

Success in local SEO starts with understanding your market and identifying high intent, high volume keywords as building blocks for your campaign.

Before your law firm can dominate the Google Maps Pack, you need to know what you’re up against and where the keyword opportunities lie.

This this guide, we will discuss how your law firm can find high value keywords for your SEO campaign.

Conducting Initial Market Research

The first step in keyword research is to analyze your local market from Google’s perspective.

Open an incognito browser window and search for your main keywords plus your city (e.g., “personal injury lawyer miami”).

Pay attention to:

• Which firms consistently appear in the Maps Pack
• How many reviews they have
• What GBP categories they’re using
• Their law firm names (are they keyword optimized?)
• Their photo count and types
• Their Google Business Profile posting frequency

Document everything you find. This isn’t just competitive research – it’s your roadmap to success.

Analyzing Local Competition

Now it’s time to dig deeper into your competitors’ strategies. Using local SEO research tools (we like Whitespark), you can:

• Map out competitors’ ranking radiuses
• Identify areas where rankings are weaker
• Find opportunities for geographic expansion
• Spy on their keywords
• Track ranking patterns over time

Remember: your goal isn’t just to copy what’s working for others, but to identify gaps and opportunities they’re missing.

Ranktracking software can show where your law firm ranks in the “Maps Pack” across your geo.

Identifying Target Keywords

Keywords for local SEO work differently than traditional SEO. Let’s look at both traditional keyword research and how to leverage AI to find more opportunities.

1. Primary Practice Area Keywords

• “personal injury lawyer”
• “car accident attorney”
• “divorce lawyer”

2. Location Modifiers

• City names
• Neighborhood names
• “near me” variations

3. Long-tail Local Variations

• “best personal injury lawyer in [city]”
• “car accident lawyer downtown [city]”
• “[neighborhood] divorce attorney”

Using AI for Keyword Discovery

ChatGPT (Claude, Perplexity) are fantastic AI tools for finding additional keywords. Here are the exact prompts to use:

Prompt 1 – Practice Areas:

I’m a [personal injury] law firm in [city]. Generate a comprehensive list of all possible variations for how potential clients might search for my practice areas. Include variations of:

– Different terms for lawyer/attorney
– Types of cases
– Specific situations

Prompt 2 – Local Terms:

I’m a [personal injury] law firm in [city]. Generate a comprehensive list of all possible variations for how potential clients might search for my practice areas. Include variations of:

– Different terms for lawyer/attorney
– Types of cases
– Specific situations

Prompt 3 – Long-tail Keywords:

Create a list of detailed, long-tail keywords for a [personal injury] law firm in [city]. Include:

– Questions people might ask

– Specific situations

– Modifier terms (best, top, experienced, etc.)

– Location-based variations

Combining Keyword Research Methods

1. Start with SEMrush or similar tools to get baseline keyword data
2. Use ChatGPT prompts above to expand your list
3. Verify promising keywords back in SEMrush for volume
4. Use Google’s autocomplete to validate relevance

Remember: While search volume is important, local intent often makes up for lower search volume. A keyword getting 50 searches per month in your specific city might be more valuable than one getting 5,000 nationally.

Creating Your Local SEO Keyword Strategy

Based on your research, you need to create a comprehensive strategy document that will guide all your local SEO efforts. Here’s how to build each section:

1. Primary Target Keywords by Location

For each location your firm serves, identify:

• Main practice area keywords (e.g., “personal injury lawyer [city]”)
• High-value case type keywords (e.g., “car accident attorney [city]”)
• Emergency-intent keywords (e.g., “24/7 accident lawyer [city]”)

Example for Atlanta office:

• Primary: “personal injury lawyer atlanta” (5,400 searches/month)
• Secondary: “car accident lawyer atlanta” (3,200 searches/month)
• Emergency: “24/7 accident lawyer atlanta” (890 searches/month)

2. Secondary Keywords for Service Pages

Break down each practice area into specific services:

Personal Injury Example:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Slip and fall
• Medical malpractice
• Construction accidents

For each service page, identify:

• Main keyword variation
• Long-tail keywords
• Question-based searches
• Location-specific terms

3. Competitor Benchmark Analysis

Research your top 3 local competitors and document:

Reviews:

• Total review count per platform
• Average rating
• Monthly review growth rate
• Response rate to reviews
• Review sentiment patterns

Photos:

• Total number of photos
• Types of photos (office, team, work)
• Photo update frequency
• Photo engagement metrics
• Photo optimization status

Posting Activity:

• Post types (updates, events, offers)
• Posting frequency
• Engagement rates
• Content themes
• Use of keywords in posts

Service Area Coverage:

• Primary service areas
• Secondary markets
• Radius of coverage
• Location-specific pages
• Multi-location strategy

4. Tracking and Reporting

Set up tracking for:

• Maps Pack rankings
• Website traffic from local searches
• Direction requests
• Phone call tracking
• Review growth
• Competitor position changes
• Conversion rates by location
• Cost per acquisition by market

Create monthly reports showing:

• Ranking improvements
• Review growth
• Photo engagement
• Post performance
• Citation status
• Conversion metrics
• ROI calculations

This comprehensive strategy document will serve as your roadmap for local SEO success. Review and update it quarterly to ensure you’re staying on track and adapting to changes in the market and Google’s algorithms.

Does your law firm need help with your local SEO research and rankings?

Book a FREE consultation to find out how we can help.