Credibility Counts: 5 Simple Ways Attorneys Can Strengthen Their Online Presence

Potential clients often form their first impression of your practice long before you ever speak with them. A quick search online tells them whether you’re credible, professional, and trustworthy or whether they should keep looking. That means your digital presence isn’t just a reflection of your practice — it’s part of it.

The good news? You don’t need to be a marketing expert or publish a book to make a strong impression. With a few focused, practical strategies, like maintaining your website, updating your directory profiles, and sharing helpful content, you can build credibility online and help more clients find and trust your firm.

Think of it as a referral from a colleague — only it’s your website or directory profile doing the talking. Is it saying you’re experienced, reliable, and ready to help? Or is it saying “under construction”? A few strategic updates can make a powerful difference in how you’re perceived online.

1. Build a Strong Foundation With Quality Website Content

Your website is the cornerstone of your online presence. It’s where potential clients go to learn who you are, what you do, and often the first and best opportunity to build trust with a potential client. A polished website with helpful, well-organized content reinforces professionalism and builds trust with users and search engines.

That means your site needs more than just contact information. If your website feels outdated or light on content, you’re missing a major opportunity to establish authority, so we recommend you start with the essentials:

A clear and compelling homepage narrative that defines who you are, highlights your core practice areas, and explains how you can help potential clients.
Engaging attorney bios that go beyond credentials by sharing experience, values, and personal touches that build trust and humanize your team. And include a professional photo of the lawyer.
Well-structured practice area pages that showcase your legal expertise, simplify complex topics into plain language, and encourage visitors to reach out with confidence.
Helpful FAQs and resource sections that address common client questions, provide clarity, and guide visitors toward taking their next step.

Our law firm website platform, Justia Elevate, is designed specifically for law firms. It offers professional website design that marries compelling content with robust functionality. It includes tools for creating tailored practice area pages, in-depth attorney bios, and helpful resource sections that can support your SEO efforts and reflect a polished, client-focused image.

For lawyers busy with their careers, AI tools like the Justia AI Writer, which is exclusive to the Justia Elevate platform, or even a general AI tool like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, can help draft compelling law firm website content in just a few clicks. Craft freeform content for any page on your law firm’s website effortlessly, from practice areas to firm bios! (As a general rule of thumb, it is essential to carefully review the content afterward to ensure its accuracy.)

2. Blog — Even Just Once a Month

You don’t need to publish daily to make blogging worthwhile. Even one thoughtfully written post per month can help build your online authority, especially when that post includes solid legal analysis and insight. Quality is more important than quantity. Google and other search engines are increasingly focused on rewarding sites that demonstrate real subject matter authority; so whether you’re writing about the latest legal development or a hypothetical scenario, substantive commentary is key.

You have a lot of flexibility in what you write about, but here are a few tried-and-true formats:

News Stories & Current Events: Writing about legal news and trending stories is perfectly fine — and often effective. But don’t just repeat the facts; offer legal context, explain the potential implications, and break down what the headlines might mean from a legal standpoint. This is your opportunity to stand out from general news coverage and highlight your legal acumen.
Caselaw Summaries: These posts may not always be top-of-mind for clients, but they’re excellent for building legal credibility. Break down important or recent decisions in a format that’s easy to digest (Tip: think back to your law school IRAC: Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion). These posts can position your blog as a go-to resource in your practice areas.
Hypotheticals: Stuck for a topic? Try creating a hypothetical scenario and walking through how the law might apply. If you’re a personal injury lawyer, your hypothetical could involve something like a pedestrian being hit in a crosswalk by a driver who claims they had a green light — then explore how fault might be determined, what kind of evidence would be relevant, and how comparative negligence laws could impact the case. Just make it clear that you’re offering general information and not referencing a real case or giving legal advice. Hypotheticals can be a fun, flexible way to showcase your reasoning skills.

3. Keep Your Directory Profiles Active and Up-to-Date

Lawyer directories are often one of the first places potential clients will encounter your name, especially when they’re searching for legal help in your area. These platforms not only help people find you but also give you a chance to reinforce your credibility before someone clicks on your website.

One of the most important — and often overlooked — steps in building online authority is keeping your lawyer directory profiles complete, current, and consistent across the web. That means making sure your practice areas, contact details, education, and bio are all accurate and aligned with the messaging on your site.

Take time to:

Ensure your contact information, practice areas, and licensed jurisdictions are up to date.
Include a professional, high-quality headshot that reflects your brand and builds trust.
Craft a concise, compelling bio that highlights your experience, strengths, and unique value.
Regularly monitor and respond to client reviews when appropriate to engage with your audience and maintain a strong reputation.
Showcase your professional accomplishments, including presentations, webinars, videos, publications, and other relevant contributions to your practice.

Not sure where to start? Try googling your own name or your practice area and city — chances are you’ll see a few lawyer directories show up. Directories like the Justia Lawyer Directory, Avvo, Super Lawyers, and Lawyers.com have a broad reach and are commonly referenced in online searches. Once you find a few that rank well or attract a lot of search traffic, take time to claim and complete your profiles. On the Justia Lawyer Directory, for example, it’s free to claim your listing, and you can enhance it by adding a professional headshot, links to your website and blog, and other information that builds trust.

Regularly updating your lawyer directory profiles with accurate information and using all available features ensures your directory listing works for you. This helps create additional touchpoints where clients can learn more about your services and feel confident in reaching out.

4. Boost Visibility With Google Ads & Local Services Ads (LSAs)

Even with strong organic efforts, paid visibility has become an essential tool for firms looking to grow. Google’s search results layout has changed over the years, with paid placements, like Google Ads and Local Services Ads (LSAs), often taking top billing above Google Maps and even the highest-ranking organic sites. This means that potential clients are more likely to see — and click on — paid results first. If you’re not utilizing ads, you could be missing out on valuable search traffic. By supplementing organic content with paid campaigns, firms can reach a broader audience and improve their chances of capturing high-intent leads. To put it simply, don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Diversify your digital presence to ensure you do not rely solely on one channel to drive growth and sustain your business.

Google Ads offers pay-per-click campaigns that place your firm’s services in front of individuals searching for legal help on Google. With strategic targeting, Google Ads ensures that your firm’s ads appear when someone searches for terms related to your practice area, improving your chances of connecting with potential clients. Alternatively — or in tandem — LSAs provide a more localized form of advertising, appearing at the very top of relevant Google search results with a “Google Screened” badge. These ads highlight your firm’s profile, display client ratings, and offer easy contact options, ensuring clients in your area can quickly reach out for help while charging by the lead, not the click.

Managing Google Ads and LSAs effectively requires ongoing optimization and strategic adjustments. For law firms looking to maximize the impact of their ads without dedicating a significant amount of time to managing campaigns, services like Justia Amplify can assist by handling the technical aspects of ad management, freeing up time for you to focus on client work. This ensures that your campaigns are optimized for the right target audience while maintaining efficiency in your marketing strategy.

5. Share Your Knowledge & Build Trust Through Webinars and Videos

Person looking at Justia's CLE and Webinars Center.

Presenting webinars or creating video content to fellow legal professionals, law students, or aspiring lawyers is a powerful way to strengthen your professional reputation and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. Whether you’re sharing insights on case law, legal ethics, practice management, or emerging issues, these formats allow you to demonstrate leadership and contribute to ongoing legal education.

Both webinars and videos provide valuable networking opportunities, helping you connect with peers, expand your visibility in the legal community, and even attract potential referral opportunities. Whether you’re offering CLEs or general educational content, aim for something professional, focused, and relevant. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel — just share what you know in a way that’s organized, accessible, and thoughtfully delivered. A clear, polished presentation grounded in your experience can go a long way toward reinforcing your credibility.

Through initiatives like Justia Webinars, attorneys regularly offer valuable insights on everything from niche legal topics to broader issues like building a law practice or navigating career transitions. Platforms such as Lawline and Practicing Law Institute (PLI) also provide opportunities for legal professionals to engage with audiences, expand their networks, and establish themselves as thought leaders. Legal videos, ranging from in-depth explainers and case analyses to practical tutorials and thought leadership pieces, are also increasingly popular tools for educating and connecting with audiences on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and law firm websites. Getting involved helps amplify your voice while expanding your network within the legal world, engaging in thought leadership, and building long-term credibility within your profession.

Final Thoughts

There’s no single tactic that instantly builds credibility online — it’s the result of showing up consistently with valuable content, a polished presence, and meaningful engagement. Whether you’re updating your website, writing a blog post each month, presenting a webinar, or keeping your directory profiles current, every piece adds to your digital footprint and strengthens your reputation.

By committing to a few manageable, repeatable strategies, you can establish a strong and credible online presence that supports your practice and earns the trust of both peers and potential clients.

Ready to take the next step? Explore Justia Marketing Solutions services explicitly designed to help you build and maintain a professional presence that reflects the quality of your work.