Apple’s recent announcement about Apple Maps’ availability on the web has the potential to impact your law firm’s local SEO significantly. This guide will help you understand how to use Apple Business Connect to help your law firm stay ahead in local search results online.
The Rise of Apple Business Connect
In January 2023, Apple launched Apple Business Connect, a tool akin to Google Business Profile, allowing businesses to manage their presence on Apple Maps. With the addition of Apple Maps on the web, this tool could be used much more widely and therefore becomes even more vital for law firm local SEO.
Understanding Apple Business Connect
What is Apple Business Connect?
Apple Business Connect enables businesses to control their information on Apple Maps in the same way that they can edit their Google Business Profile. This includes adding details like website, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, and more.
Comparison with Google Business Profiles
Google Business Profiles have been around for a while, helping businesses manage their online presence on Google Search and Maps. The Apple Business Connect service is similar but is specifically tailored for Apple’s ecosystem, making it crucial for reaching users who prefer Apple products.
Why Law Firms Should Care
Apple Business Connect is effectively another directory where you can claim your law firm listing. Directories are incredibly important for local search engine optimization. It is crucial to have a consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) across all of the available directories. Additionally, with the emergence of Apple Maps, claiming your location allows you to prevent situations where a potential client who is using Apple Maps to find your office arrives at the wrong location due to outdated information. By keeping your Apple Business Connect profile up to date, you can avoid such issues and ensure a seamless client experience.
Getting Started with Apple Business Connect
Setting Up Your Account
First, you will need to decide which Apple Business Connect account is right for your law firm. There are two categories of businesses in Apple Business Connect:
- Small Businesses Account – one business with fewer than 25 locations in the same country.
- Enterprise Account – either one business with more than 25 locations or multiple businesses with multiple locations.
Before claiming a business location, you’ll want to make sure you have the following information readily available: legal name of the company, physical address, website URL, phone number, logo, photos, and descriptions. Once you have gathered all of the information you can begin building out your law firm’s Maps Place Card.
Apple Maps Place Cards
A Maps Place Card is a digital representation of every business on Maps and across Apple. Apple provides guidance on configuring your Place Card here. You should ensure your Place Card is completed for every firm location.
Logo + Cover Photo
A logo and cover photo allow you to visually showcase your firm’s brand.
(Apple Business Connect)
A logo must be between 1024 x 1024 and 4864 x 4864 pixels, and in file formats such as HEIC, JPEG, or PNG.
About
A description of your firm should go here. You can copy and paste what you already have in your Google Business profile. Until we understand more about the particulars of SEO on Apple Maps, that should do just fine.
Address and Phone Number
Along with your business name, the address information and phone number of your office should be consistent with other directory listings, like Google Business Profile. NAP consistency is crucial to local SEO.
Law Firm Website
This should be the main .com of your law firm. Apple does not accept social media sites as an input for this field. If you need help building a website for your law firm, contact our award-winning website design team at LISI.
Categories
Categories allow you to, well, categorize your business. Apple provides a swath of options. The applicable categories for law firms are:
(Apple Business Connect API)
Action Buttons
Action buttons are calls-to-action that appear on the Place Card. You should make sure that the Directions, Call, and Website buttons are all enabled for your law firm location.
There are also additional types of action buttons that can be enabled on a Place Card, including Quicklinks, Flexible Action Links, and App Clips (not yet available). Quicklinks must be tied to a business app for your business. For example, a clothing retailer might have a “Shop” quick link that prompts the user to shop on the app. While that particular application isn’t particularly useful for law firms, perhaps there are ways to leverage quicklinks if your firm does utilize an app.
I believe flexible action links are the most applicable option of the three for a law firm. Flexible Action links don’t require an iOS app link, rather they function as links to your law firm website. I envision a couple of ways for this to be used in the law firm context:
- If you are a PI firm and want to drive people to your website lead form.
- If you are hosting an event and want to drive registrations.
Photos
Other than your logo and cover photo, we recommend adding Gallery Photos to your locations. These can be photos of the office or other brand photos. Remember to comply with any ethical rules in your state regarding the use of client, attorney, actor, or other images in your advertising.
Showcases
A Showcase is a Place Card module that allows businesses to highlight their offers or promotions, share events that are happening at their business, or feature new products or services.
With that in mind, consider what you want to highlight at your firm when choosing your Showcase details. These might include:
- Events happening at the firm
- Recent verdicts or rulings your firm has settled
- Partner announcements
A few things to keep in mind as you develop Showcases for your firm:
- CTA’s (Calls to action) must be aligned with your business. For example, you won’t use “Order Food” because that’s not what your firm does.
- Make sure images are optimized.
- You can load multiple Showcases, but only ONE can be active at a time.
- You must load a Showcase 3 business days prior to kickoff.
Optimizing Apple Business Connect for your law firm can significantly enhance your local SEO and attract more clients. Keep your information up to date, engage with clients, and leverage all features offered by Apple Business Connect to maximize your firm’s visibility and reach.
