Local SEO for Law Offices in Louisiana: The Playbook
This playbook is for the people who run a law practice in Louisiana: the attorney who owns it and the office manager who keeps the phone ringing. It shows what clients type into Google, which Google Business Profile category to pick, the code that tells Google your site belongs to a law firm, and a checklist you can work through in a month. If you do only one thing, do this first: claim your Google Business Profile and set its primary category to "Attorney" (or your practice-area category if you do one kind of law). Everything else builds on that.
Quick answers
- Primary Google Business Profile category
- Attorney (Google's list calls it "Lawyer"). It is on 691,625 listings nationally and on 76 of the 199 real law-firm listings in our Louisiana map sample.
- Top keyword pattern
- "{practice} {city}", for example "personal injury lawyer new orleans" at 1,000 to 5,000 searches a month.
- Statewide count and 5-year trend
- 3,217 law offices in 2023, down 135 (4%) from 3,352 in 2018.
- Most crowded metro
- New Orleans, at 10.6 offices per 10,000 residents. It also has the most offices (1,053).
- Schema type
- LegalService for the firm (a subtype of LocalBusiness on schema.org); Attorney for an individual lawyer's page.
Market snapshot
The Census counted 3,217 law offices in Louisiana in 2023 (NAICS code 541110, offices of lawyers). That is 7.0 offices for every 10,000 residents. Five years earlier there were 3,352, so the state lost 135 offices, a 4% drop, and seven of the ten metros shrank: fewer offices competing harder for the same clients.
Density, offices per 10,000 residents, is the fairest way to compare metros of different sizes. New Orleans leads on both count and density, with Lafayette close behind. Where the Census withheld a 2018 figure for one of a metro's parishes (it publishes nothing for a parish with fewer than 3 offices), the trend is shown as a range.
| Metro area | Law offices (2023) | Per 10,000 residents | Density rank (of 10) | Change since 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 1,053 | 10.6 | #1 | -8 (-1%) |
| Lafayette | 425 | 10.3 | #2 | +1 (under 1%) |
| Slidell | 210 | 7.8 | #3 | -9 (-4%) |
| Monroe | 148 | 6.6 | #4 | -25 (-14%) |
| Alexandria | 96 | 6.4 | #5 | -3 (-3%) |
| Baton Rouge | 544 | 6.2 | #6 | +6 to +8 |
| Shreveport | 215 | 5.5 | #7 | 0 (no change) |
| Lake Charles | 126 | 5.1 | #8 | -22 to -20 |
| Houma | 89 | 4.4 | #9 | -14 (-14%) |
| Hammond | 48 | 3.5 | #10 | -16 (-25%) |
Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023 and 2018. Metro trends sum the metro's current parishes in both years.
All 64 Louisiana parishes ranked by density of law offices
56 of 64 parishes have published counts; the rest had fewer than 3 establishments and are listed at the bottom without a rank.
| Rank | Parish | Law offices | Per 10,000 | Change since 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Orleans Parish | 652 | 17.3 | -13 (-2%) |
| #2 | Lafayette Parish | 374 | 15.3 | +4 (+1%) |
| #3 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 440 | 9.7 | +17 (+4%) |
| #4 | Ouachita Parish | 135 | 8.5 | -19 (-12%) |
| #5 | Caldwell Parish | 8 | 8.4 | +3 (+60%) |
| #6 | Jefferson Parish | 342 | 7.9 | +3 (+1%) |
| #7 | St. Tammany Parish | 210 | 7.8 | -9 (-4%) |
| #8 | Caddo Parish | 173 | 7.4 | -6 (-3%) |
| #8 | Rapides Parish | 95 | 7.4 | -4 (-4%) |
| #10 | Avoyelles Parish | 23 | 5.9 | 0 (no change) |
| #11 | Calcasieu Parish | 115 | 5.5 | -17 (-13%) |
| #12 | Natchitoches Parish | 20 | 5.4 | -6 (-23%) |
| #13 | St. Landry Parish | 43 | 5.2 | -11 (-20%) |
| #14 | Terrebonne Parish | 55 | 5.1 | -12 (-18%) |
| #15 | Iberville Parish | 15 | 5.0 | 0 (no change) |
| #16 | Jackson Parish | 7 | 4.7 | +3 (+75%) |
| #17 | Allen Parish | 9 | 4.0 | -2 (-18%) |
| #17 | Iberia Parish | 28 | 4.0 | -7 (-20%) |
| #17 | Red River Parish | 3 | 4.0 | 0 (no change) |
| #20 | Plaquemines Parish | 9 | 3.9 | +3 (+50%) |
| #20 | Pointe Coupee Parish | 8 | 3.9 | -1 (-11%) |
| #20 | Vermilion Parish | 22 | 3.9 | -3 (-12%) |
| #20 | West Feliciana Parish | 6 | 3.9 | -1 (-14%) |
| #24 | St. Mary Parish | 18 | 3.7 | -2 (-10%) |
| #25 | Lafourche Parish | 34 | 3.5 | -2 (-6%) |
| #25 | St. Charles Parish | 18 | 3.5 | -1 (-5%) |
| #25 | Tangipahoa Parish | 48 | 3.5 | -16 (-25%) |
| #28 | Catahoula Parish | 3 | 3.4 | 0 (no change) |
| #28 | Jefferson Davis Parish | 11 | 3.4 | -3 (-21%) |
| #28 | St. Bernard Parish | 15 | 3.4 | +2 (+15%) |
| #28 | St. John the Baptist Parish | 14 | 3.4 | -2 (-12%) |
| #32 | Concordia Parish | 6 | 3.3 | -3 (-33%) |
| #32 | Lincoln Parish | 16 | 3.3 | -5 (-24%) |
| #32 | Vernon Parish | 16 | 3.3 | +3 (+23%) |
| #35 | Sabine Parish | 7 | 3.2 | +1 (+17%) |
| #36 | Acadia Parish | 18 | 3.1 | -5 (-22%) |
| #36 | Franklin Parish | 6 | 3.1 | +1 (+20%) |
| #36 | Madison Parish | 3 | 3.1 | -1 (-25%) |
| #39 | De Soto Parish | 8 | 3.0 | +2 (+33%) |
| #40 | St. Helena Parish | 3 | 2.8 | -1 (-25%) |
| #41 | Beauregard Parish | 10 | 2.7 | -1 (-9%) |
| #42 | Bossier Parish | 34 | 2.6 | +4 (+13%) |
| #43 | Evangeline Parish | 8 | 2.5 | -6 (-43%) |
| #43 | Richland Parish | 5 | 2.5 | -1 (-17%) |
| #43 | West Baton Rouge Parish | 7 | 2.5 | +1 (+17%) |
| #46 | Assumption Parish | 5 | 2.4 | -1 (-17%) |
| #47 | Ascension Parish | 30 | 2.3 | -4 (-12%) |
| #48 | Winn Parish | 3 | 2.2 | -1 (-25%) |
| #49 | St. Martin Parish | 11 | 2.1 | +5 (+83%) |
| #50 | LaSalle Parish | 3 | 2.0 | -3 (-50%) |
| #50 | Morehouse Parish | 5 | 2.0 | -4 (-44%) |
| #52 | Livingston Parish | 28 | 1.9 | -4 (-12%) |
| #52 | Webster Parish | 7 | 1.9 | -1 (-12%) |
| #54 | St. James Parish | 3 | 1.5 | 0 (no change) |
| #54 | Washington Parish | 7 | 1.5 | -9 (-56%) |
| #56 | Union Parish | 3 | 1.4 | -1 (-25%) |
| — | Bienville Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Cameron Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Claiborne Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | East Carroll Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | East Feliciana Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Grant Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | Tensas Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
| — | West Carroll Parish | Not published (fewer than 3) | — | — |
Search intent map
Intent is the reason behind a search, and it decides which page on your site should show up. Our national keyword file for law offices holds 705 keywords, which Google's tool labels informational (303), commercial (285), navigational (93), or transactional (24). Those labels sort into the five groups below. "Need one now" is our own split: commercial keywords from someone who was arrested, hit, or served last night.
Brand names, bar association lookups, the attorney general, careers, and other states' cities were left out. One finding matters for every firm: nationally "lawyer" outdraws "attorney", but in Louisiana's city-modified searches Google reports one figure for both words in seven of ten metros, and where they split, "attorney" wins ("attorney new orleans" 1,000 to 5,000 against "lawyer new orleans" 100 to 500 ). Use "attorney" in titles and "lawyer" in body text.
| Group | What the searcher wants | Example keywords (US monthly band) | Page that should answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Need one now | Someone to call today after an arrest, an accident, or a deadline | "criminal defense attorney near me" 5,000 plus; "personal injury lawyer near me" 5,000 plus; "car accident lawyer free consultation" 1,000 to 5,000; "free legal advice hotline 24/7" 1,000 to 5,000; "personal injury lawsuit statute of limitations" 500 to 1,000; "emergency lawyer {city}" no volume reported | Practice-area page with the phone number and "free consultation" at the top, plus after-hours details on your Google Business Profile |
| Service plus place | A lawyer for a case type in a specific city | "personal injury lawyer new orleans" 1,000 to 5,000; "attorney baton rouge" 1,000 to 5,000; "divorce lawyer baton rouge" 500 to 1,000; "criminal defense attorney lafayette la" 500 to 1,000 | Home page (single office) or the practice-area page for that city |
| Comparison | To pick the right one, not just any one | "best criminal defense attorney" 1,000 to 5,000; "best lawyer near me" 1,000 to 5,000; "best divorce lawyer baton rouge" 100 to 500; "avvo lawyer reviews" 1,000 to 5,000 | Attorney bio pages and a results page, backed by your Google reviews |
| Cost | A number, or reassurance that the first call is free | "cheap divorce attorneys near me" 5,000 plus; "personal injury lawyer cost" 1,000 to 5,000; "free attorney consultation near me" 1,000 to 5,000; "how much does a simple divorce cost" 500 to 1,000; "how much do personal injury lawyers charge" 100 to 500 | A fees section on each practice-area page: contingency percentage, flat fees, retainers, free consultation or not |
| Informational | To understand their situation before calling | "attorney vs lawyer" 5,000 plus; "i need a lawyer and i have no money" 1,000 to 5,000; "how much of a 25k settlement will i get" 500 to 1,000; "who pays attorney fees in divorce" 100 to 500; "do i need a lawyer for a car accident settlement" 100 to 500 | Blog posts and an FAQ on the matching practice-area page |
Google Ads data via DataForSEO.
First, "Need one now" runs on "near me" and free-consultation terms, not "emergency": Google Ads reports no volume for "emergency lawyer" in any Louisiana metro, and the file has no "arrest", "bail" or "DUI" terms. People in trouble search the practice area plus "near me", which Google answers from your Business Profile, not your website. Second, "cheap", "affordable" and "free consultation" outdraw "cost", so a firm that states its fees plainly answers a question competitors dodge. Hurricane and insurance-claim litigation and "succession" (the Louisiana word for probate) were never pulled, so their volumes are unknown, but two packs carry an "Insurance attorney" primary, so build the pages and measure demand.
Keyword patterns with volume ranges
Google Ads reports search volume for the whole United States, not for a city. So the "metro volume" for a pattern is the US monthly volume of the city-modified keyword, for example "attorney baton rouge". Google also lumps word-order variants together, so each concept appears once below and is never added up. Four metro names are shared with other states (Lafayette, Monroe, Alexandria, Hammond), so those use the "la" form, for example "lawyer monroe la". "No volume reported" means Google returned no figure at all, as it did for every "emergency" and "cost" term with a city name.
| Pattern | Filled example | National | New Orleans | Baton Rouge | Lafayette | Shreveport | Slidell | Monroe | Lake Charles | Alexandria | Houma | Hammond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {practice} near me | personal injury lawyer near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| attorney near me | attorney near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| attorney {city} | attorney new orleans | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 100 to 500 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 500 to 1,000 | no volume reported | 100 to 500 | |
| lawyer {city} | lawyer baton rouge | 100 to 500 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | no volume reported | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 500 to 1,000 | no volume reported | 100 to 500 | |
| personal injury lawyer {city} | personal injury lawyer new orleans | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 1,000 to 5,000 | 100 to 500 | 50 to 100 | 100 to 500 | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | 50 to 100 | no volume reported | |
| criminal defense attorney {city} | criminal defense attorney new orleans | 1,000 to 5,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | no volume reported | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 500 to 1,000 | no volume reported | under 50 | |
| divorce lawyer {city} | divorce lawyer baton rouge | 500 to 1,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | 500 to 1,000 | 100 to 500 | 100 to 500 | no volume reported | |
| best divorce lawyer {city} | best divorce lawyer baton rouge | 50 to 100 | 100 to 500 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | |
| best criminal defense attorney {city} | best criminal defense attorney new orleans | 1,000 to 5,000 | 100 to 500 | under 50 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported |
| {practice} cost {city} | personal injury lawyer cost baton rouge | 1,000 to 5,000 | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported |
| emergency {practice} {city} | emergency lawyer new orleans | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported | no volume reported |
| cheap {practice} near me | cheap divorce attorneys near me | 5,000 plus | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| {practice} free consultation near me | free attorney consultation near me | 1,000 to 5,000 | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
| car accident lawyer {modifier} | car accident lawyer free consultation | 1,000 to 5,000 | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only | national only |
Google Ads data via DataForSEO. Lafayette, Monroe, Alexandria and Hammond figures use the "la" form of the keyword.
The practice-area head terms carry the city demand: in New Orleans and Baton Rouge "personal injury lawyer {city}" matches "attorney {city}". "Best" and "cost" terms almost never carry a city name, so answer them on your practice pages rather than building pages for them. Generate the full list for your city with the keyword pattern tool.
What the local pack looks like
The local pack is the map with three businesses that Google shows above the normal results. We pulled the top 20 Google Maps results for "lawyer" in all ten metros (200 listings) and counted as real competitors every listing whose primary category is a law-practice category: Attorney, Law firm, Personal injury attorney, Criminal justice attorney, Legal services, Family law attorney, Divorce lawyer, and other attorney categories. One row was excluded: a nonprofit lawyer-training academy in Monroe. No notaries, bail bond agents or courts appeared. Of the 199 real competitors, 76 use "Attorney" as primary and 46 "Personal injury attorney"; 152 are claimed and 148 have a website. The median listing has 24 reviews and a 4.9-star rating; 36 have more than 100 reviews.
| Metro | Primary category "Attorney" | Other primaries seen | Claimed | With website | Median reviews | Median rating | Excluded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 4 of 20 | Personal injury attorney (10), Criminal justice attorney (2), Law firm, Civil law attorney, Insurance attorney, Legal services | 19 of 20 | 19 of 20 | 131.5 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Baton Rouge | 10 of 20 | Law firm (5), Personal injury attorney (4), Immigration attorney | 14 of 20 | 16 of 20 | 18 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Lafayette | 8 of 20 | Personal injury attorney (4), Criminal justice attorney (3), Law firm (2), Family law attorney (2), Legal services | 17 of 20 | 16 of 20 | 34 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Shreveport | 3 of 20 | Personal injury attorney (8), Criminal justice attorney (3), Family law attorney (3), Law firm (2), Divorce lawyer | 20 of 20 | 16 of 20 | 53 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Slidell | 8 of 20 | Legal services (3), Personal injury attorney (3), Criminal justice attorney (2), Law firm (2), Divorce lawyer, Trial attorney | 14 of 20 | 14 of 20 | 12 | 5.0 | 0 |
| Monroe | 9 of 19 | Law firm (3), Criminal justice attorney (2), Personal injury attorney (2), Employment attorney, Divorce lawyer, Legal services | 18 of 19 | 15 of 19 | 18 | 4.6 | 1 |
| Lake Charles | 7 of 20 | Criminal justice attorney (5), Law firm (3), Personal injury attorney (3), Family law attorney, Divorce lawyer | 15 of 20 | 15 of 20 | 53 | 4.9 | 0 |
| Alexandria | 8 of 20 | Law firm (4), Bankruptcy attorney (2), Personal injury attorney (2), Criminal justice, Social security, Insurance, Estate planning attorney | 12 of 20 | 9 of 20 | 14 | 4.6 | 0 |
| Houma | 11 of 20 | Personal injury attorney (4), Legal services (3), Law firm (2) | 12 of 20 | 15 of 20 | 12 | 4.5 | 0 |
| Hammond | 8 of 20 | Personal injury attorney (6), Legal services (2), General practice, Family law, Criminal justice, Bankruptcy attorney | 11 of 20 | 13 of 20 | 8 | 4.8 | 0 |
Medians exclude the nine listings with no reviews yet. Source: Google Maps results for "lawyer", September 2026.
New Orleans is a different sport: the middle listing has 131.5 reviews and half the pack is personal injury firms. In Baton Rouge, Slidell, Alexandria, Houma and Hammond the median listing has fewer than 20 reviews and a quarter or more of the top 20 is unclaimed, so a finished profile and 30 reviews can reach the pack.
Google Business Profile categories
Your Google Business Profile (the free listing that powers the map) needs one primary category and can have up to nine secondary ones. The primary category is the strongest single ranking signal you control.
Primary: Attorney. Google's category list names it "Lawyer"; Maps displays it as "Attorney". It is on 691,625 listings nationally and is the most common primary in our Louisiana sample (76 of 199), so it is the right primary for a general or multi-practice firm. The exception is a firm that does one kind of law: in New Orleans and Shreveport the "lawyer" pack is led by "Personal injury attorney" primaries. If you only do injury, criminal defense or divorce, make that category primary and "Attorney" a secondary.
Secondary picks, in this order, only where the firm truly handles the work:
- Personal Injury Lawyer (63,207 listings nationally; shown in Maps as "Personal injury attorney", 46 primaries in our sample).
- Criminal Law Attorney (74,315; shown as "Criminal justice attorney", 19 primaries).
- Family Law Attorney (82,211) or Divorce Attorney (53,841).
- Trial Attorney (43,429), plus Law Firm and Legal Services.
Insurance Attorney (19,703) fits a firm that handles hurricane and property-claim disputes; two packs carry it as a primary.
Do not use: District Attorney (3,568; a public office), Attorney Referral Service (11,305), Lawyers Association (9,107), Notary Public, Bail Bonds Service, Legal Aid Office, and Courthouse. These describe different businesses, and Google may suspend a listing that uses them. Google has an exact category for every practice area here.
Schema templates
Schema is a block of code on your website that tells Google what kind of business the page describes, in a format it reads without guessing. The correct schema.org type for a firm is LegalService, which sits under LocalBusiness, so it inherits everything that type supports (address, hours, phone, reviews). Its subtypes are Attorney and Notary; use Attorney on an individual lawyer's bio page. Generate yours with the schema tool.
Two blocks do the job. Block 1, the site graph, links the firm, logo, website, page and FAQ by @id; it goes on every page, with the WebPage entity swapped for that page. Block 2 is a Service block naming the firm as provider; one goes on each practice-area page, starting with personal injury.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "LegalService",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#organization",
"name": "Crescent Parish Law, LLC",
"url": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/",
"description": "Law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, handling personal injury, criminal defense and DWI, divorce and family law, and successions.",
"telephone": "+1-504-555-0142",
"priceRange": "$$$",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/crescentparishlaw",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/crescentparishlaw",
"https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/crescentparishlaw",
"https://maps.google.com/?cid=0000000000000000000"
],
"logo": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#logo" },
"image": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#logo" },
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "1234 Poydras St, Suite 900",
"addressLocality": "New Orleans",
"addressRegion": "LA",
"postalCode": "70112",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": 29.9511, "longitude": -90.0715 },
"areaServed": [
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Orleans Parish" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "Jefferson Parish" },
{ "@type": "AdministrativeArea", "name": "St. Tammany Parish" }
],
"openingHoursSpecification": [
{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
"opens": "08:30",
"closes": "17:00"
}
],
"contactPoint": [{ "@type": "ContactPoint", "telephone": "+1-504-555-0142", "contactType": "customer support" }]
},
{
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#logo",
"url": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/images/logo.png",
"contentUrl": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/images/logo.png",
"caption": "Crescent Parish Law, LLC logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"width": "1200",
"height": "400"
},
{
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#website",
"url": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/",
"name": "Crescent Parish Law, LLC",
"publisher": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#organization" },
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#webpage",
"url": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/",
"name": "Attorney in New Orleans, LA | Crescent Parish Law",
"datePublished": "2026-01-15T09:00:00+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-09-01T09:00:00+00:00",
"about": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#organization" },
"isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#website" },
"primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#logo" },
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
{
"@type": "FAQPage",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#faq",
"isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#webpage" },
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What GBP category should a law office use?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Use \"Attorney\" as the primary for a multi-practice firm, or your practice-area category if you handle one kind of law."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Does a law office need schema?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "It is not required to rank, but the LegalService type tells Google your name, address, phone, hours and the parishes you serve, and Attorney does the same for each bio."
}
}
]
}
]
}{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Personal Injury",
"description": "Personal injury representation in New Orleans for car accidents, slip and fall and wrongful death, on a contingency fee with a free consultation.",
"provider": {
"@type": "LegalService",
"@id": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/#organization",
"name": "Crescent Parish Law, LLC"
},
"areaServed": [{ "@type": "City", "name": "New Orleans, LA" }, { "@type": "City", "name": "Metairie, LA" }],
"serviceType": "Personal injury representation",
"url": "https://www.crescentparishlaw.example/practice-areas/personal-injury/"
}Three fields matter most. Name, address and phone must match your Google Business Profile character for character, including the suite number; a mismatch is the most common reason schema does nothing. Geo should be the real coordinates of the front door (the example uses the New Orleans city-center point; replace it with yours from Google Maps). areaServed lists the parishes whose courts you appear in, which is how Google understands a firm that takes cases from beyond its office address.
Website structure
A law firm site does not need to be big. It needs one page for each thing a client searches for, with a title tag (the blue link text Google shows) that says what the page is and where it is. Louisiana's lawyer advertising rules restrict claims such as "best", so check them first.
One page per practice area. Start with the practice areas people search by name: personal injury, criminal defense and DWI, divorce and family law, then succession and hurricane insurance-claim disputes where you handle them. Title pattern: "Personal Injury Attorney in New Orleans | Crescent Parish Law". Each page carries a fees section, because competitors mostly ignore the cost group, and names the courts you appear in, such as Orleans Civil District Court or the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.
One location page per office. A single-office firm uses the home page. A firm with offices in Metairie and Covington needs a page for each, with that office's address, phone, hours, attorneys and the schema block above. Title pattern: "Attorney in Metairie, LA | Crescent Parish Law".
An attorney bio page for each lawyer. Comparison searchers want a face, a bar admission year, and the case types the lawyer handles. Mark each bio up with the Attorney schema type.
A results and reviews page. Show your Google reviews and case results stated within the advertising rules, and link to the Google listing so the next review lands there.
A short blog or FAQ. Ten posts answering the informational keywords bring in people before they know they need you.
A contact page for the "Need one now" reader. Phone number first, "free consultation" second, a short form third.
Step-by-step checklist
Google Business Profile
- Claim and verify the listing at business.google.com (47 of our 199 sampled listings are unclaimed).
- Set the primary category to "Attorney" or your practice-area category, and add secondaries from section 7.
- Enter office hours exactly as they run, and say whether calls are answered after hours.
- Add at least 10 real photos: exterior, reception, each attorney.
- List every practice area as a service, with the fee basis stated.
- Turn on messaging and answer the Q&A section.
Website basics
- Put the firm name, address and phone in every page footer, matching the Google listing exactly.
- Make the phone number a tap-to-call link on mobile.
- Set a title tag on every page using the patterns in section 9.
- Add LegalService schema to the home and location pages, and Attorney schema to each bio.
- Run the site through PageSpeed Insights and fix anything red on mobile.
Reviews
- Ask every client for a Google review when the matter closes.
- Reply to every review within a week without discussing the client's case.
- Set a target: the median top-20 listing in your metro (section 6) is the number to beat.
Citations (listings on other directories)
- Check the firm's listing on Avvo, Justia, FindLaw, Martindale, Yelp, Apple Maps and Bing Places.
- Make every listing use the same name, address and phone as Google.
- Update each attorney's Louisiana State Bar Association directory entry.
Content
- Write or rewrite one practice-area page per month, starting with the highest-volume one.
- Add a fees section to each practice page.
- Publish one FAQ or blog post per month from the informational list.
- Write a location page for every office beyond the first.
Tracking
- Connect the site to Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
- Use a tracking phone number on the Google listing.
- Once a month, record calls, directions and website clicks from the Business Profile report.
- Once a quarter, search "attorney {your city}" from a phone and note who is in the pack.
Metro notes
New Orleans. 1,053 offices, 10.6 per 10,000; Orleans Parish alone holds 652. "Personal injury lawyer new orleans" runs 1,000 to 5,000 a month, level with "attorney new orleans". The pack is a reviews race, median 131.5. New Orleans law offices data and keywords for New Orleans.
Baton Rouge. 544 offices at 6.2 per 10,000; the change is a range (+6 to +8) because the Census withheld East Feliciana Parish in 2018. "Personal injury lawyer baton rouge" is 1,000 to 5,000. Six of 20 real pack listings are unclaimed. Baton Rouge law offices data and keywords for Baton Rouge.
Lafayette. 425 offices at 10.3 per 10,000, flat since 2018. "Attorney lafayette la" and "personal injury lawyer lafayette la" are each 1,000 to 5,000. 17 of 20 pack listings are claimed. Lafayette law offices data and keywords for Lafayette.
Shreveport. 215 offices at 5.5 per 10,000, unchanged since 2018. "Attorney shreveport" is 1,000 to 5,000 and personal injury only 100 to 500, yet eight of 20 pack listings are injury firms. Shreveport law offices data and keywords for Shreveport.
Slidell. 210 offices at 7.8 per 10,000, down 9 (4%). "Attorney slidell" is 100 to 500; "lawyer slidell" has no volume reported. Six of the top 20 are unclaimed. Slidell law offices data and keywords for Slidell.
Monroe. 148 offices at 6.6 per 10,000, down 25 (14%). "Attorney monroe la" is 1,000 to 5,000 while plain "lawyer monroe" is under 50, so use the "la" form. 18 of 19 pack listings are claimed. Monroe law offices data and keywords for Monroe.
Lake Charles. 126 offices at 5.1 per 10,000; the change is a range (-22 to -20) because the Census withheld Cameron Parish. "Attorney lake charles" is 1,000 to 5,000, injury and divorce each 500 to 1,000. Hurricane and insurance-claim pages belong here most. Lake Charles law offices data and keywords for Lake Charles.
Alexandria. 96 offices at 6.4 per 10,000, down 3 (3%). "Attorney alexandria la" and "criminal defense attorney alexandria la" are each 500 to 1,000. The least finished pack: 12 of 20 claimed, 9 with a website. Alexandria law offices data and keywords for Alexandria.
Houma. 89 offices at 4.4 per 10,000, down 14 (14%). "Attorney houma" has no volume reported; "divorce lawyer houma" is 100 to 500. Eight of 20 real listings are unclaimed. Houma law offices data and keywords for Houma.
Hammond. 48 offices at 3.5 per 10,000, the least crowded metro, down 16 (25%). "Attorney hammond la" is 100 to 500. Nine of the top 20 are unclaimed. Hammond law offices data and keywords for Hammond.
FAQ
What GBP category should a law office use?
Use "Attorney" (listed as "Lawyer" in Google's category picker) as the primary for a general or multi-practice firm. It is on 691,625 listings nationally and is the most common primary among the 199 real law-firm listings in our Louisiana sample (76). A firm that handles one kind of law should make its practice-area category the primary.
Which Louisiana metro has the most law offices?
New Orleans, with 1,053 law offices in the 2023 Census count, followed by Baton Rouge (544) and Lafayette (425). Per resident, New Orleans is also the most crowded at 10.6 per 10,000, then Lafayette at 10.3. Statewide there are 3,217 offices, 7.0 per 10,000, down 4% since 2018.
How many keywords should a law office target?
Fewer than you think. One head term per practice area per office ("personal injury lawyer {city}", 1,000 to 5,000 searches a month in the three largest metros), one general term per office ("attorney {city}"), and the cost and informational questions as posts. For a single-office firm with three practice areas that is 15 to 25 keywords.
Does a law office need schema?
It is not required to rank, but it is cheap and removes doubt. The LegalService type tells Google your name, address, phone, hours and the parishes you serve in a form it reads directly, and the Attorney type does the same for each bio. It cannot fix a listing that disagrees with the website, so match those first.
Sources and notes
Business counts: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 2017 code 541110, Offices of Lawyers), with 2018 as the comparison year. Population: American Community Survey 2023. Keyword volumes: Google Ads data via DataForSEO, pulled 2026-09-02, US monthly figures. Keyword and map-pack data cover all ten metros: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Slidell, Monroe, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Houma and Hammond. Full method on the methodology page.
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