Case Study: How a Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney Broke Free from Traditional Marketing and Increased New Business by 20% with FMS Online Marketing
Client: Phoenix Criminal Defense Attorney
Industry: Legal – Criminal Defense
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Services Provided by FMS: Local SEO, Google Business Profile Optimization, Website Optimization, Review Strategy
Background: Word of Mouth and TV Ads Weren’t Cutting It Anymore
For years, a well-established criminal defense attorney in Phoenix had relied solely on word-of-mouth referrals and costly TV commercials to generate new business. While this traditional approach had brought in steady work for a time, the landscape was changing—and fast. TV advertising costs were skyrocketing, and referral volume was inconsistent. As more people turned to Google for help finding attorneys, the firm realized it was virtually invisible online.
They had no search engine visibility, no consistent leads from Google, and a Google Business Profile that was incomplete and barely functional. Even though they had the courtroom experience, reputation, and skills to serve clients at the highest level, potential clients simply weren’t finding them.
That’s when they reached out to FMS Online Marketing.
The Challenge: Build Online Visibility in a Competitive Market
Phoenix is a highly competitive market for criminal defense attorneys. Between national law firms, pay-per-lead giants, and aggressive digital advertisers, ranking well on Google—especially in the local Map Pack—isn’t easy.
The attorney’s biggest challenges included:
- An unoptimized and rarely updated Google Business Profile
- A basic website with little to no local SEO optimization
- No keyword strategy targeting criminal defense services or local searches
- No review strategy to generate and showcase client feedback
- Total dependence on offline marketing to attract clients
They needed a strategy to help them stand out online, get found by clients searching locally, and build a long-term, sustainable lead-generation system—without paying thousands per month in ad spend.
The FMS Online Marketing Solution
FMS Online Marketing started with a deep dive into the attorney’s current digital presence, competitors, and local market. From there, they developed and executed a comprehensive local SEO strategy tailored to the criminal defense space.
1. Google Business Profile Optimization
FMS fully optimized the law firm’s Google Business Profile by:
- Updating service categories and descriptions
- Adding high-quality photos
- Publishing weekly posts with relevant legal topics and updates
- Implementing a review generation strategy
This dramatically increased the firm’s visibility in the Map Pack for high-intent keywords like “Phoenix criminal defense attorney,” “DUI lawyer near me,” and “assault defense lawyer Phoenix.”
2. Website Optimization & Local SEO
The firm’s website was revamped with:
- Geo-targeted service pages (e.g., DUI Defense in Phoenix, Drug Charges, Domestic Violence Defense)
- Speed improvements and mobile-friendly design
- Local schema markup to improve indexing
- Strategic keyword optimization on each page
FMS also created a content plan around commonly searched legal questions, helping improve organic rankings across a wider set of criminal law-related keywords.
3. Reputation Management
Understanding how important trust is in legal services, FMS helped the attorney develop a system to consistently request client reviews. Within months, the number of positive reviews more than doubled, boosting both local rankings and consumer trust.
4. Transparent Reporting & Ongoing SEO Maintenance
FMS provided monthly reports tracking:
- Increases in local search rankings
- Website traffic and engagement
- Phone calls and direction requests from the Google profile
- Organic leads through contact forms and calls
The team used this data to refine the SEO strategy monthly and capitalize on new opportunities.
The Results: A 20% Increase in New Business—And Climbing
Within the first 2–3 months of working with FMS, the law firm started to see a steady stream of qualified leads from Google. These were people actively searching for legal help in Phoenix—and now, they were finding the firm at the top of the results.
By month 5, the firm reported:
- A 20% increase in new business
- Significantly reduced dependence on TV ads
- A marked increase in phone calls and online inquiries
- A Google Business Profile that now ranked for dozens of high-value local keywords
Most importantly, they were attracting the kind of clients they wanted to work with—without spending thousands every month on unpredictable ad campaigns.
And the growth hasn’t stopped. With FMS Online Marketing continuing to fine-tune their SEO and online presence, the attorney expects new business to grow by 35–40% within the year.
Conclusion: A Powerful Example of What Local SEO Can Do
This Phoenix criminal defense attorney had the experience, the talent, and the reputation—but none of it mattered if new clients couldn’t find them online. Thanks to FMS Online Marketing, they now have a consistent, predictable, and scalable source of leads from Google that continues to grow each month.
If your law firm is still relying on word of mouth or burning through ad dollars with no return, it’s time to make your Google Business Profile and website work for you.
📞 Contact FMS Online Marketing today and start dominating your local market like this Phoenix firm did. Call (623) 687-1673.
