You've probably heard this advice a hundred times: "Get more Google reviews." And it's good advice — Google reviews are incredibly important for local SEO. But here's something most law firm owners don't realize: Google isn't the only review platform that shows up in Google's own search results. When someone searches for your firm by name, one of the first things they may see is a Trustpilot profile page — complete with star ratings, review counts, and client feedback — sitting right there on page one. If you don't have a Trustpilot presence, that spot belongs to someone or something else. If you do, it's another piece of prime search real estate working in your favor.
What Trustpilot actually means
Trustpilot is one of the world's largest and most recognized online review platforms. Founded in Denmark and now operating globally, it hosts over 300 million reviews covering businesses in virtually every industry — including legal services. Unlike Google reviews, which live inside your Google Business Profile, Trustpilot reviews live on Trustpilot's own website, which has extremely high domain authority.
Here's what makes Trustpilot different from other review platforms:
- Star ratings in organic search results. Trustpilot pages frequently display rich snippet star ratings directly in Google's organic search results. That means when someone Googles your firm's name, they may see a Trustpilot listing with a 4.8-star rating and "47 reviews" right beneath your website link. Those stars catch the eye and build trust before anyone even clicks.
- High domain authority. Trustpilot's website has a domain authority score that rivals major news outlets. This means your Trustpilot profile page can rank on page one of Google for your firm's name, giving you an additional listing you control on the search results page.
- Platform independence. Trustpilot is not owned by Google, Apple, or any other tech giant. It's a neutral third-party review platform, which some clients find more credible precisely because it's independent.
- Multi-source trust signal. When potential clients see positive reviews about your firm on Google, and on Trustpilot, and on Avvo, it creates a pattern of trust that is much stronger than reviews on any single platform. People instinctively trust businesses more when they see consistent praise across multiple unrelated sources.
Why this matters for your law firm
Most law firms focus their review efforts entirely on Google — and for good reason. But relying on a single review platform creates a fragile foundation. Here's why adding Trustpilot to your review strategy matters:
You control more of page one. When someone searches your firm's name, the ideal scenario is that you own as many results on page one as possible — your website, your Google Business Profile, your LinkedIn, your Avvo page, and your Trustpilot profile. Each of those is a listing you control, pushing down anything negative or irrelevant. A Trustpilot profile with good reviews adds one more owned result to that page.
Star ratings attract clicks. Search results with star ratings have significantly higher click-through rates than those without. When your Trustpilot page shows up in Google results with a visible star rating and review count, it draws attention even if it's listed below your main website. More clicks mean more potential clients seeing your firm.
Some clients check beyond Google. Not everyone trusts Google reviews. Some people actively seek out independent review platforms because they consider them harder to manipulate. Having a strong Trustpilot presence captures this more discerning segment of potential clients who do their homework before choosing a lawyer.
It strengthens your overall reputation signal. Search engines and AI systems are increasingly looking at review data from multiple sources. When your firm has consistent positive reviews across Google, Trustpilot, and other platforms, it creates a stronger, more reliable trust signal than reviews concentrated on a single site.
How to check if your site has this
Here's how to see where you stand with Trustpilot right now:
- Google your firm's name and look through the first two pages of results. Do you see a Trustpilot listing? If not, you either don't have a Trustpilot profile or it has too few reviews to rank.
- Go to trustpilot.com and search for your firm. You may find that a profile already exists — Trustpilot sometimes auto-generates business profiles from public data. Check whether the information is accurate and whether any reviews have been left.
- Compare your review count across platforms. How many Google reviews do you have versus other platforms? If you have fifty Google reviews but zero on Trustpilot, there's a significant gap in your multi-platform review presence.
- Check your competitors. Search for competing firms in your area on Trustpilot. If they have active profiles with reviews and you don't, they're occupying search real estate that could be yours.
What to do next
Getting started on Trustpilot is free and takes very little time:
- Claim your profile at business.trustpilot.com. Sign up for a free business account, search for your firm, and claim the listing. Fill in your business details, logo, description, and contact information — the same way you'd set up any other business profile.
- Understand the free vs. paid tiers. Trustpilot's free plan lets you claim your profile, respond to reviews, and send up to a limited number of review invitations per month. Paid plans unlock features like automated review invitations, marketing widgets for your website, and advanced analytics. For most law firms starting out, the free tier is more than enough to build a solid foundation.
- Start inviting clients to leave reviews. After a successful case resolution or positive client interaction, send a Trustpilot review invitation alongside your usual Google review request. You don't need to choose one or the other — you can ask satisfied clients to leave reviews on both platforms.
- Respond to every review. Just like on Google, responding to reviews — both positive and negative — shows that your firm is engaged and cares about client feedback. Thoughtful responses also add keyword-rich content to your Trustpilot profile page.
- Add a Trustpilot badge to your website. Trustpilot provides embeddable widgets that display your star rating and review count directly on your site. This is a subtle but effective trust signal for visitors who are already on your website and considering whether to contact you. LexGrow SEO can track your review profiles across Google, Trustpilot, and other platforms in one dashboard, so you always know where you stand and where to focus your review-building efforts.
Trustpilot is not a replacement for Google reviews — it's an addition that strengthens your firm's overall online reputation. Think of it as adding another lock to the door: each review platform you're active on makes your credibility harder to question. Claim your free profile this week, invite a few recent clients to share their experience, and start building a Trustpilot presence that gives your firm one more advantage in search results and one more reason for prospects to pick up the phone.