The Ultimate Law Firm Office Relocation Checklist: How to Update Your Digital Footprint

Moving your law office involves more than packing boxes and updating signage. Neglecting your digital footprint during a physical move can hurt local SEO, frustrate potential clients, and cause leads to fall through the cracks.

When search engines know where your law office is located, they rank you accordingly. That said, we encourage you to use this office relocation checklist to maintain search traffic and keep your law firm’s online presence strong during the move.

#1. Update Law Firm Contact Page Info 

The contact page is where most move-related updates should occur. Remember to update your entire website, not just your contact page copy (think the footer address and vcards).

• Core Text: Update your street address, suite number, local phone number, and local fax number (if used).
• Embedded Maps: Adjust your embedded map to push your old office pin and include your new location.
• Links: Ensure every link and URL containing your address is updated correctly.
• Directions and Parking Info: Be sure to provide parking directions, garage entrances, office suite directions, and public transit routes to make it easy for clients to visit your office.

#2. Update Sitewide Text & Global Website Templates 

If your address is mentioned anywhere on your website, you’ll want to locate and update it. Your address is likely placed on your website using reusable templates.

• Homepage: Review any homepage text for mentions of your address. Sometimes your address is included in homepage hero text or bottom callouts.
• Global Headers/Footers: Update any header images or footer contact widgets that display your address or phone number.
• Practice Area/About Page Sidebars: Update the widgets displayed on your practice area pages as well as the other general pages of your site. A common example includes custom Contact Us sidebars. 
• Attorney Profiles: Update address info on bios for any attorneys that work at multiple office locations.
• Downloadable vCards: vCards are electronic business cards that can be downloaded and saved to smartphones. Ensure you update your attorney vCards so phones save your new contact information.
• Privacy Policy & Terms of Use Pages: Both privacy policy and terms of use pages often include street addresses for legal disclosure and regulatory correspondence purposes. Update any instances of your old address on these pages.

#3. Update Images & Media Files   

Providing visitors with quality office images is a great way to show off your workspace, but outdated images can lead to confusion for clients and search engines. Remove any images that feature your old office location.

• Footer Images: Remove background photos, building images, or location images featured in your website footer.
• Content Images: Review images used on your contact page, team page, or About page. Replace old office building photos with new office media.

#4. Update Tags & Metadata 

Keeping your technical SEO elements up-to-date can clue search engines into your office move and help prevent ranking issues.

• Schema/Structured Data: Update your PostalAddress, LocalBusiness, or Attorney schema markup. Structured data helps Google immediately understand where your business is located.
• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Use caution when updating title tags and meta descriptions that contain city, neighborhood references, or other location-based wording (i.e., “Best DUI Attorney in Bowling Green, KY”).  

SEO Pro Tip: Title tags and meta descriptions with location-based keywords affect how your website ranks for geo-targeted searches. Review your overall SEO strategy and speak with your law firm SEO professional before making changes to your website’s primary title tag.

#5. Double-Check CMS Database Fields & Website Back-End 

Old addresses can sometimes hide within the back-end sections of your website. Some examples include CMS database fields and published blog posts.

• Custom Contact Form Fields: Some WordPress websites use custom contact form fields. Check your CMS database to see if any custom fields contain your old address data.
• Website Search: Search for your old address (street, city, state, zip code) to determine whether it’s mentioned on any published website pages or posts.

#6. Update Google My Business & External Websites 

Update your Google My Business information and double-check external websites with your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information. Incorrect address information can negatively affect local ranking signals.

• Google Business Profile (GBP): Submit your updated address to your official business profile promptly. Have documentation (e.g., a lease or utility bill) ready in case Google triggers a location re-verification process.
• Social Media: Update contact information on all applicable social media websites, including LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Instagram.
• Law Directories: Update major third-party legal channels and business directories (e.g., Avvo, Justia, FindLaw, Martindale-Hubbell, Yelp, and local Bar Association listings).

Digital Move Tip: Plan Digital Changes Around Your Move Schedule 

Updating your website during a physical move can temporarily cause lost traffic due to broken links. When possible, plan your digital moves around your real-world transition. By preparing early, you’ll limit digital mistakes that could hurt your local SEO efforts. If you have questions or concerns, contact our law firm SEO experts at PaperStreet for assistance.