In re: the Chicago map pack · 18-month case
Halberd & Quince · Personal injury law firm · Chicago
How a mid-size injury firm broke into one of America's most competitive map packs
Sketch IIThe complaint
Outspent, out-reviewed, out of the pack.
Chicago injury searches were dominated by billboard-heavy firms with thousands of reviews and huge ad budgets.
Halberd & Quince had won serious settlements for two decades, but online it was invisible. Its profile sat ninth or lower across most of the city grid, behind firms whose faces are on bus shelters and whose review counts run into the thousands. Matching their ad spend was never an option; out-arguing them on relevance, proximity and trust was.
Sketch IIIDiscovery · the audit
Seven pieces of evidence, entered into the record.
Local findings
- A-1
Wrong primary category
Profile listed as “Law firm”, not “Personal injury attorney”, so it was filtered out of the most valuable searches.
- A-2
Three conflicting addresses
Old suite numbers on 38 directories split the firm’s prominence signals between duplicate listings.
- A-3
Review gap of 30 to 1
140 reviews against rivals holding 2,000–4,800; no request process at case close.
Technical findings
- B-1
No legal schema
No LegalService, Attorney or FAQ markup; Google could not tie the site to the profile or the lawyers.
- B-2
4.8 s mobile LCP
An autoplay hero video on every practice page; the intake form loaded below the fold.
Content findings
- C-1
One page for all of Chicago
A single “Chicago” page tried to rank in 77 community areas; no neighbourhood relevance at all.
- C-2
English-only
Nothing for Spanish-language searchers, roughly a quarter of the injury demand in the target grid.
Sketch IVThe argument · strategy
Four exhibits, one case: we are the closest, most trusted answer.
The engagement ran on our Local plan, with every tactic aimed at the three signals Google weighs for the map pack: relevance, distance and prominence.
Exhibit 1
Google Business Profile
Treat the profile as the firm’s front door, not an afterthought.
- Primary category corrected; 14 services with descriptions
- Weekly posts and Q&A seeded from intake calls
- Bronzeville satellite verified as its own location
Exhibit 2
Neighbourhood pages
Win relevance block by block where one city page could not.
- 12 community-area pages with crash-corridor data
- Directions to the Daley Center and branch courts
- Spanish versions with hreflang
Exhibit 3
Review generation
Close the review gap with a process, never incentives.
- Request sent at case close, by text and email
- Bilingual templates that comply with Illinois bar ethics rules
- Every review answered within 48 hours
Exhibit 4
Legal schema
Spell out for Google who the firm is, where it is and who practises there.
- LegalService and Attorney markup site-wide
- FAQ markup on practice pages
- sameAs links tying site, profile and bar listings
Sketch VThe proceedings · 18 months
The docket, month by month.
Drag the slider or pick an entry to read the record at any point in the case.
Docket entry 18 · Closing arguments
Verdict: 520 reviews, 44% map-pack visibility, +87% signed cases from organic.
- Map-pack visibility
- 44%
- Reviews
- 520
- Organic calls (index)
- 232
- Signed cases / month
- 43
Sketch VIThe verdict · results
+87% signed cases from organic.
Signed cases from organic
+87%
Map-pack visibility
9% → 44%
Reviews
140 → 520
Organic calls
+132%
Modelled scenario for a fictional business — not a client result. Rankings and traffic are never guaranteed; see our Terms.
Rankings entered into evidence
| Search | Monthly | Organic before | After | 3-pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| car accident lawyer chicago | 6,600 | #34 | #4 | won |
| personal injury lawyer near me | 9,900 | #41 | #3 | won |
| truck accident attorney chicago | 1,300 | #22 | #2 | won |
| slip and fall lawyer chicago | 880 | #18 | #3 | won |
| bicycle accident lawyer chicago | 590 | #12 | #1 | held |
| abogado de accidentes chicago | 720 | not ranked | #2 | won |
| injury lawyer pilsen | 210 | not ranked | #1 | won |
| wrongful death attorney chicago | 1,000 | #47 | #6 | not yet |
Modelled positions from a desktop and mobile grid scan centred on the Loop office. Volumes are illustrative.
Sketch VIICourt is adjourned
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