What the SRA Actually Requires From Your Website (And What It Doesn't)

Your law firm website operates under multiple overlapping regulations. Understanding which rules apply—and how they interact—prevents costly compliance mistakes during SEO campaigns.

This content provides general guidance on SRA regulations as of 2024. Verify current requirements with the SRA directly, and consult your COLP for firm-specific compliance decisions.

Primary Regulatory Sources

The SRA Standards and Regulations (introduced November 2019) replaced the previous SRA Handbook. These include the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, which mandates that you do not mislead clients or others, and that you maintain public trust in the profession.

The SRA Transparency Rules (updated 2023) specify exactly what pricing and service information must appear on your website for certain practice areas. These aren't optional disclosures—they're regulatory requirements with enforcement consequences.

The SRA Code of Conduct for Firms places additional obligations on the entity itself, including responsibility for website content and marketing materials. Your firm's COLP (Compliance Officer for Legal Practice) holds ultimate accountability.

How This Affects SEO

Every page you create, every claim you make, and every testimonial you publish falls under these regulations. SEO isn't exempt because it's digital marketing rather than traditional advertising. The SRA has specifically addressed online content in its guidance, treating website optimisation no differently than print advertisements.

The SRA Transparency Rules mandate specific disclosures for firms providing services to the public in designated areas. Missing these requirements isn't a minor oversight—it's a regulatory breach.

Services Requiring Price Transparency

• Residential conveyancing (freehold and leasehold sales and purchases)
• Probate (uncontested estates)
• Motoring offences (summary-only offences)
• Immigration (specified application types)
• Employment tribunals (unfair or wrongful dismissal claims)
• Licensing applications (business premises)

Required Information for Each Service

For each applicable service, you must publish: the total cost (or basis of charging if fixed fees aren't possible), disbursements, VAT treatment, the qualifications and experience of fee earners, and typical timescales.

You must also explain the key stages of the matter and publish a clear description of the services included in the quoted price. Vague statements like "competitive rates" don't satisfy these requirements.

SEO Implications

Service pages optimised for keywords like "conveyancing solicitors" or "probate solicitors near me" must include Transparency Rule disclosures. This actually benefits SEO—detailed service pages with pricing information tend to satisfy search intent better than thin pages without specifics. Structure these pages to serve both compliance and ranking objectives.

Client testimonials and success claims represent the highest-risk area for solicitor websites. Many firms fall into compliance traps while trying to build trust signals for SEO.

What the SRA Permits

Testimonials are allowed under SRA rules, provided they're genuine, accurately reflect the client's experience, and don't mislead about likely outcomes. You can publish Google reviews, client quotes, and case summaries—with appropriate safeguards.

Common Compliance Failures

Implied outcome guarantees: "We always achieve the best results for our clients" suggests outcomes you cannot guarantee. Reframe as: "We work to achieve the best possible outcome in each client's circumstances."

Unverifiable success claims: "95% success rate in immigration appeals" requires documentation you can produce if the SRA requests it. If you can't substantiate the figure, don't publish it.

Selective testimonials: Displaying only exceptional outcomes without context may mislead prospective clients about typical results. Consider adding language like "individual results vary based on case circumstances."

Fabricated reviews: Never create fake testimonials or incentivise reviews in ways that compromise authenticity. This violates SRA rules, CMA guidance, and potentially constitutes fraud.

Review Management Within Guidelines

You can ask satisfied clients for reviews—this is normal business practice. However, you cannot offer incentives that might compromise honesty, selectively suppress negative feedback in ways that create a misleading impression, or edit reviews to change their meaning.

SEO content often includes claims designed to differentiate your firm. The SRA applies a substantiation standard: can you prove what you've published?

Claims Requiring Evidence

• Experience claims: "Over 30 years combined experience in family law" requires records proving cumulative experience
• Volume claims: "Handled thousands of conveyancing transactions" needs documentation
• Ranking claims: "Leading family law firm in Manchester" requires an objective basis (directory rankings, awards, etc.)
• Outcome statistics: Any percentage or numerical claim about results requires source data

Safer Alternatives

Instead of claims requiring substantiation, consider language that conveys expertise without regulatory risk:

"One of the leading firms" becomes "established [practice area] practice serving [location] since [year]." "Thousands of successful cases" becomes "extensive experience across [practice area] matters." "Best outcomes" becomes "committed to achieving the best possible result in your circumstances."

The Directory and Awards Question

Referencing Legal 500 rankings, Chambers ratings, or Law Society accreditations is generally safe when accurate and current. However, outdated rankings or cherry-picked accolades from years past may mislead. Keep award references current and verifiable.

Use this checklist to identify compliance gaps before they become regulatory issues. Review each item with your COLP and document your assessment.

Mandatory Disclosures

• SRA-authorised status clearly stated
• Firm's SRA number displayed and linked to SRA register
• Complaints handling procedure published
• Professional indemnity insurance details (if required for your firm type)
• Transparency Rule pricing for all applicable service areas
• VAT registration number (if applicable)

Content Accuracy

• All fee earner profiles accurate and current
• Experience claims substantiated and documented
• Success statistics supported by verifiable data
• Testimonials genuine and appropriately contextualised
• Awards and rankings current (not historical without dates)
• Practice area descriptions accurate regarding services offered

Review Management

• No incentivised reviews that compromise authenticity
• No fabricated or solicited fake testimonials
• Negative review responses professional and appropriate
• No selective suppression creating misleading overall impression

Ongoing Compliance

Website compliance isn't one-time. Schedule quarterly reviews to catch content drift—pages optimised months ago may contain claims that were once accurate but no longer hold true. Document each review for regulatory defence purposes.

Compliance constraints don't prevent effective SEO. In many cases, the content requirements actually align with what search engines reward.

Where Compliance Helps Rankings

Detailed service pages: Transparency Rule requirements force you to create comprehensive service pages with pricing, process explanations, and team information. These pages satisfy user intent better than vague marketing copy, often improving rankings for commercial keywords.

Trust signals: Regulatory status, SRA registration, complaints procedures, and insurance details function as E-E-A-T signals. Google's quality guidelines specifically look for credentials and accountability information on YMYL pages like legal services.

Authentic reviews: Genuine client testimonials gathered within guidelines carry more weight than fabricated praise—both with the SRA and with Google's review spam detection.

Compliant Link Building

Directory submissions to legal directories, earned media coverage, and professional association memberships all build links within regulatory boundaries. Avoid paid link schemes or manipulative tactics that could trigger both Google penalties and SRA scrutiny.

Local SEO and Compliance

Google Business Profile optimisation for solicitors requires the same accuracy standards. Ensure your GBP categories, service descriptions, and review responses align with SRA requirements. Inconsistencies between your website and GBP can create compliance issues while also hurting local rankings.

For detailed guidance on building search visibility while meeting all regulatory requirements, explore our approach to SRA-compliant SEO for solicitors.