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I encourage every lawyer to understand some basics about how search engines work. In fact, we have made it a priority to provide several educational materials for law firms on the subject of search engine optimization. However, the question of do-it-yourself seo vs. hiring a professional continues to circulate throughout the web.
As the saying goes, “He Who is His Own Lawyer Has a Fool for a Client”. Is the same true when it comes to seo for your law firm? The answer, sometimes.
There are many basic seo tasks that most relatively web-savvy attorneys can probably handle on their own. Optimization of title tags, use of images, and headings, etc. just to name a few.
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And there are some additional methods, that are vitally important to generating results, like link building, that aren’t necessarily complicated, as much as time-consuming.
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However, there are a whole lot more that require more technical web knowledge than most attorneys would ever care to have.
The truth is that the decision of whether or not to hire an seo consultant really depends on your web marketing goals and the level of competition in your segment of the legal services market.
Let’s face it, if you’re a Chicago personal injury lawyer, law firm internet marketing competitive landscape is saturated. Having an experienced law firm seo consultant is essential.
On the other hand, if you’re an intellectual property lawyer in Boise, you may find that you are able to produce some significant results on your own.
The decision of whether or not to hire a professional shouldn’t be taken lightly. Costs associated with law firm search engine optimization can be pretty steep. Also, due to the disparity between what most lawyers know about seo, and the low barrier of entry to becoming an “seo expert”, there is a lot of “snake oil” in the market.
Generally speaking, hiring an seo is a lot like hiring a lawyer. You can avoid a lot of headache by researching your law firm seo, talking to their clients, and simply by searching for them on Google. Let’s face it, if they can’t generate business for themselves on Google, how are they going to generate business for you?
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There was a great post by Seth Godin I read recently called The Wordperfect Axiom. Seth tells us:
When the platform changes, the leaders change.
Wordperfect had a virtual monopoly on word processing in big firms that used DOS. Then Windows arrived and the folks at Wordperfect didn’t feel the need to hurry in porting themselves to the new platform. They had achieved lock-in after all, and why support Microsoft?
In less than a year, they were toast.
When the game machine platform of choice switches from Sony to xBox to Nintendo, etc., the list of bestelling games change and new companies become dominant.
When the platform for music shifted from record stores to iTunes, the power shifted too, and many labels were crushed.
Again and again the same rules apply. In fact, they always do. When the platform changes, the deck gets shuffled.
Law Firm Marketing Online
If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance you already recognize a change in marketing platforms for law firms is occurring. The days of taking out a full page, yellowbook ad and watching the clients pour in are long gone. In fact, with the staggering amount of new lawyers entering into the work force each year, reliance on referrals and local recommendations is a tough way to drive significant revenue for a firm.
I recently talked with an estate planning attorney that said he has no interest in investing in the internet because his clients are older people that don’t use it. While there may be some validity to the fact that an older generation isn’t using the internet today as much as other sources, do you really believe that it will remain this way? Do you think the baby boomers aren’t going to be researching estate planning online? If you need to be convinced you can attract estate planning clients online then you clearly aren’t ready to invest what it requires to have a successful online strategy. You are Wordperfect in my opinion.
The reality is that the internet is the new marketing platform. The law firms that understand this and invest accordingly will reap the benefits. They will be the new generation of law firms leading the way. The ones that fail to get on board will be playing catch up at best and won’t be around at worst.
Photo by Larry Page
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Free Guide: Hiring A Law Firm SEO ConsultantAre you looking to increase your visibility online but are feeling overwhelmed by the number of service professionals promising the world to you? Download AttorneySync’s Free Guide On Hiring A Law Firm SEO Consultant. |
Can you guess what is the most important Internet marketing tool? Here are a couple hints: It’s not an adwords account, it’s not video, it’s not even a website. Give up? It’s your telephone. More specifically, it’s the way your telephone is answered.
Don’t get me wrong, all of the other tools that I named are vitally important to driving new business for your law firm from the web. However, none of those will work as efficiently and effectively as possible without someone answering your phone.
As you probably already know, the attention spans of Internet users is very short. If a user finds your online law firm advertisement, video, blog or website, you only have a couple seconds to get them to take action. Assuming they do take action, you only have a couple of minutes to respond to their action before they move on.
Part of our job is to report to our clients on how many phone calls we generated through our various efforts each month. All too often, our client will be shocked as to how many calls came into the office that they never fielded. These lost opportunities are a huge efficiency killer.
When it comes to law firm internet marketing, not answering the phone is simply not an option. In fact, even automated messaging systems really aren’t a sufficient solution anymore. That being said, having a dedicated receptionist can be pricey. That is why virtual law assistants are such a great idea.
No matter what telephone answering solution you choose, the bottom line is that the phone must be answered. With all the money you spend to get the phone to ring, you would be foolish not answer it.
What does Google return to consumers searching for lawyers in your practice areas and geographic location? Your website? Your profile on Nolo, Avvo, Expert Hub, or Justia? Perhaps it’s your law firm blog. Maybe it’s your paid search advertisement. Or maybe you’re not appearing at all.
Marketing your law firm through search engines will increase the number of people that “see” your law firm. The more people that use the web for locating local professional services, the more lawyer internet marketing campaigns just makes sense. For the consumer, finding a lawyer online can be more effective than using traditional methods (like yellow book, or directory listings).
Even initial legal consultations can be performed almost completely online. More information is available about a lawyer or law firm than ever before. Once you build and maintain a strong online presence, you will begin to access the overwhelming number of people in need of legal services on the web.
There is vast variation in the efficiency and effectiveness of law firm web strategies. However, each strategy plays some role in your law firm’s search engine profile. Some of the more important components are a comprehensive keyword strategy, your website’s architecture, and the content found on your website.
Mixing all these components together, will produce a certain outcome for your law firm’s ability to attract new clients from the internet. If any of these components are out of balance, it will significantly decrease your chances of leveraging the internet successfully.
Lawyer internet marketing can be one of the most effective ways to generate new clients. However, partnering with the right SEO firm will increase your likelihood of success. They can advise you on keyword discovery and link building. If you’re interested in learning some basics on building links, check out our free guide.
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Free Guide: How To Build Links For Your Law Firm WebsiteWant to learn how to get your law firm website more trusted, authoritative, and in front of more potential clients? Download AttorneySync's Free Guide On Building Links For Your Law Firm Website. |
March Madness Is Upon Us
It’s already March which means in a few short weeks we will be a quarter of the way through 2010. Time goes by fast.
Here at AttorneySync, we want to make sure you are hitting your law firm’s marketing goals for 2010. That’s why we’re offering our March Madness promotion to all our blog readers.
We’re offering a discount of 33% off your first 6 months of our Gold Package Consulting Services. This offer will only run through the end of March, so make sure you contact us with any questions.
You can learn more about the March Madness Offer here.
AttorneySync’s newest free guide, How To Build Links For Your Law Firm Website, is available for download.
In the world of search engines, links TO a web page equal votes for that page. But not all link-votes are created equal. A link from CNN.com is much stronger than a link from a site that you just set up today. In this sense, links are the “currency” of the web. Any successful search marketing campaign involves link building.
This Guide Will Give You A Proper Introduction To Building Links To Your Law Firm’s Website Including:
- Common Strategies For Building Links
- Why Having A Content Creation Strategy Is Important
- How NOT To Ask For Links
- Types Of Websites You Want Links From
- The Importance Of Having A Diverse Link Profile
Download your free guide: How To Get Get Links For Your Law Firm’s Website today!
Interesting post by Deborah L. Cohen in the ABA Journal online, Having Faith in Marketing, about a lawyer who advertises his service on the back of a church’s weekly bulletin.
While some might take issue with advertising in churches, if the place of worship is willing, this may be an excellent source of new clients. Advertising in small close-knit communities has historically been very effective. It’s certainly not like putting up a highway billboard to catch as many passers-by as possible.
Depending on your place worship, it’s usually a more intimate setting. You probably know many of the other members. Depending on your attendance, other members will see you there on a frequent basis.
Minus the religious context, this form of advertising reminds me a lot of the ads in the back of my high school’s various sports programs. Many law firms and other local business found great success in placing ads in the back of the football program. Further, they felt good sponsoring the sports program.
So, if you’re looking for a new place to spend advertising dollars, try talking to your house of worship. Hey, if it doesn’t work, chalk it up as a donation.
Remember these?
Recently, there have been some interesting results from using “Mad Lib” style forms. In fact, some users of this style form have seen conversion rate increases of 25%-40%. Should we be surprised? Take a look at this example:
As with almost everything else online, the more engaging the better result. Audience engagement is area of law firm internet marketing where there is great room for improvement. Early attempts at lawyer videos, commercial pop-ups, and various other interactive web strategies have been, well, lacking.
In my experience, the trick isn’t so much about wowing visitors with fancy flash, rather it’s about implementing relevant and creative ways to allow the visitor to take action on your site. That is the secret to the Mad Lib form’s success. It draws the user into interaction with the lead capture form.
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While the Mad Lib form strategy is particularly clever, all aspects of your website should be developed with this principle in mind. This includes your content. When you write to engage visitors, you increase your visitors’ average time on your site and pages per visit, while decreasing the bounce rate. In the end, this will mean higher conversion rates, potential client leads, and eventually revenue for your law firm.
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