Legal Internet Marketing Blog

The importance and relevance of legal Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for attracting qualified clients and helping a law firm become more successful is very well known, but it’s not enough to simply know that it is effective. In order for legal professionals to really understand how legal SEO helps them, they need to know why it works and why it provides a significantly better return on investment than traditional legal marketing methods. So we’ve compiled a list of some of the things that every lawyer should know about legal SEO:

• Legal SEO lets you compete with the big firms – Legal Search Engine Optimization levels the playing field for your firm and allows it to compete successfully with larger law firms with huge marketing budgets. Smaller, savvier, more nimble firms can use legal SEO strategies to thrive in a hyper-competitive field.


• It is the most cost-effective form of marketing – Traditional forms of marketing are expensive and may or may not achieve the desired results. Once the proper foundation has been established for your site’s success, your legal SEO keeps working for your firm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.


• It helps your site attract local clients – Web users are becoming more sophisticated at finding local goods and services on the Internet. Modifying legal SEO keywords and phrases with the names of local cities makes it easier for potential clients to find your site!

Continue reading "What Every Lawyer Should Know About Legal SEO" »

The old saying that “bad news travels fast,” has never seemed more relevant than it does in the Information Age. These days, a legal professional’s reputation not only can precede him or her, it can also directly influence a potential client’s decision to contact or not contact him or her. The rising popularity of Web sites that allow people to share their positive or negative experiences with products or professionals of any stripe makes it easy for people to share their opinions. Those opinions, whether based on fact or not, show up in search results and can have a profound impact on the success of a law firm or legal professional.

To that end, we’ve compiled a list of proactive reputation management tips that are inexpensive, enhance the effectiveness of other legal Internet marketing techniques, and allow legal professionals to take charge of their reputation management. These tips for lawyers include:

• Harness the power of social marketing – Social marketing sites are becoming increasingly relevant for any lawyer’s or law firm’s Internet marketing. Consider creating profiles for yourself and/or your law firm on social networking sites that cater to legal professionals as well as the heavyweights like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others.


• Host informational videos on your site – Consider hosting informational videos on your legal Web site that address some of the questions your clients often ask you about. These add value to your site, engage your site’s visitors and also rank well in search results!


• Add a legal blog to your site – Whether you write the legal blog’s posts yourself or have your legal Internet marketing company compose them for you, they benefit your site, rank well in search results, and allow you to address topical issues in the legal industry and provide valuable information to your site’s visitors and potential clients.

Continue reading "Online Reputation Management Tips for Legal Professionals" »

With today’s economic woes affecting seemingly all aspects of business, many law firms large and small are struggling with exactly how to spend their marketing budgets. A solid indicator of where to spend your money can come from looking at other industries, gauging the climate of search engine marketing budgets across the board to get a feel for how much of your budget should be spent online.

A report published on emarketer.com regarding a study conducted by Econsultancy and SEO firm Guava, indicated that online marketers around the globe are increasingly turning to search marketing tactics.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said they planned to raise spending on SEO, and 45% said the same of paid search. In addition, 31% of SEO and 32% of paid search users said they intended to maintain their budgets.

It seems that business marketing executives are learning what many of our clients have known for quite some time, that search engine marketing is the most reliable, efficient tool in attracting new customers. SEO offers inherent advantages over paid search options, although the benefits may take time to make themselves apparent.

“SEO improves organic listings, which Internet users prefer over paid search, and it is cost-effective,” said eMarketer senior analyst David Hallerman. “Furthermore, optimization works across all search engines, and an optimized site does not drop off the first results page even when marketer spending slows or stops—as it can with paid search.”

Although this article refers primarily to online sites that have a traditional, commerce driven product, the goal of a solid legal Internet marketing strategy is always the same, increase traffic to the site and visibility in organic searches for relevant keyword terms. All attorneys, regardless of their specific mode of practice, can benefit from a sound online marketing campaign whose focal point is a strong SEO plan.

Our firm has specialized in building these types of marketing plans for more than 10 years. Our track record of success is well documented and we remain at the forefront of search engine marketing tactics. Contact us today, we can help your firm dominate online searches and help potential clients find and contact your website first.

In an Internet-saturated world (and one in which Google changes its mind all the time), the value of organic Search Engine Optimization is sometimes questioned. Many law firms elect to simply do Pay Per Click and disregard the need for organic search. Does your law firm need professional legal SEO? The answer is a resounding YES! Here are ten reasons why:

1. The Internet market is bigger than ever before. Gen Y is reaching legal age; litigation is on the rise despite a slowed economy and more people are using search to look for options when they need a lawyer.

2. It’s cost effective. Have you ever researched how much it costs to get TV spots? Radio? Yellow Pages? All of which are gone as soon as your marketing budget is. Given the return on investment and the longevity of the benefits of SEO (if done right), it is the single most cost effective marketing available today.

3. It’s targeted. The Internet give you the ability to capture the attention of people looking for your specific practice area and qualifications? It’s a no-brainer.

4. It builds over time. With well-constructed site structure and solid organic search engine optimization, your site can build in value and effectiveness over time. It’s not often that an investment in something so dynamic actually matures over time.

5. It sends the right message. Potential clients want an attorney who has put thought into their experience – including how they find you. Good SEO means you care about finding clients who are searching for you online.

6. It can be tracked. Unlike direct mail or radio spots, it’s inexpensive and very effective to track the customer behavior that leads to a search-engine click. Better tracking means better marketing.

7. It levels the playing field. Organic search isn't like older forms of advertising such as the yellow pages. Every firm has the opportunity to be on the first page of search if they have a strong website and good SEO.

8. The Internet is everywhere. Almost everyone in the U.S. has access to the Internet, either through computers, mobile phones and free public access sites. Take advantage of this growing base with a website that they can find!

9. Search drives traffic. As much as you might like tons of direct traffic, it’s an unrealistic expectation in today’s search-driven world. Adapt with the times and acknowledge search’s role in your marketing campaign.

10. It works. Bottom line... SEO works if its done right. Organic search brings in more leads than any paid online advertising. Above all, it doesn't disappear as soon as you reach your daily, weekly or monthly budget.

If you are still skeptical about whether your firm can benefit from a strong marketing campaign that includes Search Engine Optimization ... read some of my client testimonials!

DO’S:

Build your site around a theme that's neither too broad, nor too narrow.
Be sure this theme meshes with the mission statement of your law practice. If, for instance, you’re a personal injury lawyer who specializes in serious injury and wrongful death suits, focus your content writing and SEO efforts on that niche of personal injury. This sounds intuitive. But you’d be surprised by how many legal websites fail to settle on a consistent, optimized theme.

Update your site regularly
Your web site is an organic, fluid object. Optimizing today doesn't mean that it will rank well next week. Search engine algorithms change frequently and your SEO must keep current. Search engines reward sites that are updated regularly.

Keep your site simple and easy to navigate
Structure your site in an intuitive way, so that visitors aren't bombarded with pop-up windows, banner ads, and other frustrating pathways. Use the KISS methodology, keeping in mind what your user may be looking for when they get there.

Get specific
Include details about you, your firm, location, fees, hours, statistics, and testimonials from prior clients.

Check your State Bar Rules on Advertising
This is the step that many law firms forget. Your State Bar DOES have rules on advertising and what you can and can't put on your web site. Make sure you aren't violating those rules when designing your site.

DON'Ts

Publish sensitive materials on your web site.
You might be handling the most exciting high-profile case ever. But if you violate a confidentiality agreement – even by “innocently” publishing material on the Web, you can face penalties, including disbarment.

Outsourcing all web duties to third parties
Internet consultants can design and build your web site, as well as market and optimize it. But be involved and know what your website says and check to make sure the images your web designer uses on your site are paid for and legal to use.

Copy content from another site
This is another area where many lawyers get in trouble. There are copyright rules with web site content. If you see information on another legal web site that you think is good, use it as a guideline but don't copy and paste into your site to cut corners.

For more information and guidelines for building and or marketing a professional legal web site, visit us at www.slsconsulting.com.

I field thousands of questions a week about how to game the Google system for fast law firm marketing results. While you can achieve great things with the granddaddy of Web search, SEO isn’t a quick fix – it’s an investment in your Web presence and your business. One of the most overlooked factors is the quality, not quantity issue.

What do I mean when I say quality, not quantity?

It’s simple: listing a ton of search terms meaninglessly strung together will do nothing for your search engine rankings! Why not? Because Google PageRank and searchability depend on the perceived value of your website. If you have a website that’s long on search terms and short on actual information, beprepared to be left in the dust by other web sites that are doing it right.

The Google Success blog touched on just this issue last November (http://www.google-success.com/what-is-quality-content-for-search-engines.htm). Here are a few tips to remember when you consider SEO for your legal website:

- Content is King. It’s been said before, and it stands repeating. Go for readable, informative content and you’ll increase your chances of search-engine visibility.

- You get what you pay for. If you are content to post poor-quality writing on your site, get ready to content yourself with poor-quality results in the search engines.

- Remember the end user. There’s a reason Google places informative, useful content higher than mere words: it’s more useful for end users who will find your site valuable! It’s to everyone’s benefit to tailor your Web presence to the end user, be they personal injury victims looking for representation or past clients who are capable of referring new business.

What are your favorite examples of sites that have sacrificed real content to the SEO gods? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.