Have you ever searched for legal content online? If you do, you'll quickly recognize that lawyers love spam. Well maybe that's not fair. The SEO agencies of law firms love web spam.
Most of the time, lawyers have no idea what their SEO agency is doing on their behalf. They don't know of the possible harm that it could cause to their professional reputation. They don't realize that it could even get them into trouble with their state bar.
Usually, all they know is that they need to rank #1 for a couple of terms that they think their clients are using to find them. Which is a problem in and of itself.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you better know who you're hiring to market your practice online. And you better know specifically what they are doing and why they are doing it.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Responsive Web Design
I've always reasoned that, eventually, from a coding standpoint, there wouldn't be a discernible difference between sites coded for the "desktop web" and the "mobile web". And while we're not quite there yet, responsive web design is getting us much closer.
From Wikipedia:
As many more people spend a lot more time on mobile devices, webmasters will need to be more conscientious about how their sites appear on these devices. And, at least for the sites that I frequent, many need some major updating.
What Is Responsive Web Design
From Wikipedia:
Responsive Web Design (RWD) essentially indicates that a web site is crafted to use Cascading Style Sheets 3 media queries, an extension of the @media rule[1], with fluid proportion-based grids, to adapt the layout to the viewing environment, and probably also use flexible images.[2][3][4][5] As a result, users across a broad range of devices and browsers will have access to a single source of content, laid out so as to be easy to read and navigate with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling.Stem Legal is in the process of switching their site over to a responsive design. Check out the way it re-formats depending upon whether it's on a desktop, tablet or smartphone. Very good-looking theme I might add.
As many more people spend a lot more time on mobile devices, webmasters will need to be more conscientious about how their sites appear on these devices. And, at least for the sites that I frequent, many need some major updating.
FB Stock Price
I don't know much of anything about how FB stock price was initially calculated or the intricacies of IPOs generally. Which is why I wouldn't go out and purchase shares. Unfortunately, many people that likely know even less than I do, did buy FB stock.
Some of them likely purchased it on the advice of someone else. Whether it was someone inside the industry who they trusted, or a neighbor, many people didn't make the decision to buy FB completely on their own.
Others probably bought it because they just like using facebook. Is that a good reason to buy stock? Maybe, in a completely free and transparent market. But obviously that's not the kind of market that we have now.
Will facebook stock eventually pass its initial price? Very likely. But I suspect it will take a lot of time and some very clever innovation from inside the company.
You see, something that I know a little bit more about is how people use the web. And while almost one-billion people use facebook to tell the world about what they ate for breakfast and display pictures of their babies, facebook still isn't their access point to the web. It also isn't their primary online information retrieval device. Search is. And search has intent, which facebook does not.
I doubt that advertising will be the one-hundred billion dollar solution for facebook. It will require some genuine innovation. It might look something like premium functionality apps, similar to the iPhone/Pad/Tunes ecosystem.
Or something we haven't ever seen before. Which is hard and not guaranteed. Things stockholders don't like.
Some of them likely purchased it on the advice of someone else. Whether it was someone inside the industry who they trusted, or a neighbor, many people didn't make the decision to buy FB completely on their own.
Others probably bought it because they just like using facebook. Is that a good reason to buy stock? Maybe, in a completely free and transparent market. But obviously that's not the kind of market that we have now.
Will facebook stock eventually pass its initial price? Very likely. But I suspect it will take a lot of time and some very clever innovation from inside the company.
You see, something that I know a little bit more about is how people use the web. And while almost one-billion people use facebook to tell the world about what they ate for breakfast and display pictures of their babies, facebook still isn't their access point to the web. It also isn't their primary online information retrieval device. Search is. And search has intent, which facebook does not.
I doubt that advertising will be the one-hundred billion dollar solution for facebook. It will require some genuine innovation. It might look something like premium functionality apps, similar to the iPhone/Pad/Tunes ecosystem.
Or something we haven't ever seen before. Which is hard and not guaranteed. Things stockholders don't like.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Do Your Clients Search Like That?
Lawyers have it in their heads (or were more likely told by their legal seo marketers) that they need to rank #1 for terms like, "chicago personal injury lawyer", "los angeles criminal defense attorney", "boston bankruptcy law firm", etc, etc.
And for high-volume consumer firms, these keywords might make sense. After all, at least one way that people use search engines are like traditional business directories. That's how we've been trained by yellow pages advertisers for years.
But people use the internet for a variety of different information consumption tasks.
And so, before you make considerable investments into ranking #1 for one of these competitive keywords, you really ought to ask yourself whether your clients, and potential clients, "search like that"?
If they do, great. Track your rankings, traffic, inquiries, and new clients from search.
But if they don't, and you're paying to rank for these types of terms, you probably need to re-think your strategy.
SEO for attorneys is quite different from SEO for other businesses. Even from other professional services businesses like doctors and accountants.
This is even more true for law firms that handle complex legal matters related to business.
How likely are your sophisticated business clients likely to type in "business lawyer" into Google and hire the first firm that appears?
The answer is not very.
But what they might do is research a legal issue that they might be facing. They might be looking for a specific industry site that has information or news about their business.
And the question becomes, "what can you do to get in front of them where they're looking online?"
But before you get to figuring out how to get in front of them, you obviously need to know where they're looking.
And how do you do that? Ask them.
Talk to your current clients about what they do and where they go online.
What searches do they perform? Who do they read online? What sites do they have bookmarked? What rss feeds are they subscribed to?
There's a lot to be learned about how your clients use search engines and the internet by listening to them.
It isn't until you get a pretty good idea about where they're going, that you can have any clue about how to get yourself there.
And for high-volume consumer firms, these keywords might make sense. After all, at least one way that people use search engines are like traditional business directories. That's how we've been trained by yellow pages advertisers for years.
But people use the internet for a variety of different information consumption tasks.
And so, before you make considerable investments into ranking #1 for one of these competitive keywords, you really ought to ask yourself whether your clients, and potential clients, "search like that"?
If they do, great. Track your rankings, traffic, inquiries, and new clients from search.
But if they don't, and you're paying to rank for these types of terms, you probably need to re-think your strategy.
SEO for attorneys is quite different from SEO for other businesses. Even from other professional services businesses like doctors and accountants.
This is even more true for law firms that handle complex legal matters related to business.
How likely are your sophisticated business clients likely to type in "business lawyer" into Google and hire the first firm that appears?
The answer is not very.
But what they might do is research a legal issue that they might be facing. They might be looking for a specific industry site that has information or news about their business.
And the question becomes, "what can you do to get in front of them where they're looking online?"
But before you get to figuring out how to get in front of them, you obviously need to know where they're looking.
And how do you do that? Ask them.
Talk to your current clients about what they do and where they go online.
What searches do they perform? Who do they read online? What sites do they have bookmarked? What rss feeds are they subscribed to?
There's a lot to be learned about how your clients use search engines and the internet by listening to them.
It isn't until you get a pretty good idea about where they're going, that you can have any clue about how to get yourself there.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Trying Out Blogger iPhone App
I literally just downloaded the Blogger iPhone app and verified via 2 step verification.
The app runs fast and smoothly. No hanging.
The interface is simple and clean. Typing this post on iPhone's touch screen is actually working better than I had anticipated.
I haven't yet figured out how to quickly and efficiently add links. However, adding images, location, and tags is pretty straightforward.
As Google continues to integrate products ( i.e. search, google plus, blogger, etc) I foresee my use of the blogger platform, as well as its app, will likely increase.
The app runs fast and smoothly. No hanging.
The interface is simple and clean. Typing this post on iPhone's touch screen is actually working better than I had anticipated.
I haven't yet figured out how to quickly and efficiently add links. However, adding images, location, and tags is pretty straightforward.
As Google continues to integrate products ( i.e. search, google plus, blogger, etc) I foresee my use of the blogger platform, as well as its app, will likely increase.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thoughts On Online Directories
Businesses have been using directories to advertise and market themselves since time out of mind. This is especially true in the legal profession (at least since Bates). Attorneys have been trained on legal directories, bar member directories, and yellow book advertising. And, at least in some instances, those efforts served their purpose.
However, that time has come to an end. Why? Because the way that people "look" for and "vet" businesses has changed.
Today, when people need something, at some point in their search, they are very likely to go online. Whether it be new shoes or legal services, people turn to the internet to get answers to their questions, and in some cases, actually make a purchase.
And while how people buy shoes and choose a lawyer are vastly different, in both situations, they are likely to spend part of their time turning to the internet.
And so, businesses began to recognize this which gave rise to online business directories. For lawyers, these might include FindLaw, Lawyers.com, Justia, or HG.org. In fact, AttorneySync has an HG directory listing.
And in many instances, simple web directory listings serve their purpose. However, the web provides a platform for much, much, more.
For example, a traditional online directory might just list your basic business/contact information. Today, online directories, like Avvo, allow professionals to demonstrate their knowledge, skill, and experience in a variety of ways. These include:
However, that time has come to an end. Why? Because the way that people "look" for and "vet" businesses has changed.
Today, when people need something, at some point in their search, they are very likely to go online. Whether it be new shoes or legal services, people turn to the internet to get answers to their questions, and in some cases, actually make a purchase.
And while how people buy shoes and choose a lawyer are vastly different, in both situations, they are likely to spend part of their time turning to the internet.
And so, businesses began to recognize this which gave rise to online business directories. For lawyers, these might include FindLaw, Lawyers.com, Justia, or HG.org. In fact, AttorneySync has an HG directory listing.
And in many instances, simple web directory listings serve their purpose. However, the web provides a platform for much, much, more.
For example, a traditional online directory might just list your basic business/contact information. Today, online directories, like Avvo, allow professionals to demonstrate their knowledge, skill, and experience in a variety of ways. These include:
- Providing answers to consumer questions online.
- Displaying testimonials of other professionals in their community.
- Displaying testimonials from current and former clients.
- Displaying overall rating information based on a variety of other factors.
And having the ability to demonstrate this information provides professionals a new way of communicating with prospective clients that might be searching and researching information about the professional.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Online Legal Marketing: If You Do Only One Thing
As a lawyer, it's likely you barely have time to have lunch, let alone, build a comprehensive online presence for your practice. From keyword research, to web design, to advertising, to search engine optimization, there are a variety of techniques, tools, and skills that take a lot of time to develop.
However, if you had to choose one thing to do online, I would recommend that you write. Ultimately, the content that you publish online is the most critical piece of developing your professional reputation.
After all, this is what your prospective clients will see and what will eventually motivate them to contact you, or move on to your competitor.
Your writing can take a variety of forms. It can come in blog posts, tweets, answering questions, status updates, guides, newsletters, and a variety of other web-based publishing media.
My advice is to set aside as much time as you can to writing. Even if you are only able to dedicate an hour or two per week, my bet is that over time you will start to see some results from your efforts. These may include increased traffic to your website, other people sharing what you've written online, and eventually, people reaching out to you regarding your practice.
While there's a lot more to internet marketing than simply writing, publish content is the foundation for everything else.
However, if you had to choose one thing to do online, I would recommend that you write. Ultimately, the content that you publish online is the most critical piece of developing your professional reputation.
After all, this is what your prospective clients will see and what will eventually motivate them to contact you, or move on to your competitor.
Your writing can take a variety of forms. It can come in blog posts, tweets, answering questions, status updates, guides, newsletters, and a variety of other web-based publishing media.
My advice is to set aside as much time as you can to writing. Even if you are only able to dedicate an hour or two per week, my bet is that over time you will start to see some results from your efforts. These may include increased traffic to your website, other people sharing what you've written online, and eventually, people reaching out to you regarding your practice.
While there's a lot more to internet marketing than simply writing, publish content is the foundation for everything else.
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