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:

• 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.