Attorneys and Law Firms' ROI from Internet marketing can be higher than other legal marketing methods
If you've explored the amazing opportunity of Internet marketing for your law firm or attorney practice recently, you've likely realized the tremendous potential return on investment that search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) offers.
Everyone wants to be number one. But does a #1 Google ranking automatically result in quality lead generation? No. Sometimes, if SEO campaigns are not done correctly, you can be ranking #1 for a keyword that either a) nobody actually searches for, or b) those who are searching for it are not your target audience.
In this lens you will find some methods and techniques that are useful for attorneys and law firms to generate leads and clients through Internet marketing.
On-page Search Engine Optimization
Is your page optimized?
The first step of every attorney and law firm search engine optimization campaign should be a keyword analysis, and identifying the numerous keywords which prospective clients may use when searching for your services.
This list always tends to grow over time. Once a site is launched and optimized, the next months and years are spent analyzing traffic and keyword reports to see what keywords are actually used (most attorneys and websites that use web design firms with a quality content management system should have a feature available when, if someone contacts them through the website, it lets them know about factors such as what keyword(s) was used to find the site, where they're from, what search engine they use, etc.) to generate leads.
After designating what keywords actually convert to clients, inserting those keywords strategically on-page is next in optimizing your attorney and law firm website.
This list always tends to grow over time. Once a site is launched and optimized, the next months and years are spent analyzing traffic and keyword reports to see what keywords are actually used (most attorneys and websites that use web design firms with a quality content management system should have a feature available when, if someone contacts them through the website, it lets them know about factors such as what keyword(s) was used to find the site, where they're from, what search engine they use, etc.) to generate leads.
After designating what keywords actually convert to clients, inserting those keywords strategically on-page is next in optimizing your attorney and law firm website.
On-Page Search Engine Optimiztion (SEO) Factors
In order of importance
Here are some of the key on-page factors which need to be optimized if your attorney or law firm website wants to rank well for previously designated, converting keywords (which we will refer to as PDeCKs)
- Titles: Strategically inserting your PDeCKs into each page title is key for how Google and other search engine index you. Tip: titles should always be under 65 characters, and using different titles for different pages, depending on what PDeCKs were issued to what pages, is also important.
- URLs: There is always a debate in the SEO world about what is more important in the eyes of Google and other search engines, PDeCKs being in titles or URLs? URLs come in at a close second place, but are almost important as titles.
Strategically inserting your PDeCKs into each page URL is important to how your pages are indexed. SEO-friendly, or static, URL's not only save search engines the time of trying to figure out what a page is about, but it also helps them determine how your pages rank. Taking the time to write a unique static URL for each page is a critical factor to the SERP of any website. - Internal Link Structure: Linking to and from each page, as well as your PDeCKs being in the anchor text of each of these internal links, is the third most important factor when optimizing your attorney/law firm website. If you have a number of different practice areas, as well as other web pages such as news, articles, other attorneys in your law firm, etc., you should link to and from these pages, usually through links inserted into the footer of your page. Not overdoing it is key.
- TIP: The key to all of these SEO tips and techniques is to never overdo it. Everything should be done in good taste and up to SEO etiquette and standards. How long page titles and URLs are, how many internal links you include, how many times you mention a keyword in the site content, etc: there are guidelines for all of these, so that Google and other search engines don't think a site is being spammy.
- Domain Age: Google and other search engines do pay attention to and value how long a site has been around, as well as how frequently it is updated. That doesn't mean that a new site can't begin ranking in the next six months to a year, it just means it will take more work and effort. A website is a building process. Over time, if done correctly, a site builds authority, content (the importance of on-page content will be discussed below), inbound links, and visitors.
- Keywords in body text/content: If there is one thing for certain, in SEO and Internet Marketing as a whole, content is key. It doesn't matter how much SEO/SEM you do for your site, if you're not constantly adding relevant and informative content, you're wasting your time. And part of that is making sure that a site's PdECKs are inserted into this content. Google and other search engines crawl your lawyer/law firm web site on a regular basis once it's indexed, and after they start noticing that your site hasn't been updated in a while, your SERP (search engine ranking position) will begin to drop.
It's also important, when creating content, that variations of PDeCKS are used, because there's no telling WHAT every single person is searching for to find your service. (Tip: see below, blogging).
Putting PDeCKs as the first words on your pages content in H1, H2, and H3 tags, putting PDeCKs in boldface font, and keyword density (ratio of keywords to other content) are also on-page SEO techniques which will help improve your attorney or law firm's SERP. - Alt image, meta description, and keyword tags: Some search engines rely on these factors heavier than others. Google, which accounts for a large majority of search engine traffic, has put a lesser importance on these over the years. However, these are still worth mentioning for attorney and law firm search engine optimization. Taking the time to create unique and quality meta description and keyword tags for each page is worth the investment of time, while alt image tags should also be set to include PDeCKS.
- Loading Speed of Site: How quickly your site loads also has an affect on how your law firm or attorney website ranks for PDeCKs.
Search Engine Marketing
It's not all about SEO
Once your site is initially optimized, marketing it to your target audience (whoever would be interested in your attorney or law firm services) is next.Part of how successful your SEO campaign is and how well you rank for your PDeCKs is how many inbound links your website has.
Obtaining links from relative, informative, and high authority websites is very important to how well your site ranks. There are two types of links: those which are good for "link juice (amount of quality inbound links which help your website rank), and those which are good for traffic. There are links which have attributes called "nofollow", which means they do not affect your sites SERP because that page is not telling search engine spiders to follow that link. There are nofollow links out there, however, which are very good for traffic.
For dofollow links which are obtained for "link juice", there are a few standards. Links should be from relative web sites which are medium-to-high authority. How do you know a site's authority? The EASIEST way is to look at their Google PageRank (a toolber can be downloaded from Google which tells visitors the PR of websites), which is how highly Google values that particular site. The higher the Pagerank, USUALLY, the higher the authority of the site.
LinkBuilding Chart
Content: Key to Linkbuilding
"Why should we link to you?!?"
When performing a search engine marketing and link building campaign (which should be done on a monthly basis, remember it's a building process), giving a site a reason to link to another site is key. In the law/legal field, the possibilities are endless on what information you can include on your website to give other websites a reason to link back to your interior pages.
A benefit of allowing search engine marketing firms such as FWM to handle your link building campaign is that they already have a long list of resources to utilize when looking for inbound links for your website. This can include a long list of niche law and legal directories, either paid (which is usually offered at a discounted rate) or free, which can be a good initial source of links. Most SEO/SEM and web design firms also have their own resources which they have put together and built authority to which they use for the sole purpose of linking to clients' sites.
When performing a search engine marketing and link building campaign (which should be done on a monthly basis, remember it's a building process), giving a site a reason to link to another site is key. In the law/legal field, the possibilities are endless on what information you can include on your website to give other websites a reason to link back to your interior pages.
A benefit of allowing search engine marketing firms such as FWM to handle your link building campaign is that they already have a long list of resources to utilize when looking for inbound links for your website. This can include a long list of niche law and legal directories, either paid (which is usually offered at a discounted rate) or free, which can be a good initial source of links. Most SEO/SEM and web design firms also have their own resources which they have put together and built authority to which they use for the sole purpose of linking to clients' sites.
Most SEO/SEM firms also know of the best resources to use to promote your attorney articles and other informative content, such as social bookmarking, answer services, article directories, niche and relative forums, and more.
Blogging, and why it's good for attorney Internet Marketing Having a blog is great for a number of reasons, but here are the two most important as attorneys or legal professionals:
1. Content Generation: With the numerous user-friendly blog platforms that are available, lawyers and attorneys who have blogs installed on their domain can easily add useful data which contributes to their web development efforts. Blogging about information such as "when do you need an attorney for a traffic ticket" or "were you injured because of _______" can help create content for your website, and the fact that more and more PDeCKs and variations are being mentioned in your content helps your site rank for more and more keywords phrases.
2. Online Reputation and Identity Management : Fact, people are able to relate to individual professionals such as attorneys, accountants, politicians, and other professionals as opposed to companies and corporations.
Wikipedia defines Online Identity Management as "Online identity management (OIM) also known as online image management is a set of methods for generating a distinguished Web presence of a person on the Internet. That presence could be reflected in any kind of content that refers to the person, including news, participation in blogs and forums, personal web sites, social media presence, pictures, video, etc.".
Attorneys are able to relate to individuals and prospective clients by, not only sharing useful information, but also through a less traditional approach that allows them to maintain a level of transparency, such as sharing personal and family photos, videos, and experiences, making recommendations, reviewing products or news stories, and more. This can also be helpful in link building and search engine marketing because high authority blogs are likely to link to other high authority blogs than they are to corporate websites.
A benefit of allowing search engine marketing firms such as FWM to handle your link building campaign is that they already have a long list of resources to utilize when looking for inbound links for your website. This can include a long list of niche law and legal directories, either paid (which is usually offered at a discounted rate) or free, which can be a good initial source of links. Most SEO/SEM and web design firms also have their own resources which they have put together and built authority to which they use for the sole purpose of linking to clients' sites.
When performing a search engine marketing and link building campaign (which should be done on a monthly basis, remember it's a building process), giving a site a reason to link to another site is key. In the law/legal field, the possibilities are endless on what information you can include on your website to give other websites a reason to link back to your interior pages.
A benefit of allowing search engine marketing firms such as FWM to handle your link building campaign is that they already have a long list of resources to utilize when looking for inbound links for your website. This can include a long list of niche law and legal directories, either paid (which is usually offered at a discounted rate) or free, which can be a good initial source of links. Most SEO/SEM and web design firms also have their own resources which they have put together and built authority to which they use for the sole purpose of linking to clients' sites.
Most SEO/SEM firms also know of the best resources to use to promote your attorney articles and other informative content, such as social bookmarking, answer services, article directories, niche and relative forums, and more.
Blogging, and why it's good for attorney Internet Marketing Having a blog is great for a number of reasons, but here are the two most important as attorneys or legal professionals:
1. Content Generation: With the numerous user-friendly blog platforms that are available, lawyers and attorneys who have blogs installed on their domain can easily add useful data which contributes to their web development efforts. Blogging about information such as "when do you need an attorney for a traffic ticket" or "were you injured because of _______" can help create content for your website, and the fact that more and more PDeCKs and variations are being mentioned in your content helps your site rank for more and more keywords phrases.
2. Online Reputation and Identity Management : Fact, people are able to relate to individual professionals such as attorneys, accountants, politicians, and other professionals as opposed to companies and corporations.
Wikipedia defines Online Identity Management as "Online identity management (OIM) also known as online image management is a set of methods for generating a distinguished Web presence of a person on the Internet. That presence could be reflected in any kind of content that refers to the person, including news, participation in blogs and forums, personal web sites, social media presence, pictures, video, etc.".
Attorneys are able to relate to individuals and prospective clients by, not only sharing useful information, but also through a less traditional approach that allows them to maintain a level of transparency, such as sharing personal and family photos, videos, and experiences, making recommendations, reviewing products or news stories, and more. This can also be helpful in link building and search engine marketing because high authority blogs are likely to link to other high authority blogs than they are to corporate websites.
Social Media
I hear everyone talking about social media. But how can it help in marketing my attorney practice or law firm?
Social Media
and why you need it
Social Media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Youtube for videos, Flickr for photos, and Avvo for attorneys are great resources to utilize. Some social media sites are great for links to your website and/or blog (dofollow or nofollow doesn't matter much in social media), and some are great for networking with others in the law or legal or legal professions.
Monitoring the blogoshphere is important, but equally important is monitoring the extremely popular microblogging social media sites such as Twitter and Pownce. Creating and maintaining a presence in social media sites like these not only benefit your online reputation, but it also indirectly leads to website visits.
Social media marketing is still an emerging Internet Marketing method, but the amount of success attorneys and law firms experience using social media marketing will be measured by the creativeness of content, as well as knowledge of the numerous social media platforms and tools that can be used when promoting your law firm or lawyer offering.
Monitoring the blogoshphere is important, but equally important is monitoring the extremely popular microblogging social media sites such as Twitter and Pownce. Creating and maintaining a presence in social media sites like these not only benefit your online reputation, but it also indirectly leads to website visits.
Social media marketing is still an emerging Internet Marketing method, but the amount of success attorneys and law firms experience using social media marketing will be measured by the creativeness of content, as well as knowledge of the numerous social media platforms and tools that can be used when promoting your law firm or lawyer offering.
Social Media in the Real World
Attorneys and ice cream? What the??
This video shows the power of quality grassroots marketing, which social media is all about. "For the people, by the people"
Social Media in Plain English
A simple story that illustrates the forces shaping social media. This video comes in an unbranded "presentation quality" version that can be licensed for use in the workplace. http://www.commoncraft.com/store-item/socialmedia
Runtime: 3:44
363319 views
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curated content from YouTube
James Brown of Castle Law
How his lead generation improved through Internet Marketing
Foster Web Marketing My Results Increased in Just 2 Months
James Brown of Castle Law has seen a tremendous increase in results. They are getting an average of 20-25 contacts per week and the site has only been up for 2 months. It is more than they have ever gotten through other sites and they are excited about what it is going to produce in the future. For 10 years, Foster Web Marketing is where attorneys, law firms, and others across the country continue to turn for experienced guidance and better business results from their web site. We respect our clients and understand their business. We are a true web marketing partner in every sense of the word. FWM is a turn-key web solution provider that does absolutely everything for our clients. We actually care about your success. After all, if you aren’t getting business from your website, we won’t have your business for very long. Work with us, we want to work with you and make you successful. FREE web site analysis www.fosterwebmarketing.com 888.866.0939
Runtime: 0:36
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curated content from YouTube
Attorney Internet Marketing Resources
- Washington Post:ORM
- Washington Post on the Importance of Online Reputation Management
- Barack Obama on Twitter
- Even Obama has a Twitter Page!
- What is Nofollow
- Wikipedia page on "Nofollow" attributes
- Foster Web Marketing
- Foster Web Marketing Homepage
- Linkbuilding chart
- Where the above linkbuilding chart came from
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Foster Web Marketing specializes in helping attorneys and law firms generate quality leads through Internet marketing techniques such as search engine... (more)
