Website Content Doesn't Matter.........wait, what?

I saw a post on on LinkedIn last week that got my SEO strategy wires in a bunch.  I witnessed a post where an "SEO professional" made a statement along the lines that you do not need to content to gain rank in Google, you can simply manipulate headers and title tags to accomplish rank.  This bears a bigger question - Does RANK matter?  

Look at Google's Mission Statement.  Their goal is to provide the end user with the most relevant results to answer their question.  Do you think that headers and title tags provide the most relevant information to a user?  Do title tags and headers address long tail search and complex questions? 

I met with a client today that was concerned that their website wasn't "ranking" for "medical malpractice attorney in Minneapolis."  My question was to the attorney, "Do your potential clients search for medical malpractice? Is malpractice a term your clients would search for?"  His answer was, "I would guess probably not often."  If a doctor cut off the wrong leg, my family would most likely be doing a search for something to the effect of "What kind of lawyer do I need to sue a doctor for a botched surgery?"   Which search query would you rather show up for?

You need to think well above rank to bring qualified traffic to your site. No question, you need traffic to your site but you need qualified traffic to get leads!!  Tailoring your website to not only gain rank by using title tags, headers, etc AND building user friendly, optimized content targeting your ideal clients will bring both the window shoppers and the people ready to buy!  

Bottom line, content is king if you want qualified visitors to your website. Aiming for rank is  not only uber competitive but also very expensive and simply not a sound strategy

Mobile Law Firm Websites No Longer a Novelty

As we continue to progress and push deeper into mobile technology your law firm's website's functionality on a mobile device is critical to your business. By the end of 2015 searches done on mobile devices will overtake desktop search.  Think about that.....more than half of search will be done on phone or tablet.  Is your law firm or small business prepared to reach your customers effectively? Can they call you directly from your website on their phone?  Here is a good article from Forbes that explains it too.

The article mentions responsive design technology which allows a website to work across all devices effectively, providing the most relevant content based on the size of the screen you are viewing the website on.  When you are talking to different providers make sure to ask that question around responsive design. Some providers may pitch you on a mobile version of your site that have a tradition mobile URL like  "m.mylawfirm.com."  By doing this, you are effectively creating a second website and pushing out duplicate content which could hurt your law firm's website in search results.  Here is a great video from Matt Cutts (Google god) that explains it well!

Think about what Google's mission is - to deliver the most usable information to the person searching.  All things being equal with two different legal websites but one has a responsive design and the other doesn't. Now think about your audience and if they can get what they need from your site on a mobile device.  Which law firm do you think will get the search preference?

A Blog About a Blog

The main reason I write a blog is to actively practice what I preach (and sell!)  Blogging now more than ever needs to be an integral part of your online marketing mix. A blog serves many functions in the online marketing space to the point where your law firm is really missing the mark if you are not taking advantage of utilizing a blog.  A blog has oodles of SEO value, increases brand awareness by engaging readers and builds credibility/authority for your firm and your website.

1.  SEO - A blog flat out has a ton of positive SEO value.  Search engines love sites that are updated with fresh AND relevant content (we can debate benefits of an offsite blog vs. onsite blog later...) and a blog accomplishes this.  Blogs can also be submitted to directories, pushed out through social media and can be a part of your strategy to create organic inbound links.  The relevant content portion is important.  A blog can help you expand your web presence when done around a specific topic (family law, per se) and helps build site authority which can drive your website higher in the search ranks for relevant search queries.  I personally believe this is the biggest benefit of blog.

2. Brand Awareness & Engagement - It is a part of mass marketing and helps you keep your brand out there to engage potential readers and potentially clients down the road.  Will you earn cases directly from your blog?  Probably not however keeping your firm's expertise pushed out through multiple channels can keep your firm at top of mind for when life gets legal for your potential clients.

If you are a solo attorney or a small law firm you need to be diligent about blog writing which can be difficult.  A couple times a month is ideal and if you cannot find the time, hire a professional to blog on behalf of your firm.  Also a professional will be able to help promote your blog to third party sites to help with SEO.

If you or your firm isn't actively blogging it is time to add it to your marketing mix.  Take the time this January to write down 24 topics and schedule time to write 2 blogs per month!!

Does Your Firm's Website Accurately Represent Your Brand?

I speak with lawyers and law firms on a daily basis about the importance of internet marketing.  Constantly I receive feedback that the firm gets ALL of its business through referrals.  Whether it is client referrals or attorney referrals, having a strong brand image on the web is critical to converting those referrals into actual paying clients!

I often use the restaurant referral analogy when speaking with law firms.  I was in St. Cloud, MN visiting firms and asked the first lawyer I met with where a good spot to grab lunch would be.  He gave me three options with a little background on each.  The first thing I did when I got to my car was look those restaurants up via my phone.  The first eatery had no site, so I moved to the next.  The next place had a site but I couldn't easily find the menu and quite frankly I simply didn't get a good vibe from it, so I moved on to number three.  The last restaurant I looked up thankfully had the menu easily available and the site was easy to navigate.  Did they have the best food?  I don’t know, but the information I could find gave me the confidence to check it out.  (The food was great, thanks Nick's Third Floor, you are doing it right!!)

The same thing happens when getting legal referrals.  Lawyers are usually handing out 2-3 names and clients are doing their research.  To stop the shopping process for referrals, your website needs to be aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate and most importantly accurately reflect the strengths of your firm.  These things build confidence in a prospects mind that they are making the right choice by calling you.

A recent FindLaw study showed that 38% of search traffic to a law firm's website is associated with the firm's brand.  Branded search traffic is a large part of all traffic and it also converts at 60% higher rate than any other type of traffic.
Bottom Line: If your website doesn't actively define and promote your firm's brand you are going to miss out on referral-based clients.

Should Video be a Part of Your Legal Marketing Mix?

In my humble opinion, video should be a part of your marketing mix for various reasons.  Fun Fact - Did you know that YouTube is the 2nd highest utilized search engine on the web?

If your website is getting good traffic but low page views or high bounce rates you need to review your legal website and look at what types of engagement tools you can utilize to keep people on your site.  If your site accurately depicts the strengths of the firm, is easy to navigate and is easy on the eyes, video is a great tool to increase the amount of time a prospect stays on the site.  You also hit different learning styles (think generational gaps here) when you incorporate video - not everyone wants to read your legalese in depth - they want the information they came looking for and they want it quickly.

Video can also humanize and personalize the attorney or the firm with a prospective client, specifically around sensitive legal issues (divorce, custody, criminal defense, sexual assault, etc).  A video can help build that relationship before the prospect picks up the phone.  My recommendation here is to do a firm overview video on the home page and get into more specific topics on practice area pages and have a video library accessible from your home page. 

If you choose to do video there are a two important things you want to consider.  A video has to be well done to be effective - skip the iPhone "selfie" video and get some professional help.  As much as good video can enhance your image and keep people on your site, a bad video can send people screaming from your site.  If you choose to get video done professionally, make sure you get the rights to the video so you can distribute as you see fit.  I would also recommend working with a service that will help distribute the video.  It is one thing to have a nicely done video but you also want to have people see it!!

There are also several SEO benefits to video if done correctly.  Video should be transcribed behind the scenes so you get the keyword benefits.  Video thumbnails also can appear in search and will often get better click through rates than search results that are higher.  

At the end of the day, if you need people on your law firm website longer or if you work in a sensitive area of practice or your target demographic is younger, video can be an effective marketing tool for a law firm.

Are Legal Directories Worth the Investment?

There are literally thousands of legal directories and social bookmarks out on the web.  Are any of them worth the investment to take control of your profiles and populate it with relevant content?  The answer really lies within what you want your firm and your attorneys to be found for.  You can do some vanity (Practice Area + Attorney/Lawyer + Geography) searching on your own to see what comes up on the first page of your favorite search engine.  If legal directories show up, it is worth a deeper look at investing marketing dollars.

You can also do your due diligence by using the Google Ad Words tool to see how often those searches occur.  If it the phrase DUI Attorney Minneapolis has high search volume (it should, there are over 30,000 DUI's in Minnesota annually) and a legal directory is showing up on page one, buying space there should be a cost effective option to driving more qualified visibility to your firm's website.

Legal directories that I often run across during these types of searches are Lawyers.com, FindLaw.com, SuperLawyers.com , Avvo.com and LawInfo.com.

FindLaw receives over 5.5 million visits a month and even though Super Lawyers is a rating service, you see that directory gaining more and more visibility each month.

Bottom line is that if legal directories are showing up on for the searches you want to be found for, they are worth taking a look at regarding investing marketing dollars.