Marketing Your Law Firm on the Web
September 25, 2007
Peter Previte, Senior Product Manager
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
Clay Cazier, Search Engine Optimization Manager
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
Welcome!
- Webinar/Speaker Intro - Housekeeping - Presentation recorded – we’ll email you a link - Q&A box - Control H – full screen view - Feedback Form
Agenda
• Your firm and your marketing budget: maximizing your investment • Special website offer for webinar attendees • Search engine marketing 101: everything you need to know • Tracking your website’s performance
How much time should you spend marketing your firm?
Marketing is one of the top “non-law” activities in an average week at a small law firm
– – – – – – 63% Practicing Law 14% Managing Practice 8% Marketing & Business Development 8% Conducting Research 6% Professional/Personal Development 1% Other
With limited time to spend on marketing, you’ll want to spend your budget and your time on the most effective marketing channels.
Source: MH Small Law Firm Marketing Index, Harris Interactive
Which marketing channels have the most value?
Law firm web sites and lawyer directory listings are perceived to be the most valuable marketing methods for growing a small firm practice.
Print/Online Y ellow Pages Client Meals/Entertainment Giving/Hosting Seminars Public /Media Relations/Artic les Lawyer Direc tory Listings
Law Firm Web Sites
0%
% Respondents Who Indicated Tactic is Valuable
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Source: MH Small Law Firm Marketing Index, Harris Interactive
Importance of Web Marketing
Small law firms recognize the value of the Web for attracting and retaining clients.
20% of firms do not have a Web site
• 50% use search engine optimization • 25% use paid placement on search engines
80% of firms have a Web site and the number continues to grow
Source: MH Small Law Firm Marketing Index, Harris Interactive
Law Firm Web Sites
As more and more small firms are using web sites to promote their practice, differentiating your firm online becomes increasingly important. •Things to include on your site:
– – – – – – – Firm goals Practice Areas Background of attorneys/photos Office hours/directions/contact info Recent articles written Representative cases/clients Blogs
Law Firm Web sites (continued)
• Ways to promote your site
– – – – – – Business cards, letterhead, firm literature Include in your Yellow Page ads Mention on your recorded message or voicemail Include in your article bylines – online and in print Add to your auto signature Search Engine Marketing
Special Web Site Offer for Webinar Attendees!
• Get the results you want with the help of our experts
Premium Websites Choose from 60 design options Include up to 25 pages of content Add logos, photos and more Four hours of consulting time annually $500 discount for attendees Custom Websites All designs are custom created Unlimited content Copywriting services available Two hours of consulting time monthly $1000 discount for attendees
• Benefit from:
– – – –
Call 1-800-526-4902, ext. 5017. offer code: WEBINAR8
Powerful traffic generated through lawyers.com and martindale.com Unparalleled network of alliance partners Superior hosting with 24/7 reliability and security More than 135 years of expertise in the legal industry
So What is Search Engine Marketing?
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is composed of: – Paid Placement
• Process of researching, budgeting and bidding on advertising space within search engines and content networks. • Paid placement can sometimes be referred to as PPC (Pay-Per-Click), CPC (Cost-Per-Click) or Sponsored Search
– Search Engine Optimization
• Process of researching, reviewing and updating a website to increase nonpaid, algorithmic rankings for target keywords. • Search engine optimization can sometimes be referred to as SEO, “natural” or “organic” results
Search Engine Optimization vs. Paid Placement
Paid Results Areas at the top and to the right are paid or “sponsored search” results. Ranking depends on $ and landing page quality. Natural Results All other results are “natural” or “organic” rankings. Ranking depends on content, authority & optimization.
5 things every firm should know about Paid Results
1. Major PPC systems online:
2. Auction format: PPC prices change constantly according to the market demand 3. Keyword selection, ad copy development and landing page quality are key elements of success 4. Traffic vs. Visibility 5. Conversion of clicks to actual clients is the real name of the game. Ultimately, even paid advertising boils down to the quality of the firm’s website and its conversion mechanisms.
Natural Results: “On Page” Optimization
– Your site’s structure, when coded correctly, can help improve your organic visibility. – Keyword selection plays an important role in “optimizing” your site. – Develop page level objectives to help keep TITLE tags and META tags simple . – Content is king! The nature of the content on your site, it’s length, and the freshness of it all impact your site’s performance on search engines. – Avoid duplicate content, keyword “spamming” and fly by night SEO offers.
Natural Results: “Off Page” Optimization
– Building credibility and positioning your site as authoritative improves performance on search engines. – There are several linking strategies that can help improve and position your site for better visibility:
• Link Building • Social Bookmarking/Social Networks • Article Syndication • Press Release Distribution • Blogging – As a publisher (RSS) – As a participant
Natural Results: Rankings
– To monitor your site’s inclusion in Google use site: or cache: – New websites may see a delay of 3 weeks to a few months in getting anything but their home page included. – Inclusion vs. Rankings – Rankings are not automatic & are highly competitive. – Changes to a website are shown in the search engines in 1-4 weeks, but rankings are not updated as often. – Rankings are constantly updated but Google issues major changes to their ranking system around 3-4 times a year.
Tracking results to identify opportunities
• Designate a Special Telephone Number
– Call Tracking – ads, on your Web site and in marketing material
• Designate a Special Code
– Use a code on all advertisements that customers can mention (i.e. code WEBINAR8 for Website discount offer)
• Use a Web Intake Form
– Include a question that asks “How did you hear about us?”
• Just Ask
– Ask each caller how they found you – If they say “Online”, ask for more specifics
• Use Web Tools
– Track ROI using analytics tools
Review
•Frequently Asked Questions •Please provide Feedback using the link on next page. • Call 1-800-526-4902 ext. 5017 to speak with a Client Development Consultant or send email to: • sales-development@martindale.com • Mention code: WEBINAR8 for special offers to Webinar attendees