In prior posts I have talked about the importance of showing up on page one of relevant Google searches. The idea is to determine how your prospective clients will search, and having your site be google-friendly to that search.
I suspect that when most people do a google search, they realize it's all about hitting the right key words. If you do a lot of google searches yourself, you know that if your search is too broad you get too many irrelevant sites. Conversely, if it's too specific, you may get nothing. When you are the search-ee, you want to be found by as many search parameters as possible.
Some search terms are very broad, but you still need them. For example, the term "lawyer" by itself is way too broad by itself. For fun, I googled "lawyer", here's the result
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US210&q=lawyer
Look over page one, it's interesting.
You probably won't be found with that search, although the presence of lawyers.com and findlaw.com on that first page, may get some clients your way, if the client enters those sites and you are listed.
A search term that narrows a search, which a lot of people use, is geography. Here's the google result for "lawyers new york"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US210&q=lawyers+new+york&btnG=Search
Also interesting. I note that Andrew Bluestone's blog about attorney malpractice cases made it on page 1. Findlaw.com is on this first page, lawyers.com is not.
Let's narrow the geography further with "lawyers queens new york"
http://www.google.com/search?q=lawyers+queens+new+york&hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US210&start=0&sa=N
Hey, I know some of these guys!! I'm not showing on this page, but I'm OK with that, I've been narrowing my practice areas. I notice Gross & Levin are on page 1....I know them and like them and respect their work. Looking at their site, I see it's a Findlaw site, and showing on page one of a google search like this, I'd say they got good value.
A little more narrow, on topic and geography, I'll google "queens new york probate lawyer"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US210&q=queens+new+york+probate+lawyer&btnG=Search
Uh-huh, there's my Findlaw dollars in action.
A few related points.
I am not a computer expert, and you don't have to be an expert to be effective at internet marketing. The main thing to do is THINK about what kind of clients you want and how they would seach the internet for an attorney. You can then do those searches and see who is coming up and what they are doing. Search a lot, play around with it, you'll be surprised who you see and what you'll learn.
It's true that Lawyers.com and Findlaw.com, who market pretty aggressively to lawyers, cost some money. Used effectively, they can really pay dividends. If you do something that is not the usual, you can make your own site pretty easily and its a narrow enough area, you'll show up high on google searches.....and it costs zero. I did a home-made website for my court appearance business (OK - Felicia did it). It gives basic information about what we do, how we charge, etc. Here's what a search for "Queens per diem court appearances" gets...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US210&q=queens+per+diem+court+appearances
Not only is my wecoverqueens.com showing first on page one, my blog stuff about per diem is showing too. I don't pay extra to have it show that way....it just does.
I am fascinated by internet marketing for lawyers. If any of my readers wants to discuss a lawyer internet marketing question with me, please email me.
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Googling for Lawyers
Some lawyers have websites. The ones who don't are thinking about it. Sometimes what they are thinking is "If I have a website, how will anyone find it?".
It's important to realize that most people will find your site through a search engine. Google is the biggest of these, though people also use Yahoo, MSM and others. The idea is the same....a person is interested in something, they type in a search, and the search engine posts links to thousands of websites. If you have a website, you want it to be found by the search engines, and more importantly, you want your site to come up on the first page of a relevant search.
What do you like to do most? What kinds of new cases do you want? What would be the best of the best? Can you describe it? If someone (a new client) was doing a google search for it, WHAT WOULD THEY TYPE IN?
There might be some combinations of words, so here's an earth-shattering suggestion......Write down all the searches you can think of for YOUR perfect new cases, and google them....ALL of them. After all, it's free. You will see some VERY interesting things when you do this. You will see many other lawyer websites showing up on page 1 of the google search. Look at their sites!!! Doesn't cost nuthin'. Notice also the "sponsored links" on Google. These are sites that are paying extra to be on page 1. You don't have to pay, but it's worth knowing about. Notice also that many of the page 1 listings are attorney listings of lawyers.com.
Here's another lawyer/googling thing worth knowing. The two big players in the lawyer/internet/advertising game are lawyers.com (owned by Martindale-Hubbell) and Findlaw (owned by Westlaw). Many of us have been approached by these two, offering various paid packages. There is some value there, but in my view the main value they offer is your listing (within their site) showing up on page 1 of the google search.
If you are thinking of listing with one of them, THIS is the main value you get. I suppose there are potential clients who go into lawyers.com and start looking around and will find you. However, more often they will do a Google search and find your lawyers.com listing. Oh, and you WILL get calls and email inquiries from it. When you do, you will want more, and you will try to enhance the way you are found.
Can you think like a potential client? The one who is going to find YOU? For the cases you really want? (Oh yeah, it's VERY important to think about what you really want)
Tomorrow, we run some sample searches......
It's important to realize that most people will find your site through a search engine. Google is the biggest of these, though people also use Yahoo, MSM and others. The idea is the same....a person is interested in something, they type in a search, and the search engine posts links to thousands of websites. If you have a website, you want it to be found by the search engines, and more importantly, you want your site to come up on the first page of a relevant search.
What do you like to do most? What kinds of new cases do you want? What would be the best of the best? Can you describe it? If someone (a new client) was doing a google search for it, WHAT WOULD THEY TYPE IN?
There might be some combinations of words, so here's an earth-shattering suggestion......Write down all the searches you can think of for YOUR perfect new cases, and google them....ALL of them. After all, it's free. You will see some VERY interesting things when you do this. You will see many other lawyer websites showing up on page 1 of the google search. Look at their sites!!! Doesn't cost nuthin'. Notice also the "sponsored links" on Google. These are sites that are paying extra to be on page 1. You don't have to pay, but it's worth knowing about. Notice also that many of the page 1 listings are attorney listings of lawyers.com.
Here's another lawyer/googling thing worth knowing. The two big players in the lawyer/internet/advertising game are lawyers.com (owned by Martindale-Hubbell) and Findlaw (owned by Westlaw). Many of us have been approached by these two, offering various paid packages. There is some value there, but in my view the main value they offer is your listing (within their site) showing up on page 1 of the google search.
If you are thinking of listing with one of them, THIS is the main value you get. I suppose there are potential clients who go into lawyers.com and start looking around and will find you. However, more often they will do a Google search and find your lawyers.com listing. Oh, and you WILL get calls and email inquiries from it. When you do, you will want more, and you will try to enhance the way you are found.
Can you think like a potential client? The one who is going to find YOU? For the cases you really want? (Oh yeah, it's VERY important to think about what you really want)
Tomorrow, we run some sample searches......
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Google Me This
Whoever said "the best things in life are free" may have been talking about Google. You have to respect a company whose name is now commonly used as a verb. I "google" things every day. I try to pay attention to questions great and trivial, and if I have any interest in knowing more, I google.
Yesterday the Steve Miller song "The Joker" was playing. For the 1000th time I wondered what the "Pompatus of Love" was......so I googled it. Here is one of the answers http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_065.html
You want song lyrics? Here's The Turtles "Happy Together" http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_turtles/happy_together.html
Want to know how to get gum out of hair? http://www.ehow.com/tips_2591.html
I keep track of questions that arise during the day, so I can google them later.
Why am I blogging about this? Two reasons:
1. It's fun. If you don't already do this, try it and see what I mean.
2. If you ever thought about marketing in your business or profession, (and I think about this a lot in the lawyering biz)......you must think about how people will use Google to find you. I am particularly interested in how people use google to find lawyers.
More on this tomorrow....
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