At the time of this post, Google's external keyword tool reported 1,000,000 monthly exact match searches for "attorney" in the United States.  While we can debate the accuracy of the tool, there is little doubt that the keyword attorney has some major search volume.  Which got me thinking, who is enjoying all that traffic?

Here is a little info on Google's top 10 organic results (on July 6, 2010 searched from Chicago, IL and excluding local business listings) for the search term "attorney":

#1  The Wikipedia entry for attorney

The global Internet encyclopedia continues to dominate Google search engine results pages.  Even for very high volume high competition search terms.

#2  Lawyers.com Browse By Area Chicago

Google continues to move in the direction of returning "geo-located" results.  In this case, it has returned LexisNexis's browse by location lawyer directory for Chicago.  While these mega directories can produce results, you really have to know what you are doing to take advantage of a listing here.  While good visibility for targeted keywords can generate a postivive return on investment, poor visibility can lead to a bottomless money pit in which you are stuck for a long time.

#3  Lawyers.com Homepage

LexisNexis is really capitalizing on organic traffic with another listing for their lawyers.com directory.  Again, while we have seen good results generated from listings here, we have also seen very tragic outcomes as well.  If you're considering lawyers.com, have a law firm web consultant perform some forecasting as to what you might be able to expect.

#4  Attorney.org

Looks like someone is capitalizing off their exact match domain.  From their website:

"Attorney.org  is a non-for-profit website meant to spread the free flow of information. In addition to featuring breaking legal news, Attorney.org profiles different organizations and associations around the country to promote awareness and bring well deserved recognition to different causes. Another facet of Attorney.org is our Attorney Tips section which helps your average person learn more about the different types of attorneys and how to determine whose help they need."

Unfortunately, I was unable to verify their status as  non-for-profit in New Jersey.  I have yet to work with them.  If you have any experience with them, please feel free to post here.

#5  Martindale.com

Whoa!  LexisNexis with yet another listing!  That's 3 out of the top 10 for attorney.  Must be getting a lot of traffic...

#6  The Illinois Attorney General

Alright, the Attorney General for the state of Illinois.  Relevant, geo-targeted, and a government site.

#7  LedgerLaw

Hmmm... This one is interesting.  Mr Ledger's California law firm, which appears to service the entire country, has some excellent positioning.  Looks like some serious attorney seo work went into this one.

#8  New Lawyer

New Lawyer continues to prove that calling for and exchanging links can still be a powerful part of your seo strategy.  While we haven't used them for our law firm clients, we have received several requests to exchange links with them.  And from the looks of their resources pages, it doesn't look like we're the only ones.

#9  LegalX

From their website:

"LegalX.net provides you with several quality internet advertising options. You can contact us directly by clicking here for any of our advertising options."

Looks like they are providing a variety of law firm Internet marketing options.  We haven't worked with them yet, but would like to hear your reviews.

#10  Find Attorney Or Lawyer

Another "lawyer finder" service.  While we haven't done a thorough analysis of their search visibility, it's likely that their traffic is far-lower than those sites appearing in positions 1-3.

As with any legal advertising service, make short term investments and measure your results.  If they're not producing results within 4-6 months, consider other options.

Well, there you have it.  Google's top organic results for my "attorney" search.

What do you think?  Did Google provide good results?  Have you worked with any of the companies listed here?  Did you enjoy any benefits from their high search visibility for this high volume legal search term?