Silly. Child-like. These are just a couple of ways The Florida Bar Guidelines for Networking Sites Approved by The Standing Committee on Advertising have recently been described. And as I wrote in Solely Social or Used to Promote?, they demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding about how we communicate. You see, the Florida Bar would prefer to … Continue Reading
If you have a law firm website you are using to drive in new leads and revenue, it’s important to make sure you are maximizing conversion on the site. In other words, you need your visitors to call, email, request a free guide download, etc. The best way to do this is to make sure … Continue Reading
Choosing a domain name is an important decision when setting up your website. The domain you choose has far reaching implications extending from your visibility in search results to your use of the domain in offline advertising and marketing. Unlike in the offline, brick-and-mortar world, websites don’t offer any visual cues about what exactly they … Continue Reading
I read a lot of articles on law firm websites and blogs. One thing that I notice is consistently lacking on many legal blog entries is the effective use of titles and headings within the posts. Titles are an important component because they help break up and provide better context for the article. Read this … Continue Reading
I came across an interesting article discussing the filters people use when they first arrive at a website. The article discussed a study performed by Elizabeth Sillence. The study researched how people react to and trust (or mistrust) health websites. When analyzing what people look for in order to establish trust, the article broke it … Continue Reading
The relationship with your web developer is an important one. We have all heard horror stories of law firms getting involved with a developer only to find out that the initial expectations of the project were very different from the outcome. I have put together a list of 5 questions I think are very important … Continue Reading
Green Acres we are here! Have you been content farming? Your website (and professional reputation) may be suffering. If you follow what’s going on in the world of search engine marketing, you likely have heard something about Google’s Recent Panda-Farmers-Content Update: Many of the changes we make are so subtle that very few people notice … Continue Reading
It’s common knowledge amongst bloggers that crafting an interesting, catchy headline can help to increase the click-throughs and readership of your article. It’s also well known that incorporating photos into your posts is a great way to grab your reader’s attention (If this wasn’t well-known to you then it is now). But there is … Continue Reading
In working with attorneys in developing their web strategies, there can be many challenges. Bridging the general search marketing knowledge gap, encouraging time for content development, and helping them understand the specific strategies that will make the most sense for them. However, there is very little more frustrating than working with a website that requires … Continue Reading
In August of this year, the ABA Standing Committe On Ethics And Professional Responsibility released Formal Opinion 10-457 on Lawyer Websites. While following the guidelines of the opinion may not make you completely compliant with your state bar’s rules on law firm websites, it does provide some excellent guidance of what you should be considering … Continue Reading
Different people use different words to describe the same things. While this may seem like an obvious proposition, it is easliy overlooked. This is especially true when it comes to online marketing for your law firm. The words that you might use to describe your practice, are likely very different from the words that potential … Continue Reading
There was an interesting post on Seth Godin’s blog recently discussing taxi drivers. The post describes how taxi drivers in New York were initially reluctant to start accepting credit cards. They thought the credit card fees would be too expensive and they would lose money. As it turns out, the tips increased……dramatically. Seth explains: Because most … Continue Reading
Many law firms choose the colors of their website based on what they like or what the designer put together. However, you may not have considered the psychology behind the colors you are utilizing. Colors not only make your website aesthetically pleasing, but they also effect the behavior of visitors to your site. Depending on … Continue Reading
A huge component of online marketing for law firms is understanding how to compel a visitor to take an action. All the visitors and traffic in the world means nothing if there is no interaction or follow through. Crafting copy that is persuasive, informative, and elegant is a tricky proposition. Lucky for you, there is … Continue Reading
The Thesis theme for WordPress is one of the most popular and flexible themes on the market. I know of several popular legal blogs, including The Lawyerist and AttorneySync’s Lawyer Marketing Blog, that make use of the theme. After a week of back and forth between Chris Pearson, the creator of Thesis and Matt Mullenweg, … Continue Reading
Similar to its refractive defect of the eye cousin, website myopia limits our vision. However, instead of requiring us to press our noses to our monitors, myopia of the website limits our ability realize the full benefits of web-based professional reputation development… Continue Reading
Thanks to Pete Boyd of PaperStreet (not the soap company) for this update on the Florida Bar’s pausing of the website rules: At the direction of the Supreme Court of Florida, the Florida Bar filed a petition on June 1, 2010 to adopt additional amendments to Rule 4-7.6 regarding websites, Case No. SC10-1014. The amendments, … Continue Reading
One of the most fundamental advantages of search marketing and, more generally, Internet marketing, is the ability to communicate to potential clients who are researching a particular topic related to your field of practice. The Internet began as a research tool, and despite attempts to turn it into a “cesspool” where false information thrives, this … Continue Reading
