Online marketing/adverstising overview for lawyers/attorneys. Highlights include search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), directories, blogs and social networking

1. ©2009 ExpertHub©2009 ExpertHub
The Cyber-Savvy Attorney
September, 2009
Steve Lombardi
CEO
ExpertHub

2. ©2009 ExpertHub©2009 ExpertHub
About Steve Lombardi
• CEO of ExpertHub
– ExpertHub is a network of 60 legal websites
• 10 years of Internet Marketing experience
– President, Firstlook: portfolio of 700,000 domain names
– Chief Marketing Officer, VendareNetblue
• Display network
• Affiliate network
• Lead Generation network
• Incentive marketing
• Purchased $6MM of Internet media each month
– Founded TheMan.com

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Internet Marketing Overview
SEO/SEM
Directories
Blogs
Social Media
Consumers
110 million searches
each month
Lawyers
1.2 million lawyers

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Golden Rules
1. Choosing one vendor/approach/site to do your online
marketing is a mistake
– Many are symbiotic, even if they are competitors
2. Use cost and results to prioritize
– Remember to value your time
3. Have realistic expectations
– “You get what you pay for” applies

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Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page
Organic Results
Most relevant web pages
per Google’s algorithm.
(10 per page)
Paid Results
Highest yielding advertisements
for keyword (up to 11 per page)
Local Results
Local business results (if
appropriate) from Google Maps.
News Results
News results (if appropriate) from
Google News.
Video Results (Not Shown)
Video search results
(usually youtube) if
appropriate

6. ©2009 ExpertHub©2009 ExpertHub
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Generating visitors to your website from
organic listings on search results pages
• Basic SEO is necessary to be found online
• Advanced SEO is cost-prohibitive for most
• Although visitors are “free,” consulting/resource costs
are high

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Basic Elements of SEO
Search-friendly URL
Page Title
Heading “Tags”
Internal
Links

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Google’s Organic Search Results
Search-friendly URL
Page Title
Meta-Description
SEO Tips
• Page titles, URL’s, etc that
directly match the keyword
phrase are more likely to be
ranked highly
• Google bolds the keywords in
the search result listing that
match the keyword phrase,
affecting the click thru rate
• Click thru rate is one measure
that Google uses to refine
their results
# of Web Pages that
“match” keyword phrase

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Inbound Links: How Google Determines Ranking
The value of the link is
based on the quality of
the site (PageRank) . . . .
. . .and the anchor text
of the link . . .
To determine which
order to display the
results
Link-building Tips
• Fewer, high quality links will generate
better results
• Anchor text is very important
• Once on your site, internal links to other
pages on your site will help build your
search rankings

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Additional Resources
• Google’s Webmaster Guide
– Published by Google (.pdf document)
– Search for “webmaster guide” on google)
• SEO blogs

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Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Generating visitors to your website from paid
listings on search results pages
• Results are fast
• Can outsource campaign management
• Cost per lead is very high

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How Paid Search Listings Work
• Google charges you every time
someone clicks on your ad (CPC)
• Your bid is entered into an auction –
you pay $0.01 more than the next ad.
• Order is based on Google’s yield
Yield = Bid Price * Click Thru Rate
– Rewards advertisers with higher
CTR’s (brands, local advertisers)

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Managing Paid Search
Cost Per Lead = CPC x Lead Conversion Rate
Keyword Bid Prices Click Through Rate On Ad Copy Form or Phone Call Submission Rate

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Additional Resources
• Google’s Sandbox for Traffic
– Gives you volume and price estimates for keywords
– https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox
• Keyword Generation Tools
– Wordtracker
– $329/year or $59/month
• Outsourced Providers
– ReachLocal, Yodle, Dex
• Blogs on Paid Search
– http://searchenginewatch.com/

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Directories and other legal websites
Websites that list lawyers to help consumers
find a local lawyer
• Highly trafficked legal websites
• Provide legal information and list lawyers
• Effectiveness varies widely

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Directory Examples
Some directories list everyone, some list many and
others are more limited.
Most
directories
offer
premium
advertising

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Directories: Calculating ROI
• Directories offer different
ways to connect you with
consumers
– Phone number
– Links to your website
– Contact forms
• Evaluating a directories
performance requires
tracking technologies,
including
– A directories reporting
– Google Analytics (website)
– Separate phone numbers

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Considerations When Buying a Directory Listing
Factor What You Should Look For
Traffic/Lead Source • Organic search traffic is best
• Paid search traffic is ok
• Watch out for recycled leads
Web Presence • Profile pages help you get found when consumers search
• Look for back links where you can control the anchor text
Other Features • Content syndication can augment your SEO efforts
• Good reporting will help you evaluate performance
ROI • Your cost/lead must fit with your practice’s economics
• Usually need 3-6 months to evaluate, possibly longer if you
are looking for “big” cases

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Blogs
A genre of website where entries are
displayed in reverse chronological order
• Great way to establish thought leadership or your firm’s
brand
• Technology is readily available and cheap
– Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type
• Biggest challenge is getting readers (and clients)

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Blog Overview
Posts are displayed in
reverse chronological
order
RSS (Really Simple
Syndication). Helps
with generating both
readers and back links.
Sharing technology
helps readers distribute
your blog posts.
Blog posts can be
organized by “tag”
User comments make
the blog interactive

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Questions to Answer Before You Start
Question Answer
What should I write about? Your blog should have a clear editorial mission
• Your expertise (category of law)
• A topic that interests you
If you have two distinct topics to write about, create 2 blogs!
What do I write? • Original posts (500-600 words)
– Original posts are best for targeting search traffic
• Comment on other posts (50-75 words)
– Great way to make other bloggers aware of your blog
How much time does it take? • 2-4 hours/week minimum
How often should I post? • 1-2 posts/week minimum

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Additional Resources
• Blogger’s Legal Guide
– http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal

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LinkedIn/Facebook
Tools to manage your relationships online
• Get updates on friends, colleagues, share photos, etc
• Businesses can have their own pages and connect with
consumers

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LinkedIn
Public View
Your View
Public View
• Online resume (work
experience, interests, group
memberships, etc)
• Shows your connections
• Lists recommendations
Your View
• View updates (keep track of
your connections)
• Join groups, engage in
discussions
• Post Questions/ Answer
other’s Questions
• Add connections, edit your
profile, etc.

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Facebook
Business Page
• Can create a page for your
business that anyone can
access (post updates to your
wall, upload photos, start
discussions
• Consumers can become
“fans” of your business
• Fans receive updates to your
business page through their
news feed
• Major brands create
“applications” (like quizzes)
that attract fans

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Twitter
A free social messaging utility for staying
connected in real time
• Answers the question: “What Are You Doing”
• Updates are 140 characters or less
• Following/Followers
– You “follow” the updates of whomever you like
– Other twitter users can choose to follow you
• Great for networking and promoting, too early to
determine effectiveness for client development

27. ©2009 ExpertHub
Twitter Overview
Customize
your profile
“Tweet” history
•Status updates
•Post links to your
blog/website
•“Re-tweet” or
forward posts
•Reply to someone’s
tweet
View followers

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Summary
Category Costs Time Investment Best For
SEO $1,000 - $10,000/month Can outsource
2-4 hrs/week if do it
alone
Helping existing
clients find you
SEM $4-25 per click
You set monthly budget
Can outsource
1 hr/day if do it alone
Generating new
clients
Directories $50 - $10,000 month Minimal Generating new
clients
Blogs Free - $5,000 set up At least 2-4 hrs/week Building your firm’s
brand
LinkedIn/Facebook Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Managing your client
base/relationship with
other professionals
Twitter Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Tracking news