Organic vs. sponsored results

If you're an attorney and you rely 100% on your website showing up organically YOU ARE MISSING CLICKS AND TRAFFIC. I believe in organic results and there are plenty of people who click on the left side of SERPS. On the flip side, there are a ton of clicks and traffic going to the sponsored links as well. Are willing to ignore them?
More and more attorneys are utilizing PPC programs to drive qualified traffic to their websites. As an advertiser you get to approve search terms, track results and ONLY pay when someone visits your site! What other form of advertising allows you to do that?
Keep your organic results. Keep your big, beautiful website. In addition to that though, don't discount the searches and traffic taking place in the sponsored link areas. The majority of these searches are people who have clicked all over the search result page and have already done research and are READY TO ACT!

Divorce Attorney launches new website!

Attorney Carolyn Robertson recently launched her new website. The site has a great profile page about Carolyn and her practice as well as a great Family Law Overview.
Carolyn is Board Certified in Divorce and Family Law and has practiced in Houston for over 15 years. She takes a compassionate, informative approach to the practice of law and looks forward to the opportunity to represent anyone in need of Family Law Counsel.

DID YOU KNOW? Carolyn’s undergraduate degree is in ‘Marketing’ from The University of Texas.

Criminal Defense website up and running...

The Law Office of James F. Pons focuses on all Criminal Defense matters including DWI/DUI defense, Drug Possession, Drug Trafficking cases as well White Collar Crimes. James practices in all counties surrounding the Houston area and is very selective in the cases that he chooses to take on.
Personal service and attention to detail are the focus of the firm. James believes in representing each client aggressively while providing information and insight to them during the legal process.

Check out the site at HOUSTON CRIMINAL DEFENSE and find out more about The Law Office of James F. Pons.

MSN and YAHOO taking on Google

After months and month of speculation. MSN and Yahoo have finally agreed on a plan to take on Google. The release of BING no doubt had a lot to do with the agreement and MSN will now have access to Yahoo's searchers. This will allow MSN to get more traffic to BING and build its credibility with searchers. BOTTOM LINE - the competition will probably be a good thing for those who choose to advertise on Search Engines. Google has had too much of the market share for far too long. I'm hoping this will reduce some of the click costs associated with AdWords and level the playing field a little.
Click here to read more about the agreement:
http://www.khou.com/business/stories/khou090729_tnt_microsoft-yahoo-google.8ab6fa1b.html

Negative keywords continued...

Problem - your child is trying to write a paper about Vikings. He tries to research on Google by searching "vikings" only to find neverending sites and articles about the Minnesota Vikings and Favre Watch 2009. Solution - use that little "-" key near the top of the keyboard. That's right, the minus key or subtraction symbol can be used to exclude certain results on search engines.
Try the search again by Googling "Vikings -minnesota" or Vikings -nfl" and see what you get. Now you should have nothing but results relevant to the kind of Vikings who were on boats with swords, shields and real horns on their helmets.
The use of negative keywords is also very helpful in driving relevant, qualified visitors to your website. For example, if you are a Criminal Defense Attorney and currently running an AdWords campaign on Google. You might like add "traffic tickets" to your list of negative keywords. I've met recently with a number of criminal defense lawyers who would like to eliminate DWI/DUI cases from their practice. Simple enough, use the "-" key again and add "-DWI/DUI attorney" and other related terms to your list of negative keywords. This way you only get the types of clicks you want and eliminate click costs that aren't EXACLTY what you target.

Gregory & Gregory

A new site launched this morning for the family law office of Gregory & Gregory. Ray and Myrna Gregory pride themselves in providing expert legal representation in all areas of family law including divorce, custody agreements, child support cases as well as modifications and enforcement actions. They provide honest and up-front legal counsel to their clients in an effort to educate them about the legal process and their case.
Check out the site at Houston Family Lawyers and take a minute to look around. Its easy to navigate and relays the expertise of the firm effectively. Myrna and the staff are bilingual and look forward to any opportunity to help the Hispanic community or anyone else in need of representation in a family law matter.

New site for an Estate Planning Attorney in Clear Lake!

Check out Kim Hegwood's new site at Houston Estate Planning Attorney. Kim helps her clients with legal matters ranging from family law to Probate Administration. Her practice includes preparing everything from simple wills to setting up special needs trusts.
The site is informative, easy to navigate and provides contact information for anyone in need of a EFFECTIVE Estate Planning counsel. Be sure to check out the How We are Different page for some insight into the philosophy of the firm.

The three aspects of a internet visibility

I meet with people who think they are marketing their business on the Web. They may have a website. They may even have some meta tags and keywords on that site. Maybe they have a small PPC campaign driving traffic to the site.
Picture a stool with three legs. If the seat of that stool is labeled "VISIBILITY" then what do we call the three legs that hold up the stool?
The THREE legs should be:
SEO - sitemap & relevant, updated content, meta tags, etc.
PPC Ads - Effective Ad Copy, Targeted Keywords and Phrases
Inbound Links - take advantage of powerful, relevant directories; adding power to your site

You can get leads from the Web if you use any of these three principles but ALL THREE will take your web-presence to another level.

CALL TO ACTION!

Have you ever visited the website of a business with a product or service that you were interested in only to get frustrated at how difficult it is to find the businesses contact information? I hate that.
Furthermore, add a CALL TO ACTION at the top of every page. What do you want to prospective client to do? Tell them to contact you. Your business is the right business for them to give their money to, right?
Don't make them scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a phone number. People go to the internet for information. Once they find that information, make it easy for them to contact you.

New Family Law Campaign here in Houston

Peter Steinmann has a small website and hasn't done much marketing in the past. His practice includes Family Law, Estate Planning and some Personal Injury Law. He is an avid golfer and enjoys getting outside whenever possible. His office is a virtual "who's who" of Golf as he has met or played with numerous pro golfers over the years.

He and his wife update the website regularly and he would like to drive more traffic to it. When I initially contacted Mr. Steinmann he was hesitant to meet with me as he receives numerous marketing calls throughout the week. I asked him for 20 minutes and he accepted the appointment but told me "not to get my hopes up."

After a brief presentation of how simple a Google and Yahoo PPC campaign can be he was on-board. He agreed to start with a small focused campaign with Call Tracking and is looking forward to hearing the phone ring more often.

Visit his site Houston Divorce Lawyer and check it out when you have the chance.

PPC campaigns and negative keywords...

If you are going to have a successful PPC campaign, you will have to use at least a small list of negative keywords. Using negative keywords effectively is a sure-fire way to refine your keywords and drive QUALITY clicks to your site. Yesterday I performed a search for "wrongful death attorney" on Google. The first PPC result on the right side of the page was an employment attorney who no doubt is bidding on "wrongful termination" terms. As the consumer, looking for a wrongful death attorney how likely is it that I hire an attorney who's site is full of employment law content? Not very likely at all so that's a wasted click and wasted money. Adding "death" as a negative keyword would make sure that his clicks weren't being used up on leads that he has no chance of converting.
Another example - I found an attorney who practices medical malpractice in a search for "legal malpractice houston" on Google. If I click on that ad, I go to a site which is 100% medical malpractice related and dont' see any information about my search for legal malpractice. Again, if the term "Legal" was added to a list of negative keywords it would eliminate these irrelevant clicks.
In this very competitive and expensive SEM game, the more qualified and specific the lead, the better. Use negative keywords effectively to make sure your traffic is worth paying for.

Filteau & Sullivan, LLP launch new site.

The attorneys Filteau & Sullivan specialize in business and commercial litigation as well as employment law. The partners, Bob Filteau and John Sullivan have practiced law together since 1980 and the firm is located near downtown Houston in The Heights. They handle cases ranging from personal injury to shareholder disputes and everything in between.
Visit their site at Houston Commercial Litigation Attorneys to find out more about their practice.

Location, Location, Location...

Its been said many times. Location is everything when it comes to business. Not only where your business is located but also where it is marketed; Billboards, Newspaper, Magazine ads, etc. Its true with Internet Placement as well. Where do you market your law firm? I hope its where people are looking. When people go to Google, Yahoo, Yellowbook.com, FindLaw.com, AVVO.com; can they find you? Let me stress this point, these are people looking for you! They need your expertise. Can they find you?
It would be great if a consumer who needs you hears your radio ad or drives by your billboard at the EXACT time that he needs you, writes down your number and calls you. How often do you think this happens? I think it would be better to be visible when THEY initiate the search. This is what we call "directional advertising." In other words, buyers looking for sellers - NOT sellers looking for buyers.

The Web vs. other forms of advertising...

I met with an attorney last week who is considering upping his advertising budget. He is considering either an AdWords campaign or a billboard. His area of practice is mainly ADR and Mediation but also practices litigation. He mentioned that the billboard that he likes is available at the corner of 59 right where it meets Spur 527 from downtown. He thinks he can get a bargain because its been open for a while. The "bargain" is $1500 a month...
My question was the following, "Sir, would it be more effective to have a billboard where people who are leaving downtown towards 59 who MAY need a Mediation Attorney can see it OR an ad on the two most searched websites on the planet when someone searches for 'mediation Houston' or 'ADR Lawyer?'" Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I'm talking about highly qualified traffic from Google and Yahoo. The only clicks you are going to get are from relevant searches. No billboard, newspaper ad, radio spot or any other form of advertising can provide that level of QUALIFICATION.
Here is the best part - the budget estimate on what his campaign would cost??? $700 a month. His ad would show up all over the country on Google for half the price of the BB on a SPUR 527 and Highway 59.
He's thinking about it...
There is a saying in poker - Think long, think wrong.

Why do you need a website?

I met with an attorney last week and tried to stress the importance of having a website. She interrupted me mid-thought and shared a story with me. She got a call from a referral not too long ago but was in her car and couldn't write down the client's number. The client said, "that's okay, I'll just check out your site." She had to tell him that she didn't have one and she lost his business. Its that simple. What does it say about your law firm and your practice if people who need an attorney can't find you?
She admitted to me that she has put off a site for years even though she bought a domain name and knew that she needed one. We agreed on a 5 page website so that she can refer prospective clients to it for information about her practice areas. Its a shame that she lost that client and maybe others who looked her up on Google and Yahoo but couldn't find any information about her practice.

SEMPO certification

Last week I completed certification for SEMPO. Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization is a non-profit association working to increase awareness and promote the value of search engine marketing. Check out the SEMPO site to find out more - www.sempo.org

The courses were tough and covered everything from writing ad copy to selecting target keywords. The courses are developed by top SEM professionals and reflect current search engine standards and best practices.


The point? If you are an attorney in Houston and you considering SEM as a way to attract new cases for your practice; wouldn't you rather deal with a certified professional who KNOWS the product?

That time of year...

What area of law you practice can be directly effected by the time of year. I've heard may times that the beginning of the year is a good time for Estate Planning attorneys. Why? Many people put off drafting a Will or setting up their estates until they make it their New Year's Resolution. I've also heard from attorneys that people don't get divorced during the summer (kids are out of school) or the Holidays for obvious reasons. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rules but if this is true, NOW IS THE TIME.My Search Engine product only requires a 4 month campaign so you can start now during the busy season and then pause your campaign during the summer. This allows you to capture some of "New Year's Resolution" searches or some of the divorces that have been put off for the past few months. Even better, if you are an attorney who practices both Family Law and Estate Planning like Karthryn Marteeny, you can capture both types of cases.Kathryn has practiced law for over 20 years in the Houston and Katy, Texas area and her site, Katy Family Lawyer is very informative and easy to navigate. If you need assistance with any Family Law issue or an Estate Planning matter, call Kathryn and take advantage of her FREE initial consultation.

The definition of insanity...

I heard someone say not too long ago that their definition of insanity is, “repeating the same actions while expecting different results.” Said another way; “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you always get.”
I met with an attorney this week that doesn’t advertise AT ALL and complains about her lack of business. She said 100% of her clients are repeat clients or referrals but that nobody is spending any money right now because of the economy. While referrals and repeat clients are great, few attorneys in Houston, Texas can rely on them alone. After trying to explain to her that the ONLY reason she hasn’t had clients from the internet in the past is because she isn’t there, I finally resorted to quote from a friend of mine, “you only catch fish where you fish.” The Great One, Wayne Gretzky said it like this, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Its 2009! It blows my mind that there are small businesses out there with NO website or even a listing on a Web Directory like Yellowbook.com, Superpages.com, Houston.com. Okay, back to my visit with referral only attorney. Listen, I have stats and studies from third parties that PROVE people look on-line to find local products and services and the numbers are growing. Are you just going to ignore ALL of the people that look to the Web to find a lawyer? She didn’t buy anything from me YET. I have a follow up meeting with her next week and I can’t imagine leaving there without an order. I’ll be sure to post what happens.

The Law Office of Jeffrey Wyman

When visiting Jeff’s website, Houston Probate Attorney you will see why it not only shows up well organically but also why it has a great conversion rate. Jeff has had the site for over 4 years and has done a great job of adding new content and keeping the site current.
Jeff and I met recently and discussed how a small, focused PPC campaign could benefit his practice. Most of his bew business is brought into the firm via his website and existing marketing efforts but he agreed that there is more out there. This new PPC campaign focusing on Probate Litigation and Estate Administration will compliment his already impressive organic results on Google and Yahoo.

DID YOU KNOW? Jeff is also a CPA.