Search Engine Presence

I'm more convinced than ever that an effective Search Engine Presence includes all areas of Search. If you are a lawyer in a major metro like Houston or even a smaller market you need to include ALL areas of Search engine marketing to be successful.
Utilizing Sponsored Ads, website optimization and everything in between can help you compete in a larger market or dominate a smaller market. Keep in mind SEO has changed in the last couple of years. Its more than meta tags, keywords and inbound links. Social Media, Maps, Reputation Management have all changed the SEO landscape. Law Firms are becoming more and more aware of this but should keep in mind that change is the only constant regarding SEO. Just make sure you work with a company or individual who includes ALL factors of SEO and not just bits and pieces. True SEO is a long term investment and needs to be done correctly to drive the right kind of traffic and potential clients to your website.
The same is true for PPC or Sponsored Ads. You should trust your campaign and monthly budget to a company that is 100% transparent. If they don't share your keywords, CPC, Calls, etc. I question what you are truly getting for your money. Sponsored Ads seem simple enough but can be a total waste of money and effort if not managed correctly.

SEO Intrigue and "black hat tactics"

I tell potential clients all the time to be careful with who they use for SEO. Companies that incorporate "black hat tactics" will boost your ranking for a short time but Google will usually find the violation and take corrective action.
Don't think it can happen to you? Think again. BMW Germany and most recently JC Penney have both felt the wrath of Google due to violations. Check out the article (click on the title of this post) on The NY Times website regarding the tactics employed by JC Penney's optimization company.
JC Penney's "boosted organic results" were short lived but did take place during Holiday shopping season so it was good timing but now the company's site is all but invisible on Google. I especially liked the example used in the article regarding Samsonite. JC Penney was in the first organic position on Google for the search 'Samsonite carry on luggage' ahead of SAMSONITE. Questionable SEO tactics may result in short lived gain but now JC Penney is in 78th position for the same search.
Again, be careful who you use to optimize your website. A well-known, reputable company is such for a reason.

Google Search Results

The new Google SERPs are killing me. What is going on over there? I see that Map listings or "Place Pages" are more important then ever. I've even see Twitter streams in some search results. Leave it to Google to confuse the heck out of all of use "Search Engine Marketing Experts."
Its a good thing I work for a company with a strong relationship with Google. Yellowbook has a call scheduled for next with Google to discuss these changes and how we can better serve our clients regarding those changes. Look for a post next week when I have more information and don't forget to update your 'Place Page' if you haven't recently.

Google and Meta Tags

I've heard a few times over the past few weeks "meta-tags are really important" or "I need to adjust the Meta Tags on my website." For the past couple years now, Google has stated that meta tags are not important for rankings. Other than the Meta Description which is used as your site's description on SERPs, Meta Tags have little or NO value regarding rank. Google will look at Title tags, Headers, Domain Age, Alt. Tags and quality INBOUND links (and other secret factors) when determining where to rank your website.
See Matt Cutts(Google Search Quality Team) speaking more specifically about Meta Tags.
That being said, I wouldn't recommend leaving your meta information blank because last I checked Yahoo, ASK and bing still do look at meta tags. At least for now...

Changes to Google's Algorithm...

If SEO is your bag and you put alot of weight in that portion of your online marketing efforts be aware that now load time is part of Google's algorithm. In other words, how long your website takes to load is now a factor when Google indexes your website. Keep tabs on it because images, flash and other factors can all effect load time. Here is the link to the Google Blog announcing this change - Google Webmaster Blog.

Google Maps 'Enhanced' Listings

I got a call last week from someone at Google Maps. He wanted to sign me up for their new 'enhanced' listings in the Local Business Center. He assured me that it does not effect how often you show up just that when you do the listing will be 'enhanced' with added information. In essence Google is keeping 'organic results' seperate from anything 'paid' even in the Maps.
Its $25 a month with NO contract so I was tempted but all it adds is a little yellow box below your listing. If anyone sees an increase in CTR% from adding this enhancement please let me know. I am holding off for now.

New Attorneys ON Board with SEM

Without giving up the names of some new clients so that all you other "SEMConsultants" can hunt them down;I am excited about the recent success of my campaigns.
I love hearing about unpaid wage claims that have the possibility of turning into Class-action suits. I also get stoked when a PI client tells me he just signed up a case from the Google Map listing that I created for him. I currently have 19 live campaigns and I'm always looking for more.
Come to think of it, I don't have ONE Immigration Attorney as a client. What gives? I guess I'll start prospecting that area of law and get back to you soon.

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!

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.

Free AVVO listings...

Cynthia Henley is well-known and respected among criminal defense attorneys in Houston. She is a solo practitioner so she watches closely what she spends on advertising. Cynthia has a website and has some listings on Internet directories like Lawyers.com and FindLaw.com. Recently, she has received some quality phone calls from her AVVO profile.
She’s thrilled with this of course, as the profile on AVVO is FREE! Cynthia has taken the time to improve her profile by adding information and photos as well as asking clients to fill out reviews. The profile also includes a place for other attorneys to endorse her as well.
Another benefit from the profile on AVVO is the link to her website – Criminal Defense Lawyer Houston. This inbound link from a relevant, highly trafficked site is a good way to get more visits to her site.If you’re a lawyer and you haven’t taken the time to improve your AVVO listing or worse yet, you don’t even have one. It is well worth your time as Cynthia tells me that she has had a handful of good cases from her AVVO listing in the past 6 months.

My favorite website!

Check out http://searchengineland.com/ when you have the chance. I love this site.
Take a quick look at it daily or a couple times a week to find out the latest about search engines and search engine marketing. There are multiple articles posted daily so you can stay informed about the Web and the latest news regarding SEM and optimization.

What did I learn today???

I've hit on this a few times now in past posts but I think I finally have a grasp on it.

SEO vs. SEM - I've had the optimizaiton believers tell me that SEM and PPC stinks because if you ever stop your campaign you've lost everything and are right back where you started... My response, even if that was true, who cares? You made alot of money while you were doing it. Here is an idea. Do some SEM to compliment your organic efforts. When your site is showing up in the first oraganic result for every search imaginable (will never happen) stop your SEM campaign. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Consider this, if 70% of searchers look at the left side of SERPs and only 30% click on the ads on the right side, why is PPC and SEM Google's cash cow? I've seen all kinds of statistics from 80/20 - 70/30 or even 60/40 in favor of the left (organic) side of the SERPS. Whatever the number, a huge chunk of those organic clicks are informational only, in other words they aren't from buyers. I argue that while the organic side makes up most of the clicks and traffic on SERPs, the right side is where the buyers click. Isn't that what its all about?

Who else would click on ads with titles like, "affordable CPA" or "Discount Purses" if they weren't shopping? Searchers looking for local services or products are just as likely to click on a relevant ad on the right side as they are on the left. The only searchers who WON'T click on the ads on the right - people only looking for information, researching something, etc. People ready to buy click on the right side because they are, ready to buy.

Google paid ads are decreasing in value...

Since I got into the business of Internet Marketing I've studied the benefits of Organic Results as well as Pay Per Click (PPC) ads. There are numerous articles and studies that show where people click and how they search on Google, Yahoo, etc. Feel free to check out some of these on your own:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2004/11/15/organic-seo-vs-ppc-advertising
http://www.zeroonezero.com/services/ppc-vs-organic-sem.html
http://www.seoresearcher.com/paid-search-marketing-vs-natural-search-promotion.htm
http://www.bitwiselogic.com/blog/Joel+Carlson/11/Pay-Per-Click+vs.+Organic+SEO.html
These articles bring up many valid points. I've been of the oponion that BOTH are effective. PPC for short term success and organic results for long-term success. Studies have shown that nearly 80% of Americans look at the organic results on the left side of the page. That leaves only 20% to click on the PPC. Keep in mind, some of the clicks may be a result of "click fraud" and very expensive. For more information on click fraud check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Click_fraud
http://www.news.com/Exposing-click-fraud/2100-1024_3-5273078.html
Now I see that Google's paid ads are decreasing in traffic and becoming more expensive. Think of it this way; when you walk into a casino the number of slot machines far outnumber all the other games combined. Why is that? Its the CASH COW. Slot machines are the biggest money maker for a casino. Yes, you can win. You can also drop a huge amount of cash in a short period of time and get NOTHING in return. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8371319?source=rss - Paid ads have been the cash cow for Google for a long time.
On the flip side, think of building an effective website that relays your firm's message to prospective clients with custom content that is well optimized. First, you will have a higher rate of conversion because of better content and you are pulling from 80% of the public instead of just 20%. Don't forget you get to keep the content and design because its custom written for you and your firm. Think about it. Most companies that build PPC campaigns can't build an effective website so there isn't any conversion.