Get found, build your brand, and convert more and higher quality clients
Happy Monday!
Have you ever wondered why your law firm’s website doesn’t show up in the major search engines? Or perhaps your website does show for certain popular search terms, but you are not seeing much success with new prospective clients contacting your firm from the Internet? Could it be that the Internet just doesn’t work as a tool for quality lead generation for attorneys? Or is it possible that something is missing from your current strategy?
3 Key components for a successful Internet marketing strategy--miss just one, and it doesn’t work!
An effective online marketing strategy must contain certain foundational elements in order to succeed in attracting and converting the right type of clients to your law firm. There are 3 critical components: visibility, design, and content. Miss just one of these, and the strategy does not work. Achieve all 3, and your Internet marketing will work to grow your practice in ways you never thought possible! Today I will focus on the “visibility” piece of the strategy, and then expand on the other 2 components in future posts (so subscribe to this blog! ;-).
What is visibility in online marketing?
You probably figured it out! Visibility is…well…being found! But it is not just enough to be “found” online. It’s not even enough to just get “visitors” to your website. For a successful online marketing search engine optimization strategy that meets your business goals, you ultimately want to be found and get visits by the right types of prospects, achieving the ultimate goal of getting them to contact your law firm and becoming a profitable client! So how do you improve your visibility to prospective clients online?
“Vanity” search vs. “Long Tail” Search
Think of a vanity search as a search that is primarily done when a prospective client knows exactly what they need. This search typically will have the following components: geography and keyword(s) for the service they are seeking. Below is an example of a vanity search for “immigration attorney Petaluma”.
Vanity Search: " immigration attorney petaluma "
Branded Search: “Law Offices of Daniel E. Chavez”
Another type of search is “branded” search. This type of search is done when they already know about your firm, and are searching to get more information about you, and are typing the name directly into the search engine to find your website.
Long Tail Search: “immigration appeals for deportation proceedings northern California”
The other searches fall into what is called “long tail” search. The long tail search is often overlooked by law firms because to show for these very important searches, it takes a well-coordinated strategy for website optimization. Firms who are not effectively positioning for long tail search, are missing a very big opportunity for greater visibility, traffic and conversion for business growth! Below is an example that breaks down the long tail search vs. vanity search with the immigration law firm example:
As you can see by the diagram, the search term “Immigration Attorney” is at the top of the curve, indicating the number of times that exact term is searched. Then, as you go further down the line, the searches become more and more unique to the point where each search might be so unique that it is done relatively only once. While many law firms will focus on the few vanity searches that are done, they completely miss out on the thousands of unique searches that prospects do in their research. Having a more comprehensive approach will work to expand a law firm’s visibility on a much higher level, and position them directly in front of the right types of prospect, leading to greater branding, higher conversion rates, and business growth.
Prospective clients go online first to seek out “information” about their legal issue. Connect with them there, and dramatically improve your chances of retaining them as a client.
Long Tail Search Example #1:
Long Tail Search Example #2:
This level of visibility online will connect your firm with a greater number of clients! In my next few blog posts, I will give insights into what can be done to improve your Internet marketing and perhaps turn your “brochure” website into a lead generating machine that will work to grow your practice! Remember, there are 3 key components to a successful Internet marketing strategy. We've discussed the "Visibility" component. In my next 2 blog posts, we will get into "Design" and "Content". Missing just one, an Internet marketing plan will fail to produce the strong results you need to grow your business.
So, rather than give up on Internet marketing as a lead generating tool, I’ll suggest that you join me in taking a closer look into potentially uncovering some important opportunities to make adjustments for better results! Please bookmark this page, subscribe to this blog, and/or leave comments! You can also follow me on Facebook. Have a great week, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
BWM Lawyer Marketing is located in Petaluma, California, and serves law firm clients throughout Northern California. Contact us online or call 707-774-5607 to discuss an appropriate Internet marketing strategy for your Northern California law firm.
