Google’s Local Service Ads For Lawyers – What You Need To Know

January 29, 2021

Google’s Local Services Ads are a new way for lawyers and law firms to reach potential clients. LSAs are sponsored listings that appear at the very top of a search engine results page (SERP). The pay per lead model is different than Google Adword’s traditional pay per click model which charges for each click on the ad. With LSAs, you only pay for qualified leads according to your defined practice category and geographic area. The

Are You Paying Too Much For FindLaw?

May 15, 2020

You’ve been with FindLaw for so many years that you’ve lost count. You dutifully pay them month after month, year over year. Your practice is busy, thankfully and quite frankly, you don’t have the time to pay as much attention to FindLaw as perhaps you should considering the thousands you spend with them every year. Calculating the ROI and researching your marketing options is a continuous outstanding issue that remains a nagging constant in the

How Attorneys Get Glowing Client Reviews on Google

January 14, 2020

As an attorney, you don’t have a lot of spare time. You are busy representing your clients, poring over the details of legal precedents, and looking for an edge in each of your cases. The last thing you have time for is marketing. And even if you choose to be proactive and implement some small, DIY marketing initiatives, it’s often very difficult to turn these efforts into effective results. Take Google reviews, for example. Consumers

Branding Your Law Firm: How Client Reviews Tell Your Story, Establish Trust and Improve SEO

November 13, 2019

Welcome to the trust economy, where potential customers rely more on online customer reviews than they do on personal referrals. At least, that’s what recent data indicates. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Survey, “Ninety-one percent of 18 to 34-year-old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” Across all surveyed age groups, eighty-six percent of potential customers read local online reviews prior to making a purchase decision. Are you regularly getting positive online reviews

The Transformation of Law Practice – From Personal Referrals to Online Reviews

July 3, 2019

There was a time when people had “their lawyer”. The reliable, trusted, go-to person who would handle all legal matters that life presented. Things are quite different today as most folks no longer rely on just one lawyer to handle all the legal issues that arise in life, whether it be negotiation of a prenuptial agreement, purchase of a home, reviewing a business contract, filing for bankruptcy, mediating a divorce, or drafting a will. There

Why Attorneys Should Have A Live Chat Receptionist On Their Website

March 6, 2019

One of the primary ways people research and select attorneys nowadays is through the Internet. The attorney’s “front door” is no longer the physical door to his law office, but rather the home page to his website. And as in other business interactions, the first impression made upon the customer is of vital importance. That being the case, it only makes sense that the marketing-savvy attorney needs an online “receptionist” to welcome any and all

How Attorneys May Unknowingly Put Their Reputation and Website Visitors at Risk

October 3, 2018

So you succeeded in creating and launching your law firm website —it’s polished, professional, and providing your firm with that online presence we all understand these days is of such importance…and is growing more and more crucial. What many attorneys don’t understand, however, can be truly detrimental to their website and in the long run detrimental to their legal practice–not just financially but also to the attorney’s professional reputation. Think of the website you so

Attorneys Beware – Top 4 Internet Scams Busy Lawyers Need To Know

September 17, 2018

Attorneys are busy professionals with a lot on their minds; primarily clients and their cases and they don’t have time to get caught up in Internet scams targeting their vulnerabilities; mainly their need to be visible on the Internet and their lack of time to properly research Internet and marketing services. Below are four of the top Internet scams all attorneys need to watch out for and avoid. Domain Renewal Scams Before you launch a

How Attorneys Can Protect Their Online Reputation

August 14, 2018

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. That is why your online reputation and Google results are so important. Competition among attorneys is fierce and to make sure that what your potential clients are seeing and reading about you is accurate; you need to be proactive in managing your online search results. Busy lawyers often neglect how they appear on the Internet when someone Google’s their name. It’s important to understand

8 Critical Website Elements Attorneys Need to Convert Visitors to Clients

August 14, 2018

We are living in a technological era. All you have to do is survey the landscape of Google, YouTube, social media, and of course the ever-expanding universe of websites, and it becomes all too clear just how critical it is not only to have a website, but also to ensure it delivers all you need. If you follow some simple guidelines, your website will provide potential clients who land fresh on your page, the information

Is Your Website Secure? What Attorneys Need To Know About Upgrading to SSL.

November 21, 2017

Trust plays a critical role in lawyer/client relationships and a lawyer’s ability to acquire and retain clients. The same holds true in the online world as well. Visitors to your website need to trust that your site is safe and secure to browse. Additionally, search engines like Google place greater value on websites that make the extra effort to ensure their visitors are viewing a safe site. In today’s age of Internet hackers, spammers, spoofing,

6 Things Every Attorney Should Know To Rank Well On Google

November 25, 2015

Have you ever “Googled” yourself? What did you see? If you searched specifically for your name, your website is probably listed right at the top of the results page. But if you typed in a more general term related to your practice, you may find your website on the second page or even lower. That’s because Google – the search engine giant – rank results according to a complex algorithm. This mathematical formula takes into

What to Look For When Hiring a Marketing Firm For Your Law Practice

June 11, 2015

To survive and thrive in this competitive economy, your firm needs a well-designed and well-executed marketing plan. An effective marketing plan will raise your profile, establish your reputation, and generate leads that can be turned into new clients. Most attorneys understand the need for a strategic marketing plan, but few have the time or expertise to implement one. The rise of the Internet, Google search, social media and mobile phones have changed the way attorneys

How can I be sure I’m making the most of my marketing budget?

June 11, 2015

If you would like to get more out of your marketing budget, you may want to consider hiring a firm to help. Here are some questions attorneys and law firms should be asking themselves and thier potential marketing partner. Questions to ask yourself: Can you meet with a local account representative who can make immediate changes to your marketing campaign? Is it a long-term relationship or is it always a new rep? Are you getting

Using the Law to Protect Your Online Reputation

April 1, 2015

Reviews are very important these days. Eighty-five percent of consumers say that they read online reviews for local businesses to determine whether these businesses are good or not. But with more people reading and posting reviews, you need to make sure you are protecting your good reputation. Part of reputation management is monitoring review sites and your search engine ranking. You want to make sure that when someone searches for “your name” that the positive

Google Penalizes Non-mobile Responsive Websites

March 30, 2015

On April 21, 2015 having a mobile-friendly website will become more important than ever. That’s the date Google has picked to start penalizing non-mobile responsive sites. Google is going to start lowering the rankings of any site that isn’t mobile ready. Google wants to give searchers the best results possible, and sending someone to a site that’s difficult or impossible to read via mobile is not a good experience. Mobile-responsive sites are those that “respond”

Legal Marketing Year in Review

January 19, 2015

2014 was a big year in Internet marketing. Some of the hottest trends – the rise of mobile and the explosion of apps – were plain to see. But many of the biggest changes happened behind the scenes. These affected Internet marketing dramatically but were invisible to the average Internet user. Staying up to date in this evolving landscape is a challenge. In this issue, find out about the big changes in 2014, five lessons

Yelp For Attorneys: Marketing Opportunity or Reputation Nightmare?

October 31, 2014

Good reviews are a great way to connect with new clients and build your business. Avvo and LinkedIn are preferred places for attorneys to share reviews. But last spring, an online survey claimed that Yelp is the most popular and trusted website for legal reviews. I read the report shortly after it was published and didn’t give it much merit. However, it received recognition from industry influencers who re-published the findings on their blogs. Yelp

Bardorf Legal Marketing

Get Started Today

Legal Marketing Blog

Author: Bardorf Legal Marketing