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Author: Bardorf Legal Marketing

Is FindLaw or Martindale-Hubbell Worth The Cost?

If you don’t have a website or your website is simply a business card online without video, testimonials, articles, or Q&As, you may benefit from investing in these services for a year or two to jump start your marketing efforts. Then you should harvest your investment by transitioning your site to a more affordable option and invest the money you saved in even more marketing opportunities. The point is that you don’t have to pay

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Google Authorship – Personalizing Your Online Image

Just a few months ago the search engine giant Google launched a new feature called Google Authorship. Google Authorship lets you link any content you publish on a specific domain (such as www.yourwebsite.com) to your Google+ profile. This means that every time someone searches for your name or someone with your expertise, anything you have written with your byline (by Jack Smith, for example) will show up on the Google results page with your name

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Attorney Reviews Boost Business

Client reviews are one of the most valuable factors for building your business. Asking a happy client to write a few words about the quality of your work and the help you provided shows prospects that you are a knowledgeable, credible and trustworthy attorney. Ratings and reviews are the digital equivalent of “word of mouth” referrals and are critical for raising your profile online and helping you stand out from the competition. In fact, 70

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Today’s Seasoned Solo Practitioner: How to Market Your Experience, Reputation and Value

The business of law is at a turning point. A recent article in the ABA Journal reported, “The legal profession is undergoing a massive structural shift—one that will leave it dramatically transformed in the coming years.” The shift stems from a combination of events including new laws and changes in enforcement, the mobility of businesses and individuals, as well as new competition from non-legal firms such as accounting and real estate and the availability of

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Question – Is YouTube something attorneys should use?

YouTube is an excellent place for attorneys to promote themselves with short online videos. Videos hosted on YouTube may be embedded or link to your website, and other online profiles like LinkedIn, AttorneyConnect, Avvo, and Justia. A short intro video of yourself can help break the ice for potential clients who may be hesitant to call your office to discuss a legal matter. Videos give folks a glimpse of who you are and can be

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Legal Search Marketing – The Rise of Local Search for Attorneys

The way consumers look for anything and everything has changed in the last ten years, including how we find an attorney. While we used to rely on the recommendation of a friend or relative, or start our search in the Yellow Pages, now we head to our computers. Search engines, social media, and smart phones have dramatically affected the way consumers find legal representation. According to a recent study, last year most people looking for

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Question – What’s up with Google Places?

Google Places, the online directory of businesses around the world, has been entirely replaced by a new feature, Google+ Local. As of April 30, 2012 roughly 80 million Google Place pages worldwide have been automatically converted into 80 million Google+ Local pages. It’s a dramatic change though it will undoubtedly disorient some users and business owners. Google+ now contains a “Local” tab and static Google Places pages now give way to more dynamic Google+ Local

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Get Found! Search Engine Optimization Demystified

Excellent article by John Kruger of Initiate Demand  in this month’s GPSolo, the American Bar Association’s journal geared for General Practice solo practitioners and small law firms. The article is John’s take on SEO (search engine optimization) and how attorneys can leverage it. Read John’s article and learn! By John M. Kruger Search engine optimization (SEO) is the effort to modify a website or web page so that it will appear on the first page

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Legal Search Marketing – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for Attorneys? You Better Believe It!

The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in new web sites, directories, and social networks for attorneys. From LinkedIn to Avvo to Facebook to Twitter, it seems like there’s always a new opportunity to promote your business. Faced with finite budgets and resources, many wonder whether or not to implement these new tools at the expense of more time-tested tactics. Happily it’s not an either/or situation – online marketing techniques can reinforce the

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Question – What is Google+ and do I need it?

Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus, sometimes abbreviated as G+) is one of the newest social networking sites. Launched as a test in June 2011, the site became available to all in September. The New York Times declared it Google’s attempt to rival Facebook, which has over 800 million users. In January 2012, Google+ had surpassed 90 million users. However, these users are reportedly only spending 3.3 minutes a month on Google+ compared

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Legal Search Marketing – How to Protect Your Online Reputation

By Ian Bardorf What do prospects find when they look for you online? They may find your firm’s website, your LinkedIn and Avvo profiles, blog posts or videos, your Facebook business page, and glowing reviews of your services. But what if your website is listed last or, even worse, not listed at all on the first page of results? Instead the top links lead to a client’s bad review, a disgruntled employee’s comments, or a

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Question – I just got a Twitter account for my firm — what should I tweet?

Congrats on setting up a Twitter account – you’ve taken the first step. Social media like Facebook and Twitter let you stay connected with clients, share information, gather feedback, and obtain more visibility in the search rankings. Imagine your Twitter account as a friendly information booth or place for people to ask questions and share information. You can also share links to interesting articles; post updates on the law, announce upcoming seminars or events; ask

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Legal Search Marketing – Six Steps for Successful Local Marketing

Clients come from all walks of life, they go online at all hours of the day, they point, they click, they research and buy online. In fact, 97% of consumers research online before they make a purchase. This means prospects may be looking for your particular area of expertise right now. Yet you could be one of many attorneys who lose revenue each year by neglecting to maximize your firm’s online visibility in your area.

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Question – I’ve noticed that Google’s layout has changed. Are there fewer paid listings now?

You’re right! On November 2, Google announced a major change to how sponsored listings would appear on their results pages. In some cases — but not all – ads no longer appear on the top and side rail, but only on the top and bottom of the page. There has never been a layout change as significant as this one and the shift poses many new challenges for advertisers. Before 11/2/11, results pages included three

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Legal Search Marketing – Why FindLaw and Martindale-Hubbell Miss the Mark

By Ian M. Bardorf If you’re like many busy attorneys, you don’t have the time to stay up-to-date on the latest advances in Internet marketing. Your expertise is in helping your clients and providing high-quality legal services. You need a savvy partner that will design and implement a results-driven, cost-effective online marketing strategy. Most attorneys sign up with a company they believe will take care of their Internet marketing needs and help them stay current.

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Question – Who should use FindLaw and Martindale-Hubbell?

If you don’t have a website or your website is simply a business card online without video, testimonials, articles, or Q&As, you may benefit from investing in these services for a year or two to jump start your marketing efforts. Then you should harvest your investment by transitioning your site to a more affordable option and invest the money you saved in even more marketing opportunities. The point is that you don’t have to pay

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Legal Search Marketing – 6 SEO Tactics to Avoid

By Ian M. Bardorf Search Engine Marketing is one of the most effective tactics to generate leads, help you promote your expertise, reach prospects and stay connected with clients. A good ranking on Google’s results pages is a measurable gateway for new business. Enhancing your website so that it’s listed at or near the top of Google, Yahoo or any other search engine is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But along with the growing focus

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Question – How can I attract local clients to my website?

Since most people (97%) search online before making a purchase, it’s logical that anyone seeking an attorney will head to Google first. The most important thing you can do to be found in a “local search” is to claim your Google Places page and verify that the basic information is accurate. I wrote an article about Google Places that explains how in more detail. The second most important thing to attract local searchers is to

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Legal Search Marketing – Why Content is King

By Ian M. Bardorf You’ve heard the phrase “content is king” but what does that mean when it comes to your website? It means that good content – news, testimonials, articles, blog posts and more — is the most important element of a successful website. In fact, last April Google released its latest algorithmic change, called Panda, specifically designed to weed out low quality sites and give priority to good ones on the search engine

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Question – On my website I have a description of my firm, my bio, and some testimonials. What else can I include to beef up my site?

Website content is anything visitors can see on your site. It’s the “meat” in the website sandwich. Although there are many different types of content you can use to connect with website visitors and your clients, here’s a list of common formats that you may want to consider adding to your site as part of an integrated marketing strategy: case summaries whitepapers podcasts webinars blogs newsletters research tutorials video surveys and questionnaires success stories industry

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