I guess I've danced around this long enough. I kind of tell you what I'm doing, but don't really do it in a way that gives you the step by step basics that you need to get to where you want to go with your law firm internet marketing strategies. So, starting right now, I'm going to give you a step-by-step plan on what to do to get your law firm website ranking number one in google.
Don't believe me? Do this. Google "Seattle DUI attorney." That's me at #1. Google "Seattle DUI lawyer." #4. Try "DUI attorney" (though this one will vary depending on your location. In Seattle I'm #14, and climbing fast.
The bottom line is, this stuff works. If you just do what I say, in 6 months or so you'll be on top of the search engine world.
I'm sure there are some of you that are saying "6 months?!! You are out of your freaking mind!" But six months is about what it's going to take. But, once you get up there, you'll stay up there, and you won't have to pay anyone to maintain it.
So, I've already talked about link building and law firm internet marketing so I'm not going to do it again. I'm just going to start with lesson one - starting a blog. I talked about this a little bit in last weeks post on law firm blogging, but I didn't lay it out step by step. Today I'm going to do that.
And, I'm going to use the blogger platform. It's what I have here. It's easy. It's a Google product, so it's good. And best of all, it's free. Here we go!
1. Go to blogger.com and select start a blog and enter your information to start an account.
2. Blog title - Don't Have Your Blog Title Be The Name of Your Law Firm! Choose a title that reflects what the blog will be about and what people will be searching for on the internet. For example, one of my blogs is called Seattle DUI Attorney. That tells Google exactly what the site is about. You can have your contact information over on the side.
3. Blog url - again, make it something that reflects what practice area you are trying to win on google. For me, it would be seattleduiattorney.blogspot.com or even better would be duiattorney.blogspot.com. Tinker around until you find one available. The great thing about blogspot.com addresses is they get the same weight as other web addresses but the selection is a lot higher because there aren't as many people using them.
4. Blog Style - just pick the minima one. Your internet marketing efforts aren't centered around getting readers, it's centered around getting people to your website. If no one ever reads your blog but you make a million dollars because the links from your blog pump up your website on the rankings, I don't think your feeling will be hurt too much that you don't have readers.
Now You've Got a Blog!
Before you get started writing, though, you are going to need to adjust your settings a little bit. So, here are the next steps in your law firm internet marketing journey.
5. Click on the settings tab (top left hand corner). When that box opens up, take a couple of minutes to put in a short description of what your blog is about. Again, though, don't put your law firm name in there. Talk about what your practice area is and have your keywords in there twice. See this blog as an example. Make it readable, but put some keywords in there. Leave everything else in the basic tab the same and then click save.
6. Click on the formatting tab. I like to have 5 posts on the front page. 7 is too much. You're just going to have to trust me on this one. On the date header I like to just have the day show, not the date. You can pick whatever you want. One change you want to make is to turn the "show link fields" tab from no to yes. I'll tell you why in a bit. Then click save settings.
7. Click on the comments tab. You want to go toward the bottom and click on moderate comments always. Otherwise you'll get a bunch of spam on there.
8. Next go to the layout tab. This is where you can add boxes and things like that to make your blog more personal. This is where you can put in your firm name and stuff like that.
9. On the right hand side click add a gadget. You are going to add the following gadgets: search box (put this up at the top - it will allow people to search your blog); text box (this is where you put in all of your firm information - this goes right under the search box); picture, if you want to put in a picture; labels (just trust me on this one); archive; then click on the featured gadgets and add "most recent posts" (I like to put three on there without summaries - and I'd put this right under the picture or your firm information);
Now you're ready to write a post! For now, just write one post, with 300 words, talking about what you do. Try to put your keywords in there a few times. In the title of the post, try to put your keywords.
Then, when you are done, do this: bold the first keyword that you find (this works a lot like Word does); find your next keyword and make it a link to your home page (for this blog it would be http://lawfirmwebsiteseo.blogspot.com); right underneath where it says labels, put in two or three of your keywords. And then hit post.
I'll be back next week with some more instructions. Until then, just do that.
5.14.2010
Law Firm Internet Marketing | Making Your Blog Work
Before I begin, I want to thank all of you people that take the time to comment on here. I appreciate it, and I think others appreciate it too. Maybe in time we'll actually get a bit of a dialogue going in the comments and really help each other out. Law firm internet marketing is not hard, but it is a learned skill. And we might as well help each other at it.
Anyway, on to business. I received a comment the other day from Christopher Mesaros, who, from his blog, the Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Blog (which is what he's going to call it after he reads this post) linked to this site. I really appreciate that.
And no favor goes unanswered. So I took a look at his blog, and, no offense Chris (I'm going to call you Chris if that's okay), but it's not put together very well. The basics are there, but it could be so much better, and without much additional work. So, I thought I'd let him (and you) know what he could do to optimize his blog, make Google like it better, and in turn greatly increase his internet presence. Oh, and by the way, this could turn out to be really long, so prepare yourself. I promise it won't disappoint though.
Here we go.
But to get started you have to remember that everything you do is not to get readers, or even potential clients - it's to get Google to recognize your website as an authority on a subject (in this case Los Angeles personal injury law) and to create a vehicle for creating tons and tons of backlinks for your website.
What does this mean for Chris's blog? Like it already is, it isn't going to be pretty. It's going to be basic. It's going to have great information but it's not going to wow you. And Google is going to love it (and as an aside, your readers will love it too - basic is easy for people to like).
Remember that Google doesn't have a team of humans reading your site, it has a team of computers. When you are thinking about law firm internet marketing, it is important that you let the computers know as much about what your site is about as possible. And it all starts with the URL of the site. Chris, change it.
Oh, and by the way, Chris, I'm not putting any of your links in this post until you change your URL and let me know. I don't want you having dead links!
Chris, for you, I'd change the title to "Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer." Boom. Easy. Simple. Says it all.
Now, there are some good things about the title. Namely, it says what it's about. But it could be so much more. In every title you want to have your keywords. If I were you I'd focus this post on Dog Bite Lawyer's, because people need those. So, the title of my post would be "LA Personal Injury Attorney | Dog Bite Law." Boom. You've got your keywords in there and you've got what the post is about. You can make the "|" symbol by hitting the shift and forward slash key. The titles of your posts are very important for letting Google know what your stuff is about.
And, on top of that, the post should be creating it's own webpage. To do that, on the settings tab you have to turn on the "show link field" option in the "formatting" tab. After you do that, there will be a field below your title box that says "link." Any time you make a post, you just put the URL of the home page of your blog. In my case it would by http://lawfirmwebsiteseo.blogspot.com. That creates a separate web page for each post.
This is extremely important because that means each of your posts has the opportunity to provide it's own individual link to your website or wherever else you want to point it.
So, wait for a couple of weeks before you start sending stuff out.
On any of my true SEO blogs, though, the posts stay between 300 and 400 words long. That is Google's magic number for legit content. Chris's post has 1038 words in it! To me, that looks like three separate posts, all about dog bites (and all linking to each other). If it's going to be more than 500 words, break it up (unless you just have the need to write it right then).
For example, in Chris's post, I would have said LA Dog Bite Lawyer and Strict Liability, only I would have made it look like this -
Okay, that's all for now. I think next week I'll talk about article writing to promote your blog and your website (for Google purposes, not for reader purposes).
Hope you enjoyed this. My fingers hurt.
Anyway, on to business. I received a comment the other day from Christopher Mesaros, who, from his blog, the Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Blog (which is what he's going to call it after he reads this post) linked to this site. I really appreciate that.
And no favor goes unanswered. So I took a look at his blog, and, no offense Chris (I'm going to call you Chris if that's okay), but it's not put together very well. The basics are there, but it could be so much better, and without much additional work. So, I thought I'd let him (and you) know what he could do to optimize his blog, make Google like it better, and in turn greatly increase his internet presence. Oh, and by the way, this could turn out to be really long, so prepare yourself. I promise it won't disappoint though.
Here we go.
Law Firm Internet Marketing Is Not About Eyeballs, It's About Links
The quicker we all learn this lesson, the better off we all will be. I think in a perfect world Chris (and myself) would like our actual website to be number on in the Google search rankings. And then, some time later, we'd like our blog to be number two. That is all possible.But to get started you have to remember that everything you do is not to get readers, or even potential clients - it's to get Google to recognize your website as an authority on a subject (in this case Los Angeles personal injury law) and to create a vehicle for creating tons and tons of backlinks for your website.
What does this mean for Chris's blog? Like it already is, it isn't going to be pretty. It's going to be basic. It's going to have great information but it's not going to wow you. And Google is going to love it (and as an aside, your readers will love it too - basic is easy for people to like).
Your Blog Domain Name Should Not Be Your Name
The first thing I would do with Chris's blog is change the name. It should no longer be mesaroslawfirm.blogspot.com. It should be losangelespersonalinjuryattorney.blogspot.com. Make it easy for Google to know what your site is about. When your blog is the name of your firm, Google doesn't know what that means.Remember that Google doesn't have a team of humans reading your site, it has a team of computers. When you are thinking about law firm internet marketing, it is important that you let the computers know as much about what your site is about as possible. And it all starts with the URL of the site. Chris, change it.
Oh, and by the way, Chris, I'm not putting any of your links in this post until you change your URL and let me know. I don't want you having dead links!
Blog Title Should Be Related to Practice Area
Same rules for the URL apply to the title. Don't believe me? Look at this blog. It's nothing fancy and tells you exactly what it is. That's what google needs.Chris, for you, I'd change the title to "Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer." Boom. Easy. Simple. Says it all.
Aside
Wanted to insert a little bit of conventional wisdom here. I applaud Chris for what he is doing here. This is the first step to crushing the California personal injury market. But you can't half-ass it. You have to make a plan and stick to it. That's going to mean writing posts even when you don't feel like it. It's going to mean staying up and extra hour later and banging out those two blog posts or articles that you have to do. But it will all pay off in the end. Aside over.The Title of the Post Should Have Your Keyword And Create It's Own Web Page
This is two lessons rolled into one because they kind of go together in the "title category." When you are doing your internet marketing, you want to remain consistent. This means letting Google know at every instance what your site is about. Let's go to Chris's blog as an example. The post title I'm looking at says California's Dog Bite Law.Now, there are some good things about the title. Namely, it says what it's about. But it could be so much more. In every title you want to have your keywords. If I were you I'd focus this post on Dog Bite Lawyer's, because people need those. So, the title of my post would be "LA Personal Injury Attorney | Dog Bite Law." Boom. You've got your keywords in there and you've got what the post is about. You can make the "|" symbol by hitting the shift and forward slash key. The titles of your posts are very important for letting Google know what your stuff is about.
And, on top of that, the post should be creating it's own webpage. To do that, on the settings tab you have to turn on the "show link field" option in the "formatting" tab. After you do that, there will be a field below your title box that says "link." Any time you make a post, you just put the URL of the home page of your blog. In my case it would by http://lawfirmwebsiteseo.blogspot.com. That creates a separate web page for each post.
This is extremely important because that means each of your posts has the opportunity to provide it's own individual link to your website or wherever else you want to point it.
Wait Until Google Finds Your Site Before You Start Including Outbound Links
In Chris's post, you can see that he links out to his website. Not too bad. The keyword could be better, but I like it all the same. Except that it's too early in the process. You want links to your site from established sites. If you throw a blog up and then start sending a bunch of links to your website Google's going to know something is up.So, wait for a couple of weeks before you start sending stuff out.
Three Things Every Single Post Should Include
Every post won't necessarily have a link to your website, but it should have these three things:1. Your keyword bolded in the first paragraph;Nuff said on that front, I think.
2. A link to the home page of your blog with your keyword ("LA personal injury lawyer" or "law firm marketing" for example);
3. A link to at least one of your other posts with your keyword (law firm blogging for example).
Blog Posts Only Need to Be 300 Words Long
Contrary to popular belief, I'm not really writing this blog for any specific SEO purposes. I just really like it. I might make it into a book someday, maybe. But that's why these posts are so long.On any of my true SEO blogs, though, the posts stay between 300 and 400 words long. That is Google's magic number for legit content. Chris's post has 1038 words in it! To me, that looks like three separate posts, all about dog bites (and all linking to each other). If it's going to be more than 500 words, break it up (unless you just have the need to write it right then).
Use h2 Tags And Keywords For Law Firm Blog SEO Purposes
See how each of my headings is bigger and bolder than the text? That's because I used h2 tags. An h2 tag stands for heading 2, which is the size. You can do h1, h3, whatever you want. I do h2 because I like it. And Google likes it too because it tells them what the post is about. You use an h2 tag by putting it inside <> that at the beginning of the heading and at the end (the h2 goes after the slash)For example, in Chris's post, I would have said LA Dog Bite Lawyer and Strict Liability, only I would have made it look like this -
LA Dog Bit Lawyer and Strict Liability
Gets you the heading and the keywords that you want.Title Field Description MUST Have Your Keyword
See the little blurb that's under the title? That's a great place to insert some keywords (two at most). So put them in there.Okay, that's all for now. I think next week I'll talk about article writing to promote your blog and your website (for Google purposes, not for reader purposes).
Hope you enjoyed this. My fingers hurt.
5.09.2010
Law Firm Internet Marketing | Google is Changing
For me, law firm internet marketing is more than about getting my law firm website to number one and making a crap ton of money off of it. I actually like doing it. It is interesting. And I have been using the information I've learned to branch out and actually make money online doing other things.
The thing about this is, it's gotten me involved in some forums and some discussion groups with people that market online for a living. These people are making thousands of dollars a month marketing online. And they have recently started telling me something I new would happen eventually - Google is cracking the whip on spam backlinks.
If you didn't know, spam backlinks are those links that a majority of law firm internet marketing pros use to push websites up the Google search engines. They are things like article directories and comment links and all of those things. Google has never liked them but has kind of put up with them. Now they are becoming pervasive. And Google isn't messing around. If they decide a site is a spam site, they simply permanently de-index it.
What does this mean for your law firm internet marketing strategy? It means you are going to have to stop paying whoever you do for those shit links and either start creating your own links or start paying some seriously high dollars to get the kind of links you need to be successful. For example, this article is the type of content you need to be creating for your blogs and backlinks. It needs to have good content, it needs to be original, and it needs to have the right links pointing to the right places.
Google is constantly working to make it's site better. Don't wait until your site free falls in the rankings to change your tactics. Get working on it now.
The thing about this is, it's gotten me involved in some forums and some discussion groups with people that market online for a living. These people are making thousands of dollars a month marketing online. And they have recently started telling me something I new would happen eventually - Google is cracking the whip on spam backlinks.
If you didn't know, spam backlinks are those links that a majority of law firm internet marketing pros use to push websites up the Google search engines. They are things like article directories and comment links and all of those things. Google has never liked them but has kind of put up with them. Now they are becoming pervasive. And Google isn't messing around. If they decide a site is a spam site, they simply permanently de-index it.
What does this mean for your law firm internet marketing strategy? It means you are going to have to stop paying whoever you do for those shit links and either start creating your own links or start paying some seriously high dollars to get the kind of links you need to be successful. For example, this article is the type of content you need to be creating for your blogs and backlinks. It needs to have good content, it needs to be original, and it needs to have the right links pointing to the right places.
Google is constantly working to make it's site better. Don't wait until your site free falls in the rankings to change your tactics. Get working on it now.
5.04.2010
I'm Pretty Sure I'm Just Writing This For Me
This is kind of a random post, but it deals specifically with law firm website marketing and law firm website SEO. But before I get into what I was really going to talk about, I'm thinking about turning this into another angle, and I wanted to get my thoughts out in case someone decided they actually wanted to respond to one of these posts. And, in fact, what I am about to say is actually tangential to the original point of the post! Bonus!
I think we all know how important the internet is to law firm internet marketing efforts. It does many things, all of which need to be considered. First, it provides a free way to interact with clients and potential clients that has never before existed. Second, it provides a way to build expertise (whether real or imagined). And third, it provides another medium to generate business.
And I think we also know that there are a lot of people out there preaching that they are miracle workers when in fact they are not. Every day I get calls from people promising things that are in fact true, but will have no effect on your law firm's bottom line (except to provide you a hefty line item expense at tax time). The thing is, Google is always enhancing it's SEO strategies to root out people that aren't providing the answers Google's searchers are looking for.
So, my question is, what would you pay to learn how to really use the internet to it's fullest extent for your law firm? The reason I ask is, I'm thinking about opening up my knowledge base to help people out. And the service I'm providing is an important one and could reap thousands and thousands of dollars for your business.
So, let me know if you would be interested in learning how to effectively ramp up your law firm internet marketing efforts.
Which then gets me to the point of my post. I don't think there are a lot of people out here on the internet looking for ways to actually understand what can be done to push your website up the Google ranks. I think most attorneys are so lazy when it comes to marketing and business that they'd rather pay someone on the off chance that the services they provide work than find out what does work and then put into place a plan that takes advantage of that knowledge.
As the title of the post states, I'm pretty sure I'm just writing this for me. If I'm not, let me know. If I am, at least I'll have a lot of great information to look back on one day - maybe I can make it into a book or something.
I think we all know how important the internet is to law firm internet marketing efforts. It does many things, all of which need to be considered. First, it provides a free way to interact with clients and potential clients that has never before existed. Second, it provides a way to build expertise (whether real or imagined). And third, it provides another medium to generate business.
And I think we also know that there are a lot of people out there preaching that they are miracle workers when in fact they are not. Every day I get calls from people promising things that are in fact true, but will have no effect on your law firm's bottom line (except to provide you a hefty line item expense at tax time). The thing is, Google is always enhancing it's SEO strategies to root out people that aren't providing the answers Google's searchers are looking for.
So, my question is, what would you pay to learn how to really use the internet to it's fullest extent for your law firm? The reason I ask is, I'm thinking about opening up my knowledge base to help people out. And the service I'm providing is an important one and could reap thousands and thousands of dollars for your business.
So, let me know if you would be interested in learning how to effectively ramp up your law firm internet marketing efforts.
Which then gets me to the point of my post. I don't think there are a lot of people out here on the internet looking for ways to actually understand what can be done to push your website up the Google ranks. I think most attorneys are so lazy when it comes to marketing and business that they'd rather pay someone on the off chance that the services they provide work than find out what does work and then put into place a plan that takes advantage of that knowledge.
As the title of the post states, I'm pretty sure I'm just writing this for me. If I'm not, let me know. If I am, at least I'll have a lot of great information to look back on one day - maybe I can make it into a book or something.
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