When people receive referrals they want to know something about you before they pick up the phone and set a meeting. Having a website allows you to control exactly what they see. If you are relying on news stories about you, review sites (positive and negative feedback) or practically no info (probably the worst of all) this can have a negative impact and potentially loose you that business.
If you are one of the many who still don't have a website I recommend you Google your name or law firm and see what results come up. Are you easy to contact and do you see what you want your clients to see? The results likely include directories showing you and your competition, rating sites like AVVO, press releases and maybe even a Google Places account that shows feedback. If you have been at another firm in the past you might even find old phone numbers and addresses associated with your name.
Here are a few ways to make sure you are maximizing your online referrals:
1) Have a website and make sure it is optimized. If your website is not showing up above results you don't want your prospects to see it is safe to say you are not optimized correctly. Your website should be the best resource for people seeking information about you, but depending how it is optimized the algorithms may not agree. The top search ranking in Google gets around 36% of all clicks on the first page. You can't always be number 1 for every keyword every search, but you should be able to lock down your name and your law firm name with a well built website. If this is not the case you need to contact a professional SEO consultant.
2) One-up your competition. It's hard to hide things on the internet. Just ask some celebrities or government officials. As unfortunately as that can be sometimes, it's great when it comes to checking out what your competition is up to. By running search queries that you want to show up for you will be able to view your online competition, see what they are doing, what their web design looks like and what type of content they have. If you pay attention you can figure out how to compete or beat everyone on that list. Your referrals are likely to see the same results so make yourself stand out.
3) Claim your Google Places account listing. Sometimes your referrals are just looking for your contact number and address. They will find this info and more on your Places page. Your Places page is the map or more directly, "little red balloon" on the map that shows where you're located to people viewing local search option. If you aren't doing anything with this feature yet you should be working with an internet consultant because this can be a huge asset or detriment to your ability to get new clients online. These pages need to be monitored, developed and optimized because if you have reviews out there already they often show up on this page. Are they the reviews you want prospects to see?
4) Manage Outside websites and directories. When you did those Google searches on your name were all the websites held by 3rd parties accurate? The page 1 results are the most important, but sometimes people do venture forth to page 2. If there are incorrect phone numbers, phone numbers to an old firm or addresses that bring people to a competitors parking lot it's time to clean them up.
5) Clean up bad reviews when possible. Often review sites allow you to respond, but frankly most of the time it isn't worth it. Someone is angry and they feel justified in what they said right or wrong and regardless what you say it won't change it. What you can do is give a different perspective to others reading about the bad experience. Determine when it is best to respond and when it is best to point happy clients to the same review site to leave positive ones to out weigh the negative. People reading your reviews are sometimes turned off when everything is 100% positive because it seems fake or contrived. Don't get too upset about bad reviews, but don't take them lightly either.
If you want to improve your online marketing to get more clients from the internet and convert more referrals into clients, contact me today to see how I can help you grow your law practice and promote your firm online.
If you are one of the many who still don't have a website I recommend you Google your name or law firm and see what results come up. Are you easy to contact and do you see what you want your clients to see? The results likely include directories showing you and your competition, rating sites like AVVO, press releases and maybe even a Google Places account that shows feedback. If you have been at another firm in the past you might even find old phone numbers and addresses associated with your name.
Here are a few ways to make sure you are maximizing your online referrals:
1) Have a website and make sure it is optimized. If your website is not showing up above results you don't want your prospects to see it is safe to say you are not optimized correctly. Your website should be the best resource for people seeking information about you, but depending how it is optimized the algorithms may not agree. The top search ranking in Google gets around 36% of all clicks on the first page. You can't always be number 1 for every keyword every search, but you should be able to lock down your name and your law firm name with a well built website. If this is not the case you need to contact a professional SEO consultant.
2) One-up your competition. It's hard to hide things on the internet. Just ask some celebrities or government officials. As unfortunately as that can be sometimes, it's great when it comes to checking out what your competition is up to. By running search queries that you want to show up for you will be able to view your online competition, see what they are doing, what their web design looks like and what type of content they have. If you pay attention you can figure out how to compete or beat everyone on that list. Your referrals are likely to see the same results so make yourself stand out.
3) Claim your Google Places account listing. Sometimes your referrals are just looking for your contact number and address. They will find this info and more on your Places page. Your Places page is the map or more directly, "little red balloon" on the map that shows where you're located to people viewing local search option. If you aren't doing anything with this feature yet you should be working with an internet consultant because this can be a huge asset or detriment to your ability to get new clients online. These pages need to be monitored, developed and optimized because if you have reviews out there already they often show up on this page. Are they the reviews you want prospects to see?
4) Manage Outside websites and directories. When you did those Google searches on your name were all the websites held by 3rd parties accurate? The page 1 results are the most important, but sometimes people do venture forth to page 2. If there are incorrect phone numbers, phone numbers to an old firm or addresses that bring people to a competitors parking lot it's time to clean them up.
5) Clean up bad reviews when possible. Often review sites allow you to respond, but frankly most of the time it isn't worth it. Someone is angry and they feel justified in what they said right or wrong and regardless what you say it won't change it. What you can do is give a different perspective to others reading about the bad experience. Determine when it is best to respond and when it is best to point happy clients to the same review site to leave positive ones to out weigh the negative. People reading your reviews are sometimes turned off when everything is 100% positive because it seems fake or contrived. Don't get too upset about bad reviews, but don't take them lightly either.
If you want to improve your online marketing to get more clients from the internet and convert more referrals into clients, contact me today to see how I can help you grow your law practice and promote your firm online.
