More than 150 attorneys were in attendance at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle, Washington. During a key presentation, Avvo CEO Mark Britton, stressed the importance of three major elements to the future of legal marketing, including social media, mobile optimization and video. Mark mentioned that these platforms are amazing tools that attorneys can use to get in front of their target audience.

View Photos from the Avvocating Conference.

We invite you to read our article on the benefits of lawyer marketing associations. To find out more about this and other beneficial legal marketing conferences, reach out to Consultwebs by emailing marketing@consultwebs.com or give us a call at 800-872-6590.

2012 Avvo Legal Marketing Conference a Success | Law Firm Web Marketing

For most people, hiring an attorney is something out of the ordinary. It can be a daunting task, and the first place many people search for help or information is online. Don’t lose out on promising clients because they were turned off by a boring attorney bio page. You want your visitors to feel welcome and at ease. The best possible scenario is that your prospective client feels like they already know you, before having picked up the phone to call.

Some important elements to include on every attorney bio page include:

• Custom photography
• Personalized contact form/button
• Impressive verdicts/settlements (assuming your state Bar allows these)
• Video
• Testimonials (when applicable)
• Personal as well as professional information
  • What skills make you good at your job?
  • Community interests
  • What attracted you to practicing law & specifically, your practice area(s)?
  • Hobbies and other non-work activities

Examples of attorney bio pages our team has created include Kenny Harrell, a personal injury attorney in Charleston, South Carolina, and Ken Hardison, a Raleigh, North Carolina personal injury attorney and law firm marketing consultant.

Consultwebs specializes in not only law firm website design and search engine optimization (SEO) but law firm content development as well. We realize the importance of content.

We have worked hard to develop a team of writers who can develop compelling content with minimum disruption to our clients’ work schedules. Our content team is managed by a licensed attorney, Mike Dayton, JD, who served as the editor of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and South Carolina Lawyers Weekly for 20 years. Our team also includes Guy Loranger, JD, and Greg Froom, JD, who are also licensed attorneys and former reporters for Lawyers Weekly.

To learn more about our customized Internet marketing campaigns or to obtain an audit of your law firm website, give us a call today at (800) 872-6590 or email us at marketing@consultwebs.com.

The Most Important Page On Your Law Firm Website? Your Attorney Bio! | Law Firm Web Marketing

The PILMMA marketing conference, initiated by Ken Hardison of the North Carolina injury firm Hardison & Cochran, attracted more than 100 people, including attorneys and staff members who wish to improve their marketing effectiveness and office administration. Presenters included nationally known speaker Chuck Martin, an expert on mobile communications; Ken Hardison; marketing specialist Eric Rogell; Seth Price, a partner at Price & Benowitz; media and marketing expert Cindy Speaker and Dale Tincher, CEO & President of Consultwebs.

“As usual, the conference was a success,” Tincher said. “It was a real pleasure catching up with current clients as well as meeting new lawyers who wish to improve their marketing ROI and effectiveness. Ken [Hardison] and his team always do a fantastic job of attracting excellent speakers and putting on a wonderful seminar. Our clients and other attorneys gave the conference high marks.”

Among the topics discussed this spring were marketing on the Internet, publishing your own book, paperless offices, building your law firm around your clients and more.

You can view photos from the PILMMA conference here: https://plus.google.com/photos/105250058660725032829/albums/5722085733017259201.

We invite you to read our article on the benefits of lawyer marketing associations. To find out about this and other legal marketing conferences that Consultwebs attends and speaks at, reach out to us by emailing marketing@consultwebs.com or give us a call at 800-872-6590.

Consultwebs News: PILMMA New Orleans A Success | Law Firm Web Marketing

This raises two questions: First, how much content is necessary? And how often should you update that content in order to be found by your potential clients?

How Often?

Regular updates to a website are strong signals to the search engines that your law firm website is relevant and up to date. At Consultwebs.com, Inc., we recommend updating your law firm website (one that is “static” or informational) with substantive content at least twice per month. Blog websites should have articles uploaded on a more regular basis. Around two or more times per week is an acceptable number for blogs. See examples of some of the legal blogs we manage below.

• http://blog.munley.com
• http://blog.louthianlaw.com
• http://www.flainjurylawyer.com/blog/
• http://www.frankjenkinslaw.com/blog/
• http://www.salvilaw.com/blog

How Much?

When considering how much content or how many pages to have on your law firm website, there is no generic, all-encompassing answer. At Consultwebs.com, we recommend adding as much content to your site as is relevant to your target audience. You never want to add unnecessary or irrelevant content simply to be adding content.

First and foremost, your website should serve as a resource for your visitors. A child injured by a drunk driver, a woman going through a divorce or a son whose father was neglected at a nursing home are all examples of potential clients that are looking to the Web for answers and legal help. If your site has very little or outdated information, that client will likely go elsewhere to find that help.

Your site’s content should be in-depth and well-written. This will build stronger relevance for search engines and help your target audience stay engaged. In short, if you develop good, high-quality content, the more the better.

If you are not sure how many pages of content are on your website, type “site:www.yourdomainname.com” into the Google search box. The number of results that show up is equal to the number of pages on your site that are currently indexed by Google. There are other ways of finding out the quantity of pages on your site such as RavenTools and similar products.

Note: If Google reports fewer pages than you think or know you have on your site, there may be a problem with your sitemap or optimization process.

Contact Consultwebs.com today to for assistance on this and other issues relating to your Internet marketing campaign. You can reach us at (800) 872-6590, or by sending an email to marketing@consultwebs.com.

Law Firm Website Content: Frequency & Amount (How Often & How Much) | Law Firm Web Marketing

Coleman served as the moderator for the three day conference, where topics included obtaining referrals ethically, marketing to the Hispanic community, Internet marketing for law firms and other marketing and operations techniques. Micki Love and Andrea Meeks of Hughes & Coleman did a wonderful job of coordinating the conference.

“I thought the entire conference was a huge success and, as usual, I was proud to be a part of it,” said Dale Tincher, CEO and founder of Consultwebs. “The attorneys who attend are clearly on the forefront of the important marketing issues that confront law firms in 2012.  I felt that the Best & Worst advertising, employment and financial experiences discussed by each attendee were very beneficial to the members.”

For the benefit of the sponsoring organization and attendees, the Consultwebs team typically takes a full complement of photos of the conferences we attend. Photos from the recent M&L conference may be viewed by visiting our Photo Album.

“We feel the M&L seminar is one of the best legal marketing conferences in the country,” said Tanner Jones, Marketing Director of Consultwebs. “Attendees were sure to take away valuable information regarding Internet marketing, effective management practices and creative referral relationship techniques. We highly recommend this seminar for any law firm looking to grow or improve their business.”

The M&L seminar is one of many legal marketing conferences around the world that Consultwebs.com team members regularly appear and speak at throughout the year, including Dale, Tanner, Marketing Strategist John Damron and our Content Services Manager, Mike Dayton, J.D. To find out more about our speakers’ areas of expertise, write to marketing@consultwebs.com, call (800) 872-6590 or visit our Consultwebs.com legal marketing website.

M&L Aruba Legal Marketing Winter Conference 2012 a Success | Law Firm Web Marketing

We are committed to providing current, substantive information on our LawWebMarketing.com blog in order to help law firms have the information to make wise Web marketing decisions.

Based on Web analytics we have evaluated, I have compiled a list of the Top Ten most viewed blog posts on LawWebMarketing.com for 2011. We welcome you to post comments on the articles or contact us to discuss any of these topics.

1. Google+ Social Media – Your Law Firm Web Marketing Is About to Change

2. Making Your Professional Law Firm Facebook Page Stand Out From the Crowd

3. Improve Your Law Firm Website Conversions with a Live Chat Service Program

4. How Can My Law Firm Use Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) and How Can They Benefit My Law Firm?

5. Will Facebook Replace Your Law Firm Website or Supplement It?

6. Using LinkedIn to Develop Law Firm Referral Relationships, Find Clients, Hire Employees and More

7. Differences Between Personal Social Networking and Law Firm Professional Social Media Marketing

8. How to Respond to Negative (and Positive) Online Reviews of Your Law Firm

9. Be Wary of Law Firm Web Marketing Providers Who Offer a List of Exact Keywords They Will Target

10. The Five Internet Search Terms Every Web Marketing Lawyer Needs to Know

If you would like to learn more about how Consultwebs can help your law firm, please contact us at marketing@consultwebs.com or call (800) 872-6590.

LawWebMarketing.com’s Top 10 Articles of 2011 | Law Firm Web Marketing

Not only do these local listings appear above the organic ones, many times there is also an accompanying map with pins at each point of interest, labeled “A,” “B,” “C” and so on.  For most major metropolitan areas, the closer your office is to downtown, the better your chances are of ranking high on Google Places.

What should you do if your law firm is NOT achieving visibility within Google Places? The search engine experts at Consultwebs believe that three important factors must be addressed.

1. Citations: An online citation is a reference to your business on the Web via a trustworthy website.  The citation will include basic information such as your firm name, physical address and telephone number.  This information must remain consistent across different Internet channels in order to maximize the number of citations that Google, Bing and other search engines count. In general, the more high quality citations your firm has, the more credible it appears to the search engines. Our service, ProfilesPlus+ will help your firm acquire additional high-quality citations.
2. Reviews: With the onset of review sites such as Yelp & Hotpot, which integrate social reviews into the search engine landscape, the importance of having multiple (positive) reviews is paramount. Positive reviews of your law firm on Yelp, your firm’s website(s) or social media sites can dramatically improve your Google Places rankings. Learn how to respond to both positive and negative online reviews by reading Consultwebs’ Marketing Director Tanner Jones’ article.
3. Google Places Page Optimization: Just like your firm’s website(s), your Google Places page should be properly optimized. Make sure you choose categories that most closely match your practice areas. Also, be sure to include the most common keywords that users type to find a lawyer like you. Keep in mind that you can use your Google Places page to point users to a city-specific landing page when applicable.

You have an excellent opportunity to obtain cases by ranking well in Google Places and the normal organic rankings.  To do so, be proactive and ensure that your online citations, reviews and Places page are working for you.

For more information on optimizing your Google Places listing, read Dale Tincher’s article about maximizing your local business listing online.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to talk to the legal marketing professionals at Consutlwebs.com, Inc. call us at 800-872-6590 or e-mail us at info@consultwebs.com.

Three Keys to Unlocking Your Google Places Potential | Law Firm Web Marketing

Speakers at the conference included: Mark Meranda, Joe Cardoni, Tim McVey, Ronnie Penton, Esq., Ken Hardison, Esq., Gerry Oginski, Esq., Robert Munley, Esq., Gregory Petzold, Brien Johnson, David Faulk, Esq., Jay Henderson, Chris Langan and Dale Tincher, CEO of Consultwebs.

Marketing topics that were discussed included traditional and Internet marketing tips and effective use of video to market a law practice.  Lawyer Robert Munley offered a historical perspective on the legal profession with a presentation on lawyers who helped make America great.

A reception at Chris Munley’s house followed the first day of presentations. For pictures of the reception and the conference, visit our Atlas Seminar photos link.

We invite you to review our law firm marketing blog article to learn more about the value of legal marketing associations.

If you would like information on how we can help you market your law firm online, please contact us at 800-872-6590 or marketing@consultwebs.com.

Atlas Lawyers’ Marketing Seminar a Success | Law Firm Web Marketing

To make it easier for attorneys to connect with potential clients, Consultwebs.com, Inc., has added several new features to its popular website, LawyerProfiles.com.

For more than a decade, attorneys from across the country have used LawyerProfiles.com to market their legal services online. The site is at the top of search-engine rankings for a broad range of phrases that potential clients use when seeking legal help.

Because potential clients typically search for attorneys by practice area and geographic region, Consultwebs.com has enhanced the site by now allowing individual lawyers and law firms to showcase their abilities and credentials according to those categories.

The attorney and law firm profiles also now feature a clean-looking, eye-catching new design, and they have been made easier for lawyers to register for and update.

The site drew rave reviews from personal injury attorneys at the recent ATLAS Lawyers Group Seminar in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Consultwebs.com will have it on display again at the upcoming PILMMA Marketing & Management Seminar, October 14-15 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

“Our goal was to make it easier for lawyers to use the site to display their profiles, and we also wanted to help people visiting the site to find a local attorney who could help with their specific legal issues,” says J.R. Oakes, a senior programmer for Consultwebs.com and the lead developer of the law firm Web marketing company’s LawyerProfiles.com project.

“We did extensive research and testing in order to make it the most effective site,” Oakes says. “Because of the quality of the site and its original content, it will rank very high in search engines, and we’ll continue to do usability testing and enhance our search engine optimization efforts, or SEO, as the site continues to grow.”

Consultwebs’ Platinum Clients have already been added to the directory and are seeing increases in traffic to their websites.

In addition to making it easier for clients to connect with attorneys by location and practice, LawyerProfiles.com also offers:

• Color photos;
• Descriptive attorney biographies that include educational and professional background information, lists of awards, professional affiliations and core practice areas (for an additional cost, these biographies can be written by Consultwebs.com’s content team);
• Social media tools, including RSS, Facebook and Twitter feeds that help lawyers to get their message out and allow visitors to connect with them; and
• Full law firm profiles.

Each profile is highly optimized for search engines such as Google and Bing as well as for Facebook, says Lisa M. Vaughn, an experienced law firm Web marketing consultant and the president of Consultwebs.com.

“LawyerProfiles.com offers an established, well-trafficked online property,” Vaughn says. “We believe individual attorneys and entire law firms will find this site to be a very beneficial add-on to their existing Web marketing activities.”

To sign up today, visit www.LawyerProfiles.com and click ‘List your law firm’ or call us at 800-872-6590 to learn more.

LawyerProfiles.com Provides New Way for Attorneys to Connect with Potential Clients | Law Firm Web Marketing

How will this decision affect small business search engine rankings, including those of your law firms?

Google Places has the power to drive a lot of traffic to your online presence and to your office door. In fact, some studies show that traffic from Google Places is more likely to convert clients than other user-submitted review sites. Not surprisingly, some small businesses, such as law firms, panicked when they saw their number of reviews listed on Google Places drop substantially after the removal of the off-site reviews.

That drop in reviews has many law firms debating whether it’s time to change their review and online representation management strategy. At Consultwebs.com, we believe it’s important to invest resources in managing your Google Places account. If you don’t have a listing, or you haven’t been monitoring it, you should start there. Google Places is a free service that pulls listing information such as address, phone number, and website from various local and business directories. Frequently there are inaccuracies or duplications that you may need to clear up. In addition, a Google Places entry with no information beyond the basics can look empty. By adding content, including photos and videos, you can use Google Places as yet another site on the Web to showcase the professionalism and accessibility of your law firm.

Responding to Reviews – Both Positive and Negative

We also believe it is important to request Google Places reviews from clients or former clients. If you have clients who have already posted reviews on Yelp or other review sites, you could ask them to modify and repost those reviews on Google Places. Do not duplicate the reviews on multiple review sites. Follow Google’s review guidelines.

What should be your response to reviews posted in Google Places? You should take the same care with Google Places reviews that you do with other review sites – make sure you respond to both negative and positive complaints. Thank the user for taking time to post a review, address his or her concerns and attempt to resolve any issues he or she may have. By engaging and interacting with comments, you can produce a positive image of a committed, responsible law firm – even when the comments are negative. For more ideas on how to respond to reviews, see Google’s support page on that topic.

As part of the revamped Google Places, the site now includes a prominent red button, “Write a Review” that users can click on, which may encourage clients and former clients to leave reviews.

The Hurdles of Placing Reviews in Google Places

Note that only users with a Gmail or Google account will be able to post reviews. Estimates suggest that only about 13% of e-mail users – or one of every eight online users – have Google accounts. Of course, it’s easy enough to sign up for these accounts – but that is one more hoop reviewers will have to jump through before they can post. That hurdle is an additional reason why it’s important not to neglect other review sources such as Yelp, Foursquare or Insiderpages. Also, keep in mind that while Google Places gets a lot of traffic, it doesn’t get all of it. Many potential clients may well search for you on a different review site. For instance, some users may feel that Insiderpages has a business orientation that will provide more accurate reviews, or they may have had previous great experiences with recommendations they found on Yelp.

Build Up Google Places Reviews, Monitor Other Sites

The main takeaway from the Google Places’ decision to remove outside reviews? You should build up your Google Places reviews while continuing to monitor and respond to reviews on other sites. This may seem like more work, but bear in mind that Google Places offers one more opportunity for potential clients to find you!

Feel free to contact us to help with your law firm’s Web presence at marketing@consultwebs.com or (800) 872-6590.

Will Google Places’ Decision to Remove Outside Reviews Affect Your Law Firm’s Website? | Law Firm Web Marketing