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TRANSCRIPT
Choosing a Domain Name for Your Law Firm
Presented by:
›
Attorney & LawLytics CEO
Dan Jaffe
About This Webinar
● Domain name basics● Picking a domain name
On today’s docket:
Domain Basics
● An identifiable string that defines an autonomous realm on the internet.
● A domain is not a website, but rather a way of pointing to resources.
What’s a domain name?
Domain Basics
● Short Answer: Thin air!
Where do domain names come from?
Domain Basics
● .com, .net., .org● .us, .info, .me● .co, .tv● .ninja, .guru● .law, .attorney, .lawyer
What is a top-level domain?
Domain Basics
● An accredited entity that manages the reservation of internet domain names.
● Think of the registrar as the county recorder’s office.
What is a registrar?
The Building Blocks of a Law Firm’s Web Presence (Simplified)
Registrar - Registration = $10 - $15 / year
Domain Name System (“DNS” for short)
Websites Email Other
Registrar
“Who owns it?”
DNS
“Traffic director.”
Destinations
“What people see and do.”
The Building Blocks of a Law Firm’s Web Presence (Simplified)
Domain Registrars
Registrars include:
● GoDaddy● Register.com● Google Domains● 1,000s of domain resellers
Registrars Offer Upsells
Most registrars offer upsells such as:
● Privacy protection● Email● Web hosting● DNS management
What You Need From a Registrar
When using LawLytics, you only need:
● The domain name.
Protect Your Domain
Make sure you:
● Own and control your registrar account● Lock transfers● Don’t give out your password, or change it
if you have● Register for the maximum time
Picking a Domain Namefor Your Law Firm
Choose a TLD that will avoid ethics headaches.
“A law firm domain name is a communication about a lawyer's services and a "professional designation" and thus must comply with the Rules of Professional Conduct. However, domain names do not have to be identical to the law firm's actual business name as long as they otherwise comply with the Ethical Rules. For-profit law firm domain names cannot be false, misleading, deceptive, self-laudatory, or imply special competence or affiliation unless true. Therefore, private law firms cannot use secondary domain names that imply some exclusive affiliation with a bar association or governmental entity, nor may they use the top level domain suffix ".org" if they are for-profit.”
Source: http://www.azbar.org/Ethics/EthicsOpinions/ViewEthicsOpinion?id=273 (3/2001)
Picking a Domain Namefor Your Law Firm
Choose a TLD that will avoid ethics headaches.
“A reasonable person, desiring to verify whether an entity is non-profit, would not rely solely on the entity’s website address. “In light of the foregoing, the Committee does not believe that the mere use of “.org” by a for-profit law firm is a violation of the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct. Opinion 01-05 is modified accordingly.”
Source: http://www.azbar.org/Ethics/EthicsOpinions/ViewEthicsOpinion?id=717 (11/2004)
Picking a Domain Namefor Your Law Firm
These domains are currently available for $9.99 for a reason:
● SeattlesBestLawyer.com● GetAwayWithSexCrimes.com● LawyersWhoGolfWithJudges.com● WeWinAllCases.com● DivorceThatBastard.com
Choose a TLD that will avoid ethics headaches.
Picking a Domain Namefor Your Law Firm
● Choose a TLD that:○ Matches your website’s purpose○ Is easy to remember and commonly used (avoid obscure ones not commonly
used in your country or region)○ Isn’t easily confused with another firm that has a website that already exists
Picking a Domain Namefor Your Law Firm
● Choose a good TLD:○ .center, .company, .institute, .ninja ?○ .lawyer ?○ .attorney ?○ .abogado○ .law ?○ .com, .net, .co○ .info, .us○ Using novel or foreign TLDs to spell things...
Should You Use Hyphens In Your Law Firm’s Domain Name?
● Hyphens:○ Hard to remember○ Hard to say○ Easy to get wrong○ Puts visitors off○ High correlation with spam○ Never use more than one hyphen (per Moz).
Legal Domain Names:Price vs. Value
● Arizona-Franchise-Lawyer.com ($9.99) vs. ArizonaFranchiseLawyer.com ($9.99)● ArizonaFranchiseLawyer.com ($9.99) vs. ArizonaFranchise.Lawyer ($49.99)
● Portland-Property-Lawyer.com ($9.99) vs. PortlandPropertyLawyer.com● PortlandPropertyLawyer.com ($9.99) vs. PortlandProperty.Lawyer ($3,499.99)
These are currently available to register:
How Long Should It Be?
● Shorter is usually better:○ Easier to remember○ Easier to brand○ Less opportunity for typos○ Shorter domains are typically
more valuable
Firm Name, Practice Areas, Etc.
● Things to consider:○ Multiple attorneys?○ Musical attorneys?○ Single practice-area focus?○ Single geographic focus?○ Informational/public service site?
Defensive Domain Name Registration
● Protect yourself:○ Your name○ Your firm name○ Your brand○ Similar sounding domains○ Misspellings
Hoarding Domains
● An undeployed, non-defensive domain portfolio is usually not a good investment.
● No real benefit to forwarding multiple domains to your site
● Usually ignore people who email you about domain names.
Dealing With Snakebit Domains
● Consider the sunk-cost fallacy.● There’s always forwarding.
Maintaining A Portfolio
● Own and control a single registrar account.
● Consider using folders in the account.● Consolidate renewal dates.● Use auto-renew for valuable domains.● Let useless domains expire.
Final Domain Selection Tips
● Don’t buy the first name that looks good.● Make a list. Narrow your choices down.● Get 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions.
Q & A
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