online advertising for lawyers

©2009 ExpertHub©2009 ExpertHub

The Cyber-Savvy Attorney

September, 2009

Steve LombardiCEOExpertHub


About Steve Lombardi

• CEO of ExpertHub

– ExpertHub is a network of 60 legal websites

• 10 years of Internet Marketing experience

– President, Firstlook: portfolio of 700,000 domain names

– Chief Marketing Officer, VendareNetblue

• Display network

• Affiliate network

• Lead Generation network

• Incentive marketing

• Purchased $6MM of Internet media each month

– Founded TheMan.com


Internet Marketing Overview

SEO/SEM

Directories

Blogs

Social Media

Consumers

110 million searches each month

Lawyers

1.2 million lawyers


Golden Rules

1. Choosing one vendor/approach/site to do your online

marketing is a mistake

– Many are symbiotic, even if they are competitors

2. Use cost and results to prioritize

– Remember to value your time

3. Have realistic expectations

– “You get what you pay for” applies


Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page

Organic ResultsMost relevant web pages per Google’s algorithm.(10 per page)

Paid ResultsHighest yielding advertisements for keyword (up to 11 per page)

Local ResultsLocal business results (if appropriate) from Google Maps.

News ResultsNews results (if appropriate) from Google News.

Video Results (Not Shown)Video search results (usually youtube) if appropriate


Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Generating visitors to your website from

organic listings on search results pages

• Basic SEO is necessary to be found online

• Advanced SEO is cost-prohibitive for most

• Although visitors are “free,” consulting/resource costs

are high


Basic Elements of SEO

Search-friendly URL

Page Title

Heading “Tags”

Internal Links


Google’s Organic Search Results

Search-friendly URL

Page Title

Meta-Description

SEO Tips• Page titles, URL’s, etc that

directly match the keyword phrase are more likely to be ranked highly

• Google bolds the keywords in the search result listing that match the keyword phrase, affecting the click thru rate

• Click thru rate is one measure that Google uses to refine their results

# of Web Pages that “match” keyword phrase


Inbound Links: How Google Determines Ranking

The value of the link is based on the quality of the site (PageRank) . . . .

. . .and the anchor text of the link . . .

To determine which order to display the results

Link-building Tips• Fewer, high quality links will generate

better results• Anchor text is very important• Once on your site, internal links to other

pages on your site will help build your search rankings


Additional Resources

• Google’s Webmaster Guide

– Published by Google (.pdf document)

– Search for “webmaster guide” on google)

• SEO blogs


Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Generating visitors to your website from paid

listings on search results pages

• Results are fast

• Can outsource campaign management

• Cost per lead is very high

©2009 ExpertHub

How Paid Search Listings Work

• Google charges you every time

someone clicks on your ad (CPC)

• Your bid is entered into an auction –

you pay $0.01 more than the next ad.

• Order is based on Google’s yield

Yield = Bid Price * Click Thru Rate

– Rewards advertisers with higher

CTR’s (brands, local advertisers)

©2009 ExpertHub

Managing Paid Search

Cost Per Lead = CPC x Lead Conversion Rate

Keyword Bid Prices Click Through Rate On Ad Copy Form or Phone Call Submission Rate



• Google’s Sandbox for Traffic

– Gives you volume and price estimates for keywords

– https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox

• Keyword Generation Tools

– Wordtracker

– $329/year or $59/month

• Outsourced Providers

– ReachLocal, Yodle, Dex

• Blogs on Paid Search

– http://searchenginewatch.com/

https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox

http://searchenginewatch.com/


Directories and other legal websites

Websites that list lawyers to help consumers

find a local lawyer

• Highly trafficked legal websites

• Provide legal information and list lawyers

• Effectiveness varies widely


Directory Examples

Some directories list everyone, some list many and others are more limited.

Most directories offer premium advertising


Directories: Calculating ROI

• Directories offer different

ways to connect you with

consumers

– Phone number

– Links to your website

– Contact forms

• Evaluating a directories

performance requires

tracking technologies,

including

– A directories reporting

– Google Analytics (website)

– Separate phone numbers


Considerations When Buying a Directory Listing

Factor What You Should Look For

Traffic/Lead Source • Organic search traffic is best• Paid search traffic is ok• Watch out for recycled leads

Web Presence • Profile pages help you get found when consumers search• Look for back links where you can control the anchor text

Other Features • Content syndication can augment your SEO efforts• Good reporting will help you evaluate performance

ROI • Your cost/lead must fit with your practice’s economics• Usually need 3-6 months to evaluate, possibly longer if you

are looking for “big” cases


Blogs

A genre of website where entries are

displayed in reverse chronological order

• Great way to establish thought leadership or your firm’s

brand

• Technology is readily available and cheap

– Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type

• Biggest challenge is getting readers (and clients)

©2009 ExpertHub

Blog Overview

Posts are displayed in reverse chronological order

RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Helps with generating both readers and back links.

Sharing technology helps readers distribute your blog posts.

Blog posts can be organized by “tag”

User comments make the blog interactive


Questions to Answer Before You Start

Question Answer

What should I write about? Your blog should have a clear editorial mission• Your expertise (category of law)• A topic that interests you

If you have two distinct topics to write about, create 2 blogs!

What do I write? • Original posts (500-600 words)– Original posts are best for targeting search traffic

• Comment on other posts (50-75 words)– Great way to make other bloggers aware of your blog

How much time does it take? • 2-4 hours/week minimum

How often should I post? • 1-2 posts/week minimum



• Blogger’s Legal Guide

– http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal

http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal


LinkedIn/Facebook

Tools to manage your relationships online

• Get updates on friends, colleagues, share photos, etc

• Businesses can have their own pages and connect with

consumers

©2009 ExpertHub

LinkedIn

Public View

Your View

Public View• Online resume (work

experience, interests, group memberships, etc)

• Shows your connections• Lists recommendationsYour View• View updates (keep track of

your connections)• Join groups, engage in

discussions• Post Questions/ Answer

other’s Questions• Add connections, edit your

profile, etc.

©2009 ExpertHub

Facebook

Business Page• Can create a page for your

business that anyone can access (post updates to your wall, upload photos, start discussions

• Consumers can become “fans” of your business

• Fans receive updates to your business page through their news feed

• Major brands create “applications” (like quizzes) that attract fans


Twitter

A free social messaging utility for staying

connected in real time

• Answers the question: “What Are You Doing”

• Updates are 140 characters or less

• Following/Followers

– You “follow” the updates of whomever you like

– Other twitter users can choose to follow you

• Great for networking and promoting, too early to

determine effectiveness for client development

©2009 ExpertHub

Twitter Overview

Customize your profile

“Tweet” history•Status updates•Post links to your

blog/website•“Re-tweet” or

forward posts•Reply to someone’s

tweet

View followers


Summary

Category Costs Time Investment Best For

SEO $1,000 - $10,000/month Can outsource2-4 hrs/week if do it alone

Helping existingclients find you

SEM $4-25 per clickYou set monthly budget

Can outsource1 hr/day if do it alone

Generating new clients

Directories $50 - $10,000 month Minimal Generating new clients

Blogs Free - $5,000 set up At least 2-4 hrs/week Building your firm’s brand

LinkedIn/Facebook Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Managing your client base/relationship with other professionals

Twitter Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Tracking news