Feb
11
Lawyer SEO; What Is It and Why Do I Need it?
Filed Under SEO
Let me answer this question with another question; Do you put your name in phone book? If you’ve answered yes, thats likely because you want to be found by people who are looking for your services. So… that’s the short version of why you need SEO.
Let’s start with defining SEO. “Search engine optimization” (SEO) is the process of helping Google see you as a better option (than your competition) as a relevant search result for it’s users, thus, ranking your website higher. A higher ranking in Google makes it more likely that your website will be viewed, and possibly gain more leads.
Of course, there’s the old saying – “You can lead a horse to water… but you can’t make him drink”. Essentially, SEO is great to drive relevant traffic to your site, but if they don’t like what you’re offering, then SEO won’t make the phone ring.
So, is the job of an SEO specialist to rank you well, or should they also be responsible for making the phone ring? Generally, attorneys are busy people. When signing up for SEO services, you might just take the word of a sales person’s sunny description of what SEO is or isn’t. From my experience, most sales reps that walk into your office DON’T KNOW what SEO actually is.
At my previous position at a major legal marketing firm, our first order of business is a phone call to explain what the sales rep sold the attorney. Most of the time, they don’t care. They just want the phone to ring. But, guess what? You have to care. Otherwise, you’ve been ‘had’, and don’t complain.
Yes, sales reps will tell you anything to make a commission. Yes, SEO does work; but its only one gear in a marketing machine. It needs to interact with the site’s design, content, and the attorneys themselves.