Local Web Strategies for Law Firms

Discuss on Twitter with: #local4law

@Gyi TsakalakisFounder AttorneySyncStaff Writer LawyeristAlso Blogging at gyitsakalakis.com

Overview

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• Why the local web matters to law firms.

• An overview of the local web ecosystem.

• How to increase your visibility within the local web.

• Resources and tools for marketing your practice in the local web.

• Questions & Answers.

Why Local?

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Local Search Evolved – MDG Advertising

Why Local?

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97% of consumers search for local businesses online.

- Google

Why Local?

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- GetListed.org

Why Local?

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Keyword Local Monthly Searches (United States)[chicago personal injury lawyer] 1300

[chicago personal injury lawyer] 1300

[chicago law firms] 1000

[chicago lawyer] 720

[chicago personal injury attorney] 590

[personal injury lawyer chicago] 590

[personal injury lawyer chicago] 590

[chicago personal injury attorney] 590

[chicago injury lawyer] 590

[chicago dui lawyer] 590

[chicago lawyers] 480

[chicago dui attorney] 390

[personal injury attorney chicago] 320

[personal injury attorney chicago] 320

[chicago personal injury lawyers] 320

[chicago attorneys] 320

[chicago car accident lawyer] 260

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Why Local? It’s Free (well, sort of).

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You Can’t Pay Google for Local Places Listings!

(at least not yet)

“Adding your listing to Google Places is free, and Google doesn’t accept payment to include particular listings or sites in our search results. However, we do offer locally-targeted advertising through Google AdWords Express.”

- Google Places

@gyitsakalakisOnline Marketing Landscape – GetListed.org

What “They” See

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Deriving Local Intent

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How Does Google Rank Local?

Local Search Ranking – Google YouTube Video

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How Does Google Rank Local?

1. Make sure your listing is complete and accurate.

2. Choose the most appropriate, specific categories for your business.

3. Establish a strong, accurate presence on the web.

Google improves search results by aggregating information about your business from all over the web. Make sure information about your business on third-party sites is accurate, and try to contact the respective site directly to correct any inaccurate information.

Encourage clients and colleagues to review your business by clicking Write a review on the Place Page.*

*Check your state’s ethics rules!

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NAP

Name - Represent your firm exactly as it appears in the offline world.

Address - Use a precise, accurate address to describe your firm’s location.

Phone - Provide a phone number that connects to your individual office location as directly as possible, and provide one website that represents your individual firm location.

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Google Places Interface

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No-No’sDo not include marketing taglines in your business name.

Do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name field, unless they are part of your business name.

Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of your business in the business name field.

Do not create a listing or place your pin marker at a location where the business does not physically exist. P.O. Boxes are not considered accurate physical locations. If you operate from a location but receive mail at a mail box there, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mail box or suite number in Address Line 2.

Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multiple accounts.

Do not include information in address lines that does not pertain your business’s physical location (e.g. URLs, keywords).

Do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or “refer” users to landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business.

Do not “stuff” entry fields with multiple categories.

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More No-No’sBusinesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to a single location, should not create a listing for every city they service. Businesses that operate in a service area should create one listing for the central office or location and designate service areas. Learn how to add service areas to your listing.

Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firms and doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all of their specialties. You may create one listing per practitioner, and one listing for the hospital or clinic at large.

- Google Places Quality Guidelines

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The #1 Rule: Consistency

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Prominence

Citations are defined as “mentions” of your business name and address on other webpages, even if there is no link to your website. An example of a citation might be an online yellow pages directory where your business is listed, but not linked to.

It can also be a local chamber of commerce, or a local business association where your business information can be found, even if they are not linking at all to your website . You may also see the term “web references” used on other websites—a synonym for “citations”.

- GetListed.org

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Local Search Ranking Factors

David Mihm’sLocal Search Ranking Factors

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On-Page | Place Page | Off-Site

• On-Page: On your actual website.• Crawlable location information• Site structure• On-page optimizations• Microdata

• Place Page: Information on your place page.• Name• Address• Phone• Categories• Custom Attributes

• Off-Site: Signals from around the web.• Citations• Links• Reviews / Ratings / Social Mentions

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On-Page

• On-Page: On your actual website.• Crawlable location information• Site structure• On-page optimizations• Microdata

1. URLs2. Title3. Description4. H1 & H25. Anchor Text6. Alt Tags7. Content 8. Footer – Name, Address,

Phone

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Place Page

Place Page: Information on your place page.• Name• Address• Phone• Website• Description• Categories• Custom Attributes• Photos• Videos• Additional Information• “Post”• Offers

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Off-Site

• Citations• Links• Reviews• Ratings• Social Mentions

Off-Site: Signals from around the web.

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Where?

Where to Get Citations to Improve Your Local Search Engine Rankings

1) Local search engines2) Local blogs3) Locally-focused directories4) Practice-focused directories or blogs

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Third-Party Data Providers

Primary Data Providers – GetListed.org (.pdf)

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Third-Party Data Providers

Local Search Ecosystem – Get Listed.org (.pdf)

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Pro Tips

1. 100% completeness.2. 5 Google reviews.3. DOUBLE sets of average-review stars with

hReview microformat.

4. Add photos to major third-party sites.5. “Post" to your Places page with link.6. Reply to reviews.

- Whitespark.ca Blog

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Competitive Intelligence

Where and how are your competitors (that are appearing prominently in local results) getting links, citations, and mentions?

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Local Citation Finder

Whitespark – Local Citation Finder

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Custom Attributes“While this data may not appear on the Place Page, this information continues to help our system understand more about your business and ensure your organic listings appears and ranks appropriately on Google and Google Maps when potential customers perform searches related to your business.”

- Google

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A Brief Word on Paid Search

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Getting Help

• Who have they worked with? Law firms?• What (specifically) are they going to do?• Where (specifically) are they going to build citations & links?• When can you quit if you’re not seeing results?• Why are they doing what they propose?• How will you measure the results?

• Trusted Providers

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Further Reading

• 25 Local Law Firm Web Marketing Strategies• Google Places Custom Attributes for Law Firms• Google Webmaster Tools for Local businesses• Google Places Support• GetListed.org• Mihmorandum• Mike Blumenthal’s Blog• Local SEO Guide• WhiteSpark.ca Local Citation Finder• Localeze• Yext

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Thank You!

Got Questions?

Short on time? You can also email me questions at: gt@attorneysync.com