Masslomap Local Search for Law Firms

Local Web Strategies for Law Firms @Gyi Tsakalakis Founder AttorneySync Staff Writer Lawyerist Also Blogging at gyitsakalakis.comDiscuss on Twitter with: #local4law

Overview• 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. @gyitsakalakis

Why Local?Local Search Evolved – MDG Advertising @gyitsakalakis

Why Local?97% of consumers search for localbusinesses online. - Google @gyitsakalakis

Why Local?- GetListed.org @gyitsakalakis

Why Local? 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 @gyitsakalakis

Why Local? It’s Free (well, sort of). @gyitsakalakis

You Can’t Pay Google for Local Places Listings! (at least not yet)“Adding your listing to Google Places is free, and Googledoesn’t accept payment to include particular listings or sites inour search results. However, we do offer locally-targetedadvertising through Google AdWords Express.”- Google Places @gyitsakalakis

What “They” SeeOnline Marketing Landscape – GetListed.org @gyitsakalakis

Deriving Local Intent @gyitsakalakis

How Does Google Rank Local? Local Search Ranking – Google YouTube Video @gyitsakalakis

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! @gyitsakalakis

NAPName - Represent your firm exactly as it appears in theoffline world.Address - Use a precise, accurate address to describe yourfirm’s location.Phone - Provide a phone number that connects to yourindividual office location as directly as possible, and provideone website that represents your individual firm location. @gyitsakalakis

Google Places Interface @gyitsakalakis

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 businessname.Do not attempt to manipulate search results by adding extraneous keywords or a description of yourbusiness 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 ata mail box there, please list your physical address in Address Line 1, and put your mail box or suite numberin Address Line 2.Do not create more than one listing for each business location, either in a single account or multipleaccounts.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 numbersother than those of the actual business.Do not “stuff” entry fields with multiple categories. @gyitsakalakis

More No-No’sBusinesses that operate in a service area, as opposed to asingle location, should not create a listing for every city theyservice. Businesses that operate in a service area shouldcreate one listing for the central office or location anddesignate service areas. Learn how to add service areas toyour listing.Businesses with multiple specializations, such as law firmsand doctors, should not create multiple listings to cover all oftheir specialties. You may create one listing per practitioner,and one listing for the hospital or clinic at large.- Google Places Quality Guidelines @gyitsakalakis

The #1 Rule: Consistency @gyitsakalakis

ProminenceCitations are defined as “mentions” of your business name andaddress on other webpages, even if there is no link to yourwebsite. An example of a citation might be an online yellowpages directory where your business is listed, but not linked to.It can also be a local chamber of commerce, or a local businessassociation where your business information can be found,even if they are not linking at all to your website . You may alsosee the term “web references” used on other websites—asynonym for “citations”. - GetListed.org @gyitsakalakis

Local Search Ranking FactorsDavid Mihm’sLocal SearchRanking Factors @gyitsakalakis

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 @gyitsakalakis

On-Page• On-Page: On your actual website. • Crawlable location information • Site structure • On-page optimizations • Microdata 1. URLs 2. Title 3. Description 4. H1 & H2 5. Anchor Text 6. Alt Tags 7. Content 8. Footer – Name, Address, Phone @gyitsakalakis

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

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

Where?Where to Get Citationsto Improve Your LocalSearch Engine Rankings1) Local search engines2) Local blogs3) Locally-focused directories4) Practice-focused directories or blogs @gyitsakalakis

Third-Party Data ProvidersPrimary Data Providers – GetListed.org (.pdf) @gyitsakalakis

Third-Party Data ProvidersLocal Search Ecosystem – Get Listed.org (.pdf) @gyitsakalakis

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 @gyitsakalakis

Competitive IntelligenceWhere and how are yourcompetitors (that are appearingprominently in local results)getting links, citations, andmentions? @gyitsakalakis

Local Citation FinderWhitespark – Local Citation Finder @gyitsakalakis

Custom Attributes“While this data may not appear on the Place Page, this informationcontinues to help our system understand more about your businessand ensure your organic listings appears and ranks appropriately onGoogle and Google Maps when potential customers perform searchesrelated to your business.”- Google @gyitsakalakis

A Brief Word on Paid Search @gyitsakalakis

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 @gyitsakalakis

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 @gyitsakalakis

Thank You! Got Questions?Short on time?You can also email me questions at:gt@attorneysync.com @gyitsakalakis

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Masslomap Local Search for Law Firms

by Gyi Tsakalakis on Mar 02, 2012

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Masslomap Local Search for Law Firms Presentation Transcript