The document provides an overview of creating an effective web strategy for law firms. It discusses building a web strategy to attract new clients and prosper online. Specific topics covered include online reputation management, search engine optimization, using social media, legal directories, content creation, and blogging. The presentation emphasizes establishing an online presence, optimizing websites for search engines, engaging clients through social platforms, and positioning the firm as experts in their field through high-quality online content.

1. Creating an Effective Web Strategy
By: Ryan Tauer & Thomas Atkinson
August 6, 2012

2. Agenda
 Build a web strategy to prosper
 Online reputation management for
referrals
 Search Engine Optimization/SEO
 Social media
 Play to compete and win
 Evaluate your website SEO
 Build your web strategy to achieve
more and better cases

3. Speakers:
Thomas Atkinson,
Attorney at Law
Education
Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul,
Minnesota
JD - May, 1993
Marquette University, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, USA - Nominated
BA History - May, 1990 to super
Areas of Practice lawyers list
Workers Compensation
Social Security -- Disability - AV Rated

4. Speakers:
Ryan Tauer, Internet
Marketing Consultant
Education
St John’s University, Collegeville,
Minnesota USA
BA Sociology - May, 2002
5 year tenure in lawyer internet marketing, advised
100s of law firms in the US and UK. Dedicated to
MN and WI law firms.

5. Your Feedback Please
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6. How many of you have a website?

7. Tom’s web strategy:

8. Online Reputation Management
Crazy clients anyone?

9. Oh, perception is reality!
Search engines - The new
public records database
Over a 1 billion searches per
day!

10. Understand what’s being said!
Do you look like this online?

11. google alerts – monitor your reputation
Tom Atkinson lawyer

12. Create Your Own Destiny
Firm’s Web Site
PDF – Article in
Super Lawyers
Expert Web site
Expert Web site
FindLaw
directory listing
Blog
HG.org firm
listing
Video
Video
Local Business
Listing

13. Defending your online reputation (if attacked)
 Recourse is limited
 Contact site owner, request removal
or post follow up comments
 Reputation Defender – software for Online
Reputation Management
 Sincerity – Transparency
& Consistency

14. Online Marketing Strategy
 Do you have a web strategy
that mirrors your business
strategy?

15. How Consumers research legal problems
More people go to the Internet for solutions than any other source!
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 2007. Survey on how Americans address common problems that might
be linked to the government, including becoming involved in a legal matter.

16. The Legal Consumer Online
 95% of consumers research general
information on their legal need
 Nearly 50% of consumers researching
the Internet contacted an attorney
 56% contacted only one attorney
 70% of those who contacted an
attorney decided to hire an attorney
 Others validated attorney referrals,
or accessed multiple Web sites to
get more information about
various attorneys and law firms
Source: FindLaw, How U.S. Consumers Meet Their Legal Needs Online, August 2006.

17. Branding Your Law Firm – homepage key

18. Components of a Business Brand
 Competencies: Your specialty and
the foundation of your brand
 Standards: How your practice is
positioned and how you present your
services to clients
 Style: The personality of your brand,
designed to evoke an emotional
message that resonates with your
target customer
Source: Brand Tool Box® Business Brand Model, © 1995-2008 Brand Tool Box, Ltd.

19. Deploying a Brand – Family values

20. Three Keys to Online Success

21. Play to rank and win – top 10 ranking

22. FACT: 24,000 attorneys in MN

23. Competitive analysis – 1st page ranking

24. Search Phrase Categories
Search phrases (the words that a client types into Google) include:
 Vanity search phrase
 Branded search phrase
 Non-Vanity search phrase

25. Branded Search Phrase
How a referral will typically search for your practice

26. Vanity Search Phrase

27. Non-Vanity Search Phrase – Certified Specialist
How a client will search for help with a specific legal need
(they do not use the same legal terms as lawyers)

28. How Google Ranks – What matters the most?
On-page SEO
Off-page SEO

29. Online Legal Directories: Why They Matter
Online directories help consumers research their legal issue and
search for lawyers in a specific area of practice and region
 A Starting Point for Clients:
Directories are a commonly used
starting point for many people
researching their legal issue
 Powerful Search Tools: Clients use
directories to search for lawyers in a
specific specialty and geographic region
 Highly Visited and Fast Growing
Portals: Directories receive millions of
visitors every year, and their use
continues to grow

30. 10 Online Legal Directories
Findlaw.com
Avvo.com
Lawyers.com
Rocketlawyer.com
Justia.com
Legalzoom.com
Nolo.com
Suplerlawyers.com
Lawinfo.com
Law.com

31. Design: art and science
 Clarity, not complexity
– User-friendly sites welcome visitors
with a clear and intuitive layout
 Easy-to-follow content
– Include practice areas, attorney
profiles, and information about
a variety of legal issues
 Contact information
– Make it easy to contact your firm!

33. Content Is King
 Content should achieve three basic functions.
• Position your firm and represent the quality of your work.
• Strengthen the Web sites visibility on the Search Engines.
• Position yourself as an expert at solving — and preventing — problems.

34. Social Media
 More than 700,000 local businesses
have active Pages on Facebook.
 Purpose-built Facebook pages have
created more than 5.3bn fans.
 It is a means to make connections with
people who want to hear from you
 Time intensive form of marketing
Source: http://econsultancy.com/blog/5324-20+-mind-blowing-social-media-statistics-revisited

35. Importance of Blogs
Capitalize on the importance search engines place on
fresh, relevant content through blogging!
• 77% of Internet users read blogs
• 71% of bloggers increased the visibility of their business
• 58% of bloggers became better known in the industry
• 56% of bloggers established their company as a thought
leader
Source: Technorati Authority, 2009

36. BLOG TIPS YOUR
 Don’t just blow your horn all day
 Listen to what’s out there
 Add insight and commentary
 Understand who your audience is
 Focus on the concerns and challenges they face
Source: HubSpot

37. Get Started
Your
Create & Publish Content
Starting an active content strategy Auto
Published
 Create & optimize your blog
 Create Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn business Auto
page/s Published
 Connect your blog/s to your social media
 Promote your social media
Auto
Published

38. $100 AMEX Card drawing

39. Sign up a free web audit @ FindLaw booth
THANK YOU!!

40. Questions