Category: Communication Media & Internet

Guarding the Grid: DOE Releases 100-Day Cybersecurity Pilot Program

The February 2021 hack into Oldsmar, Florida’s water treatment system is a frightening reminder that critical infrastructure systems can be vulnerable to cyberattacks and that cyberattacks can jeopardize health and safety. In this case, the hack may have spurred government action. On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced a 100-day plan “to advance technologies and systems that will provide cyber visibility, detection, and response capabilities for industrial control of electric utilities.”

In a coordinated effort among the Department of Energy (“DOE”), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”), and the electricity industry, the plan lays out four areas of focus for the next 100 days: (1) enhancement of mechanisms for detection, mitigation, and forensic activities; (2) “concrete milestones” for the industry to develop “situational awareness and response capabilities in critical industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology networks (OT)”; (3) reinforcement of overall cybersecurity in critical infrastructure information technology networks; and (4) voluntary industry participation programs “to deploy technologies to increase the visibility of threats in ICS and OT systems.”

The plan’s success likely hinges on the government’s ability to develop sustainable, cooperative relationships with the relevant industries. “Public-private partnership is paramount to the Administration’s efforts,” said National Security Council (“NSC”) Spokesperson Emily Horne in response to Tuesday’s announcement, “because protecting our Nation’s critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility of government and the owners and operators of that infrastructure.” It appears that similar plans are being developed for additional critical infrastructure industries, including water, the chemical sector, and natural gas.

The previous administration responded to the escalating threat of cyberattacks from foreign adversaries[1] in part with Executive Order 13920, which declared a national emergency with regard to electric grid security and gave the Secretary of Energy the authority to prohibit certain transactions involving electric equipment potentially controlled by a foreign adversary. Relying on EO 13920, the DOE issued a Prohibition Order in December 2020 barring “Critical Defense Facilities” and any supporting facilities from purchasing or installing electricity generation equipment manufactured in China (“December Prohibition Order”).

On January 20, 2021, President Biden’s DOE issued a 90-day suspension of EO 13920 and the December Prohibition Order to allow the DOE and the Office of Management and Budget to consider methods of “protect[ing] against high-risk electric equipment transactions by foreign adversaries while providing additional certainty to the utility industry and the public.” Tuesday’s announcement from the DOE revoked the December Prohibition Order, effective immediately, but EO 13920 will remain in place until it expires on May 1, 2021.

The DOE has now opted to revoke the December Prohibition Order in an effort to “create a stable policy environment” while the DOE further develops its cybersecurity strategy for the electricity sector. However, utilities are still encouraged to “act in a way that minimizes the risk of installing electric equipment and programmable components that are subject to foreign adversaries’ ownership, control, or influence” while the DOE develops further recommendations.

To assist in cybersecurity strategy development, along with the DOE’s 100-day plan announcement, the DOE issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) “focused on preventing exploitation and attacks by foreign threats to the U.S. supply chain.” Interested parties are encouraged to submit input to the DOE by June 7, 2021 regarding the development of “a long-term strategy that includes technical assistance needs, supply chain risk management, procurement best practices, and risk mitigation criteria” as well as the “depth and breadth of a future prohibition authority.” Instructions for submitting comments can be found on the DOE’s website.

The DOE is still hammering out many details of the 100-day plan, and some details may never be released to the public – expansions of DOE’s Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems program, for example, will be classified to avoid oversharing with foreign intelligence. While the DOE works to develop its 100-day plan, utilities should evaluate cybersecurity infrastructure within their own systems. For example, utilities could make renewed efforts to take inventory of software and hardware used across any systems touching critical infrastructure, and ensure that all technology is secure and up to date. If defense, detection, and prevention systems do not meet the DOE’s suggested standards, a utility could consider implementing additional measures or strengthening current systems now.

Additionally, a utility could consider whether and how its organization might participate in an information-sharing program. Any thoughts regarding guardrails and disclosure limitations for such a program could be submitted as comments to the RFI. Also, a utility could consider how its current approach to communicating with internal and external stakeholders about cyber issues might impact participation in information sharing.

[1] The new 100-day plan comes not only in the wake of the Oldsmar water system hack but also just days after the administration announced sanctions against Russia for its role in the Solar Winds hack.

© 2021 Bracewell LLP

ARTICLE BY Philip J. Bezanson,  Claire E. Cahoon, Catherine P. McCarthy and Joshua C. Zive of  Bracewell LLP
For more articles on cybersecurity, visit the NLR Communications, Media & Internet section.

How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy for a Law Firm

There are many avenues through which law firms can attract clients, but it’s no secret that the internet is one of the most powerful lead generation tools to date.

Law firms of all sizes use the internet to market their services, follow up with clients, and publish thought-provoking content.

With the help of the internet, law firms can now market themselves across a variety of channels. This is where content marketing comes in to assist firms in creating the right content for the right audience at the right time.

How can you use content marketing to grow your law firm? Read on for tips on how to create an effective, client-attracting content plan.

Why Content Marketing Matters for Law Firms

Content marketing is a type of law firm internet marketing strategy that involves creating and distributing informative, audience-focused content online with the goal of attracting website visitors and, hopefully, new clients. It can take on a variety of forms and serve a variety of objectives, but the main purpose is to help law firms draw in new clients online.

In fact, studies show that 65% of law firms spend the majority of their marketing dollars online, which indicates that today’s law firms see the value in and are taking advantage of online marketing.

A content marketing strategy can assist law firms in reaching more customers through valuable, relevant, and engaging content.

10 Steps to Creating a Law Firm Content Strategy

Legal content gets a bad rap for being “boring”, but it doesn’t have to be.

In fact, your clients are searching for information and this puts you in a great position to create content that helps them navigate the legal process with ease.

Below, we’ve outlined 10 steps to uncovering smart content ideas, distributing your content, and using content to attract new clients.

1. Identify Your Main Objective

Content can serve a variety of purposes – from attracting website visitors to increasing engagement on social media to growing your email list.

Before creating content, you should consider what your primary objective is so you’re prepared to create content that helps you accomplish this goal. Different types of content work to generate different results, so it’s worth identifying your main objective(s) from the very beginning.

With your content, are you trying to:

  • Attract website visitors?

  • Grow your email list?

  • Increase social media engagement?

  • Increase your law firm’s authority online?

  • Run a PR campaign?

  • Improve your search engine optimization (SEO)?

  • Turn visitors into leads?

  • Attract backlinks?

These are just a few of the many objectives you may have for your content. Consider these before creating your content marketing strategy so you’re sure to create the right kind of content to achieve your goals.

2. Research Keywords for SEO

If one of your objectives is to improve your law firm’s SEO, then you will want to research searchable keywords to use in your content.

This involves identifying keywords your target audience is searching for to find law firms like yours, or otherwise find information about the type of legal services you offer.

To do this, you can use keyword research tools like SEMRush.com or Ahrefs.com to find keywords to you on your web pages or in your blog posts.

Here’s how to do keyword research for your blog articles:

  1. Use keyword research tools to search for any terms you can think of that might describe the services you offer or some questions your target audience may have.

  2. Look at the search volume and competition score of these keywords to see if they are worth targeting on your site. The sweet spot is keywords that have high traffic volume but low competition.

  3. Use the “Related Keywords” function to find relevant keywords you might not have thought of during your original search.

  4. Make a list of the keywords you think make the most sense for your site and write out some potential blog post titles that relate to these keywords. For example, “how to file for divorce” could become “How to File for Divorce – X Steps” or “How to File for Divorce – Avoid Stress & Animosity”.

  5. Use your target keyword (for each post) throughout your content, paying special attention to your post’s title tag, meta description, and H1 and H2 headings.

3. Spy on Your Competitors’ Content

Sometimes you’ll find yourself a bit stumped on what content topics to tackle on your website. This is when it’s a good idea to scope out your competitors’ content strategies to see what keywords they are targeting and what content they’re posting on social media.

You can use the same keyword research tools as above (SEMRush and Ahrefs) to search for your competitors’ domain names and see what keywords they are ranking for. This can be a great way to find keywords you should be targeting on your own site.

Not all content needs to serve an SEO purpose, however. If you see your competitors posting thought-provoking content on their blogs or social media channels, this can give you some ideas for content you can create to increase engagement, improve your firm’s authority, and even attract clients to your website.

4. Ask Your Audience

The legal niche is highly competitive, which often makes it difficult to come up with content ideas that haven’t been tackled before. It’s a smart idea to ask your audience what topics they’re interested in and what questions they have about the services you offer and the legal process in general.

You can do this by posting a question like “What questions do you have about X?” on social media, by sending out an anonymous survey, or by sending out a campaign to your email subscribers. Then you can turn these questions/topics into blog posts and/or create a Frequently Asked Questions page on your website.

5. Establish a Content Schedule

When it comes to content marketing, quality comes first but consistency makes the difference. Your law firm’s content marketing strategy is made more effective when you are publishing, posting, and marketing your content on a regular basis.

In the beginning, you may want to start slow so you can keep up with a regular posting schedule. Even if you’re only posting two times per month, this is better than skipping months at a time. Later on, you might consider hiring help (like a blog writer) to create more content on a consistent basis.

Project management tools like Asana and Monday.com can help you stay on schedule, organize your content details, and ensure that you’re distributing your content across multiple channels.

6. Write with “EAT” in Mind

EAT (Expertise, Authority, and Trust) is a concept in SEO that applies to creating content that’s written with users and search engines in mind. It’s used to guide brands in creating content that provides value to readers and includes relevant, accurate information users can trust.

By contrast, many brands simply write with Google in mind – chocking their content full of keywords and hoping for the best. Instead, you should focus first on providing content that helps your audience learn, accomplish their goals, and find the best law firm for their needs.

SEO powerhouse Moz published an in-depth guide on how to write for EAT so you can create content that both Google and users want.

7. Create a Content Distribution Plan

You’ve planned your topics, written your content, and have hit “publish”… now what?

After creating your content, you’ll want to have a plan for distributing your content across platforms to get as many eyes on it as possible. This can be done manually or through the use of content distribution tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.

Here are a few places you can share your content to generate more traffic, engagement, and views:

  • Facebook posts

  • Facebook Ads

  • Instagram posts or stories

  • Email list/newsletter

  • Repurpose as YouTube video

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Google Ads

  • Pinterest

  • Reddit

  • SMS (text message marketing)

  • Blog

  • Messenger bots

  • HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

  • Google My Business posts

  • Guest posting on third-party sites

  • Medium.com

  • Quora

  • Bing Ads

8. Focus on Lead Generation

If one of your objectives is to generate more leads for your law firm, then you will want to give your readers various opportunities to contact you (i.e. “convert”).

When publishing and sharing your content, consider what action(s) you want users to take. Do you want them to download an ebook? Give you a call? Fill out a form? Whatever it is, make this clear so you can generate as many leads as possible.

Here are a few ways to generate leads from your content:

  1. Include contact forms on the service pages of your website.

  2. Add downloadables like ebooks and infographics to your blog posts so users have to provide their email addresses.

  3. Include calls-to-action on your social media posts to encourage followers to contact you.

  4. Add your phone number to your web pages to make it easy for prospects to reach you.

  5. Promote your email newsletters to collect more email addresses.

  6. Create “lead magnet” content users would be interested in. Make is so they have to provide their contact information before downloading this content.

9. Follow Up with Prospects

What use is a lead if you don’t follow up with them? Unfortunately, this is a mistake a lot of law firms make (as shown in Hennessey Digital’s law firm intake study) and it can really cost them potential clients. Don’t forget to follow up with your leads!

When you collect information from prospects (whether it’s via email, social media, your contact forms, or by phone), you should record this information and outline a process for follow-up. This can involve having an automated email campaign or having someone on your team following up with the prospect directly.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools can help you keep your lead information organized, check follow-up status, send client documents, and much more. Use these to ensure that you’re following up with every lead and aren’t missing out on new client opportunities.

10. Create Linkable Assets

A linkable asset is a type of content that works to attract backlinks to your website. Links from high-quality sites can improve your own site’s SEO, increasing your rankings and drawing in new website visitors.

There are many types of linkable assets you can create. These range from ebooks to guest articles to interviews to webinars and beyond. We’ve provided 8 ways to attract backlinks so you can improve your website’s SEO and generate even more traffic.

The great news is that your content can serve many purposes at once. For instance, you can publish an SEO-friendly blog post that generates traffic, attracts backlinks, drums up engagement on social media, AND converts readers into clients. The more you can “kill two birds with one stone” with your content, the better!

Law Firm Content Marketing Made Simple

By now you see that content marketing for your law firm doesn’t have to be a difficult task. With the right planning, tools, schedule, and writing know-how, you can create amazing content that moves your law firm forward.

Create content that gets your audience buzzing and itching to work with you. The more content you create, the more your skills will improve and the better you’ll be at using content to turn passive visitors into new clients.

Copyright 2021 © Hennessey Digital
For more articles on the legal industry, visit the NLR Law Office Management section

In-Person Client Meetings and COVID-19

A fellow attorney just circulated a poll to his friends asking, “Are you starting to meet with your clients in person?” If you are restarting in-person meetings with your clients, consider whether you are in a jurisdiction that mandates contact tracing and whether that conflicts with your duty to maintain a client’s confidential information confidential.

Every jurisdiction has adopted some form of ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information. It provides in part that:

(a) A lawyer shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client unless the client gives informed consent, the disclosure is impliedly authorized in order to carry out the representation or the disclosure is permitted by paragraph (b).

The mere fact that a person has consulted an attorney can be in itself confidential information. One obvious example is a famous celebrity visiting a divorce attorney.

The problematic situation arises if you learn that the client has COVID after an in-person meeting. Alternatively, what if you learn after the meeting that you have COVID? In jurisdictions that require contact tracing disclosure, or even for public policy and health considerations, you may need to disclose your client’s identity to contact tracing authorities. As an attorney, you should take a moment to learn the contact tracing and public health reporting laws in your jurisdiction. For example, right now, I understand that there is a tracing program in Massachusetts, but disclosure is voluntary, not legally required. This may change.

The easy answer to this dilemma is to discuss the issue before meeting a client in person. Model Rule 1.6 permits the disclosure of otherwise confidential client information with informed consent, so you should inform the client about contact tracing so the client can decide whether to meet in person or remotely.

The hard answer arises if you have not had this conversation. Absent informed consent from a client to disclose their identity to contract tracers, Model Rule 1.6 does permit – but does not require – disclosure to comply with a statutory requirement for contact tracing:

(b) A lawyer may reveal information relating to the representation of a client to the extent the lawyer reasonably believes necessary: . . . (6) to comply with other law or a court order . . .

While the ethical rules may permit you to comply with a statutory requirement to disclose your client’s identity in a COVID tracing situation, such a unilateral decision to make disclosure may not be good for your attorney-client business relationship.

In conclusion, you should seriously consider discussing the possibility of contact tracing disclosure obligations before meeting with a client in-person.

© 2021 SHERIN AND LODGEN LLP

ARTICLE BY Edward S. Cheng of Sherin and Lodgen LLP
For more articles on the legal industry, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Facebook Defeats Shareholder Suit Challenging Alleged Failures In Its Diversity and Inclusion Practices

In Ocegueda v. Zuckerberg, No. 20-CV-04444, 2021 WL 1056611 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 19, 2021), the United States District Court for the Northern District of California became the first court to rule on a motion to dismiss claims alleging deficiencies in a company’s compliance with policies intended to promote diversity.  The plaintiff, a common stockholder of Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook” or the “Company”), alleged claims for breach of fiduciary duty and further alleged defendants made false and misleading statements in the Company’s Proxy Statement in violation of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The plaintiff alleged that Facebook’s public statements promoting values of diversity and inclusion were at odds with the Company’s alleged practices regarding (i) the hiring and promotion of diverse candidates to senior leadership positions; (ii) purported discriminatory advertising practices; and (iii) alleged hate speech on the Facebook platform.  Facebook defeated all of these claims at the motion to dismiss stage largely due to the fact that the complaint did not reflect Facebook’s actual practices of promoting diversity and inclusion—including at the highest levels of the Company.  The Ocegueda decision is noteworthy because it provides officers and directors a first glimpse at how a court may approach shareholder claims seeking to hold a corporate board liable for the alleged failed diversity initiatives of a public corporation.

A series of lawsuits in 2018 accusing Facebook of discriminatory advertising served as the genesis for the plaintiff’s claims.  In May 2020, Facebook came under public criticism for its refusal to censor a social media post from a prominent politician disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement.  Within weeks, more than 100 advertisers (including companies listed on the S&P 500 index) announced a boycott of Facebook and pulled their advertising from the platform.  By the end of June, Facebook’s stock dropped 8.3%.  Beyond these controversies, the shareholder plaintiff also grounded her claims on the purported lack of diversity on Facebook’s board and among its senior executives.  According to the plaintiff, these practices belied statements in Facebook’s 2019 and 2020 Proxy Statements concerning the Company’s “commit[ment] to a policy of inclusiveness and to pursuing diversity in terms of background and perspective” and statement that “[d]iversity and inclusion are core to everything we do at Facebook.”

Despite the incendiary allegations, the district court grounded its order granting defendants’ motion to dismiss on timeworn principles applicable to shareholder claims and claims for fraud under Section 14(a).  First, plaintiff failed to make a shareholder demand on the board and failed to plead particularized facts sufficient to show a majority of the directors were capable of exercising their independent business judgment to evaluate the plaintiffs’ claims.  The district court supported this finding, holding that: (i) the Company took ample action to combat the allegedly discriminatory advertising practices and the alleged proliferation of hate speech on the platform; and (ii) plaintiff’s allegations concerning the lack of diversity on Facebook’s board and among its senior executives were contradicted by the actual composition of Facebook’s board and senior executives, as the district court recognized:  “two of nine directors are Black, a third Black director stepped down in March 2020 to join Berkshire Hathaway, four of nine directors are women, one is openly gay, and, since its adoption of its diversity policy in 2018, a majority of new nominees have been Black or women.”  Second, the statements in Facebook’s 2019 and 2020 Proxy Statements could not substantiate a claim under Section 14(a) because they consisted of non-actionable, aspirational “puffery.”  Third, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation provided that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware was the “exclusive jurisdiction” for derivative claims and claims of breach of fiduciary duty against Facebook’s officers and directors.  Thus, the district court dismissed the derivative breach of fiduciary duty claims on the independent grounds of forum non conveniens.

The decision in Ocegueda is interesting because it shows there is no fundamental hurdle to derivative claims arising for purported corporate harm caused by a company’s non-compliance with diversity and inclusion initiatives.  Facebook successfully defeated the derivative claims based, in large part, on the basic principle that courts will not impose derivative liability on corporate directors for an alleged “failure of oversight” over corporate affairs unless a shareholder can allege specific facts showing that a majority of the Company’s directors were aware of serious “red flags” and consciously disregarded them.  Looking to the future, California recently signed into law AB 979 (Cal. Corp. Code § 301.4), which requires publicly traded companies located in California to, by the end of 2021, set aside a certain minimum number of director positions for persons from underrepresented communities.  Given the high profile nature of this new law, it remains to be seen whether a corporate board that fails to comply with AB 973 may face an increased risk of derivative liability.  Until then, there is truly no time like the present for corporations to take a critical eye to their own diversity practices.

Copyright © 2021, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

ARTICLE BY Alejandro E. Moreno and Chelsea Staskiewicz of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
For more articles on Facebook, visit the NLR Corporate & Business Organizations section.

Supreme Court “Unfriends” Ninth Circuit Decision Applying TCPA to Facebook

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court held that Facebook’s “login notification” text messages (sent to users when an attempt is made to access their Facebook account from an unknown device or browser) did not constitute an “automatic telephone dialing system” within the meaning of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”).  In so holding, the Court narrowly construed the statute’s prohibition on automatic telephone dialing systems as applying only to devices that send calls and texts to randomly generated or sequential numbers.  Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, No. 19-511, slip op. (Apr. 1, 2021).

The TCPA aims to prevent abusive telemarketing practices by restricting communications made through “automatic telephone dialing systems.”  The statute defines autodialers as equipment with the capacity “to store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator,” and to dial those numbers.  Plaintiff alleged Facebook violated the TCPA’s prohibition on autodialers by sending him login notification text messages using equipment that maintained a database of stored phone numbers. Plaintiff alleged Facebook’s system sent automated text messages to the stored numbers each time the associated account was accessed by an unrecognized device or browser.  Facebook moved to dismiss, arguing it did not use an autodialer as defined by the statute because it did not text numbers that were randomly or sequentially generated.  The Ninth Circuit was unpersuaded by Facebook’s reading of the statute, holding that an autodialer need only have the capacity to “store numbers to be called” and “to dial such numbers automatically” to fall within the ambit of the TCPA.

At the heart of the dispute was a question of statutory interpretation: whether the clause “using a random or sequential number generator” (in the phrase “store or produce telephone numbers to be called, using a random or sequential number generator”) modified both “store” and “produce,” or whether it applied only to the closest verb, “produce.”  Applying the series-qualifier canon of interpretation, which instructs that a modifier at the end of a series applies to the entire series, the Court decided the “random or sequential number generator” clause modified both “store” and “produce.”  The Court noted that applying this canon also reflects the most natural reading of the sentence: in a series of nouns or verbs, a modifier at the end of the list normally applies to the entire series.  The Court gave the example of the statement “students must not complete or check any homework to be turned in for a grade, using online homework-help websites.” The Court observed it would be “strange” to read that statement as prohibiting students from completing homework altogether, with or without online support, which would be the outcome if the final modifier did not apply to all the verbs in the series.

Moreover, the Court noted that the statutory context confirmed the autodialer prohibition was intended to apply only to equipment using a random or sequential number generator.  Congress was motivated to enact the TCPA in order to prevent telemarketing robocalls from dialing emergency lines and tying up sequentially numbered lines at a single entity.  Technology like Facebook’s simply did not pose that risk.  The Court noted plaintiff’s interpretation of “autodialer” would, “capture virtually all modern cell phones . . . .  The TCPA’s liability provisions, then, could affect ordinary cell phone owners in the course of commonplace usage, such as speed dialing or sending automated text message responses.”

The Court thus held that a necessary feature of an autodialer under the TCPA is the capacity to use a random or sequential number generator to either store or produce phone numbers to be called.  This decision is expected to considerably decrease the number of class actions that have been brought under the statute.  Watch this space for further developments.

© 2020 Proskauer Rose LLP.

ARTICLE BY Lawrence I Weinstein and
Anisha Shenai-Khatkhate of Proskauer Rose LLP
For more articles on the TCPA, visit the NLR Communications, Media & Internet section

Paid Search Adverting for Law Firms: Part 6 Good2bSocial Academy

The eight modules of Good2bSocial’s Digital Academy provide legal marketers with critical components of an effective digital marketing program adapted for the unique needs of the professional services industry. Good2bSocial’s Digital Academy fills the need for legal marketers to demonstrate that they have a baseline of digital marketing concepts, and also provides law firm CMOs an objective way to assess team members’ or potential hires’ legal marketing knowledge. Last week, we covered Good2bSocial’s Digital Academy’s course on search engine optimization (SEO) strategy for law firms, providing the components of an effective SEO strategy for lawyers, stressing steady and exponential website visitor growth over time which increases both search visibility and law firm credibility.

Module 6 helps legal marketers learn effective ad bidding strategies and outlines best practices to create effective advertisements on Google Ads and other platforms. Good2bSocial’s program helps legal marketers navigate the Google Ads interface through real-life examples, providing actionable tactics to improve click-through rate, lower advertising spend and maximize performance.

Per Kevin Vermeulen Good2bSocial’s COO:

Google Ads and Bing Ads are a highly effective way to deliver quality traffic and leads to your law firm’s website.  But there needs to be thorough keyword targeting so Google displays your ads only to those searching for your legal services. Google’s global audience and the audience data they provide is unrivaled in the industry and it is critical to know how to properly set up new campaigns and how to optimize existing ad campaigns to assure that your law firm receives the maximum return on investment (ROI).

Pay Per Click Basics for Law Firms: An Overview.

As the name indicates, with pay-per-click  (PPC) advertising, your firm only pays when someone clicks on your ad. PPC ads strategies include purchasing ads on search engine results pages, social media advertising as discussed in Good2bSocial’s Academy Module 4 and purchasing ads on partnering websites.  Guidance is given on how to compete with others who want the same key words you are targeting in an auction to determine who wins the ad spot. Ad spot bidding is impacted by the key word’s relevance, the query made by the person doing the search, and your law firm’s landing page.

Get Your Law Firm’s Message at the Top and Most Viewed Parts of Search Pages.

Pay-per-click advertising on search engine results pages places your firm’s message in a prominent spot right at the top, bottom or side of the search page. PPC ads that appear at the top of the search page are more likely to be clicked on than the top-ranking search result.

Other Types of PPC Ads that Provide Value for Law Firms

Vendors like Google Display Network and Microsoft Advertising, previously known as Bing Ads, display ads on partnering websites such as the National Law Review. Google Display Network includes more than 2 million partnering websites and the ability to reach more than 90 percent of those online. The Bing Ad Network audience includes 60 million desktop searchers not reached on Google.  There are many networks out there and other niche options for law firms. For example, Quora, where people come to ask questions and to read and share answers, is particularly suited to reach customers at the point they are evaluating and researching a product or service. Good2bSocial’s Academy PPC module provides a great deal of analysis of the various pay-per-click options for law firms in addition to explaining remarketing or retargeting campaigns that show your PPC ads to those who have visited your website in the past.

Critical Points to Consider for Google Ads Campaigns Setup and Maintenance include:

How to Choose and Manage your Law Firm’s Advertising Keywords?

When using pay-per-click advertising, you have the freedom to customize your keywords, allowing for extra targeting focusing your spend on keywords that are more likely to indicate an urgent need for a lawyer. Additionally, your firm wants to make sure your keywords are unique so that you don’t end up competing with yourself.

The checklists in Good2bSocial’s Academy PPC module provide useful information on:

  • How to organize similar keywords into groups helping you keep things organized and streamlining your targeting efforts.
  • How to silo lower performing keywords into a campaign to determine if they should be dropped or can be improved.
  • How to prune underperforming keywords and how to improve the lower performing keywords through adding negative keywords to your lists.
  • How to look for new keywords and phrases.
  • How to do split testing.
  • And how to tweak landing pages and ad copy for optimal performance for high performing keywords.

What are Best Practices for Law Firm Ad Campaign Set Up and how to Avoid Costly Missteps?

Because of the high cost of PPC advertising for attorneys, law firms should research to ensure your firm chooses highly targeted keywords that will deliver an impressive ROI. Key words in the legal field are highly competitive. According to Good2BSocial, the average click costs $54.86 for keywords related to legal services and lawyers.

Good2bSocial’s Academy Provides Useful PPC Organization and Execution Advice Including:

  • How to consolidate PPC campaigns by performance.
  • Why your firm should check landing pages and URLs and making sure the landing page works as intended.
  • How to download your ads and look at them in Excel or Word to organize them and assure simple things like the spelling is correct, as misspellings can have a negative effect on click through rates (CTR).
  • How to include your keywords in your law firm’s ad copy and your landing pages’ URL and setting page paths.
  • And how to make the most of your clicks by enhancing your ads with things like ad extensions and going into detail on how Sitelinks, Review, and Call extensions can be useful for law firms.

How to Set Budgets and Choose Location and Language Targeting for your Law Firm’s Ad Campaigns.

According to Good2bSocial, certain geographic locations and more specialized key words may require higher suggested PPC bids, with some firms setting a monthly budget for PPC ads of $30,000 or more. If a law firm is going to enter into and thrive in the PPC marketplace, Good2bSocial’s checklists, real life examples and detailed explanations provide an invaluable roadmap, including:

  • How to define your CPC bids to ensure you don’t bid too high on cost per click amd how attorneys can use Google’s keyword planner to get an idea of the PPC range your firm should be aiming for.
  • How to set your PPC budget.
  • How to set location and language targets.  Not all legal consumers in the U.S. are browsing in English, so setting proper language targeting and then assuring that prospects are taken to a landing page in the language they are using to browse.
  • How to choose ad rotation and delivery method.
  • How to set “Search Network Only.”  Google will set your campaigns to search with display by default. And because display ads show up on websites other than Google search engine result pages, inadvertently including display ads outside of search results can cost your firm significantly more money.
  • How to set ad scheduling. If you want to schedule ads so they only show while your office is open and how to set target devices if you’re running a campaign specifically designed for mobile/ desktop/ or tablet only.
  • How to exclude your own IP address(es) to avoid skewing your tracking results and how to use  Google’s ad preview tool to check to see where or how your ads are showing up.
  • And how to set up conversion tracking. To monitor your ads and selected campaign attributes to assure they met your law firm’s PPC campaign goals.

Key Takeaways for Law Firms Paid Search Advertising

Per Vermeulen:

Google ads and other PPC outlets are highly effective for the law firm market at producing rapid lead generation results.  But it’s not as simple as “setting and forgetting” a law firm’s PPC campaigns.  However, while the extensive configurability of the Google platform, in particular, makes it extremely powerful, it also makes it easy to forget a step somewhere and cause problems with your firm’s campaigns.  To prevent wasting time and money, checklists, forethought, monitoring and routine recalibration checks are needed when launching and evaluating existing PPC advertising campaigns.

To Read Part 1 Good2bSocial Digital Academy for Law Firms — Inbound Marketing and Client Journey Mapping, click here.

To read Part 2 Good2bSocial Digital Academy — Content Marketing Strategy for Law Firms, click here.

To read Part 3 Good2bSocial Digital Academy — Developing a Successful Social Media Strategy for Law Firms, click here

To read Part 4 Good2bSocial Digital Academy — Paid Social Media Advertising Campaigns for Law Firms, click here

To read Part 5 Good2bSocial Digital Academy — Search Engine Optimization for Law Firms, click here.

Stay tuned for more details on the topics and key takeaways included in the other modules of the Good2bSocial Academy.

Copyright ©2020 National Law Forum, LLC
ARTICLE BY Jennifer Schaller of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC
For more articles on legal marketing, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Facebook’s Augmented-Reality: Controlling Computer Functions with Your Mind

What if you could control a computer with your mind? Well, Facebook’s latest device may allow you to do just that. Facebook recently announced that it has created a wristband that allows you to move a digital object just by thinking about it. The wristband looks like a large iPod on a strap and uses sensors to detect the user’s movements through electromyography (EMG). EMG interprets electrical activity from motor nerves as information is transmitted from the brain to the hand. An example: you could navigate through the augmented-reality menus by thinking about moving your finger to scroll through the options. However, Facebook notes that this “control”  is coming from the part of the brain that controls motor information, not thought.

The wristband is still in the research-and-development phase at Facebook’s Reality Labs;  no details about its cost or release date have been provided yet. This wristband is part of Facebook’s push for every-day virtual reality and augmented-reality products for consumers, and it’s likely only the beginning.

Facebook also released information earlier this month about its augmented-reality glasses that, as you walk past your favorite coffee shop, might ask you if you want to place an order. Herein lies a privacy dilemma: products such as these glasses and wristband mean that companies like Facebook will have access to even more data points about consumers than they already do. In the coffee shop for example, the company and its advertising partners would know what kind of coffee you prefer, where you live/work/ frequently visit, and either by submission or statistical deduction, also know your demographic, health, and other personal information. A personalized consumer profile based on your every move could easily be created (or more likely added to the already-existing profile about your buying behaviors).

Copyright © 2020 Robinson & Cole LLP. All rights reserved.

ARTICLE BY Kathryn M. Rattigan of Robinson & Cole LLP
For more articles on Facebook, visit the NLR Communications, Media & Internet section.

Paid Social Media Advertising Campaigns for Law Firms: Part 4 Good2bSocial Academy

Last week, we looked at creating an effective law firm social media marketing strategy, the third module in the Good2bSocial Digital Marketing Certification for law firms.  Previously, having an active law firm social media profile as a place to promote firm content was an effective strategy; however, the social media landscape has changed. Due to a saturation of business content on social media networks and shifts in algorithmic preferences, in order to achieve organizational goals and the desired ROI for social media, a paid advertising strategy can help ensure your social media efforts gain traction. Good2bSocial Digital Marketing Academy was developed after years of law firm training and is designed to meet the unique marketing needs of professional services firms and offers paid social media advertising best practices targeted to the needs of legal marketers.

Jay Plum, Director of Communications of Bracewell LLP, says, “The Good2BSocial Digital Marketing Certification program provides current and practical information that is tailor-made for legal marketing professionals at all levels who want to up their digital and social media marketing game.”

Below is a short preview of what’s included in the fourth module of Good2bSocial’s Digital Marketing Certification.

Benefits of Paid Social Media Advertising for Law Firms

A paid social media advertising campaign is an effective strategy offering a variety of benefits.  For example:

  • A paid social media advertising campaign expands your reach beyond your firm’s existing followers; opening up a new audience to educate about your law firm and its abilities.
  • The targeting abilities of social media advertising can allow you to choose who you want to see your content–putting the client persona’s your firm developed (discussed in module 1)  to good use.
  • Most social media platforms run on a pay-per-click budgeting system which simplifies budgeting and helps with cost predictability. Additionally, your firm only pays if the user takes the action you want.
  • With a paid social media advertising campaign, you have flexibility–the campaign can go for as long or as short as you want, and it is easy to stop, start and manage.

How to Get Started with Paid Social Media Advertising

Having a clear objective and understanding of the goals of your social media advertising campaign is a cornerstone of success. Are you looking to expand brand awareness through promotion of a brief introductory video about your firm? Perhaps your goal is to net qualified leads through content marketing, or to promote a webinar or other event designed to showcase attorney expertise? The key is to ensure your strategy is thought-out, and measurable, with a clear idea of what success will look like.

Additionally, creating a budget and having a clear idea of your target audience is crucial. Uncovering the ideal buyer’s persona is a good cornerstone for developing your paid social media advertising campaign.

Through the Good2bSocial Digital Marketing Certification course, legal marketing professionals can learn about the pros and cons of each social media platform, and use that information to help develop their own paid social advertising campaigns. Legal marketers learn about the standard costs associated with Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, as well as a look at YouTube and Instagram.  Through the course, students learn about the different targeting options as well as other helpful tools offered through each social network to facilitate targeting. Building on previous segments of the course, students learn to use the information gathered about their law firm’s goals and client profiles to create their own paid social media advertising campaign.

How to Use the LinkedIn Account Targeting Tool

Research conducted by Good2bSocial’s Social Law Firm Index reveals that 37% of AM Law 200 firms are using paid LinkedIn to increase brand awareness and for lead generation, and this number is expected to increase. LinkedIn’s Matched Audience components, Account Targeting is a way to market B2B and integrate Account Based Marketing (ABM) strategies into paid social media advertising. This is a technique that has demonstrated its efficacy–according to ITSMA 85% of businesses indicate an ABM strategy has increased their ROI.

The Linkedin Account Targeting tool is a self-service ad platform that allows sponsored content and sponsored InMail campaigns to be structured to a list of targeted accounts. A user can upload a list of up to 300,000 company names in .csv formats, and Linkedin will cross-reference this list based on the site’s 8 million company pages. An advertiser can go with the information provided by Linkedin, or can refine the list manually.

The Linkedin Account Targeting tool is a self-service ad platform that allows sponsored content and sponsored InMail campaigns to be structured to a list of targeted accounts. A user can upload a list of up to 300,000 company names in .csv formats, and Linkedin will cross-reference this list based on the site’s 8 million company pages. An advertiser can go with the information provided by Linkedin, or can refine the list manually.

Best Practices for Facebook Lookalike Audiences

Facebook also offers a Lookalike Audience tool which takes a current audience, and builds a similar audience based on shared characteristics of individuals who are not currently connected to your organization. By providing Facebook with a prospect or client list, or analyzing engagement on your website, or looking at who is currently following your Facebook or other social media pages, Facebook can take that information and build a campaign to an audience with those shared characteristics.  There are a few options available for building a Lookalike audience, but the effort can pay off with higher Click through rates and ROI. Again, understanding of your buyer’s persona is crucial here, to ensure you are able to effectively harness the power of Facebook’s targeting abilities.

Additionally, in 2018, Facebook announced an algorithm change that would prioritize “meaningful interactions” from friends and family over content from brands. Thus, paid support on Facebook has become crucial part of the mix for firms looking to make a meaningful impact on the platform.

Social media moves fast, and while that’s great for getting results and data, it can be hard to keep up with the changing trends, shifting algorithms and targeting tools. Additionally, creating effective thought leadership is big time and money investment, so harnessing the power of social media to get your desired message out there is crucial. Our goal here was to highlight pieces of the course available, but there is more information available through the Good2bSocial Academy. By going through the Good2bSocial Digital Certification, legal marketers are able to master the fundamentals–and better keep up with the shifting trends and changes in landscape.

To learn more about the Good2bSocial Academy and the law firm-focused topics covered please click here.

To Read Part 1 Good2bSocial Digital Academy for Law Firms – Inbound Marketing and Client Journey Mapping, click here.

To read Part 2 Good2bSocial Digital Academy – Content Marketing Strategy for Law Firms, click here.

To read Part 3 Good2bSocial Digital Academy – Developing a Successful Social Media Strategy for Law Firms

Stay tuned for more details on the topics and key takeaways included in the other six modules of the Good2bSocial Academy.

Copyright ©2020 National Law Forum, LLC
ARTICLE BY Eilene Spear of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC
For more articles on social media advertising, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

6 Tips for the Lawyer Working from Home

If you struggled with work-life balance before working at home, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns that will burn you out and ultimately sacrifice your quality of work. These six tips for the lawyer working from home can help you be your most productive self while making room to nurture your wellbeing.

Create a Dedicated WorkSpace

A dedicated workspace will set the tone for your productivity and ability to focus throughout the day. It’s best to choose a location in your home that provides ample amount of natural light and a barrier to distractions. Your desk should be clutter free and have enough space for you to work without feeling cramped.

Implement a Work from Home Morning Routine 

Among all of the uncertainties that may arise during the day, your morning routine is one you should strive to consistently complete. You may already have a routine, or maybe you’re wondering how to find the time. It may require waking up a little earlier than usual but it will make a world of difference on how you approach your day. Your routine can be as simple as relaxing with coffee, walking your dog, or doing a quick workout before diving into your day. Check out this blog for more morning routine tips.

Invest in Software and Essential Tools

Long before the pandemic hit, tech companies have been creating a digital world with software that makes your work day flow seamlessly. In fact, technology built in the cloud, like PracticePanther, means you can access it without being in the office or sacrificing on the security of your company’s data. Lawyers working from home shouldn’t have to stress about accessing their data securely.

Implement Online Payments 

Many law firms are still holding onto outdated payment methods, the main culprit tends to be paper checks. Risk averse firms often aren’t familiar with new programs or they’re hesitant to implement them due to policy regulations. However, there are payment software systems that meet the rigorous legal industry’s regulations, and simplify the payment process for lawyers and clients alike. Not only will implementing an online payments system streamline your payments, but you’ll get paid faster and your clients will appreciate the efficient, secure process.

If you’re introducing online payments while working from home, be sure to effectively communicate with your clients the change and the benefits of offering this new payment option. The more educated and confident you are, the more likely your clients will feel comfortable making payments online.

Communicate with Clients

You likely have a variety of clients with varying levels of comfort when it comes to utilizing new technology or software. To limit unnecessary frustration, lawyers working from home should create a communications plan and send it to their clients. The communications plan should answer the following questions:

  • How long will you be working from home?
  • What are the different channels of communication you can be reached at?
  • What are your office hours?
  • How can I make payments?

Creating this plan will show your clients that you are committed to providing quality customer service while working from home and diminish any uncertainties they may have. Additionally, this plan will act as a way for you to set boundaries with your clients and stick to your routine.

Take Breaks

It’s very easy to fall into a cycle while working from home where it seems like there is no way to disconnect. Each day you will have to make a conscious decision to schedule breaks. Whether it’s cooking a quick nutritious meal or walking your dog, taking time for yourself is important and will limit burnout.

This article was written by Kamron Sanders.

© Copyright 2020 PracticePanther

ARTICLE FROM THE Practice Panther Blog
For more articles on the legal industry, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Law Firm SEO: Top Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Lawyers

For most people, Google is their go-to search tool for finding legal services. Being the largest search engine online today, Google is a significant source of leads for law firms and practicing attorneys.

But ranking high in the Google search results is not always an easy feat. You need Search Engine Optimization to improve your law firm website, increase your rankings, and attract new leads in droves.

The good news is that SEO for attorneys is made simple with the right strategies.

In this comprehensive SEO for lawyers guide, you’ll learn:

  • What search engine optimization is (and why it matters)
  • The fundamentals of law firm SEO
  • On-site SEO tips for lawyers
  • How to conduct SEO keyword research
  • How to write legal content for your blog
  • The essentials of local SEO for law firms
  • Top link building tactics for law firms

Want to improve your Google rankings and drive more clients to your website? Let’s dive in.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a type of digital marketing that works to help businesses and websites attract more visitors from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Specifically, law firm SEO is the practice of using data-driven tactics to attract more prospective clients online.

Prospective clients turn to search engines (namely, Google) to search for legal services, find a lawyer in their area, read law firm reviews, and compare their options. Law firm SEO helps lawyers stand out online, making them the obvious choice ahead of their competitors.

Why is Law Firm SEO Important?

SEO is a powerful marketing tool in helping law firms attract more clients online. Not only can SEO help your law firm rank higher in the search results, but it can increase website engagement and generate more leads for your business.

Ranking at the top of search doesn’t happen overnight, and it usually doesn’t happen without some intervention on your part to improve your site’s SEO. That’s why it’s important to invest in SEO strategies early on to increase your chances of ranking above your local competitors.

Benefits of SEO for Lawyers

There are a variety of benefits that come from using search engine optimization on your website. These benefits can include:

  • Attracting more users to your law firm’s website
  • Increasing your visibility in local search
  • Generating more positive reviews for your business
  • Increasing engagement on your website
  • Converting website visitors into potential clients
  • Attracting high-quality backlinks to your site
  • Ranking above your competitors
  • Tapping into new service areas and markets
  • Creating a holistic content strategy to reach more users

The benefits of SEO don’t stop there. If you want to attract more clients to your law firm on a consistent basis – and improve your digital marketing overall – it’s worth it to get started with SEO.

Does My Law Firm Need a Website for SEO?

The legal industry is highly competitive, which means law firms need to do everything they can to stay ahead of the competition. While it’s possible to attract clients without a website, it’s highly recommended that you have one in order to get the most out of SEO.

Having a website gives you a platform to optimize your business for Google search and provides a medium through which potential clients can contact you. It also gives you a place where you can publish content, post client testimonials, and provide clients with information about your firm.

Having an attractive, search engine optimized website can make a huge difference when it comes to getting your law firm noticed online.

The Fundamentals of Law Firm SEO

There are essentially four essentials that are required for a successful SEO strategy. These include:

  1. Technical SEO
  2. Content
  3. Link Building
  4. Local SEO

Technical SEO

Technical SEO involves the technical optimization of your website, including the site structure, navigation, load speed, and link structure. Without a fast, functional, and user-friendly website, no amount of content or backlinks will be enough to maximize your rankings.

To have a technically-sound website, your site must:

  • Be optimize for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets)
  • Be indexable by search engines (by having an optimized sitemap)
  • Be secure; having an updated SSL certificate
  • Avoid broken links and 404 pages
  • Be easy to navigate
  • Have a fast load time (under 3 seconds)

Technical SEO is arguably the most complex part of SEO, as it requires some knowledge of website management and development. When optimizing your law firm website, it may be best to work with a technical SEO expert and/or web developer the handle the technical optimization of your site.

Content Marketing

In the SEO world, content is king. It’s virtually impossible to have an informative, user-friendly website without content. With that in mind, your law firm website should have web pages and blog articles that contain valuable content that’s both written for your target audience and optimized for search engines.

Link Building

Backlinks occur when another website or online platform links to your website. When reputable, authoritative websites link to your site, this can boost your own site’s authority. This is a plus in the eyes of Google, as Google’s algorithm strives to show high-authority sites to users.

Link building is the practice of driving links to your website, through a variety of methods.

The key thing to keep in mind is that you should be working to earn high-quality links, not just a massive volume of links. It’s best to earn these links organically or through outreach rather than through buying links from a vendor.

Local SEO

Local SEO is a type of SEO that’s unique to local businesses. This is because local businesses serve specific geographical areas and, therefore, their potential customers are often using geo-specific terms to find services in their area.

For example, someone is more likely to search for “family lawyer in Seattle” than simply “lawyer” or “attorney”, because they know they need a lawyer in their area. So, law firms then need to use these localized terms in their content, as well as build out their local online listings (such as on Google My Business, Bing Places, and the like).

Google Ranking Factors for Law Firm Websites

The top Google ranking factors are essentially the same for law firms as they are for any other type of business, aside from local SEO. “Ranking factors” are essentially the elements Google’s algorithm looks for when determining whether (and how) it should rank a website.

Your goal as a law firm business owner is to try and tick off all of these boxes. If your site includes all of these top ranking factors, you’re well on your way to having an optimized site that ranks above your competitors.

These top ranking factors for Google include:

  1. Having a secure and accessible website
  2. Passing Google’s Page Speed and Mobile Page Speed tests
  3. Being optimized for mobile devices
  4. Your website’s domain age and authority
  5. Having optimized web content
  6. Tackling your technical SEO
  7. Optimizing for User Experience (UX)
  8. Having high-quality backlinks

How to Conduct Keyword Research for Law Firms

Before you can start optimizing your site for certain search terms, you need to figure out what those terms should be. Keyword research involves identifying what key terms your potential clients are searching for when looking for businesses like yours.

Many lawyers assume that their target audience is searching for keywords like “lawyer” or “law firm”, but this is not necessarily the case. You need to conduct thorough, data-driven keyword research to find the right terms, as well as uncover their search volume and competition level.

1. Use SEO keyword tools

Lawyers can use SEO keyword research tools like Ahrefs.com or SEMRush.com to find keywords. These tools not only show you how much search volume a keyword gets, but also how difficult it will be to compete for it.

Use these tools to research your own initial keyword ideas, find related keywords, and spy on your competitors’ keyword strategies. Knowledge is power, and having the best data on your side will only help your SEO strategy become stronger.

2. Brainstorm searchable key terms.

Sometimes it’s best to simply start with a brain dump of keyword ideas that might apply to your website. Consider:

  • The types of services you offer
  • How you would describe your business in a few words
  • The types of clients you work with
  • The results you’ve generated for clients
  • What your competitors are targeting
  • Your service area(s)
  • The questions your potential clients are likely asking

For example, a personal injury attorney in Los Angeles is likely to think up search terms like:

  • LA personal injury attorney
  • LA personal injury lawyer
  • Personal injury lawyer LA
  • Personal injury law LA
  • Los angeles pi lawyer
  • Who to call after an accident
  • Car accident lawyer LA
  • Personal injury law services
  • What does a pi lawyer do

The above terms are all potential keywords you could search for using your chosen keyword research tool. Over time, you’re likely to add to this list by discovering related terms and other keywords you’d like to target on your website.

3. Consider localized keywords.

In the previous example, you saw some keyword options that included localized terms like “LA” and “Los Angeles”. If you are a law firm that targets specific service areas, then you will want to identify localized terms as well.

See if you can find key terms for each of the areas you serve. Look for variations of these localized terms, such as “LA”, “Los Angeles”, and “Los Angeles, CA”. It’s best to target these terms so your law firm is able to compete locally versus at a more competitive, national level.

4. Identify related keywords.

Once you search for the key terms in your chosen SEO keyword research tool, you can use the tool to find “Related Keywords”. This is a great way to find terms you might not have thought of before. If they seem like a good fit for your site, add them to your list.

5. Scope out your competitors’ keywords.

Finally, you can use those same SEO tools to search your competitors’ domains and see which keywords they are targeting. You are likely to find some interesting phrases you might want to target on your own site. These terms can then be applied to new web pages or blog articles.

On-Site SEO Tips for Lawyers

On-site (or “on-page”) SEO involves optimization that occurs on your website (as opposed to optimizing your other online profiles or building backlinks). On-site SEO is important because your website serves as essentially the foundation of your entire SEO strategy.

Fortunately, on-page SEO tends to be the most accessible form of SEO and therefore the easiest for lawyers to implement on their own.

Here are a few tips for optimizing your website:

  • Use your focus keyword in the title tag of your page. Your title meta tag is one of the strongest signals that search engines look out for.
  • Include your keyword(s) in the meta description of your page or post. This description should accurately (and concisely) explain what the content is about.
  • Include your keyword in your H1 tag. This is the “title” that appears when you visit the web page or blog post.
  • Use keywords throughout your page copy. In writing a web page or article, your content should thoroughly cover the topic and naturally include your target keyword, as well as related keywords.
  • Optimize your page/post length. Look at the top-ranking pages or articles for your target keyword and try to write content that’s around the same length. Ideally, your content should provide more value than what’s already ranking.
  • Avoid duplicate content. The content on your web pages should be original, and you should avoid using the same content across multiple pages.
  • Optimize your images by reducing the file size, including a descriptive file name, and adding optimized (descriptive) image alt text. Only use original images or graphics, or royalty-free images, to avoid copyright issues.
  • Fix broken links by setting up 301 redirects. Avoid changing the URLs of your pages or posts unless absolutely necessary. Have a user-friendly 404 page that directs users to other pages of your site if they encounter a broken link.
  • Add internal links within your content to other pages and posts on your site. This helps users find the information they’re looking for and keeps them on your site for longer.

How to Write Legal Content for Your Blog

Your law firm website should contain optimized web pages that describe your services, but you should also have blog articles that draw in potential clients. Beyond your Home, About, Contact, and service pages, blog articles work to attract a wider audience and provide value to users.

This is where you can get a bit more creative with your content ideas. Brainstorm some topics and then use keyword research tools to determine whether any of these terms have search volume. Then you can turn them into blog posts.

For example, some interesting legal blog post ideas include:

  • “X Things to Look for When Hiring a Y Lawyer”
  • “X Things to Do Before Filing for Divorce”
  • “X Steps to Filing a Personal Injury Claim”
  • “What to Do if You Get Injured on the Job”
  • “X Steps to Settling a Child Custody Dispute”
  • “Complete Guide to X Law for [Audience]”
  • “What You Need to Know About [State]’s New X Law”
  • “Need a X Lawyer? Here’s How to Choose the Best One for You”

Once you have a topic in mind – and have confirmed that there is search volume for this topic – you can write an informative blog post. Then, follow on-site SEO best practices to ensure your post is optimized for search engines. Again, this includes:

  • Using the focus keyword in the title tag
  • Writing an optimized meta description
  • Using your target keyword(s) throughout the content
  • Adding descriptive H2 headings
  • Adding internal links
  • Including original, optimized images

Local SEO Essentials for Law Firms

As a local service business, your law firm needs local SEO in order to rank high in local search. This not only involves using localized keywords on your website, but also optimizing your local online listings.

Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is a free platform that allows businesses to create online profiles to drive traffic and attract customers/clients. You can claim an existing listing or create a new one. Best practices for optimizing your GMB listing are to include your business name, address, phone number, hours, and website link, add images to your profile, and generate positive client reviews.

Online Directories

There are a variety of reputable online directories that allow law firms to post their business information. This is a good way to generate traffic, attract clients, and, sometimes, earn a backlink. Some of the top legal directories include Avvo, FindLaw, BBB, eLocal, Superpages, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, and Yelp.

Localized Content

While it can be difficult to find localized keywords that relate to the services you offer, it’s still worth it to try and create localized content for your niche. This might include topics like “Best Lawyers in [ Area ]” or even something more broad like “X Businesses That Are Serving the Community in [ Area ]”.

You should use your geo-specific keywords throughout your content and be on the lookout for more localized keyword opportunities. This would be a good time to scope out what your competitors are doing and see if you can tackle any of these topics on your own site.

Link Building Strategies for Law Firms

The last “essential” of law firm SEO is link building, which involves earning links back to your website. There are many organic methods you can use, but this can be quite a competitive endeavor, especially in the legal niche.

Some of the most common law firm link building strategies include:

  • Creating linkable assets (blog articles, guides, ebook, etc.) that sites will link to organically
  • Conducting outreach to niche websites to earn links directly
  • Guest posting on other websites in exchange for links
  • Posting your business information to online directories
  • Creating white papers, case studies, and “ultimate guides” you can circulate to other platforms

Link building can get a bit tedious, but it is worth it when it comes to the authority you can earn for your site. Need more ideas? Check out this post on 8 link building ideas for law firms.

Law Firm SEO Made Simple

Law firm SEO can seem complicated, especially if you’re new to this type of digital marketing. But with the right strategies, you can start taking steps today to improve your SEO over time. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and now’s the best time to get started to set your site up for long-term growth.

By implementing on-page SEO, technical SEO, content marketing, local SEO, and link building, you’ll be well on your way to having an optimized law firm website. Over time, you’ll increase your Google rankings, generate more traffic, and, hopefully, attract more clients to your firm.

Copyright 2020 © Hennessey Digital

ARTICLE BY Jason Hennessey of Hennessey Digital
For more articles on law firm SEO, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.