A few years ago, many law firms might have baulked at the suggestion of wasting precious resources on tactical online marketing – a flashy website as brochure was deemed enough – yet attitudes have changed so much that strategic online positioning is now essential in an increasingly competitive legal world. Indeed, for some smaller firms, a few basic changes and additions to their website can increase their profile significantly. The purpose of this article is to identify, explain and demystify these slightly arcane techniques, so that your firm can use the internet to punch above its weight. Many of these are inter-related, and sometimes labelled as ‘online PR’.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO encompasses a variety of techniques that allows your website to appear at, or near the top of a search ranking, thereby increasing the volume of traffic to your site. (Studies have proven that web users do not look past the first three pages of results when browsing.) It sounds simple, but positioning your website at the top of a generic search is the equivalent of getting to the front of a JK Rowling book signing queue. As you can imagine, this has created a scramble for optimum positioning, which has led to the advent of search engines introducing fees for guaranteed inclusion in their indices and directories charging for reviews. This element of media buying has prompted SEO to be more commonly referred to as search engine marketing (SEM).

So what can you do about it?

1. Write keyword-rich body text. According to the Search Engine Marketing Guide, this is still the most important criteria: “If the pages do not have keyword rich text, even the best titles and meta tags are not going to go very far toward good listings.”
2.  Write short, concise meta-tags (elements strategically placed in the head section of an HTML document). They are supposed to flag up keywords in the text, so are meant to be “an addition to, not replacement for, keyword-rich HTML copy”.
3.  Don’t cut corners, or resort to ‘spamming’. SEO has its own dodgy practitioners and dark arts – sometimes referred to as ‘black hat’ marketing – which are not to be recommended. Tactics include stuffing keywords into text, using secret layers to hide keywords, and writing keywords in a tiny font size so they are barely readable. Search engines may ban or penalise sites using such techniques.

Create Affiliations

Sometimes lumped in as a SEO technique, affiliations are relevant links with other websites, essentially creating an online network with mutual benefits for all parties involved. For smaller companies, a link to a larger company allows it to be seen by more people, and rank higher in search engine rankings because it is linked to a more popular site.

Start a Newsletter

The key to successful online marketing is keeping your website up-to-date and informative. One of the best ways of ensuring this is done competently and relevantly is by publishing a newsletter. A well-written one will gain a following – and possibly even become essential industry reading – thereby creating repeat traffic to your site. Sent as an email, a newsletter can double up as a PR tool, distributing positive information that will boost your reputation with clients and peers alike. It can also have the added effect of creating more links. For example, a story in your newsletter may be picked up and run by a large media organisation like the BBC, who will include a link to your site.

Enrol with Directories

This sounds simple but it is essential and effective. Signing up to legal directories increases your presence and authenticates your firm. Some search engines also use these lists as a source for their searches. Not all directories are the same though, so do some research into the ones best suited to your firm.

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

Advertising on the internet is growing; money spent on it last year hit 10% of total UK advertising expenditure for the first time. PPC means that advertisers pay a fee every time their advert is clicked on by a viewer. Advertisers bid on keywords they think their target audience would use when searching. Adverts appear as ‘sponsored links’ beside the more organic search results, and the more you pay, the nearer the top of the page your advert will appear. This method is often used by firms that don’t want to optimise their content, but simply pay to feature higher in search listings.

A word of warning though: instances of PPC fraud have grown as competitors, or disgruntled former employees, try to sabotage campaigns. This involves repeat clicking – either manual or computer generated – on an advert to drive up the cost of a rivals marketing budget. Another form is ‘affiliate’ fraud, whereby ad server affiliates repeat click on adverts to boost their own commissions.

Be Innovative

Online technology is growing and so are the features you can add to your website to make it more accessible, up-to-date and informative. However, Podcasts, blogs, RSS feeds and the like are only useful if used in constructive ways. Differentiation from your competitors is key here: be original.

The ‘Podcast’ example

Addleshaw Goddard, winner of the Intendance 2007 “Fast Fifty” solicitors’ website assessment, posts Podcasts on its website detailing the highs and lows of life as a trainee lawyer. A recent Legal Week Intelligence survey of law students found that the most powerful motivation for joining a particular firm was from prior experience. Obviously not all law students can do summer placements, but the next best way of experiencing the realities of law firm life is through another trainee. Also, technology-savvy law students are more likely to be attracted to a firm that displays its progressive credentials on its website.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question

Blogs are ubiquitous now and no longer the preserve of chat-room addicts. The essence of these new media techniques is to attract the potential client or talented recruit who is impressed by your firm but wavering over whether to get in touch. As long as they are written in a professional manner in keeping with your firm’s image, blogs – by their more casual nature and conversational style – can create an empathy or connection that makes a potential client take that leap of faith. It might be something work-related, or something completely different like driving the same car or liking the same restaurant.

Good design and content

You can have all the snazzy technological accoutrements in the world, but portraying the right image, in keeping with your brand, is still paramount. Good, clean design and concise, lucid content are the foundations of an appealing homepage. Without them, clients will be put off instantly and all that work on marketing your website will be wasted.

When clients delve deeper, the variety of information they need to assess your firm (case studies, partner profiles, contact info, mission statements etc.) must be accurate and well-presented. Badly-written case studies or profiles with out-of-date information will point to a lack of professionalism and drive business away.