Your Law Firm’s Impeccable Reputation + The Cobalt Formula™ = Raising The Bar

Let’s start with the truth.

Digital marketing - just like the world of law - is constantly evolving. Once you think you’ve got a solid handle on things, social media trends shift, Google’s algorithm changes, a new technology emerges...there’s a million things that can happen seemingly overnight.

This means you have to stay ahead of the game. As digital marketers, we continually analyze metrics, explore new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, remain up-to-date on evolving social platforms - and even sometimes - fail.

That’s something we’ve realized here at Cobalt Digital Marketing (and have learned to work with). Digital marketing and SEO isn’t a science, it’s an organic, living thing that grows and changes. And in today’s tech-driven world, businesses, and law firms alike, have to be willing to adapt to these changes in order to prosper.

But why do attorneys need a website?

In business, it's all about competition. We work with our clients to identify and show their competitive advantages. For lawyers and law firms, it is even more important to maintain an impeccable online reputation and clearly communicate what their practice is all about. When clients are reaching out to an attorney for personal injury, bad faith insurance, auto accidents, lawsuits against dangerous medications and medical devices, or even home insurance disputes, law firms truly provide hope in the darkest of times.

But if clients can’t find you…

If you weren’t aware of it, attorneys can benefit tremendously from responsive websites and a comprehensive digital marketing program including content, SEO, and reputation management.

Google conducted research in 2013 that found that after searching for a lawyer through their search engine, 29.5% of respondents visited the law firm’s site, while 27.6% read reviews of the firm on Google. This comes to a total to 57.1% of people finding law firms through online research.

[bctt tweet="57% of people find law firms online #attorney #SEO #web" username="cobalt_digital"]

Understandably, a strong reputation in your respective city or region is essential to building a client base. But in today’s market, a robust and active online reputation is just as important - or even more so. The reality is that in order to remain competitive in 2017 - and into the foreseeable future - law firms need a well designed site that offers an exceptional user experience.

One of the best actions an attorney can take to secure a top position in Google listings - which is the leading search engine in the world - is to have a responsive website. As the gold standard for today’s web design, responsive websites are streamlined to work optimally on any device, from desktop to smartphone and even tablet.

By placing the user experience in the forefront of your web design, you’ll be providing a solid first impression.

Providing Value to Potential Clients

Google’s bread and butter is giving people what they’re looking for. With frequently updated algorithms designed to spot bad website etiquette, such as keyword stuffing and bad linking, Google can quickly bury an attorney’s website into the deep, dark dungeon of the internet - if they aren’t offering quality content.

However, by writing meaningful, quality content on a regular basis, Google will more frequently crawl and index your page - that’s a good thing! Of course, you’re likely to be busy with clients and growing a thriving law practice, which means you don’t have much time for anything else.

That’s where we come in.

As part of our comprehensive digital marketing programs, we’ll give you a competitive edge by creating original, valuable, and frequently updated content that will put you front and center on Google, making it a whole lot easier for potential clients to find you.

It’s also important to know with the growth of semantic search and machine learning, Google is utilizing technologies that are spanning the gap between online human interactions and understanding.

Because the language you use to describe your services may vary from the manner in which a potential client describes their problem, these new technologies are better adept at understanding user intent and finding them the answers they need. By staying on top of these trends, we are better able to utilize them to your benefit, and ultimately, help you connect with your next clients.

Be a Social Butterfly

While professionals may view social media as something only the “kids are doing”, the reality is that successfully using social media can provide attorneys (and their firms) the opportunity to connect with new clients.

Just think of it as another tool in your arsenal to help you remain ahead of the pack.

Today’s generation of clients is looking for a brand to trust in. Being on social media can help you to deliver a consistent message and experience whenever they run across your firm.

There’s also the benefit of being able to promote blogs and links back to your website, which can increase your traffic and clientele base.

Social media also offers attorneys a cost-effective means to stand out and make a name for themselves. This can prove to be vital in developing your community engagement.

By remaining active on social media, your community - both virtual and real - will begin to develop a greater sense of trust and value in your services and this will help to further enhance your reputation.

We recommend your firm uses the most important social networks for professionals, which include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ (Google Plus).

Staying Mobile

If you weren’t aware, mobile searches surpassed desktop searches several years ago. With the majority of people using mobile devices to browse the web, your site has to be optimized for mobile user experience.

[bctt tweet="Mobile searches have surpassed desktop searches on Google. #mobile #ready #beprepared" username="cobalt_digital"]

SEO is Alive and Kicking

While the process known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has gone through several reiterations, it’s far from being dead.

And it’s important to understand why you should consider investing in SEO as part of your law firm’s overall digital marketing strategy. The law is an ever competitive field that requires you to take advantage of all marketing solutions:

Get found locally - Understandably, people are searching for firms they can trust, but they also need one they can access. Most clients will seek out consultation from local firms and quality SEO strategies can help you to rank under terms relative to your location. By including your location on web content, such as blog posts or articles, people can find you close to where they are.

SEO (and content) is king. Law firms optimize their SEO usage by writing useful and informative content that is highly searchable by Google. The more frequently you post new content, the more often Google will crawl it and increase your brand’s visibility. Provide value and your customers will remain loyal. Provide great services and your base will continue to grow.

SEO benefits all your content. While SEO is implemented in a blog or article, there are numerous other opportunities to insert keywords into the right places. Think of it as having a chance to take more shots at the basket.

SEO is investing in the future. The truth is that SEO does require a financial investment, and while costs are always an issue with any business, the fact remains that it will remain an effective tool for brand visibility and actual sales into the foreseeable future.

It’s OK to follow the crowd. As “far back” as 2012, 89 percent of consumers turned to Google, Bing, or other search engines to find information on products, services, or businesses prior to making a purchase. This means you need to be where your customers are - online. But even then that’s not enough.

You need to make sure you are implementing a quality Search Engine Optimization program to be visible enough for customers to actually find you. To be competitive you have to know the game and SEO is a perfect place to start. If you’re not doing it, your competitors are only getting further ahead.

SEO is cost effective. SEO is going to provide you with a good Return on Investment in comparison to traditional marketing or other online marketing techniques such as PPC advertising or purchasing leads through an email marketing program.

SEO can help you be in control of your online image. By failing to build your own online profile, you are likely damaging your business. If you lose focus on your digital image, your website and its content, you’ll lose ranking in Google searches. A solid SEO strategy that evolves with every Google algorithm update will keep your online profile healthy.

Can you afford for your competition to get one-up on you?

You know the law. We know digital marketing. With our digital marketing formula and your expertise, we can set the bar higher than any one who has came before.

Investing in your digital marketing and SEO strategy is more important now than ever before. To succeed in today’s tech-driven market, you need to have a plan ahead. Let Cobalt Digital Marketing take you to the next level.

Contact us today at 956-303-6555 to find out how we can help you craft and perfect your online presence.