Is SEO Snake Oil? Yes, Just as All Lawyers are Ambulance Chasers.
By Peter Boyd on April 28, 2011 in SEO
Hello lawyers; now that I have your attention, let’s discuss proper SEO. Yes, there are plenty of myths, snake charmers, “rainmakers,” and other evils in the area of Internet marketing, especially so in SEO. That happens in every industry.
Let’s separate the hype from what actually works. Don’t get burned. Instead, light a fire under your website.
How to Differentiate SEO Consulting from Evil Snake Oil
- Are you guaranteed rankings? Lawyers don’t guarantee results, so why would you expect the same from another profession?” A professional SEO team will work with you and act as your trusted advisor. Sometimes SEO fails to get top rankings. Sometimes the website fails to convert. And sometimes” – gasp! — the firm fails to sign clients or even call them back in a timely fashion. Expect your marketing team to be knowledgeable and be able to adapt to any issue or change.
- Are you promised the world? Just like with other charlatans, if you are promised too much, it is too good to be true. Set realistic expectations for your campaign. If you are told you can rank high for “lawyer” for $200 a month, something is probably up, and you might want to run away.
- Did you get a detailed list of what they are doing? Yes, there are checklists for on-page SEO architecture. There are proper ways of doing keyword research to know what to target. There are content publishing plans that can be followed. There are SEO audits you can conduct on a monthly basis to track results. Finally, there is a way to build proper authority through link building. Demand a list of exactly what your team is doing. You may not recognize all the acronyms and methods, but be a good lawyer and ask the tough questions, so you know what you are getting for your money.
Specific Articles
We have separated this post into a series of short articles. Read up.
- Did You Get High Rankings and Traffic, But Still No Inquiries?
- What SEO Results Can You Expect?
- Internet Marketing for Law Firms:” What Do Top Clients Have In Common?
- How to Run a Proper SEO Campaign for a Law Firm
- 7 Things to Avoid With Law Firm Internet Marketing
Final Thoughts
Snake oil happens in any industry, from car sales to lawyers to clergy. The key for anyone is to know more than the person trying to sell you their services, or at least ask questions to test their BS.
Understand what you are hiring someone to do, set clear goals, and have a review process for your SEO team.
