7 Things to Avoid With Law Firm Internet Marketing

By Peter Boyd on April 27, 2011 in SEO 

1. Only do SEO. We always advise clients, even to our own financial detriment, that they not put their entire budget into SEO. We have turned away clients who only want to focus on SEO because those business models are risky. You must build an overall online and offline marketing presence. Make SEO part of the process, but not the entire process.
2. Instant On. SEO that is done quickly will not succeed; otherwise everyone would be doing it and ranking high. Demanding immediate high rankings from your team is not wise. Do have benchmarks and standards at 1 month, 3 month and 6 months to check on rankings. Do have multiple plans and ideas to help achieve your goals.
3. Produce Small Sites. Don’t expect high rankings with a 1-, 2- or 5-page site when you are competing in a saturated market. Sure, small sites can work for very, very niche phrases, but not for competitive phrases.
4. Write Crap Content. Too often we see content neglected. We may spend hundreds of hours on the design and build of a site, but clients give no thought to content. Don’t expect high rankings with poor content. Make sure you have a publisher who is in charge of creating quality content.
5. Set Too High Expectations. ” Set realistic expectations/goals for your campaign. That way you can dominate for your core terms and not waste your time (or money) on terms that are too competitive for your new or old site.
6. On-Page Rules it All. Thinking that on-page factors (Title tags, content, internal linking, anchor text) will be enough is dangerous. Google’s algorithm still relies heavily on authority (links to your site). You need to make sure you build authority through links to your site from other sites.
7. Use Old Methods. Using outdated technology and methods will not work in the long-term (reciprocal links, meta keyword tag, keyword stuffing). Use more modern ways of building authority (content, info-graphics, widgets, calculators, tools, and basically becoming the resource in your area).

Specific Articles

We have separated this post into a series of short articles. Read up.

1. Is SEO Snake Oil? Yes, Just as All Lawyers are Ambulance Chasers
2. Did You Get High Rankings and Traffic, But Still No Inquiries?
3. What SEO Results Can You Expect?
4. Internet Marketing for Law Firms: What Do Top Clients Have In Common?
5. How to Run a Proper SEO Campaign for a Law Firm

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