Overview of online advertising options for lawyers. Presented at the California Bar meeting in September, 2009.

1. The Cyber-Savvy Attorney
September, 2009
Steve Lombardi
CEO
ExpertHub
©2009 ExpertHub

2. About Steve Lombardi
• CEO of ExpertHub
– ExpertHub is a network of 60 legal websites
• 10 years of Internet Marketing experience
– President, Firstlook: portfolio of 700,000 domain names
– Chief Marketing Officer, VendareNetblue
• Display network
• Affiliate network
• Lead Generation network
• Incentive marketing
• Purchased $6MM of Internet media each month
– Founded TheMan.com
©2009 ExpertHub

3. Internet Marketing Overview
SEO/SEM
Consumers Lawyers
Directories
Blogs
110 million searches 1.2 million lawyers
each month
Social Media
©2009 ExpertHub

4. Golden Rules
1. Choosing one vendor/approach/site to do your online
marketing is a mistake
– Many are symbiotic, even if they are competitors
2. Use cost and results to prioritize
– Remember to value your time
3. Have realistic expectations
– “You get what you pay for” applies
©2009 ExpertHub

5. Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page
Paid Results
Highest yielding advertisements
for keyword (up to 11 per page)
Organic Results
Most relevant web pages
per Google’s algorithm.
(10 per page)
Local Results
Local business results (if
appropriate) from Google Maps.
Video Results (Not Shown)
Video search results News Results
(usually youtube) if News results (if appropriate) from
appropriate Google News.
©2009 ExpertHub

6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Generating visitors to your website from
organic listings on search results pages
• Basic SEO is necessary to be found online
• Advanced SEO is cost-prohibitive for most
• Although visitors are “free,” consulting/resource costs
are high
©2009 ExpertHub

7. Basic Elements of SEO
Page Title
Search-friendly URL
Internal
Links
Heading “Tags”
©2009 ExpertHub

8. Google’s Organic Search Results
SEO Tips
• Page titles, URL’s, etc that
directly match the keyword
phrase are more likely to be
ranked highly
• Google bolds the keywords in
the search result listing that
match the keyword phrase,
affecting the click thru rate
• Click thru rate is one measure
that Google uses to refine
their results
# of Web Pages that
“match” keyword phrase
Page Title
Meta-Description
Search-friendly URL
©2009 ExpertHub

9. Inbound Links: How Google Determines Ranking
The value of the link is Link-building Tips
based on the quality of • Fewer, high quality links will generate
the site (PageRank) . . . . better results
• Anchor text is very important
. . .and the anchor text • Once on your site, internal links to other
of the link . . . pages on your site will help build your
To determine which search rankings
order to display the
results
©2009 ExpertHub

10. Additional Resources
• Google’s Webmaster Guide
– Published by Google (.pdf document)
– Search for “webmaster guide” on google)
• SEO blogs
©2009 ExpertHub

11. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Generating visitors to your website from paid
listings on search results pages
• Results are fast
• Can outsource campaign management
• Cost per lead is very high
©2009 ExpertHub

12. How Paid Search Listings Work
• Google charges you every time
someone clicks on your ad (CPC)
• Your bid is entered into an auction –
you pay $0.01 more than the next ad.
• Order is based on Google’s yield
Yield = Bid Price * Click Thru Rate
– Rewards advertisers with higher
CTR’s (brands, local advertisers)
©2009 ExpertHub

13. Managing Paid Search
Cost Per Lead = CPC x Lead Conversion Rate
Keyword Bid Prices Click Through Rate On Ad Copy Form or Phone Call Submission Rate
©2009 ExpertHub

14. Additional Resources
• Google’s Sandbox for Traffic
– Gives you volume and price estimates for keywords
– https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox
• Keyword Generation Tools
– Wordtracker
– $329/year or $59/month
• Outsourced Providers
– ReachLocal, Yodle, Dex
• Blogs on Paid Search
– http://searchenginewatch.com/
©2009 ExpertHub

15. Directories and other legal websites
Websites that list lawyers to help consumers
find a local lawyer
• Highly trafficked legal websites
• Provide legal information and list lawyers
• Effectiveness varies widely
©2009 ExpertHub

16. Directory Examples
Most
directories
offer
premium
advertising
Some directories list everyone, some list many and
others are more limited.
©2009 ExpertHub

17. Directories: Calculating ROI
• Directories offer different
ways to connect you with
consumers
– Phone number
– Links to your website
– Contact forms
• Evaluating a directories
performance requires
tracking technologies,
including
– A directories reporting
– Google Analytics (website)
– Separate phone numbers
©2009 ExpertHub

18. Considerations When Buying a Directory Listing
Factor What You Should Look For
Traffic/Lead Source • Organic search traffic is best
• Paid search traffic is ok
• Watch out for recycled leads
Web Presence • Profile pages help you get found when consumers search
• Look for back links where you can control the anchor text
Other Features • Content syndication can augment your SEO efforts
• Good reporting will help you evaluate performance
ROI • Your cost/lead must fit with your practice’s economics
• Usually need 3-6 months to evaluate, possibly longer if you
are looking for “big” cases
©2009 ExpertHub

19. Blogs
A genre of website where entries are
displayed in reverse chronological order
• Great way to establish thought leadership or your firm’s
brand
• Technology is readily available and cheap
– Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type
• Biggest challenge is getting readers (and clients)
©2009 ExpertHub

20. Blog Overview
RSS (Really Simple
Syndication). Helps
Posts are displayed in
with generating both
reverse chronological
readers and back links.
order
Blog posts can be
organized by “tag”
User comments make
the blog interactive Sharing technology
helps readers distribute
your blog posts.
©2009 ExpertHub

21. Questions to Answer Before You Start
Question Answer
What should I write about? Your blog should have a clear editorial mission
• Your expertise (category of law)
• A topic that interests you
If you have two distinct topics to write about, create 2 blogs!
What do I write? • Original posts (500-600 words)
– Original posts are best for targeting search traffic
• Comment on other posts (50-75 words)
– Great way to make other bloggers aware of your blog
How much time does it take? • 2-4 hours/week minimum
How often should I post? • 1-2 posts/week minimum
©2009 ExpertHub

22. Additional Resources
• Blogger’s Legal Guide
– http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal
©2009 ExpertHub

23. LinkedIn/Facebook
Tools to manage your relationships online
• Get updates on friends, colleagues, share photos, etc
• Businesses can have their own pages and connect with
consumers
©2009 ExpertHub

24. LinkedIn
Public View
Public View • Online resume (work
experience, interests, group
memberships, etc)
Your View • Shows your connections
• Lists recommendations
Your View
• View updates (keep track of
your connections)
• Join groups, engage in
discussions
• Post Questions/ Answer
other’s Questions
• Add connections, edit your
profile, etc.
©2009 ExpertHub

25. Facebook
Business Page
• Can create a page for your
business that anyone can
access (post updates to your
wall, upload photos, start
discussions
• Consumers can become
“fans” of your business
• Fans receive updates to your
business page through their
news feed
• Major brands create
“applications” (like quizzes)
that attract fans
©2009 ExpertHub

26. Twitter
A free social messaging utility for staying
connected in real time
• Answers the question: “What Are You Doing”
• Updates are 140 characters or less
• Following/Followers
– You “follow” the updates of whomever you like
– Other twitter users can choose to follow you
• Great for networking and promoting, too early to
determine effectiveness for client development
©2009 ExpertHub

27. Twitter Overview “Tweet” history
• Status updates
• Post links to your
blog/website
Customize • “Re-tweet” or
your profile forward posts
• Reply to someone’s
tweet
View followers
©2009 ExpertHub

28. Summary
Category Costs Time Investment Best For
SEO $1,000 - $10,000/month Can outsource Helping existing
2-4 hrs/week if do it clients find you
alone
SEM $4-25 per click Can outsource Generating new
You set monthly budget 1 hr/day if do it alone clients
Directories $50 - $10,000 month Minimal Generating new
clients
Blogs Free - $5,000 set up At least 2-4 hrs/week Building your firm’s
brand
LinkedIn/Facebook Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Managing your client
base/relationship with
other professionals
Twitter Free Minimal – 2 hrs/day Tracking news
©2009 ExpertHub