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Marketing Newsletter: Natural vs. Sponsored Results

Attorney Website Design

Basic Questions Answered

August Marketing Newsletter: Blogger's Block & Site Promotion

• Include resources in your posts (articles, links, documents)


• Simplify a complex legal issue (outlines, lists, shorter versions)


• Write a how-to post


• Write a how-things-work post


• Write of a personal experiece


• Include tips and lists frequently


• Provide different perspectives


• Submit your articles and/or become a blog editor




• Blawg Review


• ABA Journal


• Justia Blawgs


• Blawg.com


• Alternative Dispute Resolution Blogs


• Law Professor Blogs


• The Blogs of Law


• Blawg Republic




• Post a review to a news directory


• Participate in discussions on related blogs


• Make frequent posts to your blog: keep search engines and users coming back


• Submit articles to ezines




• EzineArticles.com


• EzineArticles.biz


• Ezine-Articles-Planet.com


• EArticleSubmission.com




• Participate in Yahoo Answers




• Yahoo!Answers




• Participate in LinkedIn Answers




• LinkedIn Answers




After applying a few of these remedies you are sure to be up and writing again in no time! Happy writing!

--The Marketing Team

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Department: Marketing
Author: Erica
Date: Aug 13, 2007


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Internet Marketing Tips

A big part of internet marketing is notifying potential clients of your legal web site. When promoting your website make sure you cover all your bases.

For successful internet marketing be sure to include your web address in:

-your firm's voicemail
-your firm's yellow pages listing
-articles you and your partners write for trade and consumer publications
-list your address with the hours listed on your firm's building doors
-accessories where your logo is printed (i.e. coffee cups & pens)
-and on business cards
-in your email signature
-letterheads
-street signs
-billboards
-banners
-newsletters
-flyers
-cupons
-pamphlets
-T.V. commercials
-ads printed on cars
-radio advertisements

Any place you market your business with your firm's name and/or logo should include your website's address.

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Department: Internet Marketing
Author: Erica
Date: Jul 31, 2007


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July's Marketing Newsletter: Search Engine Optimization

THE PURPOSE OF A SEARCH ENGINE
Search companies like Google, Yahoo and MSN strive provide web users with the most relevant information.

What do we mean when we say relevant?

When a web user visits a search engine they enter a “query” into the search box. Relevant results are results that reflect the search query or “keyword/term” entered
into the search box.

When you enter a search for “lawyer in dallas” into the search query box, you want the engine to provide you with a list of websites belonging to lawyers in dallas.

The query “lawyer in dallas” is a broad search. In fact, 86 pages displaying a total of 853 listings appear on the result page after searching for “lawyer in dallas.”
At the end of the search Google makes the statement:

“In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 853 already displayed...”

How then, does Google determine which sites are most relevant?

Search engines use complex formulas, or algorithms, to determine a site’s placement on the search engine results page.

In these algorithms, elements of your site are assigned a certain “weight.”One of the most important elements is the number and quality of links your site contains.
Do you referenc e noteworthy sites within your content? Do you recommend
informative sites to your visitors? Other elements include, but are not limited to,
keywords implemented in content, title tags, and ease of site navigation.

Because technolgoy is always elvolving, and search engines are always wanting to improve results, what may have worked last year is not garunteed to work this
year. Algorithms are constantly being modified to reflect the need of consumers.

How do we know what works now?

At Law Firm Sites we stay on top of the latest trends in the market. Our team is contstantly researching the lastest developments in online marketing to ensure
that we are providing our clients with effective marketing on an ongoing basis. At
LawFirm Sites we optimize based on the lastest search engine standards and algorithms.

So...What is Search Engine Optimization?

In a nutshell, search engine optimization is the process of discovering what search engines are looking for in a “good website” and then tailoring the website to fit what they are looking for.


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Department: Marketing
Author: Erica
Date: Jul 12, 2007


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JUNE: Blog your way to success!

What is a blog?

"Blog" is short for "weblog." A blog is an online diary of sorts that allows website owner's to make regular posts to their site.

A blog can be used for a number of purposes. Some site owner's use a blog as an online journal while others use a blog to rant publicly. Many professionals use corporate blogs to provide web site visitors with helpful information. A blog is an efficient means of communicating to the public, and thus is a huge asset to your firm.

In a blog you can post articles you've written or a glossary of terms, answer commonly asked questions, or announce current events in your community, in your profession and within your organization.

How can a blog increase the traffic to my website?

For search engine optimization purposes, a blog is beneficial because it is updated regularly. The sites who update regularly are crawled and indexed more often by the search engines. Consequently, the regularly updated sites experience higher rankings on the search engine results page because they are "favored" with the search engines.

A blog allows you to discuss key elements of your business in more depth and detail than does the information you currently provide on your site. In a blog you can discuss your practice areas in more depth. As you do so you will mention key terms more often. In your blog you may announce the addition of a new attorney. In this announcement you are likely to mention the attorney's name multiple times. The repetition of key terms will improve your ranking on the search engines.

In the context of a blog post there are often links to other resources on the web. Just as the concept of networking is beneficial in real world business, it is also highly beneficial in the virtual world as well. Cross linking is heavily considered by search engines when they are determining worth on the web.

Because a blog provides useful information, having a blog on your site will help convert the new visitors that enter your site. In addition to converting visitors, a blog will also help you retain visitors. A blog can help you establish your presence on the web as a useful and informative website. Users will return often and refer others because you provide the information they are looking for.

Don't have a blog on your site? What are you waiting for!?

Call us today. 1.800.932.6030

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Department: Marketing
Author: Erica
Date: May 31, 2007


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May Newsletter: Content, Content, Content!

MARKETING NEWSLETTER
MAY 2007

Content, content, content!

We cannot stress the importance of content enough.

Your website must contain content that covers the practice areas you’d most like to market. If you wish to receive high volumes of traffic, a bulleted list will not suffice.

Many of our clients have a bulleted list of their practice areas on an internal page of their site. While a list is a great way to display the services you provide, a list will only mention each practice area once. The more you mention the keywords you’d like to, the higher you will find your listing on the search engine results page for that keyword. We recommend adding a little more to each practice area regularly, and having each practice area on the list link to its own separate page.

Search engines like Google and Yahoo want to provide the most relevant results. When a web user searches for “rainbow colored lollipops” the search engines do not want to provide a long list of sites who sell only solid colored lollipops. In order to provide websites that are relevant to the web users query, a search engine will scour the web for content that matches the query. Thus, sites who mention “rainbow colored lollipops” will move to the top of the search engine results because the terms on their pages reflect the web users query. Those sites who have no mention of “rainbow colored lollipops” will move further down on the search engine results.

Clients often ask “Why does one attorney from our firm appear in the search results while the other attorneys of our firm do not?” The answer lies in content.

If you are trying to locate your firm by entering an attorney’s name in the search query box, it is likely that the attorney that does appear on the search results page has a profile that mentions his name more than once.

If you are trying to locate your firm by entering a geographical location and one attorney is favored in the results above another, it is probably because the attorney who appears mentions the geographical location more than once, and more often than the other attorneys mention it in their own profiles.

To provide the most relevant results search engines must know what is posted on the internet. Search Engines have “spiders” that crawl the content of the web. As they crawl they “make note” and index sites that they find.

If you update your site regularly the spiders will crawl your site more often. Search engines crawl frequently updated sites regularly to ensure that they, the search engines, are aware of all of the information that is offered on the web. When search engine spiders crawl your site more frequently, you will experience enhanced positioning in the search engine results. Search engines believe that a regularly updated site is most likely to provide users with up-to-date information. Consequently, search engines will refer a site that has been updated recently over a site who has not made any changes in the last year. [“Regular updates” should occur every 2-3 months.]

The more content you add to your site, the more terms you will discuss. Consequently, you will cover more search queries and be found at the top of search engine results.

*A blog is an excellent way to add more content to your site while at the same time updating your site regularly without altering the existing content. If you don’t already have a blog give us a call and we’ll help you set it up.

In summary, the three main ingredients to optimal content are the following:

-Keyword Dense Content
-Regularly Updated Content
-And a lot of it.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding content optimization please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Marketing Team!

The Marketing Team
LawFirmSites



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Department: Marketing
Author: Pools System
Date: May 09, 2007


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Sitemaps

WHAT IS A SITEMAP & WHY DO I NEED ONE?

A sitemap is a single webpage that is added to your site for search engine optimization purposes. In a nutshell, a sitemap is an outline of the pages in your website. Organized in an hierarchal fashion, the sitemap contains links to each page on your site. These embedded links are in place to enable search engine spiders to access and index each page easily.

In 2005, Google introduced the practice of creating sitemaps in xml files, arranged in a specific format. After the sitemap is posted to your site, Google is notified of its whereabouts. Google then downloads the xml file and updates their index of your site based on the information provided in the sitemap. They review your sitemap monthly to stay on top of recent updates you may make to your site during the month.

The sitemap allows you to notify Google directly of all updates to your site. Because you want your site to be indexed by Google quickly and accurately the sitemap is a wonderful tool. If you have a sitemap on your site you won’t have to wait and hope for spiders to crawl your pages--you‘re assured they‘ll do so monthly.

Fortunately, Google is not the only search engine who accepts the submission of sitemaps. Yahoo and MSN also support and utilize the implementation of sitemaps. Good news for optimizing your website! Sitemaps are another great way we can help your site climb to the top of the search engine results.


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Department: Marketing
Author: Pools System
Date: May 09, 2007


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April Newsletter: Keyword Implementation

MARKETING NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2007

We continue to emphasize the importance of incorporating keywords into your site’s content, as it is the cornerstone of building a highly optimized web page. Here are some tips:

Each of your practice areas should be given a separate, unique page. While the content for each practice area may differ, the recommended minimum is a short paragraph describing exactly what services you offer. Remember this is the minimum- it is acceptable and encouraged that you write more than that.

Each page on your web site should focus on 1-3 three unique keywords or keyword phrases. You should target different keywords for each page.

To determine which keywords to focus on, consider terms a web user would search for to locate your particular page/information on the web. The best words to include are the keywords that are searched for often, but that fewer sites are competing for.
For example, the term “lawyer” is a popular search term, but very broad and widely used. A much more effective keyword phrase would be “tulsa criminal lawyer”.

Include these keywords and/or keyword phrases in the headings of your page’s content and towards the beginning of your content. Search engine spiders pay particular attention to the beginning and end of a document.

Once all of your keywords/phrases are included at least once, use them logically within the rest of your content. This repetition of keywords and/or keyword phrases is called “keyword density” and is an important factor in optimizing your content.

If you have multiple paragraphs, write a keyword-rich last paragraph. (Again, spiders pay particular attention to the beginning and the end of documents.)

Bold and italicize a few keywords within the page or each keyword at least once to add emphasis. But be careful not to overdue it, as this will interrupt the flow of your content for readers.

In addition, name each page to reflect the most competitive keyword for that page.

If you have any further questions regarding keywords or optimization, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jana Thompson
The Marketing Team
jana@lawfirmsites.com

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Department: Keywords
Author: Pools System
Date: Apr 18, 2007


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Lawfirmsites.com and Our Competitors

In the competitive law firm website industry, there are a few particularly outstanding competitors that we have worked hard to learn from. Among LawFirmSites finest competitors, we have: Paperstreet.com, Justia.com, and of course, ScorpionDesign.com. Each of these worthy competitors seems to focus on a particular aspect of this ever-changing industry. LawFirmSites has been careful to learn from these companies. We believe we've taken away three things our competitors have taught us best.




Get a LawFirmSites Blog




Sure, everyone's doing it. And why not? Blogging increases traffic, SERPs, and backlinks in a natural, search-engine friendly way. As more relevant content is added and updated, search-engines and users keep coming back to check for more. Plus, relevant content means better content keywords, better weighted headings, and the likelihood that someone in your industry will link to you. All of these have a positive affect on your SERPs without the risk of being penalized for tactics other companies might employ to get you the top. If you're a current LawFirmSites, client, contact us immediately about blog installation. If you aren't with us yet, we hope you'll remedy that as soon as possible.




Develop a portfolio




It doesn't matter what industry you're in, a "portfolio" is an easy way for clients to see what you've got. Lawyers use testimonials and case result pages to show a prospective client their successes in the field. For web design, clients need to see a dozen websites before they get an idea of what a design firm can do for them. Lawfirmsites has been recently proactive about showing prospective clients, and new, current clients, the kind of work our current customer base has come to be so loyal to. At lawfirmsites, we do everything we can to keep our portfolio designs moving around, so clients get the broadest and most praiseworthy look at what we've done. Head on over to our lawfirmsite clients to see what we mean.




Let clients contact you in many ways




This one is so simple, you can overlook it completely. If a prospective client of lawfirmsites.com has the least bit of trouble talking to someone who can answer their questions, get them a quote, and start the process moving, they'll start looking elsewhere. We've learned from painful personal experience. That's why we have a toll-free number, email addresses, a contact form, and of course, account managers standing by to make sure you can reach us when you need to. Because we know what it's like to want a fresh, new, look, and to want it immediately. LawFirmSites is committed to bringing you the kind of designs that can last well into your firm's most efficient and productive years.

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Department: marketing
Author: Nathan
Date: Apr 09, 2007


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Adding Content to Your Site

A well-designed site aesthetically pleasing site will “convert” the web users who views it. After the design of your Lawfirmsites.com website has been decided, content is needed. Unique content on your site will not only guide the search engine spiders to your site, but also convince your target web users that your site is valid and authoritative.

Here are a few things to consider when writing your website content for Lawfirmsites.com:
• If a web user was looking for a professional in your field what would they search for? (What search terms is your target audience going to use?)
• What pertinent information can you provide web users who have questions about your area of expertise?

You are the expert in your field. Potential clients are searching the web for information you can provide them. The more informative content your website contains the more questions you will provide answers for.

In addition to assisting web users, adding content to your site will draw search engines such as Google and Yahoo to your site. A web page with a significant amount of pertinent content describing practice areas will inherently contain more keywords than a mere list of practice areas.

Adding content to your site does not have to be a daunting task. Adding content or altering pre-existing content can be done in small progressive steps. Regular updates to the content of your site signals to search engines that you are a legitimate site on the internet. By updating your content every couple of months you are establishing yourself as a site that wishes to provide web users with the most current up-to-date information. Consequently, web users will visit your site more often knowing that they can find this up-to-date information. Search engine spiders will crawl your site more often in order to search out the newest content you have provided.

SUGGESTIONS FOR INCORPORATING CONTENT

• Each practice area should have it’s own unique page. While the content for each practice area may differ, the recommended minimum is a short paragraph describing exactly what service you offer.

• Testimonials

• FAQ’s (frequently asked questions)

• Definitions of commonly used terms

• Successful cases

• Blogs
-Postings on topics related to your practice areas
-Newsletters
-Updates
-Current Events
-Articles

Each page on your web site should focus on 1-3 three unique keywords or keyword phrases. To determine which keywords to focus on consider the things a web user would search for to locate this page/information on the web. Include the keywords and keyword phrases in the headings of your page’s content. Bolding and italicizing a few keywords within the page is also an appropriate technique to add emphasis. Repetition of the words and phrases, sometimes referred to as “keyword density,” is also important.

SUMMARY

The overall goal in Lawfirmsites.com search engine optimization is to convince search engine spiders your site contains legitimate information, is free of word spamming, and follows internet guidelines. In order to do this we must:

• Ensure that your content is relevant to the meta tag identifiers.
• Have enough quality content that users are satisfied with the information provided
• Optimize the content to maximize search engine crawling by;
o Regularly updating your content
o Using Bold & Italics
o Incorporating highly ranked keywords
o Maintaining keyword density

If you have any questions regarding content creation and optimization please feel free to contact us, via our homepage at lawfirmsites.com, or by telephone.

Erica Chandler
The Marketing Team
LawFirmSites
1-800-932-6030



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Department: Adding Content
Author: Erica
Date: Mar 29, 2007


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March Marketing Newsletter: Keywords

MARKETING NEWSLETTER
MARCH 2007

The importance of including keywords in your site’s content cannot be underestimated. In choosing which keywords you’ll incorporate there are a few things to consider, namely KEI value and relevance.

*KEI Value*

The best words to include are the keywords that are searched for often, but that relatively fewer sites are competing for.

This principle is summed up in the KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index) value of a keyword.

For example, the term “lawyer” is a popular search term, however, it’s KEI value is a mere 0.018. In order to capitalize on keywords for your practice select specific terms and phrases.

The search phrase “florida criminal lawyer” has a KEI value of 402.735. The difference between the two phrases could mean leaps and bounds for your ranking.

In a nut shell, we want to focus on optimizing for specific keywords and phrases.

*RELEVANCE*

--Consider the average consumer.

What would the layman search for when trying to find a professional in your field on the web? When describing your services and practice areas think of common phrases and terms used by consumers who aren’t an expert in your field.

--Don’t discount professional terms.

Although our goal is to target the average consumer, there may be phrases specific to your profession that people within your industry will use to find you.


If you have not already discussed receiving a keyword report with a member of our marketing team, or if you have already received one but would like a current report, please let us know.

•Look for next month’s newsletter where we will discuss how to incorporate specific keywords into the content of your website.

Sincerely,

The Marketing Team
LawFirmSites





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Department: Marketing
Author: Pools System
Date: Mar 26, 2007


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Using the Help Desk

Over the past year, we have received countless requests to update our client’s websites more quickly. Requests have also been made to make it easier on clients to relay information and be informed on the progress of the update. Clients have also mentioned that they would like their office staff to request updates easier and check the status.



We have listened to your requests and have developed the “Help Desk” to facilitate all of your update/ support requests. The Help Desk has taken several months to program and test but we feel we have a great system in place. All of our support staff are eager to work with our clients through this system.



To keep the information secure, controlled, and organized, we will only be accepting updates and support requests such as adding email accounts or fixing text, and any other technical issues through the Help Desk. Keeping a uniform, organized system in place is key in reaching the commitment of 24 hour updates.



The update request you sent can’t be handled until it is entered in the Help Desk by your firm. In a few steps, we can detail how to enter the update in the Help Desk and monitor its progress. If you need any assistance in logging in, entering a ticket or any other issue relating to the Help Desk please email us at updates@lawfirmsites.com.




Step 1









Login to the Help Desk at http://www.support.lawfirmsites.com/ If you are unsure of what your username and password is, or your login is not being authenticated, email updates@lawfirmsites.com.




Step 2




Once you have successfully logged in, you'll be taken to your Help Desk Home. From here you can view current tickets, old tickets, and your account profile. If you've never created a Help Desk ticket before, you may have no "Current Tickets."









Click "New Support Ticket" to create a new Help Desk ticket.




Step 3









Each ticket carries a priority, a department, a subject, a message, and attachments if necessary. Set your priority, from Inquiry, Normal, or Emergency.









Choose your department correctly, whether it's an Update, a Support issue, a Marketing/Optimization issue, or simply an Information inquiry.




Step 4




Detail your update by including the following:





• The filename of the page (ex. attorney.php)


• The location on the page where you would like the photo or text revision to be done


• The size of the photo, if you have a preference


• The specific text revision and location










Step 5




If you have a photo or a document to upload, click the "Browse..." button to locate the file on your desktop computer.









Once you have found the correct file, click open, and the attachment will appear below.









You can attach more files by clicking "More."




Step 6









Click "Submit" to post your Help Desk ticket to our Help Desk team. You should now see the ticket and files successfully uploaded and in your "Current Tickets" pool at your Help Desk home. Here you can view your ticket ID, if you need to refer to it over the phone or by email, the ticket status, the priority, and the date you logged it.




Step 7




Clicking the subject or ticket number opens the ticket for you to view. Here you can see additional details. You can Print your ticket, Email your ticket, or Close it if the issue has been resolved and it hasn't been closed by our development team. You can also "Add to Call" by adding new information, attachments, or instructions to this ticket. It's best to add to a ticket only if you have further relevant information. If you have an additional, unrelated issue, create another Help Desk ticket.









If you've added to your ticket, be sure to click Save so the ticket is updated and viewed by our development team.




Step 8









You will be notified by email if a developer responds to you with a further question or notice that the update has been completed and is ready for you to review. You can login to the Help Desk again to respond to the ticket, view the closed tickets, and re-open previous tickets. Note that if a ticket is closed, it will no longer appear on your Home Page as a "Current Ticket." You'll have to click "Review Old Tickets" to see previous ticket requests.




Any inquiry can be created as a ticket, including email issues, website and server problems, technical questions, and billing details. Want to add an email address? Want to know where to see your web stats? Unsure how to set up your Outlook account? Need help stopping junk mail? Create a support ticket and rest easy knowing your issue will be responded to directly.




Finally, "Edit Your Profile" allows you to keep your contact information up to date, including the FTP, Registrar, and Server Information we’ll need to make your site live when the time comes. You can avoid technical difficulties by providing this information in a timely manner. Keep in mind that changing the Login E-mail Address changes the email you login with and the email ticket replies are sent to.









All future updates and technical issues should be directed to the helpdesk for the speediest resolution. It’s part of our effort to make your law firm website the finest on the web.

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Department: support
Author:
Date: Dec 04, 2006


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Configuring Your Microsoft Outlook to Receive Emails

In a few simple steps, you can configure your Microsoft Outlook client to receive emails from a POP server, the default email server we use here at LawFirmSites. We recommend using Microsoft Outlook 2003 or higher. If you are using an older version, or if you are using Microsoft Outlook Express, the free, light email client provided with Windows XP, some settings and screens may appear different. The settings, however, would be the same.




The screenshots below feature Microsoft Outlook 2003.




Step 1




Open Microsoft Outlook. Click Tools > Email Accounts.









Step 2




You will be presented with the E-Mail Accounts options. We will concern ourselves with the items immediately beneath E-mail. Select the first option and click next. Note that the other option, "View or change existing e-mail accounts" enables you to see what E-mail accounts you already have configured for Microsoft Outlook.









Step 3




Choose POP3. You may have previously used other options, commonly Exchange or IMAP to allow you to synchronize your email messages to several computers and handheld devices. POP servers do not have that kind of functionality, but they are easier to configure. Click next.









Step 4




Correctly fill out all boxes under the "Internet E-mail Settings (POP3)." They should be configured as follows:









User Information




Your Name: This is how your name will be displayed in outgoing emails




E-mail Address: This should be your full e-mail address we have provided for you at LawFirmSites. Should be youremail@yourdomainname.com




Server Information




Incoming mail server (POP3): mail.yourdomainname.com




Outgoing mail server (SMTP): Usually the same as incoming mail server. However, it may be different if you choose to send through an already existing hosting company. This is usually the case if your emails are bundled with other services in your office, including telephone services, but you have chosen to host your emails with us. If you aren't sure, make it the same as the incoming mail server.




Logon Information




User Name: Your full e-mail address.




Password: Your password. Never reveal your password to anyone.




Check "Remember Password."




Keep this window open for the next steps.




Step 5




Click "Test Account Settings." A new window will open with the results of your test. It will also send a Microsoft Outlook Test Email Message to your Inbox to confirm the success of the test. If you do not eventually see all green check marks, you may want to check your settings. If you have further problems, use our Help Desk to create a support ticket.









Step 6




Click the "More Settings" button in the bottom right-hand corner. This dialog box allows you to specify advanced settings. The General tab, selected here by default, allows you to add other identifying information. You may want to change your mail account name from the incoming server (set by default) to something easier for you to identify. In a list of e-mail accounts you can view at Step 2, this label will be used to identify your different e-mail accounts if more than one has been configured for this computer.









Step 7




Click the Advanced tab.




Your Server Port Numbers should be set to the defaults below. Unless a technical support representative from your office or from LawFirmSites had you change these numbers, they should remain as they appear below.




Check the top two boxes under "Delivery" as shown below. This ensures that a 10-day backup of your emails is stored on the server in case they need to be downloaded again for any reason.









Click Ok to close this window, and "Next" and "Finish" or "Close" to close the next window. This returns you to your Microsoft Outlook inbox. Click the Send/Receive button to begin receiving emails from your newly configured account. You may also receive the Test email generated by Microsoft during our test in Step 5.









Conclusion




Because of the nature of a POP server, different computers and email clients can be configured for the same account. For instance, a technician could test your email account in the event of a support issue by simply creating the account on his computer and testing whether or not he receives messages.




Furthermore, Outlook allows you to create multiple POP accounts on the same computer. If your mail server is being moved from a previous host with other settings to our server, with the settings detailed above, you may want to simply keep the previous account settings and just add a new account for your LawFirmSites hosted email until the switch is complete. This guarantees you won't "miss" any emails delivered to one account or the other during the switch.

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Department: support
Author: Adrian
Date: Nov 15, 2006


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Lawfirmsites Tip: Building Pagerank

Pagerank can be built by increasing your "incoming links." Incoming links are links that come from other pages. This means that the more pages out there on the internet that are linking to you, the more likely you are to get indexed on Google, and the higher your pagerank is going to be. The battle for internet placement has become the battle for obtaining links.

But just having incoming links is not enough. Recent algorithm changes and increased artificial intelligence is becoming more and more sophisticated. Getting links from link farms or other shady pages is no longer going to work. Instead, you need quality links from quality pages--pages that have content relevant to yours. Building up a network of such links is the way to the top of the search engines.

Lawfirmsites.com is committed to adding you to the legitimate networks that can increase your Pagerank without penalization.

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Department: marketing
Author: Nathan
Date: Oct 10, 2006


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Lawfirmsites.com Tip: Internet Marketing

Let's talk about how Lawfirmsites.com can get your site optimized. One of the most important things in the SEO process is choosing keywords. There is definitely no shortage of possible mistakes to make while choosing keywords. May sites try to choose too many, other sites target entirely the wrong ones. At law firm sites, we try to limit the keywords to about 3 phrases per page of your site. We do have quite a bit of experience optimizing lawyer's websites, which helps us to have a good idea of which terms you're generally looking for, however, to be most effective, we need good communication from you to be sure that we're targeting the keywords you want us to be targeting. Soon after your site is built, it would be helpful to us if you could get back to us with a list of specific keywords you'd like us to target. Once again--choosing and targeting a specific keyword, say, "California Lawyer," is no guarantee that you will show up number 1 for that term. Ranking algorithms are very complex and depend on many factors. Choosing more competitive or more general keywords means you're more likely to show up lower in the rankings. When you're trying to think of keywords, ask yourself what a potential client would be looking for. What would a possible customer type in to the search engine box? These are usually good phrases to target. Additionally, these should be "phrases," not just words. For example...do you really want to target the word "bicycle"? Probably not...because anyone searching for "bicycle" is probably looking to buy a new bike. Or maybe they're looking for bike trails near where they live. Who knows? What you want to target is a phrase like "bicycle accident lawyer." That's a much more specific term, and one that you're more likely to get decent rankings for anyway. Plus, even if you showed up #1 for the term "bicycle" (which would be very difficult), you still wouldn't get any relevant traffic because the vast majority of those people aren't even looking for a lawyer. If you can come up with a list of 10 to 15 such terms, it will make it much easier for us to optimize your site the way you want it. Let lawfirmsites.com know which one or two are the most important.

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Department: marketing
Author: Nathan
Date: Aug 29, 2006


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Using the Contributor

As you know, it is the policy of lawfirmsites to obtain all assets, resources, and information from a client law firm before construction begins. This preserves the integrity of the creative process, and greatly improves the time it takes to complete a custom made website, a service we provide at an affordable price and with the latest tools and practices in the industry.




Law Firm Sites has developed a valuable new tool to help our clients get this information to us in a secure, easy, and organized way. It's the Contributor, and it can be found at http://www.support.lawfirmsites.com. This Client Login portal also gives you access to our ticket helpdesk, but that's another day, another post. I'd like to focus on the powers of the Contributor to help you get your site up and running with as little hassle to your firm as possible. Don't confuse the Contributor with the template generators you've seen from our competitors. The sole purpose of the Contributor is to allow you to organize the information you'll need to provide the development team.




First, login in to your Client Portal using your username and password. If you're not sure what this information is, email info@lawfirmsites.com to obtain it.









Once you've logged into the Client Portal, click Contributor. You are now at the Contributor's interface:









You can add pages of content or edit page names, add or edit attorneys and practice areas, and add or edit entire areas of information, including contact information, links, and articles under the Page Name column. Under the Source of Text column, you can either upload content directly to our servers, ranging from attorney biographies to publications and front page text, or you can simply check the box and leave a note if you have a current website you'd like us to move content from. You can upload photos of your attorneys and office under the Photo column. Finally, add notes to your website layout to make sure everyone is on the same page. All of this information will be accessed by the development team, allowing you to help streamline the process. No more lost emails, no more messy attachments, no more back and forth.




Be sure to click Save your contributions.









Each time you contribute a resource, asset, or note to your profile, a developer is immediately notified. That way the development team can keep careful track of the progress being made. Once the information has been uploaded, lawfirmsites.com can begin constructing your website - a custom made, professionally designed image for your law firm.

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Department: development
Author: Adrian
Date: Aug 03, 2006


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Marketing Timing

Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN send out little programs called "spiders" to scour the web. These programs fetch web pages and record what the pages say. They also search for links on the web pages and follow those links to more web pages, thus building a "web" a links (hence the term world wide web, and the idea of a "spider" building it). The best way for a search engine to find your web page would be to follow a link to it from some other site that is already a part of its index. While it is possible to submit your URL to search engines, that is generally not necessary. Google says that it usually finds sites on its own, through the use of spiders, faster than it indexes the pages submitted on an "add URL" page.

The Lawfirmsites Search Engine Optimization for your site includes both URL submission to the major search engines, as well as what is called "backlink" building. We will add a link to your site to several sites on our network. As more links are built that point to your site, more spiders will find these links and follow them to your site.

Many of the clients at lawfirmsites.com are curious to know how long it will take them to be indexed on a particular search engine. Unfortunately, this is difficult for us to say. Indeed, this is difficult for anyone to say. The Search Engine Optimization industry is a very fluid and dynamic industry. Methods and approaches of indexing seem to change almost monthly. There really is no standard wait-time before your site will start showing up in whichever search engine you are targeting. If you start to read articles about internet marketing, you will find stories of websites that are included after only two to three weeks--and others that didn't find themselves anywhere on the results pages for almost a year.

This variation in timespan depends on many factors. A lot of these factors are confirmed by many professionals in the industry, but when it comes down to it, they are mostly guesswork--the companies that drive the major search engines do not let out the secrets about exactly how the indexing process goes. Domain name age (how long your domain has been around) has been postulated to play a role, as well as how long it has been registered. Building of backlinks, both in quantity and quality, almost certainly plays a role for most search engines. Probably the most important factor, especially for Google, is which keywords you are targeting. For new sites that are targeting a highly competitive keyword, Google is known for implementing a procedure called "sandboxing"--which simply keeps the site out of the search engine results for time periods up to a year. If your brand-new website is targeting a highly competitive term like "beatles CDs", chances are your site will have to wait several months before it is included in the ranking results. The logic behind this is that google doesn't want a brand-new site to be built and suddenly take over the top, legitimate, time-established sites that have been there for years--all in a matter of weeks. If your site has been around for 4 years, it's probably a better site, right? That's the logic.

Lawfirmsites.com is committed to bringing you the most recent, cutting-edge optimization available.

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Department: marketing
Author: Nathan
Date: Jul 27, 2006


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Lawfirmsites.com Marketing Tip: The Real Deal

Many of us remember with chagrin our first website, and the disappointment when the flood of traffic that we expected didn’t come. We then come to the realization that a nice website is only part of the story, getting people there is the real key to having success with your website. Sure we need a website that will build credibility but there has to be someone to build credibility with. Some lawyers use their website to pull in clients who are browsing the web. Other lawyers use their website less for client acquisition and more for client development and support. Both require a marketing aspect to couple with your website. If you are not getting the results that you would like from your website, call lawfirmsites.com and we can suggest the best marketing technique for your law firm.

If you want to increase your marketing budget, you may want to consider our referral program. When you give lawfirmsites.com a referral that leads to new business, we will credit you $250. If you give us three referrals we will renew your marketing for an entire year. Two referrals and we will update your site for one full year at no cost. A referral may be as easy as dropping our name to another lawyer who noticed your website, or by emailing us the referral.

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Department: sales
Author: Jacob
Date: Jul 12, 2006


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New Tools To Increase Ranking with Lawfirmsites.com

Law Firm Sites has been developing and marketing websites for law firms since 2000. In these six years, lawfirmsites.com has seen the changes to the way Google and Yahoo rank lawyer websites and the desire to have better, more inviting graphic pages.

Our development team has some exciting new tools at their fingertips to make law firm websites get top three ranking on Google and Yahoo as well as look clean and professional. This is done through advanced programming and simple design elements. Putting these both together in the right proportions have given our current law firm clients an edge in the industry.

Creating the best attorney web sites has been the focus of lawfirmsites.com for over six years. The new tools we have to offer will push the industry to new levels of design and marketing for law firm websites.



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Department: Sales & Marketing
Author: Daniel
Date: Jul 07, 2006


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Lawfirmsites.com Tip: Content Better Sooner

Here at LawFirmSites.com, we like to help lawyers establish a presence on the web that is professional, marketable, and informative. It's easy to become excited about how a clean, solid design can make a website all those things at once. And with the advent of new web technologies like CSS, making a beautiful site is now much more firmly in the hands of those who have the eye for it.

But if there is a famine in the land of the web, it's a famine of good content. No web technology or marketing tool can help your firm create good content. Many firms hire a copywriter just for their website. This ensures that the words behind the look communicate the same image your firm needs, and lawfirmsites.com is committed to making sure that happens.

That's why it's better to get content sooner for a designer than later. Reading and working with the content can help shape a designer's vision of what the firm is trying to convey. Is the firm made up of established, experienced professionals? How about a younger, smaller, growing firm looking to make an impression? Whatever that impression is, having the content sooner makes it easier for a lawfirmsites.com developer. With expertly written articles, profiles, and practice areas, we can use layout, colors, type font, and branding to make your site look like a cohesive, effective packaged statement instead of the broken and inconsistent image littered across too much of the web.

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Department: Development
Author: Adrian
Date: Jun 28, 2006


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Lawfirmsites.com Blog Launch

Law firm sites is pleased to announce the launch of the new Law Firm Sites blog!

The term "blog" is short for "weblog," and refers to building a sort of online journal with the intention of providing visitors with useful information. Today, many websites employ blogs to deliver content to visitors, and now lawfirmsites.com offers the same groundbreaking interaction.

The blogging revolution has revamped the way the web works. Home users, professionals, and even businesses are now using blogs as a method of communication. The information available on the web is growing exponentially.

Law Firm Sites is now offering the ability for you to create your own blog. If you're interested in this fantastic offer, contact our lawfirmsites.com sales team.

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Department: programming
Author: Nathan
Date: Jun 15, 2006


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