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Are law firm websites where you want to spend your time and money?

law firm website meeting Chicken-Caesar-SaladWith it being the beginning of the year I’m seeing a flurry of blog posts and articles on law firm websites.

  • Best way to portray your industry groups and attorney bio’s.
  • How to improve your websites SEO.
  • How to watch out for the unscrupulous law firm SEO companies.
  • How to make sure your website is ethically compliant in North Carolina.
  • How to make sure your website doesn’t look like it was built in 1995.

Having so many law firm marketing professionals and business development people following what I share on Twitter, I’ve felt compelled to share these type of articles and blog posts with them. I also felt I needed to help the people and companies who wrote these articles and posts, who are good folks, get their word out.

But man, websites are not where good lawyers and law firms get their work. At the same time, the Internet presents law firms and attorneys a golden opportunity to get work.

Law firms and their attorneys need to get over the fact that a website is not the only way to do marketing and business development on the Internet. Heck, it’s not even in the top 3 or 4 best ways to get work.

Lawyers and law firms get their work via relationships and word of mouth. Period.

If you’re too lazy to build relationships and don’t believe you can create a a positive word of mouth reputation, then go for it, pour your money into websites. You may also want to pour your money into signs at airports, billboards on the sides of busses, and late night television.

But if you’re concerned about relationships and word of mouth, ask yourself if upgrading your law firm website does that. Be honest.

Ask yourself if your time and marketing and business development money would be better spent on educating your firm’s attorneys and business developing/marketing professionals on some of the following things?

  • To understand that the Internet did not change a darn thing when it came to getting work – the Internet just accelerated relationship building and reputation enhancement.
  • That LinkedIn, used well, enables networking and builds relationships. And how that’s done.
  • That listening, via a RSS reader, comes first when building relationships and a reputation on the Internet. And how that’s done.
  • That short form social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and now Pinterest, alone, is not going to cut it for good attorneys. Heck, you pitch those things first and you’re going to lose the interest of attorneys who have an once of common sense when it comes to bringing in work.
  • That personal blogging by individual attorneys on their own or group blog outside the law firm’s website is gold for building relationships and enhancing their reputations. And teaching them how to do it.
  • That Twitter and other short form social media are gold for learning (professional growth), building relationships, and reputation enhancement once you’ve laid a foundation for business development on the net through the above items.

Sure, continue down the website path if you’re looking for an easy way out.

  • You set a date for having a new website.
  • You approve the design at luncheon meetings with caesar salads topped with grilled chicken.
  • You put ‘milk toast’ blogs on the website because the website developer said it would be a good way to get more traffic.
  • You send out a press release and a letter all clients that you’ve got an innovative website.
  • You watch web analytics monitoring traffic to the website, foolishly believing that’s a measure of relationship building and reputation enhancement.
  • You look back on a year well done, by revamping our website before we get to the ‘thorny issues’ of teaching our firm’s attorneys and marketing professionals how the Internet is really used to get work.

Perhaps I am being too cynical. Perhaps I am taking this position because LexBlog only does websites for clients committed to using the Internet for building relationships and enhancing their reputations and with whom we have good relationship. I don’t know.

One thing I do know is that I care about helping attorneys and law firms use the Internet effectively. And that does not begin nor end with a website.

  • http://www.falconberg.com Jack Falconberg

    Kevin, I respect what you have to say. But I think you’re painting with too broad a brush on this one. You juxtapose blogs (interactive) with brochure-type sites (static). That may have been a valid distinction 5 years ago. But these two mediums have been merging for a while now. I believe that brochure-type websites may (should) soon be a thing of the past.
    And your blanket statement that “websites are not where good lawyers and law firms get their work” simply isn’t true. (I trust that you didn’t mean to imply that attorneys that get their work this way aren’t “good.”) Some consumer-oriented practices can absolutely bring in business using a more traditional/less interactive website. The key isn’t social interaction as much as letting their clients know that they understand and can solve their problem. Just setting up a website won’t get you there. But attorneys who really get the inbound paradigm and know how to get their content in front of people who are looking for it can do really well with a website.
    In other words, you are glossing over an important part of web strategy: the nature of the practice. Attorneys that are looking to build lasting relationships with clients that send them repeat business definitely need to focus on networking, thought leadership, etc. No question. But not all practices are like this. Some attorneys with one-off types of practices (divorce, bankruptcy, etc.) can do very well by simply writing to their clients’ needs and ranking well in search.

  • http://kevin.lexblog.com Kevin

    Appreciate the comment Jack, your points are well taken.

    As a former plaintiff’s trial lawyer of almost 20 years (consumer area) who had good success with the net, I do not believe a firm’s marketing on the net should begin and end with a website.

    Sure, have a website, but acknowledge that the leading lawyers in your city and state are getting their best work from relationships and by virtue of their word of mouth reputation.

    So rather than spend more money on website work or more money to get people to come to your website, lawyers (consumer practice or otherwise) would be well advised to learn how to use the Internet for relationship building and reputation enhancing.

    Don’t get fixated on relationships with clients and prospective clients. If a bankruptcy lawyer, what are you relationships like with lawyers who don’t do bankruptcy work? What are your relationships like with local bankers? Bankers refer people to bankruptcy lawyers believe it or not. How about the local press? How about bloggers across the country who when citing you will leave a positive sign for you when people Google your name?

    Relationships with those folks and the enhancement of your reputation is accelerated by using the net for networking – not through website work.

    Lawyers who fall for the argument that the consumer law area is all about websites, SEO, directories, adwords etc end up competing for less sophisticated clients with all the other lawyers who don’t know how to use the Internet. That’s okay, but that’s not where I would want to slug it out.

    At one time, we did not have advertising for lawyers. Lawyers still got work – in all areas of the law.

    My point is good lawyers and law firms are missing out on what’s going to serve them best in the long run if they are anally focused on websites.

  • http://gyitsakalakis.com Gyi Tsakalakis

    Hey Kevin,

    You know I’m with you that:

    “Lawyers and law firms get their work via relationships and word of mouth.”

    (Period. intentionally omitted)

    But,

    “Lawyers who fall for the argument that the consumer law area is all about websites, SEO, directories, adwords etc end up competing for less sophisticated clients with all the other lawyers who don’t know how to use the Internet.”

    Not entirely with you there…

    Agreed it’s not “all about websites, SEO, directories, adwords.”

    It’s also not all about blogging either… ;)

    Plus, some of the example article topics you opened with might just impact your relationships and how you’re viewed.

    Best way to portray your industry groups and attorney bio’s. – Crappy boring bio could cost you an inquiry and you wouldn’t even know it.

    How to improve your websites SEO. – People aren’t able to find information about you, what you do, and your firm in search engines? That makes a statement too.

    How to watch out for the unscrupulous law firm SEO companies. – Applicable to blogging too.

    How to make sure your website is ethically compliant in North Carolina. – Getting “written up” for ethics violations can’t have a positive impact on your relationships and/or reputation.

    How to make sure your website doesn’t look like it was built in 1995. – Sure, for many people, what your website “look like” might have absolutely no impact. But you know, for some people it will.

    As you might agree, the internet, including websites, blogs, social networking, and even adwords, plays an increasing role in starting, developing, and maintaining both relationships, as well as, word of mouth.

    So, at 30,000 ft:

    - Develop and nurture relationships.
    - And above all, serve your clients.

    But on the ground:

    What people you meet learn about you online matters.

    Two (okay maybe only 1) cents worth.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverthoenen Oliver Thoenen

    Do law firm websites close a deal? Of course not. Do horribly conceived law firm websites scare off potential business? Sure they do. All of the new reputational and network tools Kevin mentions are absolutely in play for today’s entrepreneurial lawyer. But you’re guilty of an own goal if you dismiss your website as an also-ran. For biglaw at least, the sum is always greater than the parts. That’s why the website remains a brand’s most visible flag-bearer.

  • http://www.lisastewartlaw.com Lee

    Should you be surprised that a lot of firms have different priorities than improving their technical skills? A lot of firms adapt only when they see widespread adoption.

  • http://www.buchete.ro buchete

    Security? Work around it and come up with solutions like other companies do. Security is a big problem within the firm.

  • http://JacksonandWilsonMedia.com Mitch Jackson

    Kevin- Respectfully, a good website, blog and social media platform(s) all work together. All are individual “welcome mats” inviting the relationship dance to begin. The problem is that most lawyers don’t know how to follow-up after the first dance. Add basic offline relationship building skills to online business development efforts and the sky’s the limit.