Sponsored links on Google for large firms : Ineffective and possibility embarrassing

A large law firm marketing professional asked me last week about the possibility of the firm’s buying sponsored links on Google for one of their practice groups. They were interested in ‘paid for links’ on the first page of Google for relevant legal searches in a particular metro market.

I advised that doing so would be ineffective in achieving the goals of the practice group and could possibly damage the firm’s brand.

Generally, sponsored links are purchased by lawyers addressing personal plight legal issues for consumers. Divorce, bankruptcy, DUI, personal injury, and the like. The type of lawyers who routinely advertised for clients in the yellow pages.

With Google to some extent becoming the yellow pages of today, sponsored links may be worthwhile if a consumer lawyer is unable to achieve high search rankings in the organic results (not paid for).

Larger law firms are typically hired by in-house counsel, execs, business people, and very discriminating consumers with a significant net worth. Historically, this group of clients did not select their lawyer from yellow page ads.

So buying sponsored links is not going to attract the large law firm client. Clicking on sponsored links is not how large law firm clients select lawyers.

Just as important is protection of the firm’s brand. What if an in-house counsel or exec saw your large law firm advertising right along side consumer lawyers in Google’s sponsored links? To them it may look like your firm is competing for consumer clients with other consumer lawyers. Nothing against consumer lawyers, but large law firm clients may think your firm has fallen on hard times and is expanding into what they may describe as ‘lower end’ legal services.

I understand large law firms wanting to achieve an Internet presence for its practice areas. I can also understand the interest in getting on the Internet fast for selected search terms and locales. But you must make certain that your Internet presence is in harmony with the firm’s brand and the traditional way it has gotten clients.

Though client development on the Internet may seem new and confusing, client development on the Internet is based on age old principals. It’s about building relationships with existing and prospective clients. It’s about networking with them. It’s about further enhancing the reputation of your firm’s lawyers as thought leaders in niches and markets. It’s about being proactive in reaching out to the influencers of clients and prospective clients so they view your firm’s lawyers as reliable and trusted authorities.

All of these things can be done on the Internet. But it’s done via blogging, social networking, and the effective use of social media – through which you’ll achieve high organic search engine rankings at the end of the day.