Page 10 - Dallas Vol 5 No 3

When is the last time you updated your website? If it’s been over a year (yes, just ONE year!) it’s time to reassess how much business your website is generating in the form of quali ed leads. Gone are the days when a website was simply an online brochure. Today, websites need to be multidimensional tools designed to engage visitors into wanting to learn more about you and your rm.
If you take a few minutes and read the home page content of a few law rm websites, you will realize a few things: they all deliver exceptional service, they all care deeply about their clients, and they are all aware of the need to be cost-e ective. ese messages are pervasive in the content of many law rm websites. So how do these messages di erentiate the rms? Actually – they don’t. Following are some ideas for you to contemplate as you look at generating more leads from your web presence, and building a brand that is unique to your rm and its clients.
CONTENT IS KING
Recently an attorney expressed his frustration to me about not hav- ing high enough name recognition. I asked him a few questions:
• How o en do you add new con- tent to your website?
• Do you post at least two blogs per month on topics you want to be known for?
• Have you reviewed the keywords and phrases people use to nd your website?
• Do you post and engage regularly on social media?
• Do you send regular (no more than quarterly) targeted communi- cations to your contacts?
It turns out he wasn’t doing the things necessary to build his name recognition, like adding new and ex- citing content to his website.
I recently co-presented a session for Minnesota Lawyer and the Minnesota State Bar Association entitled, Mod- ern Marketing Tactics for Lawyers in
a “Like, Share, Follow” World. One of our panelists, Davis Senseman, founder of Davis Law O ce said, “When we redid our website, I specif- ically looked for a website developer who would build us a website NOT like any of the other law rms.” If you visit www.DavisMeansBusiness.com, you will see lawyers, their children, and even their pets! e content on your website needs to overtly com- municate the unique value you bring to your clients.
SSL Certi cates and Why you Must Have One
You know you are on a secure website if you see https:// versus just http:// in the URL. Your doctor, bank, and nancial advisor have likely had secure websites for many years. Why is it so critical now to purchase a Se- cure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certi cate? Because sometime later this year, Google will start penalizing non-se- cure sites with: “ is is not a secure site. Do you want to proceed?” is is
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · DALLAS· VOL. 5 NO. 3 10
HOW TO
TURN YOUR
WEBSITE
INTO A LEAD
GENERATION
MACHINE
BY TERRIE S. WHEELER, MBC