On October 21, 2010 the Sole Practitioner Small Firm section hosted a breakfast meeting
at the Buckhead Club. Speaking to a full audience, Jennifer Dunphy from VAYU Media
presented "Marketing Your Firm Online & In Person." VAYU is a full service online
marketing firm specializing in Search Engine Optimization ("SEO").
Ms. Dunphy stressed that "everything starts with your website." It is your 24
hour sales person and provides a consistent explanation of "your story" to potential
clients. With this in mind, Ms. Dunphy discussed the influential characteristics of
successful websites.
Specifically, the most important features are aesthetics and functionality. If your
site is boring, the next site is an easy click away. Also of importance are the structure
and focus of information.
Be clear when defining your services. And, while attorneys
exist in the written word, clients want photographs. Your photographs should be
professional and include a descriptive tag. Additionally, avoid crowding.
Keywords are also important. The goal is to be near the top of a search results
page. Use of strong keywords can help meet this goal. For example, give each page of
your site a title tag. This tag is the language that appears as the link in search results. As
an example, if you are Johnny Cochran, your title tag should be "civil rights attorney",
not "Johnny Cochran." The reason for this is that people search for practice area and
location, not the specific name of a firm or attorney.
Links to your website are also highly effective. Specifically, if other websites
(under your control or not) provide a link to your website, your search ranking benefits.
Some example ways to increase the number of links to your website include: asking to be
placed on other sites; listing in online directories; press releases; published articles; social
media sites; consumer reviews; interactive web 2.0; blogs; online videos; and Wikis.
In order to keep your website updated with fresh information, consider using a
content management system. This tool does not normally require any software
programming experience and is easy to use. Some example content management systems
available include Joomla.org, WordPress.org and Drupal.org.
Finally, Ms. Dunphy provided some local internet marketing 101. 59% of searching is conducted by using 3 words or less. So, it is important to tailor your site to include the necessary keywords for which people might be searching. Such tailoring can be assisted by SEO.
Search Engine Optimization and Submission Services follows a formula of identifying your objectives, producing compelling content, designing the look and feel, increasing links, tracking success and revising.
Websites that have been "optimized" with SEO, either in house or through a consulting
firm, can expect to increase traffic between 38% and 110%.
If you have further questions, or would like more information, please contact
Jennifer Dunphy at: jdunphy@vayumedia.com and/or visit www.vayumedia.com.
at the Buckhead Club. Speaking to a full audience, Jennifer Dunphy from VAYU Media
presented "Marketing Your Firm Online & In Person." VAYU is a full service online
marketing firm specializing in Search Engine Optimization ("SEO").
Ms. Dunphy stressed that "everything starts with your website." It is your 24
hour sales person and provides a consistent explanation of "your story" to potential
clients. With this in mind, Ms. Dunphy discussed the influential characteristics of
successful websites.
Specifically, the most important features are aesthetics and functionality. If your
site is boring, the next site is an easy click away. Also of importance are the structure
and focus of information.
Be clear when defining your services. And, while attorneys
exist in the written word, clients want photographs. Your photographs should be
professional and include a descriptive tag. Additionally, avoid crowding.
Keywords are also important. The goal is to be near the top of a search results
page. Use of strong keywords can help meet this goal. For example, give each page of
your site a title tag. This tag is the language that appears as the link in search results. As
an example, if you are Johnny Cochran, your title tag should be "civil rights attorney",
not "Johnny Cochran." The reason for this is that people search for practice area and
location, not the specific name of a firm or attorney.
Links to your website are also highly effective. Specifically, if other websites
(under your control or not) provide a link to your website, your search ranking benefits.
Some example ways to increase the number of links to your website include: asking to be
placed on other sites; listing in online directories; press releases; published articles; social
media sites; consumer reviews; interactive web 2.0; blogs; online videos; and Wikis.
In order to keep your website updated with fresh information, consider using a
content management system. This tool does not normally require any software
programming experience and is easy to use. Some example content management systems
available include Joomla.org, WordPress.org and Drupal.org.
Finally, Ms. Dunphy provided some local internet marketing 101. 59% of searching is conducted by using 3 words or less. So, it is important to tailor your site to include the necessary keywords for which people might be searching. Such tailoring can be assisted by SEO.
Search Engine Optimization and Submission Services follows a formula of identifying your objectives, producing compelling content, designing the look and feel, increasing links, tracking success and revising.
Websites that have been "optimized" with SEO, either in house or through a consulting
firm, can expect to increase traffic between 38% and 110%.
If you have further questions, or would like more information, please contact
Jennifer Dunphy at: jdunphy@vayumedia.com and/or visit www.vayumedia.com.
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