We Should Get Together More

There's a marketing concept out there that many law firms have just recently stumbled upon, one that most other types of industries have known well for decades ' return on investment, or ROI. As firms become more sophisticated in marketing, as budgets for marketing increase, and as competition becomes more fierce, firms are beginning to demand that their marketing dollars they spend produce results.

Nowhere is the concept of ROI more easily implemented, tracked, and realized than in the area of Internet marketing, through the use of Web sites and the search engines that locate them. Because all activities on the Web are tracked by the various computers that host Web sites and search engines (via arcane but highly detailed server log files), a law firm can know from where it gets visitors, what the visitors do on the Web site, and what makes them leave for another Web site.

But the first step in achieving a positive ROI from a law firm Web site is to get the visitors there in the first place. A beautifully designed and professional Web site that no one views is like a Broadway play that no one sees ' it's a huge waste of money, time, and effort. Enter the often-discussed, often-misunderstood, and ever-evolving search engine ' a technology that, if used effectively, can produce results far superior to other forms of marketing.

The Basics

Years ago, the concept of using a search engine to locate information on the Internet was a little-known, almost academic exercise, the stuff of Stanford University computer gurus and the free-information-for-all culture of the early Web.

How times have changed.

The major players in search today are run by some of the best-known brands in the world, such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Indeed, the world of search is now a multi-billion-dollar industry, led by public companies, fiercely competing for your attention and law firm advertising budget.

Effectively using search as a marketing device to drive potential clients to a law firm's Web site requires knowledge of the two technologies that can affect a Web site's visibility in search results ' 'organic' (ie, free) rankings and 'sponsored' (ie, costly) listings.

Organic Rankings: Spiders, Crawlers, and Bots

Most search engine users are oblivious to the fact that when they enter search terms and receive a list of results, they have not searched Web sites, per se, but instead have searched a database of Web site text and other properties. The results of a search are mere links to corresponding Web sites, much in the same way as a library's electronic card catalog is a pointer to the corresponding book located somewhere within the stacks. If a Web site is not in that search engine's database (known as its index), the search results will not include the Web site's link. No link, then, means little or no traffic.

Getting a Web site included in the all-important search engine index, and more crucially, getting the Web site to appear on the first or second page of search engine results, is called 'search engine optimization' or SEO. It is the process of (some would say the black art of) configuring a Web site's text, code, graphics, and functions to rank highly for certain search terms.

And challenges abound. Not only do the various search engines closely guard the criteria they find important to ranking one site over another (think Coca-Cola recipe), each search engine's ranking system is different and each system is changed behind the scenes, without notice to the outside world. Those seeking better rankings are left to extrapolate the search engines' ranking criteria by discovery through trial and error of many changes to Web sites.

Thus, having a Web site listed in a search engine's index is critical. How does that happen? Most search engines have pages where a Web site owner can submit the site's home page for inclusion in the index. Google's page, for example is at www.google.com/addurl.html.

Once the search engine knows of a site's homepage, the crawlers take over. The crawler ' know by many names, such as 'spider' or 'bot' (short for robot) ' will visit the site's home page, read some or all of the page's text and internal code, and then send that information back to the search engine for inclusion in its database or 'index.' Once done with the first page, the crawler will follow all the links it recognizes (ie, properly formatted) to perform the same reading function on other pages of the Web site. The more pages containing information-rich text that the crawler reads and sends back to its mother ship, the better chance that Web site has of ranking well for terms contained in the Web site text.

If the site is not properly constructed ' for example, built using old technologies such as frames ' the crawler can't get to other pages on the site, and thus, will send very little information about the site to the search engine index. Such sites need search engine optimization, which could include minor text and code changes or drastic build-from-the-ground-up revision.

Finally, the process of submitting a Web site to a search engine and realizing results is a slow one. Because of the way search engines send out their crawlers and the crushing volume of requests for indexing, there can sometimes be a four-to-eight-week lag between a site's being crawled and its appearance in the index.

Sponsored Listings: Buying What Doesn't Come Naturally

It is this lag and the inability to closely control where and when a Web site appears in search engine rankings that has made paid forms of search engine links so popular. Known by names such as 'pay-per-click' and 'paid sponsorship,' this form of advertising and the billions of dollars spent on it is fueling the high-stakes search engine 'war' among Google, Yahoo, and new arrival to the battle, Microsoft.

The process of running these advertising campaigns is called 'search engine marketing' (or SEM) and the dollars involved ' not to mention the ROI ' can be staggering. In a recent report, PricewaterhouseCoopers calculated that the amount spent in 2004 on performance-based Internet advertising such as pay-per-click was nearly $4 billion, or 41% of the $9.6 billion spent on Internet advertising last year.

Pay-per-click advertisements are familiar sights these days. Usually appearing at the top, right side, and bottom of search engine results, these text advertisements appear, for the most part, because the sponsors have bid top dollar for a 'click,' or visit to their Web site. A pay-per-click advertiser can have an ad appear only when searchers use certain search terms, called 'keywords' the advertiser has bid upon. A personal injury law firm would want its ad to appear, therefore, when a searcher entered terms such as 'personal injury lawyer' or 'personal injury attorney.'

Simply having an ad appear (called an 'impression') costs nothing, but if a searcher should click upon a link and visit the corresponding site, the firm's credit card will be charged a pre-arranged per-click rate (from 10 cents to more than $25 for terms such as 'Vioxx lawyer') for the search term targeted.

There is great effectiveness in this form of advertising. Since the law firm's credit card is charged only when someone clicks on the firm's ad, advertising budgets are not wasted on disinterested viewers (as with newspaper and phone book ads). Further, because the advertising viewer has to click the ad to come to the Web site (an overt act), the presumption is that the viewer is interested in the law firm's service and is a good target for the selling proposition of the law firm's Web site. Finally, because the law firm's Web site server can record certain activities a Web site visitor takes (such as filling out a contact-request form) and the firm can associate the action with paid-for search terms ' a process called 'conversion tracking' ' the firm can alter its campaign quickly to take advantage of searching trends to increase the return for each advertising dollar spent.

One law firm that has seen success with this type of marketing is Meyerson & O'Neill, located in Philadelphia. Seeking to attract cases across the United States to its ephedra supplement products liability practice, the firm began pay-per-click campaigns in several search engines, concentrating on Google's service called AdWords. The firm, a two-lawyer operation at the time, chose to not pay top dollar for first-place sponsored ranking for terms such as “ephedra injury lawyer,” but bid a lesser amount to secure third place in the list of ads (see the screenshot below). By clicking on the ad, visitors were brought to a special ephedra page on the Web site called a 'landing page' that explained the symptoms and issues involved and gave clear instruction as to how to contact the firm for representation.

[IMGCAP(1)]

The result has been more than a half-dozen cases filed locally and in Washington, Michigan, and Texas. “We just couldn't have had them if we hadn't undertaken the campaign,” says firm founder Jack A. Meyerson.

The firm is currently running pay-per-click campaigns for cases involving topics such as catastrophic jobsite injuries, prescription drug side effects, and general products liability. “Our case load has grown substantially with referrals from all over the country,” he says. As a result, he says, there are now four full-time lawyers at the firm.

Tracking the Results

One of the most attractive aspects of online advertising, especially pay-per-click and other sponsored methods, is that a firm can very closely track the effectiveness of the efforts via online and offline means. Since each and every activity a Web site viewer performs is watched by one or more computers somewhere along the network, there are now sophisticated methods of determining how a visitor came to a law firm's Web site, what the visitor viewed while at the Web site, and whether the visitor later became a prospect or client.

Each Web server ' a high-speed computer that hosts a Web site ' tracks visits in extensive detail in text log files deep within the computer's file system. Using log file analysis software, a search engine expert can glean facts about Web site visitors, how they found the Web site, what pages they viewed, what page made them exit the site, and much more information. This information can be used, for example, to determine how many visitors in a particular period were referred to the site from Google, which, in turn, can suggest ways to maximize exposure in that search engine.

A newer technology called 'conversion tracking' can not only pinpoint from which search engine a visitor was referred, but can very closely track what search term and sponsored ad the visitor clicked on to come to the site. By use of a hidden code in a specific Web site page, a pay-per-click system such as Google can show the advertiser what keyword terms and ads are generating qualified leads to the law firm by visitors who 'convert,' or take some action to get in touch with the firm, such as filling out an online form or signing up for a newsletter. Armed with the knowledge of which terms are productive and which are not, a law firm can be very efficient with its online marketing budget by only paying for keyword terms that produce qualified leads.

Conclusion: Return On Investment

As law firms become more sophisticated marketers, the concept of using the Internet as a way to increase law firm revenues is becoming commonplace. Any marketing effort, however, should produce more dollars than it costs ' a positive return on investment. Effective online marketing methods are emerging and changing constantly and the skillful use of dynamic, highly trackable advertising technologies will be rewarded with a positive impact on a law firm's bottom line.

For More Information

• Search Engine Watch: www.searchenginewatch.com
• Search Engine Report: www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport
• Search Engine Guide: www.searchengineguide.com

There's a marketing concept out there that many law firms have just recently stumbled upon, one that most other types of industries have known well for decades ' return on investment, or ROI. As firms become more sophisticated in marketing, as budgets for marketing increase, and as competition becomes more fierce, firms are beginning to demand that their marketing dollars they spend produce results.

Nowhere is the concept of ROI more easily implemented, tracked, and realized than in the area of Internet marketing, through the use of Web sites and the search engines that locate them. Because all activities on the Web are tracked by the various computers that host Web sites and search engines (via arcane but highly detailed server log files), a law firm can know from where it gets visitors, what the visitors do on the Web site, and what makes them leave for another Web site.

But the first step in achieving a positive ROI from a law firm Web site is to get the visitors there in the first place. A beautifully designed and professional Web site that no one views is like a Broadway play that no one sees ' it's a huge waste of money, time, and effort. Enter the often-discussed, often-misunderstood, and ever-evolving search engine ' a technology that, if used effectively, can produce results far superior to other forms of marketing.

The Basics

Years ago, the concept of using a search engine to locate information on the Internet was a little-known, almost academic exercise, the stuff of Stanford University computer gurus and the free-information-for-all culture of the early Web.

How times have changed.

The major players in search today are run by some of the best-known brands in the world, such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. Indeed, the world of search is now a multi-billion-dollar industry, led by public companies, fiercely competing for your attention and law firm advertising budget.

Effectively using search as a marketing device to drive potential clients to a law firm's Web site requires knowledge of the two technologies that can affect a Web site's visibility in search results ' 'organic' (ie, free) rankings and 'sponsored' (ie, costly) listings.

Organic Rankings: Spiders, Crawlers, and Bots

Most search engine users are oblivious to the fact that when they enter search terms and receive a list of results, they have not searched Web sites, per se, but instead have searched a database of Web site text and other properties. The results of a search are mere links to corresponding Web sites, much in the same way as a library's electronic card catalog is a pointer to the corresponding book located somewhere within the stacks. If a Web site is not in that search engine's database (known as its index), the search results will not include the Web site's link. No link, then, means little or no traffic.

Getting a Web site included in the all-important search engine index, and more crucially, getting the Web site to appear on the first or second page of search engine results, is called 'search engine optimization' or SEO. It is the process of (some would say the black art of) configuring a Web site's text, code, graphics, and functions to rank highly for certain search terms.

And challenges abound. Not only do the various search engines closely guard the criteria they find important to ranking one site over another (think Coca-Cola recipe), each search engine's ranking system is different and each system is changed behind the scenes, without notice to the outside world. Those seeking better rankings are left to extrapolate the search engines' ranking criteria by discovery through trial and error of many changes to Web sites.

Thus, having a Web site listed in a search engine's index is critical. How does that happen? Most search engines have pages where a Web site owner can submit the site's home page for inclusion in the index. Google's page, for example is at www.google.com/addurl.html.

Once the search engine knows of a site's homepage, the crawlers take over. The crawler ' know by many names, such as 'spider' or 'bot' (short for robot) ' will visit the site's home page, read some or all of the page's text and internal code, and then send that information back to the search engine for inclusion in its database or 'index.' Once done with the first page, the crawler will follow all the links it recognizes (ie, properly formatted) to perform the same reading function on other pages of the Web site. The more pages containing information-rich text that the crawler reads and sends back to its mother ship, the better chance that Web site has of ranking well for terms contained in the Web site text.

If the site is not properly constructed ' for example, built using old technologies such as frames ' the crawler can't get to other pages on the site, and thus, will send very little information about the site to the search engine index. Such sites need search engine optimization, which could include minor text and code changes or drastic build-from-the-ground-up revision.

Finally, the process of submitting a Web site to a search engine and realizing results is a slow one. Because of the way search engines send out their crawlers and the crushing volume of requests for indexing, there can sometimes be a four-to-eight-week lag between a site's being crawled and its appearance in the index.

Sponsored Listings: Buying What Doesn't Come Naturally

It is this lag and the inability to closely control where and when a Web site appears in search engine rankings that has made paid forms of search engine links so popular. Known by names such as 'pay-per-click' and 'paid sponsorship,' this form of advertising and the billions of dollars spent on it is fueling the high-stakes search engine 'war' among Google, Yahoo, and new arrival to the battle, Microsoft.

The process of running these advertising campaigns is called 'search engine marketing' (or SEM) and the dollars involved ' not to mention the ROI ' can be staggering. In a recent report, PricewaterhouseCoopers calculated that the amount spent in 2004 on performance-based Internet advertising such as pay-per-click was nearly $4 billion, or 41% of the $9.6 billion spent on Internet advertising last year.

Pay-per-click advertisements are familiar sights these days. Usually appearing at the top, right side, and bottom of search engine results, these text advertisements appear, for the most part, because the sponsors have bid top dollar for a 'click,' or visit to their Web site. A pay-per-click advertiser can have an ad appear only when searchers use certain search terms, called 'keywords' the advertiser has bid upon. A personal injury law firm would want its ad to appear, therefore, when a searcher entered terms such as 'personal injury lawyer' or 'personal injury attorney.'

Simply having an ad appear (called an 'impression') costs nothing, but if a searcher should click upon a link and visit the corresponding site, the firm's credit card will be charged a pre-arranged per-click rate (from 10 cents to more than $25 for terms such as 'Vioxx lawyer') for the search term targeted.

There is great effectiveness in this form of advertising. Since the law firm's credit card is charged only when someone clicks on the firm's ad, advertising budgets are not wasted on disinterested viewers (as with newspaper and phone book ads). Further, because the advertising viewer has to click the ad to come to the Web site (an overt act), the presumption is that the viewer is interested in the law firm's service and is a good target for the selling proposition of the law firm's Web site. Finally, because the law firm's Web site server can record certain activities a Web site visitor takes (such as filling out a contact-request form) and the firm can associate the action with paid-for search terms ' a process called 'conversion tracking' ' the firm can alter its campaign quickly to take advantage of searching trends to increase the return for each advertising dollar spent.

One law firm that has seen success with this type of marketing is Meyerson & O'Neill, located in Philadelphia. Seeking to attract cases across the United States to its ephedra supplement products liability practice, the firm began pay-per-click campaigns in several search engines, concentrating on Google's service called AdWords. The firm, a two-lawyer operation at the time, chose to not pay top dollar for first-place sponsored ranking for terms such as “ephedra injury lawyer,” but bid a lesser amount to secure third place in the list of ads (see the screenshot below). By clicking on the ad, visitors were brought to a special ephedra page on the Web site called a 'landing page' that explained the symptoms and issues involved and gave clear instruction as to how to contact the firm for representation.

[IMGCAP(1)]

The result has been more than a half-dozen cases filed locally and in Washington, Michigan, and Texas. “We just couldn't have had them if we hadn't undertaken the campaign,” says firm founder Jack A. Meyerson.

The firm is currently running pay-per-click campaigns for cases involving topics such as catastrophic jobsite injuries, prescription drug side effects, and general products liability. “Our case load has grown substantially with referrals from all over the country,” he says. As a result, he says, there are now four full-time lawyers at the firm.

Tracking the Results

One of the most attractive aspects of online advertising, especially pay-per-click and other sponsored methods, is that a firm can very closely track the effectiveness of the efforts via online and offline means. Since each and every activity a Web site viewer performs is watched by one or more computers somewhere along the network, there are now sophisticated methods of determining how a visitor came to a law firm's Web site, what the visitor viewed while at the Web site, and whether the visitor later became a prospect or client.

Each Web server ' a high-speed computer that hosts a Web site ' tracks visits in extensive detail in text log files deep within the computer's file system. Using log file analysis software, a search engine expert can glean facts about Web site visitors, how they found the Web site, what pages they viewed, what page made them exit the site, and much more information. This information can be used, for example, to determine how many visitors in a particular period were referred to the site from Google, which, in turn, can suggest ways to maximize exposure in that search engine.

A newer technology called 'conversion tracking' can not only pinpoint from which search engine a visitor was referred, but can very closely track what search term and sponsored ad the visitor clicked on to come to the site. By use of a hidden code in a specific Web site page, a pay-per-click system such as Google can show the advertiser what keyword terms and ads are generating qualified leads to the law firm by visitors who 'convert,' or take some action to get in touch with the firm, such as filling out an online form or signing up for a newsletter. Armed with the knowledge of which terms are productive and which are not, a law firm can be very efficient with its online marketing budget by only paying for keyword terms that produce qualified leads.

Conclusion: Return On Investment

As law firms become more sophisticated marketers, the concept of using the Internet as a way to increase law firm revenues is becoming commonplace. Any marketing effort, however, should produce more dollars than it costs ' a positive return on investment. Effective online marketing methods are emerging and changing constantly and the skillful use of dynamic, highly trackable advertising technologies will be rewarded with a positive impact on a law firm's bottom line.

For More Information

• Search Engine Watch: www.searchenginewatch.com
• Search Engine Report: www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport
• Search Engine Guide: www.searchengineguide.com