<b><i>Online Extra:</b></i> Separating Truth from Lies: Website Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Firms

A Google search for 'personal injury firms Philadelphia' brings up about 541,000. Now, naturally, there aren't that many personal injury firms in the country, let alone the Philadelphia region, but that's still a ton of clutter for a small or mid-sized firm to try and sort through to be known to the general public.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to stand out, said the experts at the 'Truth and Lies of the Internet for Lawyers' panel at ABA Tech Show 2016 in Chicago. The panel featured Jennifer Ellis, an ethics attorney with Lowenthal & Abrams in Philadelphia; Conrad Saam, founder of Mockingbird Marketing; and Gyi Tsakalakis, founder of marketing company AttorneySync.

The three experts conducted the one hour discussion in a way similar to the TV show 'Mythbusters' ' dispelling some of the common myths told to small and mid-sized firms looking to build their own business.

First off, the panel point to the American Bar Association's (ABA) own ABA 2020 initiative, which states, 'You must be aware of and mitigate the risks of technology.' As Tsakalakis said, lawyers today 'can't bury your head in the sand.'

'Sometimes, as we're behind the walls of our messaging apps or posting on Twitter, we feel safe. But remember: It's the message that matters,' he added.

And that messaging needs to be consistent, no matter how the client is referred to the firm. He said that it's a myth that clients aren't looking for lawyers online. 'When people talk about referrals or word of mouth, no matter how they hear your name, they're going to the Web to look for information about you ' and what they find is going to play some role in whether they contact you. It's not referrals'or'the Internet. It's referrals'and'the Internet,' Tsakalakis said.

As a result, lawyers need to be able to uphold their reputation online. This includes not only keeping inappropriate personal conduct off the Internet, Ellis noted, but also making sure the website reflects a modern and innovative firm.

'If you have an out-of-date website, you might as well not even have a website, because it makes you look terrible,' Ellis said. She drew an analogy to a bike wheel; social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter function well as spokes that can provide more structure, but they can't exist without the hub, the website that acts as a home base.

The panel suggested WordPress as a website as a low-cost option for smaller firms. Saam said that ultimately, a WordPress site should cost a firm between $4,000-$8,000 for a solid build, as compared to the hundreds of thousands that some larger firms spend. WordPress also has the added functionality of plug-ins, such as Google Analytics, that can drive traffic and provide invaluable data for the firm.

Ellis did, however, caution that 'WordPress is the Microsoft of websites ' because so many people use it, there is a lot of malware out there to try and attack it.' As a result, she said, 'You have an ethical obligation to make sure that website is secure.' Saam suggested using a 'managed WordPress host' to assist for this purpose.

There is an odd phenomenon though, especially if utilizing a third-party marketing company to help build a website, that the firm itself may not even own the site. Tsakalakis explained there are three key pieces of a website every firm should check to see if it owns: the domain registration, the content management system, and the content itself.

Concerning the first, Ellis said, 'As far as the Internet world is concerned, if somebody else owns the domain name, they own the domain name. You don't want to have to sue to get it back, if you can even get it back.' Saam also added, 'It's not your domain. It's your vendor's domain. You're just renting it.'

On many firm websites, lawyers use the platform to only write about law topics. The panelists, though, said these lawyers should expand their horizons. While firm blogs and social media can be an opportunity to show expertise, they should also be viewed as a chance to show empathy and the experience of working with a particular lawyer. As Ellis explained, 'People don't hire law firms. They hire lawyers.'

'One of the things that people really want to know is what you're like, what it's going to be like working with you, if you're empathetic,' Tsakalakis said. Ellis added, 'If all you're doing is stuff for marketing, that shows. Somehow, through the computer comes the sincerity of your words.'

That is not to say, though, that all content is good content. One of the biggest myths in the current marketplace, Saam said, is writing more is more important than writing well.

'More content does not mean people are going to show up,' he explained. ”Content is king' is a fallacy that does not work in legal.'

Tsakalakis noted, 'Crap content has a reputation liability effect.' For a personal injury firm, for example, poorly researched and written blog posts, adding nothing to the conversation, may actually do more harm than good and allow the public to view the firm as an ambulance chaser.

Ultimately, the panel said that everything comes down to client service. Whether that means better utilizing social media in a stronger way to have a conversation rather than advertising, replying to review services (such as Yelp) encouraging clients to call with any issues, or providing a way for potential clients to contact the firm right away rather than having to wait, a positive client experience will build a firm more than any technological advancement.

Because, as Tsakalakis said near the end of the panel, 'You can't SEO your way out of terrible client service.'

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– Zach Warren, Legaltech News

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