Internet Marketing, Mindfulness

Do Law Firms Need Internet Presence?

Posted on by Andrew Lehrfeld
attorney using social media
26
Jan

“This firm DOESN’T NEED a website and social media! I started this firm 80 years ago, and we did just fine WITHOUT THAT NONSENSE!”

Use Internet Presence to Get Found and Look Good

Law firms are businesses just like any other. And as a business, law firms must attract new clients in order to survive.

Part of attracting new clients is getting found where they may be looking for you; another part is looking good once they’ve found you. For these reasons, law firms absolutely need Internet presence.

Several years ago, I was asked by the senior partner in a law firm on Long Island to come to their office and make a proposal to handle the firm’s online presence. The senior partner believed that his firm ought to have a website (at minimum) along with an active presence on social media.

After I had presented my ideas to the firm, the senior partner’s son said to me, “We don’t need a presence online because my dad has been practicing law for decades and all the attorneys in town already know him.”

I paused for five seconds and then asked, “What happens when all those guys retire or die?”

Online Presence, SEO and PPC

An online presence is imperative for a law firm to have. Certain practice areas (such as Personal Injury, Bankruptcy, and Matrimonial, for example) stand to benefit the most from an online presence, because people tend to use these firms only once in a lifetime. Therefore, it’s likely they will need to search for a qualified firm near them when the need for one arises. In cases such as these, a law firm will want an online presence that makes the best possible use of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or PPC (pay-per-click advertising) — two tools you will want to have in your arsenal when getting found online is crucial.

Online Presence and a Good First Impression

But online presence is important for other practice areas, as well. Even firms that tend to rely on referrals, or those that focus on Appellate, Construction, or Corporate Law, for example, must make a good first impression — and these days, that first impression is likely to be the firm’s website. How does your firm’s website look? Can it be seen and easily read on a smartphone without “pinching-and-squeezing” text on the screen? Remember, almost 70% of online searches today are made on smartphones — if you’re still using outdated technology, you are presenting a stale image of your firm.

You may also enjoy:

How to Dominate Your Market on the Internet

Andrew Lehrfeld

Andrew (Andy) Lehrfeld is a classically-trained direct-marketer whose first job after college was with the New York City advertising agency, David Deutsch Associates. Andy works with mid-size businesses and professional firms that want to improve their online presence, get found, look good, and get results from their Internet marketing. He lives by the mantra, "Above all else, help others". Andy is a proud business owner, friend, colleague, husband, father, and grand-father. He can be reached at (203) 548-0070 or via email at andrew@internetpresencellc.com.