What are you getting for your digital marketing dollars? Whether you’re a solo practitioner or an attorney at a big law firm, you need to know your marketing ROI. Too many attorneys either have no idea or assume everything’s fine. But is it?
Make sure that your digital marketing and website is working for you by avoiding these 10 snafus.
1. Not Investing in Looking Your Best … Online
To make a good impression and win over prospective clients, you might invest in your clothes, your office, your staff—even your law degree. That same attention should extend to your web presence.
When someone’s referred to you, the first thing they’ll do is Google you. What will they see? A professional digital presence that reflects your reputation in the legal community? Or a stale website with a few broken links? Or worse—maybe your website isn’t even listed in the top search engine results. That’s not a good look.
Build your credibility and your clients’ confidence with a stellar digital presence. Potential clients will get a strong sense of your brand before they even pick up the phone.
2. Assuming All SEO Is Created Equal
Attorneys may think, “Yes, I’m paying for SEO services,” and check that box. But if they were to examine what they’re actually getting, they may see two leads at a cost of $1,500 per month. That’s not great ROI.
Done right, lawyer search engine optimization (SEO) can generate more qualified leads, at a lower cost per lead. Think about it like a painting or a work of art. There’s a difference between a portrait painted by a kindergartener and one painted by Rembrandt. Yes, they’re both portraits, but the quality is worlds apart.
It’s best to trust true experts of their craft when it comes to law firm SEO. They know how to get you quality leads at affordable prices.
3. Going Along with Whatever Your Marketing Agency Says
Some marketing agencies may be unscrupulous. Others may do rote set plays or cookie-cutter strategies. There’s no way to know what you’re getting unless you know what to look for. Start by asking questions like:
How would this plan get me more leads?
How are we tracking those leads and what’s the cost per lead?
How will this position me ahead of my competition in my market?
When can I expect to achieve high search visibility that translates into new business?
If your marketing partner can’t answer these questions, or you’re not getting increasing amounts of ROI, then it’s best to exit that relationship. Just don’t sign any long-term contracts before you do your due diligence. Stick with shorter three-month or six-month contracts to hold your law firm marketing agency accountable and make sure you’re getting results.
4. Presuming It’s Impossible to Compete Effectively Online
Many attorneys think they’ve tried everything and gotten nowhere. They’ve paid big money to big-name directory services that generated zero leads. They’ve poured entire marketing budgets into paid ads that didn’t pan out. This discouraging trend makes defeated attorneys feel like it’s impossible to compete online.
But high-quality lawyer SEO can help level the playing field for all attorneys. In Google’s eyes, it doesn’t matter what size your law firm or solo practice is. All websites have an equal chance to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) if the content is relevant. Good quality lawyer SEO makes your content relevant to your intended audience in your intended market. It’s what helps your site rise up through the SERP rankings.
5. Spending More to (Hopefully) Get More Leads
This is one of the biggest fallacies attorneys fall prey to. They’re often convinced by marketers that they need to boost their ad spend in order to generate new business.
Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you pay for.
Law firm internet marketing is one of the most competitive fields, with the cost per click (CPC)/pay per click (PPC) up around $50. That CPC/PPC can go even higher for practice areas like personal injury, medical malpractice and criminal defense, where attorneys outbid each other for the most expensive keywords.
Even if someone clicks one of these ads, it doesn’t mean they’ll convert into a client. So, the cost per lead ends up being even higher than the CPC/PPC. And the leads that do come through may be junk.
You’re better off paying a steady, predictable price for a complete digital marketing strategy and organic lawyer SEO. If the strategy is working as it should, you’ll get more qualified leads over time without spending more money.
6. Not Tracking Your Leads
How do you know if your digital marketing investment is working? By tracking leads.
The beauty of online marketing is that everything is completely trackable. You can trace leads back to where someone came from and what they clicked on. You should know how many leads, how many phone calls and how many contact form completions your marketing dollars are generating and through which channel.
The most important metric to watch is the percentage of leads that are qualified, meaning the ones that are in a market you serve looking for help with an issue within your area of practice. This tells you which components of your digital marketing mix are working the best. And it helps you make decisions that optimize your strategy and keep the qualified leads rolling in.
7. Jumping Into Paid Ads First
It’s way too easy to blow your budget on paid ads if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Paid ads pretend to be easy, but they’re not. They can be complicated. You need to watch your paid ad metrics like a hawk or you could get stuck with irrelevant clicks that bleed your budget dry.
Maybe you’re paying a company thousands of dollars to manage paid ads for you. Unfortunately, many of these companies—especially really big ones—don’t care if you win or lose. They’ll use up your money and then wring blood from the next turnip.
Paid ads should instead be a strategic complement to a whole host of other digital optimizations. Paid ads work best in concert with a revamped website, organic SEO and other enhancements that improve your overall digital presence. They’re like a seasoning to be sprinkled sparingly on top of your turnip stew.
8. Wasting Money in the Wrong Places
Paid ads aren’t the only trap door your marketing budget falls through.
Also beware of:
Massive law firm directory sites
Marketing agencies that do a one-size-fits-all approach
Generic, DIY-style website-building services
Social media and blogging
As we mentioned earlier, the only metric you need to be concerned with is the number of qualified leads. You typically won’t get many qualified leads from the “wrong places” listed above. Now’s a great time to take stock, reevaluate what’s not working and redirect resources to the right places.
9. Building a Website without Considering SEO
Some attorneys get wrapped up in building a new website that looks great, but it doesn’t generate qualified leads. That’s because they didn’t give much thought to SEO. Or they figured they could add in SEO afterward. Unfortunately, that creates a janky experience that just doesn’t jell as well as it could.
For the most cohesive, highest-converting digital experiences, SEO must be the foundation. Market research informs which SEO keywords you should target, and that SEO becomes part of the blueprint for your new website. That ensures prospective clients will find you exactly when they’re searching for legal services in your market.
If you build it, they will come … but only if you build in lawyer SEO from the get-go.
10. Picking the Wrong Digital Marketing Agency For Your Law Firm
By now, you probably have a better sense of what to look for and what to avoid when it comes to law firm digital marketing. If you’re doing your due diligence and asking the right questions, we’re confident you can avoid the pitfalls of ineffective marketing.
Partnering with the right digital marketing company can make all the difference.
Here’s what to seek out:
Experience
Proven results
Custom strategy for your unique brand and specific market
No long-term contracts
Choose the Law Firm Digital Marketing Experts
To perfect your online presence and secure the qualified leads you seek, leave it to the professionals. At eProphet Media, we’ve used lawyer SEO to consistently generate results for our clients since 2007.
Typically 85% to 90% of the leads we generate are qualified leads.
The average cost per lead for our law firm clients in 2022 was $35. That’s per qualified lead, not per click!
Our clients usually start seeing results within 30 days.
We continuously monitor and improve your digital presence because we care about helping you grow your law firm.
You’ll see a lower cost per lead over time as your digital presence gets stronger.
We have long-term clients but not long-term contracts. We can help you rank high in organic search results, generate qualified leads and convert traffic into customers. The proof is in our results. See for yourself.
Contact Us for a No-Cost Consultation
At eProphet Media, we have more than 15 years of experience helping attorneys across the United States improve their digital presence. Our clients’ success is all that matters, and it’s why they re-hire us month after month and year after year. Let us create a digital marketing strategy that includes the right mix of services for your unique business goals.
Contact us today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
Call us today at 248.923.4590 or fill out the form below.
We don’t ask for long term contracts.
Our average legal client has been with us for seven years.