Welcome
to the Spring/Summer 2004 edition of LiveWire. In the spirit of
this season of rebirth, we explore ways to get more results from your Website.
Google is making big news and we have it covered. You will hear from one of our
earliest clients, who shares his Website success story. Our typical tips and
ideas are included.
Ah-h-h
spring and early summer.A time of renewal and
transformation.A
time to put away
the winter doldrums and welcome the changes that the season brings.Everywhere thoughts are turning to fresh starts and new beginnings.This
is the ideal time to give your firm’s Website a "lift" (and
maybe your revenue) with a makeover.
When you look
at your Website and its results, what comes to mind?
Is
it professional and contemporary?
Does it shape your visitor’s perception about the firm?Does it grab their attention?
Does it separate itself from
the Web pack?
Would a visitor click the additional buttons to further explore your
site?
Do you attract the people who will most likely want your
services or products? How
does your site rank in the search engines? Is it buried on page 9 or
10, or is it one of the first sites a user sees when they search?
Can your Website reach the right people and encourage them to
visit again?
You may know the power of the Web to reach the
people looking for your services, but are you really tapping into the wealth of
opportunity on the Internet?
A lot to
ponder, but well worth the investment of time.According to Nielsen/NetRatings' latest
survey, Americans with six-figure-income households are the fastest growing
income group on the Web. In fact, all segments are dramatically increasing.
The same survey found that virtually all adult shoppers use the Internet to research or make their
purchases. The Web was also identified as the best place for advertisers of luxury
items and various professional services to invest their marketing dollars.
Web and
newspaper advertising was listed as the #1 media for influencing respondents' purchasing
decisions.
Unique Audience (000)
Yearly % Growth
Income Level
March 2003
March 2004
Growth
$ 150,000+
6,010
7,873
31%
$75,000 - 99,000
20,732
26,393
27%
$0 - 24,999
14,356
17,786
24%
According to Safa Rashtchy,
a senior research analyst for U.S.
Bancorp's Piper Jaffray, the online
search industry represents a major growth market that will reach
nearly $7 billion in worldwide revenues by 2007. In addition, he believes that the key driver of growth is
"the increased popularity of search as the most efficient way to find
products and information, and simultaneously the rise of search as the best way
for advertisers to find and acquire customers."Mr. Jaffray estimates that the cost per lead was $0.29 for online
searches,
$0.50 for e-mail, $1.18 for the yellow pages, $2.00 for banner ads, and $9.94
for direct mail.
Does your
Website measure up to this rapidly expanding market of consumers who want to
make informed choices?To realize
the potential of the Internet, your Website needs to meet the changing face of
client needs, the law, competitors and new service strategies.In the past, this type of business development required a substantial
investment of marketing dollars. The good
news is that today
you can create the same marketing presence as your largest competitors without
breaking the bank. You can also keep your current clients happy – by maximizing the opportunities to support and
service them online. Did you know that repeat customers spend an average
of 33% more than new customers and that it can cost up to six times more to sell
something to a prospect than to sell the same thing to a client?
You
may be looking to add features, redesign your site to make it more
client-centric or you may be ready for a more contemporary look – it’s all within
your reach and your budget.Here
are some important considerations when planning for a Website upgrade.
Technology
Tune-ups
Do not expect results if your site is unorganized, has long load times, or
contains broken links and
out-of-date information.Technology should be used to add or enhance
the features and functionality
that enriches the client experience.By offering unique services (including online
newsletters, brochures, “client only” sections, articles
about specific practice areas, “How To's”, Current News and other areas of
interest),
your Website will serve as a valuable resource that encourages clients and prospects to visit repeatedly. Password-protected
areas enable clients to follow the progress of their cases or projects and share
documents with you.Personalization
and forms that are automatically filled-in with the client's unique details
saves them time and contributes to everyone's sense of community.
To view a list of the components that
you can add to your site, as well as client examples, please visit us at Promotewebs.com.
Content
Is King
One
of the simplest and most powerful ways to upgrade your site is to make it more
informative and responsive to client needs, as well as a resource that differentiates your
firm from the competition.Timely
and relevant content is critical to achieving maximum search engine accessibility and ranking.Your
words should convey your image (or the image that you would like your clients to
see) and motivate visitors to want to know you better.Content makes an invaluable contribution to visitors’ confidence and
perception of the
firm.
Even
when technology is in place and you rank high in search results, content can
make or break the success of your Website.Recent
trends in Internet usage indicate that people are no longer content to surf the
Web to find products – they prefer to “settle down” with Websites that
they can depend on for quality information.That is what “Bookmarks/Favorites” on the Web tool bar is all about.
Don’t
despair if you do not have the time or inclination to write and maintain your
Website content - Consultwebs.com provides those services for many clients.
More Than a "Face in the
Crowd"
What
is the point of having whiz-bang technology and persuasive content if there is no
traffic on your Website?Refining the content and the structure of your site to appeal to search
engines is key to Website success.Many
Consultwebs.comclients
tell us that they receive cases each month due to an aggressive search
engine campaign and the strong content on their sites.
Maintenance
– It’s Not Glamorous, But It Pays
Maintenance
is another critical component of a winning Website.The most challenging aspect of site
maintenance is keeping the content fresh for the sake of search
engine optimization (SEO) and repeat visitors.Search engines
typically visit (index) sites more frequently when they are updated periodically. Just
as no one returns to yesterday's newspaper, stagnant Websites are seldom
revisited.
Investing
In Your Site
Many of our clients receive more new clients from their Websites than from any other advertising medium. Many
firms realize that, like other methods of advertising, they need to commit
monthly or annual budgets for the site.Fortunately,
the budget does not typically increase like other advertising mediums do.If you wish to maintain an aggressive Web presence and maintain strong,
fresh content, an ongoing budget of 50% of the first year investment is a good
figure upon which to plan. We invite you to visit some of our
client comments to
view the results achieved by some of our clients. An example of one of our
recent website redesigns: Your
Website is your business office on the Internet.Keeping it fresh and meaningful will attract
and keep visitors
and will
grow your business.
THE
POWER OF GOOGLE
Ending
months of speculation, Google filed its initial public offering (IPO) with Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston
for $2.7 billion. Wall Street finally got a long awaited peek into the search
engine giant's finances
at the end of April. Google reported earnings of $105.6 million (on revenue of almost
$962 million) in fiscal year 2003 and more than $178 million for the first quarter of
2004. In a letter from its founders, the
company stated that it will make the unusual move of auctioning shares to enable
a broader range of investors to compete for
some of its' IPO shares.
A recent
CNN article stated that about 42 percent of U.S. Web users went to Google's search
engine in March, compared with 31 percent for Yahoo and 29 percent for MSN.
More
Google Success Tips:
Backward
Links
(also called popularity links) – did you know that the number of
Websites that link back to
your site has a bearing on your Google rankings?
The Google search engine uses link popularity in its algorithms and considers
it the most important factor in ranking sites. Since Google likes links
that are associated with your profession or industry, and loves links that have a high
page rank within the Google search engine, it is a good strategy to exchange links with friends
and associates. If you would like to
see how your page ranks, type "link:www.yourdomainname.com" into the Google search box.For example, type "link:www.consultwebs.com".Note: If you need
advice or help with building your links, please
contact us.
Google
Toolbar
– the Google Toolbar can tell you Google’s opinion of your page rank or
value.The Toolbar also has several
other features including a pop-up blocker, form fill-in feature and a browser
search box.To download the
Toolbar, go to http://toolbar.google.com/.
(Note: If you begin to experience problems with your browser crashing
when you go to Websites, uncheck the pop-up blocker).
Checking
The Number of Pages On A Site
– to check the number of pages Google has indexed (read) on your site type: site:yourdomain.com in the Google search box.For example, type: site:consultwebs.com.
News
– to access news, type your search phrase and then click on the News tab at the top of the Google
search box. You can also receive alerts each time
related news occurs for that item - just sign up at the bottom of
the results that display.
Answers
– if you can’t find what you are looking for or don’t have the time, you
can pay a Google researcher $2.50 to find the information that you need. See
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/.
Searching
Within a
Site
– if you wish to confine your search to a site, type: searchphrase
site:domainname.suffix, (e.g., products site:consultwebs.com). This example
will list areas in which the word "products" is located within Consultwebs.com.
There
are many other capabilities that you can obtain from the Google search box.
A calculator, definitions, street maps, parcel tracking, the ability to find the owner of a
phone number or check on an area code are just a few of the goodies at:
http://www.google.com/help/features.html
and http://www.google.com/help.
DYNAMIC IN 2004 - SERVICE
OFFERINGS BY CONSULTWEBS
This newsletter is brought to you by Consultwebs, so please take a
moment to read the ways in which we can help support your Internet
presence. If you'd like to learn more about
our complete range of services, contact us.
Hosting Consultwebs.com
specializes in providing a superior, cost-effective hosting
experience for small and medium-sized law firms. More than 300 attorney Websites
worldwide currently utilize our secure and reliable hosting services.
Web
hosts vary greatly in their capabilities, services, software offered, E-mail
solutions and support. Many Web hosts offer comprehensive
statistics at premium rates, while others do not offer
statistics or provide less than useful information. A
big advantage in having us host your site is the ease in which we can capture
useful statistics for you. Statistics are
a great way to measure your return on investment (ROI) and get a perspective on
just how much your Website is doing for you. Consider:
We can tell you the number of unique visitors
you've had, the number of pages visited, and the length of time of each
visit. You can use this information to measure your Website's ability
to capture and retain a visitor's interest.
If you want to know the type of information that
interests your visitors, we can identify which pages were visited.
You can gain insight into which Web
advertising and search engine optimizing companies are achieving results for
you by identifying "Referrers"
- those directories,
search engines, pages and sites that are referring visitors to your
site.
Search phrases can be tracked to determine the
phrases that bring visitors to your site.
Another cost-effective strategy to track the value of your marketing
efforts is to establish separate 800 #'s (they are available, but you must be
persistent) for different campaigns and Websites. You can easily obtain some great information
by reviewing the 800 number
invoices.
The combination of solid statistical data and a front desk
process that tracks how callers and walk-ins heard of the firm enables you
to make intelligent decisions regarding advertising. One of our clients learned
that they were spending almost $20,000 per year on a directory that had never
referred a case to them.
If you're looking for best host for your
Web presence, or need assistance with hosting related tasks (including acquiring
domain names and transferring domains) talk to us.
Whatever your Web needs, Consultwebs.com is equipped
to support
you.
Content
People
visit websites to find information or to research a product or services.
Can visitors quickly understand the benefits of working with your firm?
Have you differentiated yourself from the competition? Are
there important messages hidden within the text? Content is more than just writing,
it
should market your firm and conform to web architecture,
conventions, technology and search engine requirements. Our
content authors are specialists in writing focused, relevant and
creative content that promotes your firm and the benefits of working with
you. Please contact us at
marketing@consultwebs.com
for more information on our copywriting services.
News Feeds
Would you like to have fresh, automatically
placed news on your Website? There are several sources for news feeds, however, our clients have stated
that they have not been satisfied with the relevance of information.
Too often the news is "not" applicable to the United States and is too general
to apply to specific areas of practice.
Consultwebs.com offers stock news feeds for $49 per month and customized local
or topical news feeds on a quote basis. A one-time $95 implementation fee
applies.
The
National Legal Research Group (NLRG) offers a variety of newsletters,
including stock, custom, Web and print versions. If you are looking for even
more customized newsletters or require special Web graphics or formatting, NLRG
and Consultwebs.com will team to develop a dynamic newsletter that fits your firm's unique goals.
Growing Your Business Through Search
Engine Rankings
High
search engine rankings allow consumers to easily find you when they search
the Internet for legal services and products. Some simple and quick ways to improve your search engine rankings
include:
Reciprocal
links - In
addition to counting the number of links pointing to a site,
search engines also check the
quality of the links. You should only link TO sites
(preferably legal-related if you are a law firm) that return a link to your site. If their links
have high page ranks and are related to the legal profession, your
search engine rankings will improve. You should exchange links with your friends and business associates
in order to score higher in searches. However,
if
the site you are linking to does not rank well or is not industry-related,
you lose the advantage of improved rankings and your link partner gains
it. Bear in mind that if your reciprocal link is with a "link farm",
your rankings can be damaged. Link
farms are sites that are established in order to try to gain rankings by
displaying a large number of links, while soliciting reciprocal links.
Search engines frown upon link farms.
For detail on this topic, please see our FAQ's
-- #46 -
http://www.consultwebs.com/faq.htm. There are several
paragraphs on what to do, how to ask for links, how
to measure your links, etc
.
In
order to help with the process, Consultwebs.com is helping certain clients establish
reciprocal relationships with other Consultwebs.com clients and applicable
non-clients.
Content
- If your Website's content is written well and contains timely and
relevant information, other sites will want to link to your site. We
encourage you to ensure that your Website contains well-written content that also
satisfies the rules of Web architecture and technology. Practice
articles, FAQ's, and other informative material will attract an audience and
keep them coming to your site.
A
custom Web campaign can dramatically improve your rankings.
Consultwebs.com has a proven methodology for Web success. We will be happy to talk
with you about your specific needs and goals. Contact us at
marketing@consultwebs.com
for more information.
REMINDERS
Do not open attachments, even from friends, unless you are expecting the
attachment. Spammers typically spoof e-mail addresses in order to
distribute spam and viruses.
See our FAQ's and
Discussion Boards
for up-to-date virus, marketing and technology information.
We do not have to tell you that spam is a problem.
Since spammers invest time every day trying to figure out ways to bypass spam
controls, it
is virtually impossible to stop spam. Spammers typically send each
new batch of e-mail from a "spoofed" address, making it difficult to
track where spam originated or to respond with complaints. Once you become prominent on the Internet, you may
even receive spam
and viruses that supposedly came from your spoofed (faked) e-mail address.
Consultwebs.com is continually investigating and testing spam control software
in an effort to minimize the influx
of spam. With the help of our hosting partner and the inclusion of a
series of filters that we have
developed, we have been able to reduce the spam in tested accounts by 25% to 75%.
To safeguard against the loss of legitimate mail, suspected spam is
sent to a junk account. For example, your suspected
spam could go to e.g.,
spam_control@yourdomainname.com (for example,
spam_control@consultwebs.com.)
Someone in the firm should monitor the e-mail being sent to the spam account.
You will have the ability to blacklist
enemies and whitelist friends. You can maintain these lists or ask us to
do so.
Filter installation is typically performed on a per client basis, i.e., if we install the filters for you, each of your e-mail accounts will be included
in the spam control system. If you would like us to install the filters, we will do so for a
one-time $49 installation fee for your first ten POP e-mail accounts and $5 per
month for every 10 e-mail accounts. For example, if you have 15
accounts, the installation price will be $73.50 and the additional hosting
amount will be $10 per month. Please contact us at
spamcontrol@consultwebs.com or 919-272-8052 to discuss filter installation
or visit our spam control
signup form to subscribe to the spam control software.
Audio
Dial a phone number, dictate
your message and within minutes, place the audio on your site. Audio
is ideal for providing an overview of information or distributing periodic
topical updates. See the Consultwebs.com media section to
review our audio product and see client examples.
FOCUS ON KRAFT & ASSOCIATES
Kraft
& Associates
is a
prominent Dallas,
Texas-based personal injury law firm with a team of 25 attorneys and legal
professionals. Robert (Bob) Kraft was an Internet pioneer and had
developed outstanding content. In 2001, Bob retained Consultwebs to improve the firm's Web presence.
Consultwebs.com assisted in Web marketing, a new Website
design, a newsletter template and the development of additional Websites.
Today, Kraft & Associates
enjoys an impressive Web presence and achieves top search engine rankings for
its key phrases, e.g., Dallas
Personal Injury Lawyers,
etc. The firm's
main Website includes an on-line Claim Form, Legal Articles, News regarding product
recalls, insurance, Social Security, firm-related updates and general information on Texas
law.The Website also
features several free brochures that can be either read on-line or printed as
needed. Kraft & Associates also offers a “Texas Non-Injury Accident Kit”
for people who were in minor car accidents and sustained no injuries. The kit is too large
to be included online, however, the firm mails free copies as requested.
Bob Kraft recently had this to say about Consultwebs, "Dale, now that we have worked
together for several years, I want to formally thank you again for all you have
done for our firm. Your company has been fantastic to work with, giving us
immediate responses to every question. As you know, we've added several
specialty sites in addition to our main Website, and you've done an excellent
job of setting up and maintaining those sites. Each site has been successful in
bringing us inquiries from potential clients."
We get approached almost daily by other companies wanting to design or host a
Website for us, or wanting to do our search engine optimization work. Many
offers, even from well-known legal companies, are for less money than we pay Consultwebs. But, I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and
Consultwebs delivers on its promises.As I told someone once, an
inexpensive Website that attracts no clients is not cost-effective. An
expensive Website that brings in more revenue than you paid for it, can be very
cost effective. Consultwebs is not the cheapest company around, but you do the
best work, and that's what matters most to us. Thank you."
LIVE
LINKS: RECENTLY LAUNCHED SITES OR SIGNIFICANT MAKEOVERS
If you'd like to see some of
the Consultwebs.com teams latest Web work, please visit our:
Featured Sites:
Mesothelioma Help - New York
law firm, Belluck & Fox is a
long-time Consultwebs.com client. Belluck & Fox wanted to develop a
prominent mesothelioma Web presence that would be considered "the" medical and
legal mesothelioma resource site. Our designers and writers researched the
topic, talked with Belluck & Fox and interviewed physicians in order to develop
a comprehensive site that features mesothelioma symptoms, treatments, resources and legal
help. Mesotheliomahelp.net also includes
a mesothelioma community board
and internal site search engine.
Case Management Extranet:
Over the past several months,
Consultwebs.com, Inc. has worked closely with a long-term, plaintiff
personal injury client to develop an online Case Management Extranet application.
The application allows several collaborating law firms to exchange and input information
about ongoing cases.
The
Case Management Extranet application helps to manage information through an
online search, allowing users to query by document title or description, and
tracks shared documents by date. Case documents, images and other materials can
be uploaded and downloaded by consortium member firms. The documents can also be
queried by author, table of contents, category and
sub-categories, etc. A list of the most recently uploaded documents is displayed on a page.
Other features of the Extranet includes a listserv (a closed e-mail
system in which all member firms can view e-mail sent by all member firms.) and
a master calendar that is editable by all. The easy-to-use online interface guides attorneys through the process of
uploading case documents, related images, and other materials to share within
the group of member firms. Approved
insurance companies can access certain sections of
the file system.
The system
brings mobility to users by offering the convenience of checking case status and inputting updates from Web browsers -- from
the office
or on the road. If
you would like to learn more about the exciting capabilities of the Case Management
Extranet, please contact Consultwebs.com for details.
Additional New Sites:
Hardison & Associates
- Web makeover for this prominent North Carolina personal injury and workers'
compensation law firm. Features include testimonials with the actual
document available for view, videos and comprehensive content.
TheDinner.net - 5th Annual Consultants &
Technologists Dinner, Chicago. Consultwebs.com developed an entertaining, informative
Flash design and took more than 100 photos of the event.
MicroLaw
-
Automation Solutions for Lawyers - Redesign - A comprehensive site for leading
legal technologist Ross Kodner and his legal support team.
Heard & Smith - A Web makeover and marketing plan for
this leading San Antonio Texas Estate Planning, Probate and Social Security
Disability law firm. Features include comprehensive content, videos and
testimonials.
Carolina Trial - A new Website for Jones, Garland &
Peterman, a prominent New Bern and Jacksonville, NC personal injury and
Jacksonville law firm. Features include
testimonials and comprehensive content.
NC Appeal -
New site for John J. Korzen, Appellate Lawyer, Kernersville, North Carolina
Advancement Project
-
Redesign of Website that helps Advancement Project create new
strategies for achieving universal opportunities and a racially just democracy.
Lawrence H.
Bloom - New Website for Lawrence H. Bloom, a New York, New Jersey family
attorney.
David W. Bland -
Redesign for David W. Bland, a Durham, NC business attorney.
Morrison Law Firm - New Website for B. Perry Morrison, a Wilson, NC
Worker's Compensation attorney.
Yates, McLamb & Weyher,
L.L.P. - Redesign for Yates, McLamb & Weyher, L.L.P., a Raleigh, NC law
firm. Focus is on civil defense litigation, primarily in the areas of medical
malpractice, product liability, arson, insurance coverage and general
liability.
Brown & Crouppen
- Redesign and marketing program for Brown & Crouppen, a St. Louis, Missouri
personal injury law firm with an organization of more than 70 legal professionals. The site
features audio, Flash, video and comprehensive content.
Law
Offices of Paul A. Samakow - Redesign for Paul Samakow, a Northern
Virginia personal injury law firm. The site features community pages,
audio and comprehensive content.
Harris Ragan Patterson & Rodgers PLLC - New
Website for Charlotte, NC personal injury law firm.
Teddy & Meekins -
Redesign for Shelby, North Carolina personal injury, criminal defense law firm.
Michigan Defense Law - New Website for Paul Tafelski, Michigan criminal defense attorney.
DID
YOU KNOW?
You may not know about some of the great features Consultwebs.com, Inc.
offers its clients including:
Consultwebs.com owns more than 80 directories
(primarily legal), including
60+ legal
directories. Clients are given a free one-year listing in the
directories and can renew at significantly reduced prices. This equates to
more than $75,000 in listings values. New clients receive
one-year free listings and non-clients can sign-up for 3 free
listings. See
http://www.websconsult.com/DirectorySignup/
for a partial list.
If you host your e-mail clients with CW, you can check your
e-mail from any browser.
To send and
receive e-mail from any PC browser, using Webmail, simply type in your domain
name, followed by /appieswebmail and enter your user name and password. For
example, type
http://www.yourdomainname.com/appieswebmail. Please see our
FAQ
section for more detail on Webmail – or contact us at
cwsupport@consultwebs.com.
That you have Web visitor statistics? Contact us to for information
on the version that you have.
You can access more than 100, continuously updated Web tips in our
FAQ's and
Discussion Boards.
Find News Feed, Newsletter resources and more.
COPYWRITING -
Consultwebs is home to several talented writers who can provide content help,
practice articles, and marketing. An emphasis on applicable, high-quality and properly structured content is
essential. Effective content helps educate users and makes your Website a
resource for visitors. Investing in building a top-notch, informative and
educational
Website will be rewarded with high Google rankings -- and more
visitors.
If you wish to beef up your content, but do not have the time or resources
available to do so, please contact us.
We have added items such as FAQ’s, news feeds, newsletters, practice and business
detail, and community pages (including photos) for
several clients.
MARKET EXCLUSIVES
- Consultwebs.com has programs that include exclusives in certain locales for select areas of
practice. For example, we no longer accept additional personal injury Web
promotion
clients in Dallas, Boston, Raleigh and Southern California. In certain
situations, we will perform design work in some of these locales. Exclusives are no
longer available in certain markets, e.g., Raleigh, Dallas and Southern
California. Please contact us if
you are interested in CW helping your firm enhance its Web presence on an
exclusive basis.
WEB
DOMAINS - We provide new domain names for $12.95 per year (.com .net and
.org and .info). Other domain extensions such as .us and .biz are often priced
at $5.95. Extended
purchase terms are as low as $7.95 per year. You may renew your existing domains
with us for the same prices.
DISCUSSION
BOARDS - This is the place to go for information related to SPAM, virus
alerts, and other subjects such as Legal Software, Personal Injury Law Resources,
breaking News and Web Marketing. It We can also place discussion boards on your site.
WEB
HOSTING - Consultwebs.com offers hosting on our dedicated servers and
virtual servers. We offer packages for businesses and law firms. Our monthly
hosting prices typically range from $14.95 per month to $125 per month. We also
offer numerous additional options such as pre-designed, customizable input forms
(Guest Books; Information Request Forms; mailing lists; e-commerce
systems; Intranet shells/templates) and features that include databases and
discussion/bulletin boards. Please see Promotewebs.com to view the features
some of our clients have added to their sites.