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INTRODUCTION
August - 2006 |
Welcome to the Summer 2006 edition of LiveWire. The heat index has soared
this summer. Triple digit temperatures have been common across much of the
nation. We are pleased to report that our clients' search engine rankings have
also soared! However, just as the back-to-school sales are a sign that fall and
winter are around the corner and preparations must be made, this can be the
opportune time to reflect on your marketing campaigns and begin planning your
Internet strategy for 2007. We hope this newsletter will help with your
planning.
We wish to thank our
clients for their continued patronage. This year (2006) is the best year in our
six year existence. We have more than 400 clients and have added staff and
additional sub-contractors. Managers such as Dale Tincher, Lisa Vaughn, Magnus
Simonarson and Jessica Theiss have been with us four to six years - a rarity
among Web marketing firms. We remain excited about the Internet's potential for
law firms and have many programs in process for 2006 and 2007.
»
Making Search Engine Optimization Work For You
»
Reflections From Seattle '06
»
What the Future Holds
»
Reminders
»
Google Products
»
Merck Vioxx Summary By Dale Tincher
»
Live Links:
Recently Launched Sites
»
PDF Version Of
This Newsletter
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MAKING
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION WORK FOR YOU |
 Limited
Search Engine Marketing Budget? Find Your Niche.
Building smaller does not necessarily mean achieving less. The current
search engine optimization environment is characterized by fierce
competition and enormous investments. As a medium or small sized firm,
it may seem that the Internet is dominated by the behemoths of the legal
community and that Web site success is unattainable. However, a
well-planned and properly executed strategy can result in new cases for
your firm.
Setting unrealistic goals is a simple mistake that can doom your chance
for success. A limited budget will not successfully achieve top search
engine rankings for broad keyword phrases. Sure, personal injury
attorneys drool over those top 5 positions for "personal injury lawyer,"
"accident attorney," or "wrongful death lawsuit," however, there are
often tens of millions of results/competition for the phrases. We have
been programmed to think that Bigger is Better. However, this philosophy
does not always apply in the world of search engine optimization. Focus
your Web site investment on those specific types of cases that are most
important to your firm. By narrowing your keyword phrases, you improve
the success rate of your campaign and enjoy a higher return on the
initial investment by targeting the cases of most value to your firm.
Start by considering the practice area of most interest to you, for
example, medical malpractice. Without a considerable investment, efforts
to achieve top rankings for "medical malpractice," "medical negligence,"
"medical malpractice attorney," etc., will be fruitless. Instead, refine
your focus to e.g., emergency room negligence, breast cancer
misdiagnosis, surgical errors / negligence or medical testing mistakes.
Additional examples of niche marketing include improperly prescribed or
dispensed prescriptions, dental malpractice, Stevens Johnson Syndrome,
osteonecrosis, and amusement park injuries. By concentrating on niche
phrases the effectiveness of your initial investment is significantly
enhanced and you can be successful.
In summary, a limited Web site budget will not prevent your firm from
achieving online success. If applied wisely, your initial investment can
help to secure new cases for your firm, and finance future Web site
initiatives.
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REFLECTIONS
FROM SEATTLE '06 |
 By
Lisa Vaughn
As a first-time attendee to ATLA's (Association of Trial Lawyers of
America) Annual Convention, I was struck by the constant energy and
interpersonal dynamics of all participants. The onsite Starbucks seemed to help
facilitate a continuous stream of hallway discussions, impromptu meetings, and
brainstorming sessions. The proposed (now accepted) name change for ATLA, to the
American Association for Justice, and the annual sale happening at the
Nordstrom's served as common ground for everyone and were instant conversation
starters. Of particular note were the multitude of sessions and vendors related
to legal technology.
There were thirty percent
more exhibitors this year, most from the legal technology community. I find it
exciting that this impressive growth is driven by enthusiastic and
forward-thinking attorneys. In 2007, the Internet will be the primary method for
locating legal services. From what I saw in Seattle, the legal community is
poised for success in this digital age.
Consultwebs.com, Inc. is
privileged to work with some of the top law firms in the United States. These
firms include innovative practitioners, savvy marketers and top litigators. I
feel that we have focused on developing a high-quality team at Consultwebs, and
am invigorated as a result of working with these firms and our team. I am
constantly impressed by the innovative ideas that our clients submit and feel
grateful for the opportunity to work with each one of you.
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To take a look at some sights and scenes from Seattle '06,
click here.
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 Consultwebs.com, Inc. in 2007...
As a client of Consultwebs.com,
you automatically receive a prominent listing in our extensive network of
legal
directories. These directories help to drive traffic to your Web site and
help support your overall optimization efforts. As part of our continued
investment in our clients' Web success, we are in the process of adding several new legal
directories to our network and are working to revamp some existing practice area
sites. These enhancements to our legal directories will help to strengthen the Consultwebs.com, Inc. network, boosting the strength of all our clients'
Web sites.
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We understand the importance of investing in our
client's success. We invest in search engine ads, directories and other methods
of providing exposure and rankings for our clients. In addition, we added numerous practice area
Web pages to the
Consultwebs.com Web site in 2006. We are pleased to announce that these practice area
pages have been ranking in the Top 10 search engine results for their respective
phrases. These pages
help to cultivate claim inquiries, drive traffic to your sites and support your
overall optimization strategy. In 2007, as an investment into the success of our
client Web sites, Consultwebs.com, Inc. will be expanding the practice area pages
on www.consultwebs.com.
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Project of Interest...
 Consultwebs.com,
Inc. is pleased to be working with one of the most respected members of the
legal technology community, Ross Kodner, in the development of his latest
innovation -- factum. Factum will be
a source for online technology and practice management CLE programs.
Offering up-to-date programs for
lawyers and all legal professionals factum delivers
an engaging, professionally produced CLE experience that is interesting,
relevant, and hassle-free. These programs are produced by Emmy-award-winning
broadcasting professionals and provide maximum educational
impact in a minimum of time.
Consultwebs.com, Inc. is having a blast working
with Ross and the excellent team he has put together for factum. We are
excited about the unique offerings that will soon be available at
www.factumonline.com.
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 September
22, 2006 -
North
Carolina Bar Association 2006 Law Technology Expo, Cary, NC
September 27, 28 & 29, 2006 -
Catalyst 100 - FALL 2006 Seminar,
Inn at Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC (Consultwebs will be Speaking)
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Remember to include your Web site address (URL) on all marketing
pieces including print ads, yellow pages, business cards, and television
advertising.
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Many of our clients have received numerous solicitations for
directory listings, link exchanges and other items. Our research shows that
ninety percent of directory listings are a poor investment. Please see our
FAQ section for advice on how to measure services or feel free to
contact us for advice.
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Search engine optimization (SEO) companies are
popping up with increasing frequency. Before considering an SEO company,
check the company's rankings using likely location and phrase searches, e.g.,
law firm Web consultants; check their client rankings, e.g., Pennsylvania truck
accident lawyers; and call their clients. For more detail on judging SEO
companies, please see our
Web Marketing section.
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Nominate your charity or non-profit organization for a free
Web site by Consultwebs.com. Past donated sites can be found at
http://www.saintcamillus.com,
http://www.helpkatrinalawyers.org, and
http://www.tammieholleylaw.com
(Katrina victim who is helping other
victims.) The
nomination form can be found at:
http://www.consultwebs.com/non-profit_application.htm.
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 Spam
is at an all time high. Do not open attachments, even from friends, unless you are expecting the
attachment. Spammers frequently spoof (fake) legitimate e-mail addresses in order to
distribute spam and viruses. Contact us if you would like help in managing Spam.
See our
FAQ's
and
Discussion Boards for up-to-date virus information, link exchange evaluation, marketing and technology information.
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 Google continues to expand
and dominate the online world. The following are just a few of the new
products that you have no doubt seen in the headlines recently.
Google Notebook -
Google Notebook is a
free service that provides a simple way to save and organize information
when conducting research online. The tool permits users to clip text,
images, and links from pages while browsing, save them online, access them
from any computer, and share them with others. We are exploring the
development of Google Notebooks as an additional way to help support our
clients, see our development Notebook
here.
Google Scholar -
Google Scholar is a search engine for
the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and
scholarly fields. Today, the index includes virtually all peer-reviewed journals
available online, except those published by Elsevier, the world's largest
scientific publisher. Google Scholar is comparable in function to Elsevier's
Scopus and Thomson ISI's subscription-based Web of Science service, though more
inclusive in sources and languages.
Google Trends -
Google Trends shows, as a graph, the
popularity of particular search terms over time. Multiple terms can be shown at
once. Results can also be displayed by city, region or language. Related news
stories are also shown.
Google Desktop -
Google Desktop is a desktop search application that runs
locally on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 SP3+ PC. The desktop search program
allows users to search their e-mail, computer files, music, photos, chat, and
web history. It allows the installation of Google Gadgets, which are similar to
Mac OS X's widgets. We are huge fans of Google Desktop - which often performs
advanced searches 10x faster than Windows utilities.
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MERCK VIOXX SUMMARY BY DALE TINCHER |
On Thursday, August
17, 2006, Merck & Co. suffered a double setback when a federal jury
awarded $51 million to a former Vioxx user and a
New Jersey judge ordered a new trial, throwing out
a Vioxx verdict that had gone in favor of Merck.
In the second federal
trial involving a Vioxx lawsuit, a
New Orleans jury found that Merck had knowingly
misrepresented or failed to disclose a material fact to the plaintiff's
physicians. It said retired FBI agent Gerald Barnett, of Myrtle
Beach, S.C., should get $50 million in compensatory damages. And it
added $1 million in punitive damages, saying Merck "acted in wanton,
malicious, willful or reckless disregard for the plaintiff‘s rights."
In federal court,
Merck now has one win and one loss. In state courts, Merck had won four
cases in California and New Jersey, one case in Texas
and two in New Jersey.
The August 17th ruling may negate one of the New Jersey wins. Merck’s damages to date are
$349 million. More than 16,000 cases have been filed and more may be
filed in the coming weeks before a September deadline expires.
We are not surprised
at these developments since some of the earlier cases had less potential
than cases that are now coming to trial. Though Merck vows to fight
each case on an individual basis, it is our opinion that Merck will lose
an increasing number of cases and will move toward settling cases
that meet certain criteria.
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LIVE
LINKS: RECENTLY LAUNCHED SITES |
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If you'd like to see some of the Consultwebs.com team's recent Web work, please
visit our:
Featured New Sites
July 25, 2006
Consultwebs.com, Inc., has completed a Product Recall page that is designed to
keep readers
up to date on recent product recalls. To visit this page
click here.
June 21, 2006
Consultwebs.com, Inc., completed a Web site makeover and marketing campaign for
Ted A. Greve & Associates, a Charlotte,
North Carolina plaintiff injury law firm. The firm
handles
accident and
injury
claims
in North and South Carolina. In addition to being a
prominent attorney, Dr. Ted Greve is a licensed chiropractor.
June
21, 2006
Consultwebs.com, Inc., has completed an
Emergency Room Errors specialty site for
William F. Horsley
of
Greensboro, NC. William
Horsley is a prominent North Carolina attorney with more than 28 years
experience as a
trial lawyer. Among other distinctions, Mr. Horsley has served as President of
the North
Carolina of Trial Lawyers.
June
20, 2006
Consultwebs.com, Inc. clients in the news include Clark Smith of
Brinkley Walser
who
has been named President of the North Carolina Bar Association and
Janet Ward
of Ward
Black law who has been named President-Elect of the North Carolina Bar
Association.
Kenneth Suggs of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, is immediate past president of the
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
(ATLA).
June
12, 2006
A
Helicopter Accident Web site,
HelicopterLawyers.com has been completed by
Consultwebs.com for
Crouse Law Offices. The Web site features
extensive information
on how helicopter accidents occur and how they should be investigated.
James T. Crouse is a qualified Army Aviator with more than twenty-five years
of service.
June 8, 2006
Consultwebs.com has added several photos and cities to its galleries including
Sarasota,
Florida;
Miami, Florida;
Apex;
Colonial Williamsburg; the
Missouri Capitol
and
Pittsboro,
North Carolina. Update June 19: Photos have been added for
Atlantic Beach,
Morehead City,
Beaufort, &
Shackleford Banks.
June 7, 2006
Consultwebs.com,
Inc., working together with Woodbine of Winston-Salem, NC, recently completed a
redesign of
www.wardblacklaw.com.
Ward Black Law
is a personal injury law firm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina representing
those who have been injured or damaged because of the actions of someone else
for more than 20 years. Partner Janet Ward has recently been named
President-Elect of the North Carolina Bar Association.
May 12, 2006
A new Web site has
been created by Consultwebs.com, Inc. for the personal injury law firm, The
Glassman Law Firm, P.C.,
of Missouri. www.glassmanlegal.com provides
information to clients about such areas as car accidents, dog bites, medical
malpractice and wrongful death.
March 13, 2006
Consultwebs.com has completed a redesign for one of our long
standing clients, Kraft & Associates, of Dallas, Texas. Kraft &
Associates has been helping personal injury and Social Security Disability
clients in the state of Texas for 35 years. Their Web site at
www.kraftlaw.com is complete
with helpful articles, resources, brochures and newsletters.
February 9, 2006
Consultwebs.com has created a new Wrongful Death specialty Web site for
existing client Brett & Coats PLLC of Bellingham, Washington.
www.washingtonwrongfuldeathlaw.com provides
comprehensive information about wrongful death in the state of Washington. Brett
& Coats PLLC has represented clients in numerous multimillion dollar personal
injury, toxic tort and commercial disputes over the years.
February 9, 2006
Consultwebs.com has completed a redesign of
www.laurajenkinsattorneys.com
for
The Law Office
of Laura S. Jenkins, PC.
The new Web site uses flash technology and provides comprehensive information
about Workers' Compensation in North Carolina.
December 1, 2005
A North Carolina
Personal Injury Law Firm Web site has been completed by Consultwebs.com, Inc. for
The Flexner Law Firm, P.A.
www.northcarolinatrialattorney.com is
a new Web site that provides helpful information to protect the rights of injured
clients in cases involving serious personal injuries and wrongful death
throughout North Carolina. The Flexner Law Firm, P.A. is based in Raleigh, NC
and has assisted victims of personal injury for the past two decades.
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Please send your questions and comments to
info@consultwebs.com.
Our mailing address
is Consultwebs.com, Inc., 9913 Gralyn Rd., Raleigh, NC 27613, 919-272-8052
To remove
your name from future mailings, please
notify us.
Copyright © 1999 -
2006
Consultwebs.com,
Raleigh, North Carolina, All rights reserved.
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