1	NCATL – Web Marketing and Ethical Considerations Ethics SEO - Why is optimization important? What do search engines look for? How do they rank sites? Why do they change their algorithms? Optimizing & developing your site This presentation will be on the Consultwebs Website
2	Consultwebs Sixth Year Law Firm Web Consultants 100 Directories (example 2) 200+ Clients, 1,000+ Websites Across U.S. Client examples – Leading Law Firms, ABA, NCATL Speakers (ABA, NCATL, TECHSHOW, NCBA, Bar Associations, etc.)
3	Ethics North Carolina State Bar Consultwebs.com site Linked from NC State Bar RPC 239, 241, 215 – 7.2, 7.3d
4	Ethics Considerations NC State Bar - RPC 239 October 18, 1996 Advertising on the Internet Opinion rules that a lawyer may display truthful information about the lawyer's legal services on a World Wide Web site on the Internet. Rule 2.2(a) permits advertising in public media or through written communications not involving solicitation as defined in Rule 2.4. A site on the World Wide Web is a public media advertisement.
5	RPC 239 Advertising on the Internet All communications by a lawyer concerning the lawyer or the lawyer's services, including communications via computer, are subject to the prohibition in Rule 2.1 on false or misleading communications. To avoid misleading a user of the Internet from another jurisdiction, a Web site should list all jurisdictions in which the lawyers in a firm are licensed to practice law. Rule 3.1(b). Similarly, the Web site must disclose the geographic location of the lawyer's or law firm's principal office. Rule 2.5 prohibits communications implying or stating that a lawyer is a certified specialist unless the lawyer is certified as a specialist by the State Bar or a certifying organization approved by the State Bar. However, a lawyer who is not a certified specialist may indicate areas of concentration or interest on a Web site.
6	RPC 239 Rule 2.2(b) requires a lawyer to retain a copy or recording of an advertisement or written communication for two years after its last dissemination along with a record of when and where it was used. Because Web sites are updated frequently, compliance with Rule 2.2(c) may be achieved by printing a hard copy of all screens on the Web site as launched and subsequently printing hard copies of any material changes in the format or content of the Web site. These hard copies should be retained for two years together with a record of when the screens were used on the Internet.
7	RPC 241 RPC 241 January 24, 1997 Participating in a Directory of Lawyers on the Internet Opinion rules that a lawyer may participate in a directory of lawyers on the Internet if the information about the lawyer in the directory is truthful.
8	RPC 241 Yes, (a lawyer may advertise in a directory) provided the information contained in the lawyer's listing is truthful and not misleading. Rule 2.1. To avoid misleading a user of the directory from another jurisdiction, the listing should indicate the jurisdictions in which the lawyer is licensed to practice law and the geographic location of the lawyer's or law firm's principal office. See RPC 239. Rule 2.5 prohibits communications implying that a lawyer is a specialist in an area of practice unless the lawyer is certified as a specialist by the North Carolina State Bar or a certifying organization approved by the State Bar. However, a lawyer who is not a certified specialist may indicate areas of concentration or interest in a listing on the directory.
9	RPC 215 – Modern Communications Modern Communications Technology and the Duty of Confidentiality Opinion rules that when using a cellular or cordless telephone or any other unsecure method of communication, a lawyer must take steps to minimize the risk that confidential information may be disclosed.
10	RPC 215 Opinion #2: Although electronic mail or "e-mail," is not conveyed over the public airwaves like communications by cordless or cellular telephones, many of the same concerns for client confidences apply to communications by e-mail. E-mail is susceptible to interception by anyone who has access to the computer network to which a lawyer "logs-on" and such communications are rarely protected from interception by anything more than a simple password. In using e-mail, or any other technological means of communication that is not secure, the same precautions must be taken to protect client confidentiality as are set forth in opinion #1 above.
11	Other Rules to Consider Information About Legal Services Rule 7.2 Advertising (a) Subject to the requirements of Rules 7.1 and 7.3, a lawyer may advertise services through written, recorded or electronic communication, including public media.
12	Rule 7.2 - Advertising Rule 7.2 Advertising (a) Subject to the requirements of Rules 7.1 and 7.3, a lawyer may advertise services through written, recorded or electronic communication, including public media. (b) A lawyer shall not give anything of value to a person for recommending the lawyer's services except that a lawyer may (1) pay the reasonable costs of advertisements or communications permitted by this Rule; (2) pay the usual charges of a not-for-profit lawyer referral service that complies with Rule 7.2(d), or a prepaid or group legal services plan that complies with Rule 7.3(d); and (3) pay for a law practice in accordance with Rule 1.17.
13	RPC 7.3d (d) Notwithstanding the prohibitions in paragraph (a), a lawyer may participate with a prepaid or group legal service plan subject to the following: (1) Definition. A prepaid legal services plan or a group legal services plan ("a plan") is any arrangement by which a person, firm, or corporation, not otherwise authorized to engage in the practice of law, in exchange for any valuable consideration, offers to provide or arranges the provision of legal services that are paid for in advance of the need for the service ("covered services"). In addition to covered services, a plan may provide specified legal services at fees that are less than what a non-member of the plan would normally pay. The legal services offered by a plan must be provided by a licensed lawyer who is not an employee, director or owner of the plan. A plan does not include the sale of an identified, limited legal service, such as drafting a will, for a fixed, one-time fee. (2) Conditions for Participation.…..
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17	Why Is SEO Important? The Web is growing as a resource for services & products - statistics Audience poll – purchases, online services (Expedia), banking / billpay, research, local, children, grandchildren. Increasing use for you? Accessiblility - wireless, hotels, airports, meetings Too many Yellow Page providers & the associated costs TV is very expensive & is becoming crowded Print diminishing – newspapers will eventually disappear – agree? Priceline, Mapquest, ebay, Weather.com, Expedia Traditional retailers are also going to the Web Journalists use the Web - Crouse In 2006 and 2007, the Web will be a leading method for searchers to find all services.
18	Myths Leading SEO myths – can’t be done, use PPC - proof Consultant Articles & Websites – many provide outdated or inaccurate information. SE’s are understandably secretive. How do you measure vendors? – search on their criteria. If they can’t get themselves to the top, they can’t get you to the top, search on their clients, check links. Talk to clients. Check long term.
19	Consultwebs SEO Example searches against top competition: Law firm web consultants – 5,000,000 - #1, #2, #6 out of 8,000,000+ (14M) Law firm web designers - #2 out of 14,000,000 (8M) Web marketing consultants - #4 out of 12,000,000+ Law firm SEO consultants - #1, #2, #5 out of 142,000 This has allowed us to grow rapidly, but affordably
20	Clients Truck accident lawyers (Munley) #1 New York personal injury lawyers (Belluck Fox) #1 (3.6M) - Web is only advertising they use New York mesothelioma lawyers Belluck Fox #1, 2, 4 (1.7M) Maryland cerebral palsy Medlawlegalteam) #2 Dallas personal injury lawyers (Kraftlaw) #1 Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers - #1, #2 St. Louis personal injury lawyers - #1, #2 Boston person injury lawyers - #1, #2, #8 Wake County or Triangle personal injury lawyers NC personal injury lawyers - #1 & 7 of top 1 Richmond personal injury lawyers - #4 of 786,000 Pennsylvania or California abogados accidentes - top 4
21	Why Do They Change Their Algorithms? To provide quality To increase PPC revenue To prevent dominance by certain Webmasters
22	What Do Search Engines Look For? Page 1 Goal Quality – for competitive reasons) Meta tags – primarily the title - http://www.kraftlaw.com/ Relevance / ratio of key words Be careful, don’t overdo – can be banned Narrow your focus – pages & sites Articles – especially niche areas, languages Blogs, News (doesn’t have to be a blog) Popularity / backward lengths Emphasize Quality, Relevancy (Neighborhood) Depth of content
23	What Do Search Engines Look For? – Cont’d Entrenchment (Takes Time) Age Multiple sites (Google consideration, Spam Consideration) Appear as a specialty (SEO & PPC) Links Be prepared to rank well for future, e.g., Vioxx, Bextra Depth of site Activity (clicks) News, Press Releases Updates PPC?
24	Pay Per Click When to use it When time is of the essence – e.g., Vioxx To complement a campaign When the cost is attractive Example Potential costs Price depends upon bids, activity Judge the value of your return
25	Judging Vendors SEO is time-consuming, requiring time, expertise & constant monitoring, & persistence. Do you have time? Test their site & client sites & links (tests) Call clients Ask for a plan Ask about competitive posture Cost – can be a few hundred to six figures – measure the payback
26	Example Searches Example searches Evaluating your results Google Page Rank Links – link:www.domainname.com Site size – site:www.domainname.com Examine content for relevance Separate pages for practice areas and other content
27	Getting Clients to Call Define what you do – quickly Make it easy to contact you – 800#, Free Review, Quick Feedback Form, Free Information Why you are different Presenting your message Track Record - http://www.scottgottlieblaw.com, CW While doing it, be different – testimonials Audio – www.samakowlaw.com – our experience TV - http://www.hardisonandleone.com www.brownandcrouppen.com www.garycjohnson.com Languages – http://www.abogados-pennsylvania-accidentes.com
28	Getting Clients to Call Quick contact forms on each page Online chat – discussion Content that is packaged numerous ways - www.kraftlaw.com FAQs, news feeds, articles Multiple sites Specialists Information resource – get to the 80% Visibility – 2 or 3 sites in top 10
29	Approach Determine your time and resources Content – do you have time News sources Press releases Articles Spanish pages Newsletters – Kraftlaw Expertise – buy or develop or both Budget – set goals & phases
30	Thank You! See Consultwebs for presentation – Presentations dropdown Call for site evaluation or questions – Dale Tincher – 800-872-6590