Much has been written about the best blogging/content management systems for search engine optimization (SEO). For over a year I have been using WordPress and the Thesis theme for various websites, and I’ve found it to be very easy to use for SEO. And you don’t have to sacrifice in terms of style. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog and WSJ Magazine, plus a lot of other top-flight sites, use WordPress. The fact that my sites aren’t any prettier is a reflection of my desire to control my own work, and my lack of skill as a designer. But even for a design-challenged lawyer, I can publish a decent-looking website in a matter of hours. And the Thesis theme is designed from the start for SEO. [click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Alabama SEO,
Birmingham Alabama SEO,
Birmingham SEO,
blogging,
content management systems,
Google,
Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
SEO,
Thesis,
Thesis theme,
WordPress
Today I attended the first day of WordCamp Birmingham, a gathering of WordPress bloggers and developers. There were some very informative sessions. The highllight of the event was a “WordPress Town Hall Meeting” presided over by Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress. Matt, who has a great sense of humor and is very entertaining, spent over an hour answering questions and giving tiny hints about things that might be in the works for the next version of WordPress.
I came away from the session more convinced than ever that lawyers who blog can’t go wrong choosing WordPress as their blogging platform. It’s very easy-to-use, and although I’ve not tried to promote this particular blog, I’ve used it on some other sites and found it to be very SEO-friendly.
Tagged as:
blogging,
blogs,
Matt Mullenweg,
WordPress
The Wisconsin Bar recently published an interesting article with 10 Internet marketing tips for new, small law firms. While the article is sometimes short on specifics about implementing its suggestions, it is a very good beginning point for lawyers without experience in online legal marketing. I’m just going to list the 10 headings here without the full text of the article; you can read the full article here. I’m going to add some explanations/suggestions based on my own experience.
- Advertise Online.
- Invest in a professionally designed and developed web site.
- “Consumerize” your web site.
- Incorporate video on your site. [The articles suggests that you "Develop an introductory video of the managing partner that showcases personality as well as expertise. Post the video on the web (and YouTube) and even consider a TV spot down the road." My caveat, if the managing partner doesn't come across well on video, do not use the managing partner. Use the lawyer who looks best and comes across as most genuine on video. If you have to, and your bar regs permit it, hire a professional before you put up a video with a white-faced, stuttering managing partner. Also, if you can afford it, spend the money to shoot a professional video. You don't have to spend a fortune to hire a pro, and the results will be worth the money. For ideas about using video that aren't limited to interviews with your managing partner, see my post "Use online video to do things you can't do on TV."]
[click to continue…]
Tagged as:
Attorney advertising,
Google AdWords,
Internet for lawyers,
Law firm websites,
Online Legal Marketing,
Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
SEO
Some interesting questions have been raised by a lawsuit filed by the National Association of the Blind against Target, which operates both retail stores and the target.com website. The lawsuit alleged that Target’s website, discriminated against blind users in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuit alleged that the website lacked alt-text, required the use of a mouse to complete a transaction, and contained other graphical features which prevented blind users from navigating and making full use of all of the functions of Target.com. [click to continue…]
What can we do together? Since 1999 I've been using the Internet, websites, blogs, online video, Twitter and other social media to help thousands of injured people find great lawyers. We've organized national networks of lawyers in over forty states to take on Pfizer, Bayer, Yamaha and other multinational corporations. We've put consumers on a level playing field, and had fun doing it. If you're a great lawyer looking for more clients, contact me and let's see what we can do together.
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