Attorneys: Why Are You Making These Marketing Mistakes?
I am an SEO Consultant to law firms and doctors. What I constantly hear, usually in my first sales encounter, is, “Well I’ve spent a lot of money on SEO, and nothing happened. I can’t afford to pay you what you’re asking.” My response to that is, “You can’t afford to.”
It’s like walking into Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse and saying to the waiter, “I just ate a terrible burger at McDonald’s, can I get a discount on my steak?” They’ll take you for “a tour” of the kitchen, blackjack to the back of your head, and bum-rushed out the back door.. while they stand there laughing at you and calling you a fool!
Counselor, the problem is you! You hired companies or individuals without doing your due diligence.
“You hired them blindly because some other dopey attorney who knew nothing about marketing told you it was a good idea, “they’re well known”. So was Lee Harvey Oswald. It doesn’t mean I’d have him over for dinner. ..or hire him to cut my lawn!
If someone told you to hire one of the “big” marketing firms, ie., Findlaw, Scorpion, etc. – did you ask a single probative question besides “How much does it cost?” If you took that approach, the answer is- ‘it will cost you your shirt!’.
So what can you do to protect yourself from these “Marketing Charlatans”, as I call them?
First of all, look at them as adversaries, like they’re sitting across the table from you at a deposition, not some old friend you’re having over for dinner. They’re trying to take your money! What will you get in return? Is a pocket full of Wolf Tickets?
When you are interviewing a new marketing firm or SEO Company, treat it like an EBT. Drill the hell out of them before tossing your hard-earned, blood, sweat, and tears courtroom money at them.
The way some lawyers act when it comes to marketing reminds me of that old commercial for the Window Factory (maybe before your time), the one where the guy opens the window and throws handfuls of money out while shouting, “Here, take my money!”.
Here are some things you’ll want to know before hiring just any old lousy SEO / Web Design claimant out there;
Who will be hosting my website? Will I have full login credentials?
Who owns my website after you design it?
This sounds crazy- and, well, stupid, but you don’t know how many lawyers out there don’t even know the answer to this. Most don’t even know if they are renting their “own” website! It’s mind-boggling.
Some of the bigger national companies that my clients have dealt with own the sites and basically rent them out to the attorneys. One client told me he worked with Scorpion, and when he told them he was leaving- they took down his site- same day- poof! Gone! He said they told him something to the effect that if he wanted to use his site it would cost him another 10k.
It’s not a condo! Your website is your “house on the web”. How much money would you spend renovating a rental?
Well, if that’s what’s in their contract- and you didn’t read it before signing it- it’s your fault, not theirs.
How many times have you uttered the words to clients, “You mean you signed this without reading it?” And there you are- GUILTY OF THE SAME!
3. Will, my website be made on WordPress (the most common denominator) or some obscure custom code that nobody knows except your company (therefore making it impossible to leave them without losing your whole website)?
4. How long is my contract?
5. What happens to my website if I don’t renew my contract? CAN I TAKE IT WITH ME?
You know, like the saying, “You can’t take it with you.” And, in some cases with marketing companies- you can’t.
Here Are Some questions you Should Be Asking About Your monthly SEO Contract
1. What tasks will you be doing each month to improve my rankings? Examples of correct answers; link building, improving page structure on your website, internal linking on your website, content marketing on social media, content creation, posting new content on your website, signing you up for directories to improve your local listings, buffing up your Google MY Business Page with the goal of getting it to show up in the “map pack”( the top 3 listings which show up at the top of page 1, under the paid ads.)
For some reason, this is one of the only fields where people pay blindly, then hope for results. I call it, “Pay and Pray”.
You’re an adult, why would you do something like this? Shame on you!
To learn more about SEO so you don’t get “duped” again, please visit
“And remember, Good luck, we’re all counting on you!
