Continuing our online legal marketing redux, we come to our next tip:
In the scramble to attract attention from potential clients, lawyers often forget that there are many other people that will probably stumble upon the stuff they put online.
Some lawyers work with very sensitive clients. But even if your clients aren't sensitive, what you put online can have an impression on them.
Spending your whole day tweeting? What impression does that give your client?
Representing a business in toxic tort litigation? You might want to reconsider that post decrying the evils of big business.
Does that mean you should just avoid the internet altogether? Maybe. That is if you aren't willing to be conscientious about the potential impact of your online engagement.
But do you live by this rule in the real world? Some of you might.
You might avoid talking sports, politics and religion in professional situations that could give rise to problems.
You might reserve your passion for the Michigan Wolverines for tailgating with your college buddies.
But on the web, "stuff" becomes public and permanent. You really can't effectively shield the different shades of yourself.
So, you should think about what impact your online activities will have on your clients' perceptions of you.
But does that mean you shouldn't "attend?" I don't think that's wise either.
Yes, even judges use the internet. Some have even had blogs.
But most are still probably lurkers.
So, if you blog about how much they have aggravated you, don't be surprised if that has some impact.
Does this mean that you shouldn't talk about judges? Probably, at least in most cases.
But again, it's more about making conscientious decisions about what you write, tweet, share, etc.
Colleagues, competitors and opposing counsel are also watching.
Some lawyers like to share litigation strategies online. I'm particularly fond of Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Tips.
Knowledge sharing is an excellent way to nurture professional relationships.
But keep in mind that the enemy is watching too.
Again, it shouldn't be a straight binary decision. It's about how you do it.
If you're a trial lawyer, jurors pose an additional layer of complexity to your web presence.
In fact, some lawyers will show completely different websites when they're at trial.
From a search perspective, that's not something that I recommend.
But again, it's worth consideration.
Is what people can find out about you when they search for you online an asset or a liability?
The point of this post isn't to scare you into not doing anything online. In fact, ignoring the web won't solve your problems. You will be reviewed. You will be rated. You will be talked about. You will be searched for online.
The point is to think about what impact what you do online will have on these various audiences beyond just the potential clients to whom you are marketing.
Here's a recent Google SERP for "๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ." Ads? โLSAs? โLocal Pack? โLinks? โ ๐ท AI Overview? โ 6 firms listed. Only one tiny ๐. Click the ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ button? ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐: Here's a more detailed look at some of these firms: THE PEARCE LAW FIRM, P.C.Edith Pearce, […]
On April 22, 2025, Google sent an email updating Local Services Ads Additional Terms for Providers: Subject: Action required: important updates to Local Service Ads Additional Terms Many people are arguing that lawyers cannot participate in Local Services Ads, as this would constitute a per se violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct related to […]
Conrad and I recently joined Zack at Lawyerist to record a conversation about AI and marketing. You might think that we spend the whole time on how lawyers can use AI to publish content. You'd be wrong. While AI can certainly support publishing, there are many more interesting ways to use it in legal marketing. […]
As more legal services consumers turn to ChatGPT for local law firm recommendations, a fascinating intersection between AI, search, and maps unfolds. While Google remains the undisputed leader in local business data, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming an entry point for searchers seeking legal representation. But hereโs the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: โข PPC Ads โข SEO Rankings โข Lead Generation Very few want to talk: โข Brand โข Trust & Recognition โข Emotional Connection Admittedly, much of this concerns that AttorneySync is known for lead generation across those common digital channels. But even when we start […]
According to an October 2024 study by SE Ranking: "The legal niche triggers the highest percentage of AIOs (77.67%). The average number of links matched between the AI Overview resources and the top 20 search results was 6.49 for legal topics. AI Overviews for legal topics most frequently link to NYCourts.gov (114 links), YouTube.com (48 […]
I'm grateful for my friend, Charley Mann of Law firm Alchemy. If you're a lawyer, subscribe to his Free Email List. In a recent email, Charley calls out bad guru advice on hiring: "Trying to execute a major SEO improvement? You need to find people who will help you, instead of trying to DIY it […]
If youโve spent any time on LinkedIn, youโve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an โup and to the rightโ trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And itโs not just the agencies celebratingโ๐น๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ […]
Meh, links! All things being equal, links still tend to move the dial more than any other factor in legal SERPs. Maybe links are having a diminishing impact internet-wide. But in my experience, quality links, especially relevant links (both topically and geographically), tend to improve law firm visibility in search more than most everything else. […]
