The online legal marketing space is one of the most competitive around. Advertising costs for legal-related key phrases commonly exceed $10 per click and can even reach $50-$100. Real estate for organic, or natural, search engine listings is becoming more and more saturated as well. Let's face it, there are only ten organic results on any given Google results page. Combine that with the fact that as much as 90% of organic click traffic goes to the top three listings, and it is clear that the actual competition is even greater than many lawyers may suspect.
Unfortunately, there are many lawyer internet marketing firms that will represent multiple competing law firm clients in a particular practice area and geographic location. In fact, some of these law firm seo firms will take on over 30 competing clients. The simple fact is that some of these companies' clients have to take a back seat to other clients. As previously stated, there is only so much online real estate. Someone has to be relegated to the second, third, and fourth pages, and beyond.
That is why it is so critical to consider exclusive law firm internet marketing agreements. Under an exclusive, or limited-competition, agreement, your lawyer internet marketing consultants are limited in the number of competing law firms they can take on as clients in a give practice area and geographic location. With a limited-competition agreement, you won't find yourself in a bidding war against your competition with the company you are paying to generate business for you online. It's the classic Coke vs. Pepsi situation. Would it make sense for these competitors to hire the same advertising/marketing firm? Obviously not.
Another issue that arises from too much competition is the "watered down" effect. If everyone in your legal services market segment is employing the same company, they're also probably using the same law firm marketing strategies, techniques, and methods. Generally speaking, the more your campaign is the same as your competition's, the less effective it may be.
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 here’s the kicker: instead of keeping users within its ecosystem, […]
When law firms contact us, they usually want to talk: • PPC Ads • SEO Rankings • Lead Generation Very few want to talk: • Brand • Trust & Recognition • 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 you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, you’ve likely seen posts from law firm SEO experts showing off charts with an “up and to the right” trajectory. These screenshots, often pulled from tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, are meant to signal SEO success. And it’s not just the agencies celebrating—𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 […]
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. […]
When you think of "marketing," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Ads? SEO? Social Media? What about: Helping others?Taking the lead? Rallying around your community? Need an example? Learn from Bart Siniard at Siniard Law Injury Attorneys efforts to help rebuild Mary's Pit BBQ. These efforts aren't about marketing. They're about supporting a […]
