In The Art of War, Sun Tzu discusses strategy vs. tactics:
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
I often find myself speaking with attorneys about their online marketing only to become mired in discussions about tactics and logistics. Now don't get me wrong, understanding the tactics someone will use to market your firm is important. However, if you do so while ignoring your overall strategy than your odds for success are minimal.
You can evolve and change your tactics as you move along, but you need a sound strategy from the start. For example, simply getting your website to rank for a few keywords is a tactic, not a strategy. Unfortunately, I speak with lawyers everyday that treat this as if it's the entire marketing plan. Rankings mean nothing if those rankings don't produce traffic. The traffic means nothing if it isn't targeted and producing leads. The leads mean nothing if they aren't eventually turning into new clients and business for the firm.
Don't make the mistake of looking only at the tactics your competition uses. Think about how those tactics fit into an overall, web marketing strategy. Getting a ranking, starting a blog, creating a Facebook page, producing content, etc. are all tactics. These tactics, when executed with a clear strategy, can mean a lot of new business for your firm. Once a strategy is in place, the tactics you use can shift and adjust. You can figure out what's going on and how to make it better. But without a strategy, you will not have a cohesive effort....just a bunch of profiles online and a top ranking for the name of your firm.
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 […]
The above comment is right on the money. It used to be if you wanted a lawyer you would sift through the Yellow Pages. Now you can have a blog representing your company that is dynamic. It can be linked to Facebook or Twitter for Real Time Indexing (RTI).
Now you can have a blog that is connected to the world and your geo specific area. It is always changing and providing your clients with current and topical information.
Here is fallacy with all of this and those with websites on the 1st page of Google search ought to beware. A blog can over take an authority website on the 1st page. Using a blog like Blogger with a high PR can push its way to the top 5 searches via Google in a very short time. Google Black Hat World and you will see the competition is about 9,930,000. You will see our Hubpage in either the #2 or #3 position. You may also see our Facebook. In fact, on two pages for the keyword "black hat world" we have 7 positions for that client!
Some of you may think that having a blog on the blog on the 1st page is no big deal. Your wrong! Even if you have a website on the 1st page having a blog to compliment it is a very smart and strategic method of getting your competition "off" the 1st page. And that blog can drive traffic to your main site and give Google juice!
I created a Hubpage for a customer and in 4 months that Hubpage has a PR3 and ranks just below the main "authority" site of my customer! That customer is internet savvy and knows the value of creating blogs to compliment his website. In addition the Face book and Twitter accounts also show up on the 1st page frequently. So often he "dominates" the 1st page with 5 or more positions!
One last thing you have to be cognizant about is Google's new algorithm targeting Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Why? Well Google's new algorithm can blindside a website which is not following that them. And new website owners who pay attention to LSI can have their website catapulted not only to the 1st page, but in the top 5 of the Search Engine Results (SERPs), in a short time.
Do not under estimate the value of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 properties arsenal of Search Engine Optimization tools to dominate your competition and drive massive traffic to your website and business. And do not turn you back on Google's new LSI algorithm