Lawyer Directories vs. Google Search

There's a reason Google is king of the mountain when it comes to search engines, and they're not looking to be ousted from their throne any time soon.

Even though some lawyer directory services pre-date Google in terms of when they were established, they're still living in the past, in a time when people used to search through books to find what they were looking for. Does anyone even hold on to their copy of The Yellow Pages anymore? Most of these paper directories have now entered the Internet age, but they're a few years too late: Google still wins.

If you were searching for a professional service like a plumber, how would you go about it? Most consumers hop on their computer, pull up Google (which is in many cases already their home page), and key in "Denver plumber" or whatever their geo-specific need may be. They're not going to add an extra step by searching "plumber directory" and then searching a directory to find their service provider.

Google has very sophisticated search engine metrics that analyze your website for its relevance to search topics. When your client types "personal injury lawyer Boston" Google provides the "lawyer directory" function of weeding out all other professional services in Boston and only showing lawyers.

The effectiveness of a lawyer directory as a lawyer advertising strategy looks pretty weak in the shadow of search engine giant Google. Before you try it, examine the costs of a directory listing versus some good maintenance on your existing website. You could find that your solution to being found is just some minor website tweaks. 

The ball is in your court - there's a lot more to learn if you want to build your practice full of happy clients, reasonable hours and a 6-figure salary. Start by requesting a FREE copy of my marketing CD and report. Consider a step toward transforming your law firm into a successful and highly profitable business - (703) 591-9829.