Google has had an active summer, much to the chagrin of many, from a high-profile Penguin update to changes to its link scheme guidelines. But, as Eric Enge pointed out in an article about Google's quality control process, the search giant doesn't really care whether it ranks your site accurately. Google is interested in increasing overall search quality, not in small, individual cases. The best way to...
Jul 24
7 Ways to Enhance Your Local Search Marketing Efforts
With the release of Penguin 2.0 in May, Google made it apparent that, among other things, a business's location would play a little more heavily in search results. You may have noticed over the last few months that businesses near you are getting preferential placement in results for non-geo-specific terms like “sushi” or “veterinarian.” Your firm can take advantage of this development by adding a targeted local strategy to your...
May 10
Find balance with your search and social marketing efforts
Each new, highly publicized update Google releases causes some frustration among businesses that see their rankings fluctuate as the changes take effect. And Google will continue to hone its algorithm in an attempt to make search results as helpful as possible for those in need of information or services.
However, through all of Google's updates, the basic rules have remained the same. And so has the underlying formula: a combination...
Read MoreMay 1
Take a closer look at how people are interacting with your website
Much of the practice of search marketing is centered around getting people to your website. Having a diverse collection of links pointing to your site and ranking well in search engine results should increase the number of people visiting your pages. But what happens once those visitors arrive at your website. Are they staying? Do they read your articles or just scan your pages? Are they contacting you?
Keeping users...
Read MoreApr 25
Expand your influence beyond your own blog
Having a regularly updated website and attorney blog are both important factors in any search marketing campaign. In addition to the basic SEO value of well-written content, frequent posting helps to establish trust with potential clients, who will come to see you as a reliable source of helpful information. Being the expert who people can turn to for helpful knowledge has good marketing potential.
But there is a whole world...
Read MoreApr 3
Will Responsive Design Work for Your Website?
From a designer's perspective, responsive website design is beautiful. It is simple: one site, many devices. With a responsive design, your site will transition seamlessly from desktop to mobile without the need for distinct urls. In addition, responsive designs often emphasize white space and large elements, giving sites room to breathe at all sizes. And, the consistency offered by employing responsive design is a valuable brand-building tool, since...
Mar 8
Google’s How Search Works site outlines the search process and offers live spam screenshots
Google has launched a website called How Search Works, which takes users through the process of search from crawling and indexing to displaying results. From a purely design standpoint, the site is a beautiful example of how modern coding techniques can create a completely interactive, animated and Flash-free website. It uses plenty of white space, large text and simple graphics to explain the indexing and search process....
Mar 6
Six tips for building your blog readership
Lawyers blog for a variety of reasons, marketing often being chief among them. Blogging and other online social activity can be both rewarding and frustrating. Every regular blogger has wondered if there is really anyone out there reading their tips and insights. For your professional advancement (and peace of mind), it is good to know that your blog readership is growing. More readers mean...
Feb 13
Is your firm developing its own voice online?
Most law firms understand that regular online activity helps with marketing efforts. But the formula for success can seem elusive, and frequent changes to search algorithms frustrate some firm's efforts. Your ranking may bounce about unpredictably, making it difficult to determine what is working and what is not. It is clear that blogging and social media can be a force for good, but they may also backfire, harming your reputation...
Feb 1
Interactive Guide Illustrates How Typography Affects Your Website’s Readability
The fonts you use on your website will affect visitors in a variety of ways. Font size, face, color and spacing all contribute to the design and readability of the pages. Large, open, sans serif fonts tell a much different story than small, compact condensed fonts, which in turn create a very different mood than those of the sturdy serif variety.
Fonts are an much overlooked design element. Too often,...
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