Some of the hardest meetings I have with clients is trying to help them understand that RANK in Google is dead.  I really don’t even want to have the conversation anymore, it’s just not important.  Of course, it is important to have visibility in all of the important places online but RANK should not be your sole focus.  That should definitely NOT determine if your online marketing is successful.

Instead, what we should be talking about is reputation management, PPC and legal directories.  We know that over half of legal consumers are searching on a mobile device.  What are the first 4 and last 3 things that show up on page 1 of a search in Google?  PPC/Pay-Per-Click/Google Adwords, it’s all the same thing.  This is the first place you need to have visibility.  

What is the second thing that Google placed in the middle of the screen?  A huge map and you need to compete for space there as well!  I’m sure you have noticed that there are PPC ads showing up in that space as well now too.  9 times out of 10, what do you see directly under the map section (Google local)?  The Findlaw directory!  What is underneath that?  More legal directories!  

So, the first three quarters of the page are taken up with paid ads, Google local, and directories and the rest is reserved for a few organic search results.  And you are still telling me you want to play the rank game?  

Let’s be realistic for a moment.  Wouldn’t it make slightly more sense to spend your time and resources on creating visibility in all of the spaces that you KNOW that you can show up on page 1 of Google?  Wouldn’t it make sense to drive a bunch of solid, good reviews to your Google business page and your Facebook to validate what your client’s are seeing.  

If you are showing up at the top of the page, in the local map section, have profiles in all of the relevant legal directories and have the highest ratings/review…it would be a no-brainer to call you!  

It’s time to think like the legal consumer….

If you are not showing up in all of those places, will you even take my case?  Are you still practicing?