9 Signs That Your Website Needs Updating

One of the important factors in search engine algorithms is the freshness of a website’s content. For this reason, search engine optimization professional have been advising their clients for years to updated their content and add new content as often as possible. Even if this weren’t the case, it’s just common sense to regularly review and update your website’s content. You want your site to convey a professional image and to serve as a marketing tool for your practice. If it’s not doing both, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Here are some signs that your website is out of date and needs to be updated or overhauled.

Your Website Looks Like It Was Designed In 2005

The advances made in website design technology in the past couple of years have been substantial. If you look at a site and it appears to have been built ten, or even five years ago, it probably was. It’s like pornography – you’ll know it when you see it. 

You Have Content That Is Date Specific and Out Of Date

Many sites have sections with recent developments or case results. Others have news feeds, and links to blog posts and social media sites. If the most recent entries or references are from two years ago, it’s time to update. If a prospective client sees a website that is neglected, he or she may very well think that his or her matter will also be neglected, or that the firm lacks an attention to detail.

Your Website Is Not Mobile Friendly

As we recently blogged, Google is rolling out a major update to its search algorithm in late April. This update will put increased emphasis on whether a website is mobile friendly. Research indicates that more than half the internet searches being conducted are now being done on tablets or smart phones. If your site isn’t mobile compatible, it needs to be.

Your Website Is About You, and Not Your Clients

Many attorneys fail to realize that the main purpose of a website is to serve as a selling document and a marketing tool. It’s not there to feed your ego or impress other attorneys Take a look at your website, and read it as if you were a potential client considering several firms that do the kind of work you do. Everything on your site should be written with this as its focus. Clients want to be convinced of why you are the best firm to handle their matter. Write your content in a way that shows them why you should be their choice.

Your Website Has Old or Unprofessional Photos

Your photos need to be an accurate representation of what you look like now, not what you looked like ten years ago. They also need to be professional in appearance. Many lawyers’ LinkedIn profiles have pictures of them taken at the beach or with a companion. Your photo, whether it’s on your website or on a social media site that you are using professionally, should show you in the clothes you wear to work, should be in focus and not washed out.

Your Website SEO Fails to Use Current Best Practices

Search engine optimization is not a static concept. Even if your website was optimized for search engine results when it was built, if it hasn’t been regularly updated from an SEO standpoint, the odds are high that it’s underperforming. It may have been advantageous from an SEO standpoint in 2010 to constantly repeat the same keyword phrases, but that is no longer the case. Websites that say “New York personal injury attorney” in every other sentence are now counterproductive. Similarly, websites loaded with outbound links provided by search engine bundlers are now penalized by search engine algorithms. In addition, websites used to be built to drive all search engine traffic to the home page. That is no longer the case. Every page on the site needs to be optimized.

Your Website Contains No Social Media Links or Your Links Are Outdated

We’ve written in the past about the importance and value of social media. Every small law firm marketing plan needs to include LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. If your firm isn’t active on these platforms, it needs to be. Furthermore, if you are on social media sites but haven’t posted anything on them for any length of time, you need to get into a regimen of regular, periodic posting.

Your Website Doesn’t Contain a Contact Form

Every page of your website needs to prominently feature at least two different ways to contact you. Your phone number needs to be at the top of every page. Every page should also have a “Contact Us” form that generates an e mail to you with a space for the visitor to send you a short message describing why they’re contacting you. Potential clients want instant gratification. If your website has convinced them that you’re the one they want to talk to, don’t make them go searching for ways to reach you. 

Your Website Has Bad Links

Many law firm websites include links to social media pages, case results, attorney listings, etc.  If a visitor clicks on a link and the link doesn’t work, they immediately lose interest. Make it a practice to check all your outbound links periodically to ensure that they are current and work. 

OMEGA LEGAL MARKETING is a dedicated, specialty marketing company serving only small law firms and solo practitioners in the metro New York City area. Much more than just a web design firm, we put together affordable, comprehensive marketing programs that enable our clients to stand out from the crowd and grow their practices. You can find us at www.omegalegalmarketing.com

BE CAREFUL TO KEEP OUTSIDE BUSINESS INTERESTS SEPARATE FROM YOUR LAW PRACTICE

A recent decision by the Appellate Division, First Department, underscores how important it is for attorneys who engage in other business activities to keep those activities separate from their law practices. The decision is instructive to attorneys in small law firms who are also involved in other business ventures.

Lee & Amtzis, LLP v American Guar. & Liab. Ins. Co. (2015 NY Slip Op 02919; April 7, 2015), involved the law firm Lee & Amtzis. One of the firm’s two partners was also the principal of a real estate company, Astoria Station, LLP (“Astoria”). Jane Kurtin, a client of the firm, made loans of about $1.5 million to Astoria. Lee & Antzis acted as counsel to both Kurtin and Astoria. When the loans went into default, Kurtin sued Astoria and obtained judgments against it. However, she also sued Lee & Antzis for malpractice, alleging that the attorneys had “induced her to proceed with certain financial transactions in which they had a financial interest; they failed to recommend that she obtain independent legal counsel; they had allowed their legal services to her to be influenced by their own business ventures outside the practice of law; and the attorneys knew their interests and Kurtin's interests were adverse.”

The attorneys advised their malpractice insurance carrier of the claim against the firm. However, the carrier refused to cover the claim, citing a clause in the policy that excludes coverage for any claim arising out of the insured’s capacity as an officer, director, manager, etc. of any business enterprise. Lee & Antzis sought a declaratory judgment that the carrier was required to defend the firm and was granted summary judgment in the Supreme Court.

The Appellate Division reversed, holding that “Lee was a partner in the law firm, by assuming dual roles of providing legal advice to a client, while simultaneously pursuing his own business interests, Lee placed himself, his law partner and the law firm firmly within the exclusions in the professional policy plaintiffs seek protection under.”

Lee’s partner, who was not financially involved in Astoria, also sought a declaratory judgment that the carrier had to defend him. This request was also denied by the Appellate Division: “[U]nder the Business Enterprise Exclusion, it is immaterial that Amtzis did not have an interest in Astoria Station; AGLIC still has no duty to provide him with a defense.”

You can read the decision at

http://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/appellate-division-first-department/2015/653050-11-13711.html

It is not unusual for members of small firms, particularly those whose practices are concentrated in a specific area, to be involved in outside business ventures. We know of attorneys who are involved in real estate, investment, consulting, manufacturing and marketing businesses. The decision in Lee & Amtzis underscores how important it is to keep those activities separate from the firm’s practice. It’s clearly not a good idea to be involved in business transactions with clients of the firm. If you must do so, make sure that full disclosure is made and that the client is represented by independent counsel. If you are a partner in a firm, you also need to be aware of your partners’ outside business activities, so you and the firm do not become the victims of your partner’s malfeasance. Although cross indemnification provisions in your partnership agreement may provide some level of comfort, those provisions are only going to be as good as your partner’s ability to pay.

 

OMEGA LEGAL MARKETING is a dedicated, specialty marketing company serving only small law firms and solo practitioners in the metro New York City area. Much more than just a web design firm, we put together affordable, comprehensive marketing programs that enable our clients to stand out from the crowd and grow their practices. You can find us at www.omegalegalmarketing.com

MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE IS MOBILE FRIENDLY

On April 21, 2015, Google will implement a major update to its search algorithm. Beginning on that date, the Google algorithm will include mobile device friendliness as a major factor. With more than half the searches now being conducted estimated to be done on tablets and smart phones, this revision by Google is not surprising.

Clearly, this is going to be a major milestone in search engine optimization. If you have a website that was built several years ago, chances are it is not mobile friendly. If your site is fairly new or has been recently updated, it still behooves you to confirm that it is mobile friendly. If you’re not sure if your site is mobile friendly, you can check with your webmaster. You can also check it with one of Google’s free tools. Go to:

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

and type in your website’s URL. The tool will analyze each page of your site and let you know whether your site meets their standard. You can also check your site by accessing it on a mobile device. You should be able to tell right away. If what comes up on your tablet or phone looks like a small version of what you see on your desktop, you’re not mobile friendly.

An important aspect of the revision is that it will assess each page of your site individually. In practice, it’s most likely that if your site has been optimized for mobile, all pages will be optimized. However, if your site has some mobile-optimized pages, but some non-optimized pages, Google will look at them separately and promote those that are optimized. Google won’t evaluate the site as a whole, so a site that otherwise ranks highly with Google will only be somewhat adversely affected by the presence of pages that aren’t optimized. Nonetheless, it is to everyone’s benefit to optimize all pages for mobile.

Lastly, the new algorithm will also include Android app indexing as a factor. In this regard, Google recommends the following:

• Add deep link support and specify how to reach specific content within your app.
• Verify your app’s official website on Google Play Console.
• Provide deep links for each web page that has a corresponding deep link, either on each page of your website or in your sitemaps.
• Check for errors in Webmaster Tools so you can fix them.

In other words, ask your webmaster to make sure your site is optimized for Android apps.

To read Google’s official announcement, go to Google’s Webmaster Central Blog at:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html

OMEGA LEGAL MARKETING is a dedicated, specialty marketing company serving only small law firms and solo practitioners in the metro New York City area. Much more than just a web design firm, we put together affordable, comprehensive marketing programs that enable our clients to stand out from the crowd and grow their practices. You can find us at www.omegalegalmarketing.com

TIPS FOR A GOOD PROFILE PHOTO

The results of a recent survey published by Photo Feeler provide a nice set of “Dos” and “Don’ts” for profile photos. The results are based on a survey of 60,000 ratings of more than 800 photos. Whether you are putting your photo on your website, a social media site or in marketing materials, you want to convey a professional image that is also consistent with the message you are trying to communicate.

Here is a quick summary of some of the results:

• Don’t cover or block your eyes with sunglasses or dark tinted lenses.
• Keep your eyes open. Don’t squinch (you know who you are).
• Smile.
• Dress professionally and appropriate for your position. Wear what you would wear to an important client meeting.
• Head shots are preferable to full body photos.
• Don’t use extreme photo settings. If your photo is too bright or too dark, fix it with a photo editing app.

These are just a few of the more salient tips. You can read the full survey results and review the data at

https://www.photofeeler.com/blog/perfect-photo

OMEGA LEGAL MARKETING is a dedicated, specialty marketing company serving only small law firms and solo practitioners in the metro New York City area. Much more than just a web design firm, we put together affordable, comprehensive marketing programs that enable our clients to stand out from the crowd and grow their practices. You can find us at www.omegalegalmarketing.com

LAW SCHOOL ENROLLMENT - SOME INTERESTING NUMBERS

A recent article in The New York Times caught our attention. Steven Davidoff Solomon, a professor of law at University of California, Berkeley, discusses the diminishing enrollments at American law schools. We were struck by some of the numbers he cited from recent surveys:

52,488   Law school enrollment in 2010, the year it peaked

37,924    Law school enrollment in 2014

27.7       Percentage decrease over the past four years

2.9         Percentage by which law school applications are down this year compared to the prior year

93.2       Percentage of 2013 Georgetown Law School graduates who are employed

$160,000         Median starting salary of those graduates who are employed in the private sector

86.4       Percent of all 2013 law school graduates who were still in school or had a job

91.9       Percent of all 2010 law school graduates who were still in school or had a job a year after graduation

So, what do these numbers mean and, more importantly, what do they mean for you? Unfortunately, and as the article points out, the predictions are conflicting and the overall numbers don’t necessarily portray what is happening in a particular market, type of practice or other demographic. 

The author tries to sum it up as follows:

“Still, it is hard to see lawyers going away in the United States economy. Whether or not you like it, their importance is greater now in terms of filling needs for compliance and regulation. . . . Twenty years from now, whether the economy is up or down, there will still be lawyers, and plenty of them.”

You can read the full piece at

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/business/dealbook/despite-forecasts-of-doom-signs-of-life-in-the-legal-industry.html?smid=nytcore-iphone-share&smprod=nytcore-iphone&_r=0

OMEGA LEGAL MARKETING is a dedicated, specialty marketing company serving only small law firms and solo practitioners in the metro New York City area. Much more than just a web design firm, we put together affordable, comprehensive marketing programs that enable our clients to stand out from the crowd and grow their practices. 

You can find us at www.omegalegalmarketing.com