[youtube id=”OAyUNI3_V2c”] 03/31/2011 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Rene Perras…… Le Buzz // CEPAC lawyer marketing expert Rene Perras
(Lawyer Web Marketing News) — It’s high noon on the World Wide Web, as Google and Facebook are drawing their guns and facing off to claim dominance in social media and search engine land. The two major players on the Internet are now stepping on one another’s toes with Google’s newest announcement, which comes just after Facebook announced their own “social search” engine.
Google has taken a play from Facebook’s social media play book by implementing a social search effort of their own called “+1” or “plus one,” in which users could recommend useful search results to their friends and potentially change how websites are ranked.
Law firm marketers, like CEPAC lawyer marketing, are excited to embrace this new approach to obtaining new Web search engine results and recommendations as this could give lawyers who market on the Internet an added boost in visibility and consumer confidence.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) companies can relax as the new social search feature will not replace Google’s traditional search results. Websites will still be ranked based on the mathematical algorithm, which places websites in order based on relevance of the user’s search query. The social search feature will only be visible if the user is signed into their Google account while surfing the Web, otherwise Google’s traditional search results will be shown.
Google’s “+1” effort will essentially allow Google account holders to publicly recommend certain websites by sharing those preferences with their Gmail contacts and their contacts other Google services. The recommended websites will appear as a highlighted item in their search engine results pages (SERP). The +1 feature also allows people to recommend a text ad that appears next to regular search results.
Down the road, Google hopes to use their +1 initiative to reorder search results so that users can find more useful search engine results.
So you may ask: “Why would a law firm want consumers to +1 their lawyer website?”
1) The +1 Shows Consumers Found Your Law Firm Website Helpful: Your law firm website is like a first impression for potential clients. A well-constructed lawyer website with informative content and easily accessible information will make potential clients feel that your attorneys are reputable, knowledgeable and experienced. A +1 will also indicate that a consumer found your website helpful, answered their legal questions and felt it was informative enough to endorse to their friends who may also be looking for the right attorney to hire.
2) Networking: Each time a consumer gives your lawyer website the +1, it is broadcast to their Google account contacts, which presents your law firm to an abundance of new potential clients.
3) A Vote of Confidence:The +1 is a consumer endorsement, a vote of confidence, a “they’re great, check out this law firm website” announcement. The +1 lets others know that someone they know likes your law firm, believes in your legal abilities and wants their friends and loved ones to check out your attorneys too.
4) Visibility: The networking capabilities and endorsements create exposure and awareness around your law firm, which creates new inquiries and potential new clients and cases.
The days of searching the Yellow Pages are long gone, and people are now hitting the Internet, conducting educated research and exploring their options. The team at CEPAC lawyer marketing points out those personal endorsements from a user’s social group can play a powerful role in pointing people, who are looking for legal representation, in your law firm’s direction. When surfing the Web in search of an attorney, a potential client will be more inclined to visit a law firm’s website if someone they know has recommended it.
The Internet advertising experts at CEPAC lawyer marketing are experienced in creating and implementing top-notch law firm websites, SEO campaigns, online advertisements, as well as more traditional marketing avenues like TV, print ads and radio.
For more information on Cepac lawyer marketing, social media campaigns for lawyers and other lawyer Web marketing products contact Rene Perras or visit Cepac.com.
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