Let’s Get to the Updates!

SEO

• Google AI Mode shows 91% URL change across repeat searches. The high volatility means there are new challenges as well as new opportunities for search. Unlike traditional search, AI Mode tends to refresh its citations frequently. This means law firms with relevant, high-quality content have a better chance of appearing in AI mode answers, even if they are not in the organic top 10.
• Google’s latest update: It seems that this change has been more subtle than past updates. Although the update was sizable, it has not been as disruptive as previously predicted. The biggest change being that Google is able to better surface relevant content. This means law firms should focus on niche topics with an authoritative voice, including creating content that relates to the original topic.
• New evidence suggests ChatGPT sometimes pulls Google Search snippets when Bing results are unavailable or outdated. This reinforces the idea that traditional SEO still matters—AI tools like ChatGPT may rely on it more than expected.

Paid Advertising               

• Google Ads launch built-in video analytics. This change will help legal industry advertisers to better identify top performing videos faster, making it easier for them to optimize your campaigns based on audience engagement.
• Phrase match is losing ground to broad match in Google Ads. The most important phrase in this article is – “But for lead gen, relevancy is a much bigger concern. Even with pricing advantages, many find broad match – and tools like AI Max for Search or PMax – produce too many low-relevance queries.” This is extremely important for PPC clients to understand because it is often a point of contention.
• Google Analytics has rolled out two big updates: a new Reddit Ads integration and lead generation tools. Advertisers can now import Reddit cost data directly into GA for unified reporting and comparison across platforms. This will allow advertisers and attorneys to see a fuller picture when it comes to ROI on ad spend.

Social Media

• Meta follows suit with YouTube’s crackdown on unoriginal content. Repetitious and mass-produced content will no longer be tolerated on Meta. Spammy or fake behavior will face reduced visibility. One of their main focuses will be “AI-generated slop” and content farms. We encourage attorneys to create authentic, original videos and limit their AI content to a minimum when it comes to vertical videos.
• In July, many reputable sources reported that TikTok was developing a separate US app ahead of the impending ban. They released a brief statement stating, “The recently posted Reuters story, which is based on anonymous, uninformed sources, is factually inaccurate.” They have not clarified if they are not building a separate app or if the details of the report are false.

AI

• Your law firm may receive AI calls from prospective clients. Google is introducing an AI that can make phone calls for users to retrieve additional information from Google Business Profiles. It’s important not to discount these calls as robo-calls, as it is a feature many introverts will likely take advantage of.
• Your website still matters in the age of AI! “AI is the latest obsession, but strategy still wins. Refocus on your website – the original digital tool – to thrive in the AI era.” This article gives a non-biased opinion on how websites fit into the AI puzzle along with suggestions on how to adapt.
• President Trump has issued a range of directives related to AI development. Below is the TL;DR – New AI Orders at a Glance
  • Loosens Copyright Rules: Federal regulations restricting the use of copyrighted content to train AI models have been relaxed, reducing legal risks for developers
  • Bans “Woke AI” in Government: Federal departments are restricted from using AI models that show ideological or DEI-related bias, such as altering historical figures’ identities.
  • Pushes U.S. AI Global Dominance: The orders aim to position America as the world leader in AI by scaling back Biden-era energy rules and promoting U.S.-made AI tech abroad.
  • These moves could benefit firms like Elon Musk’s xAI while raising concerns about bias, misinformation, and who controls the narrative in AI tools.

Stay LAWsome–We’ll See You Again Next Month!

Thanks for checking out this month’s roundup! See you next time with more tips, trends, and insights to help your law firm grow.

The post August Legal Digital Marketing Industry Updates appeared first on Consultwebs.

Marketing Updates

SEO

• Google coughs up $1.4 billion to Texas in a privacy lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Google collected users’ biometrics without express consent and tracked their locations even if the feature was disabled. 
  • “In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law. For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says in a statement.
• Video matters now more than ever in SEO. Many foundational SEO tactics remain relevant when it comes to social media video optimization. Social media influences discoverability. SEO works hand in hand with social media to boost visibility, drive engagement, and turn videos into powerful marketing.

Paid Advertising               

• Meta unveils new ad updates at NewFronts 2025. The two that affect legal industry campaigns most are as follows:
  • Reels trending ads
    • This new placement allows advertisers to put ads in the most trending creator Reels.
  • Video Ads on Threads
    • A new placement for video advertisements, reaching a new audience
• YouTube shares its new ad options and usage stats at BrandCast 2025. They also note that YouTube Shorts viewing is up 20% year-over-year. YouTube says that 70% of its channels now post them.      
• Threads advertisements are now available to all Meta advertisers globally. This opens up a new audience for testing.       

Social Media

• The average engagement rate for Facebook is a whopping….0.15%, with smaller accounts (>5k followers) seeing an average rate of 0.30%. Consultwebs has consistently monitored engagement rates for our clients’ social media, setting our target goal at 4%–more than ten times higher than the industry standard.
• Threads will soon begin prioritizing links in posts, unlike X. This is a surprising move, as most social media platforms want users to remain on their platform for as long as possible instead of external sites. 
• After two years, X is still not close to their “Everything App” vision. Unless attorneys have a sizable and highly engaged following, we recommend prioritizing other social media apps that offer higher value results. 
• Google recently removed 15k YouTube channels for China-originated influence activity. China is not the only country that targets USA social media platforms to influence public opinions, but is the top source. An interesting opinion offered in this article is that the threat is less about data privacy and more about the capacity in which social channels have to influence public opinions. 

Antitrust Cases

• Epic Games and Spotify test Apple’s new App Store rules. The updated App Store policies were rolled out last week after Apple lost a major legal battle in the antitrust case filed by Epic Games, when a federal judge ruled that Apple had not followed the court’s orders around in-app purchases. The Kindle app has also released a new version of its app. https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/09/epic-games-and-spotify-test-apples-new-app-store-rules/

AI

• It’s here! Google tests ads in AI overview and AI mode. We knew Google would monetize AI spaces eventually. This means that ad strategies for top-of-page results will likely shift in the near future. Our PPC team will keep you up to date with optimal places to spend ad dollars online as processes evolve. 
• AI mode–the future of SEO? What matters going forward? Clicks, tracking those clicks, branding, and agents (Google recommending “buy now” or “contact” type links for products and services). There is a 10-minute video that explains this well, embedded in this link. It is essential that brands of all sizes adapt to these changes early and optimally, or risk irrelevance online. 

Stay LAWsome–We’ll See You Again Next Month!

Thank you for reading our monthly roundup! We’ll see you again next month for another newsletter packed with insights, trends, and expert guidance for helping your law firm thrive. 

The post May Digital Marketing Industry Updates appeared first on Consultwebs.

So, what happened in April? Let’s dive in!

Marketing Updates

SEO

• Google launches thousands of updates per year. In total, they run approximately 700,000 tests annually. In 2023, that led to 4,700 changes to Search. 
• Google Maps and business profiles get an upgrade to combat fake reviews. What Google says about this change: “We trained a new model with the help of Gemini that identifies potentially suspicious profile edits. A business that changes its name from ‘Zoe’s Coffee House’ to ‘Zoe’s Cafe’ isn’t suspicious—but a business that suddenly changes its category from ‘cafe’ to ‘plumber’ is.” 
• Google AI Overviews reaches 1.5 billion monthly users. 

Paid Advertising               

• Google recently sent out a subtle but impactful policy update to advertisers, confirming changes to its long-standing “Unfair Advantage Policy”. The policy’s enforcement date began April 14th, 2025.                                                                                                                                             

Social Media

• TikTok is here to stay–at least for another 75 days or so. The new extension date is June 19th.
• Instagram’s new edits app is now available. The app is meant to be Instagram’s version of the video editing app Capcut. 
• Facebook announces new measures to combat spam posts and comments. This means their systems will be searching more for irrelevant hashtags on posts. For example: If an attorney posts a testimonial and the caption is about how much they love dogs and has hashtags like #ilovepuppies instead of “Our clients are great! #clienttestimonials #personalinjuryattorney” — the puppy caption would be considered spam.

Antitrust Cases

• Google’s antitrust trial enters remedies phase. DOJ wants Google to sell the Chrome browser. 
• FTC antitrust case against Meta heads to trial.
• Did Meta allow TikTok to grow intentionally in order to dilute their own FTC Antitrust case? This article discusses that possibility in depth. 

AI

• Google adds image search to AI Mode, expanding to more users. You can now upload pictures and ask questions about them. 
• Chat GPT expands memory capabilities.
• As much as we learn from AI, it’s also learning from us. 

See You Next Month!

Thanks for catching up with us. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get next month’s news straight to your inbox. We’re always here to help you stay ahead in the digital world!

The post April Digital Marketing Industry Updates appeared first on Consultwebs.

As reported by the ABA, 87% of respondents confirmed their firms maintain a digital presence, and this number is predicted to rise continually.

As more law firms elevate their online marketing strategies, the challenge becomes clear: how can your firm reel in a more significant portion of potential clients? 

The solution…  lies within SEO or search engine optimization.

SEO enhances a website’s visibility when users search for services akin to your offering on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and others.

In the legal industry, law firm SEO refers explicitly to optimizing a law firm’s website. This approach paves the way for improved organic rankings, leading to a higher probability of driving more visitors to your site, converting them into inquiries, and, ultimately, gaining more cases. In essence, think of it as your digital equivalent of the traditional Yellow Pages.

Contrary to some beliefs, optimization continues beyond including relevant keywords on your site. It’s a far broader concept. For a grand slam in the SEO game, law firms need to integrate:

• Exceptional content
• Robust link-building strategies
• Seamless user experience (UX)

While countless SEO tactics are available, such as incorporating SEO elements into your blog, the key is to start small and build gradually. By fully embracing the potential of SEO, your law firm can anticipate the following:

• Wider user reach
• Generation of high-quality leads
• Enhanced credibility
• Optimization of PPC campaigns
• Staying ahead in the competitive landscape

Impressive, isn’t it?

With the strategic application of SEO, your law firm can emerge as a significant player in the digital arena. Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to delve deeper and prepare your firm to make waves in the digital sea of competition.

Decoding the Essence of SEO for Law Firms: It’s All About Your Clients

The burning question: why is SEO for lawyers generating such a buzz? 

What’s the significance of optimization for the legal industry? 

Let’s view this through a different lens: your potential clients.

Imagine “Kim”, a potential client searching for a reliable estate planning firm to manage her investments, taxes, and overall estate. She’s sought recommendations from her trusted friends and family, noted their suggestions, and now wants to do her research. So, she grabs her smartphone and…can you guess the next step?

Correct.

She ‘Googles’ it! She’s aiming to authenticate the referrals from her contacts.

The crucial question is: will your firm surface in her search results?

More critically, will it appear on the first page of Kim’s search?

And if she clicks through to your website, will her user experience be seamless?

Firms must be discoverable where their prospective clients are looking, predominantly online. Here, SEO shifts from being a luxury to an essential.

Recall the earlier ABA statistic indicating 87% of firms possess a website. Interestingly, less than 20% of these websites are fully optimized. This optimization includes incorporating elements such as:

• Community updates
• Profiles of paralegals
• Informative guides
• Staff bios
• Legal articles
• Updates on legal matters

Wait, there’s more.

Beyond delivering quality content, firms must lay a strong groundwork by integrating elements that improve and facilitate the user experience. This process includes technical SEO aspects like:

• URL structure
• Page titles
• Alt text
• H1 tags
• Meta descriptions
• Keywords

If this all sounds a little technical, let’s break it down with an example from one of our client’s websites where these vital SEO components are effectively implemented:

*Note: Alt text, sometimes known as alt tags, is the descriptive text that appears in place of an image if it fails to load on a user’s screen. It’s not visible in this instance because all photos are loading correctly.

Your firm can excel with a solid SEO strategy, possibly exceeding that 20% mark. However, law firms must extend their efforts beyond their legal practice and into digital marketing to achieve this. This leads us to the next question.

How Can Attorneys Select the Right Local Law Firm SEO Agency for Their Firm?

As we move to the next stage: selecting the finest in legal SEO, it’s somewhat paradoxical that the answer begins with asking questions. It’s critical to vet potential agencies for two main reasons:

• Confirming the agency’s expertise in SEO, particularly within the legal industry.
• Ensuring the agency has an updated understanding of law firm marketing.

Start this process with self-reflection: “What do I aim to achieve with an SEO strategy?”

Moreover, it’s advisable and beneficial to pose questions to the potential agency law firm marketing. Doing this before deciding on a law firm SEO agency is essential, as not all are designed to cater to your unique objectives. So, to assist you in this process, we’ve compiled a FREE query checklist to better understand the agency and your firm’s current standing.

Securing Your Firm’s Winning Streak in the Digital Landscape

We’re closing in on the finish line!

Whether you’re a “major league” firm or a smaller one striving to stay in the game, you can disrupt the competition by joining forces with experts. 

And believe us when we say staying in your comfort zone will not give you the success you want to achieve.

That’s where we step in, assisting you in advancing from any base straight to scoring a run. With us, you’ll cover all your bases without breaking a sweat. Allow us to explain further.

At Consultwebs, we’ve been in the digital marketing field for decades, dedicating 110% of our efforts to law firm marketing. Our team of legal SEO professionals excels in every facet of legal SEO, from the creative to the technical aspects. We consistently operate within the most competitive niches in law firm marketing, including:

• Personal Injury
• Family Law
• Criminal Defense
• Bankruptcy
• Estate Planning

But let’s shift the focus from us to you.

Let’s discuss what you stand to gain from a partnership with us. We recognize the need for an agency that comprehensively understands and tailors a strategy fitting your firm’s objectives. For instance, a law firm specializing in personal injury law marketing for truck accidents will want a company that:

• Customizes the SEO and related campaigns for truck accidents.
• Grasps the nuances of attracting leads interested in this specific area of expertise.

So, what’s guaranteed when collaborating with us?

Your law firm will:

• Enhance credibility and improve rankings
• Acquire quality traffic and lead generation.
• Experience a comprehensive SEO integration: local, off-page, and on-page
• Maximize user experience.

What’s the most significant assurance?

We consistently score wins without breaking a sweat. We’re the ones who will actively maintain your rankings, traffic, and leads. Take a look at the results this firm is acquiring with Consultwebs:

Are You Prepared to Take the Lead?

In the ultra-competitive arena of local SEO for law firms, aligning yourself with industry experts can ensure you’re fully prepared to conquer the field when it’s your turn.

As many law firms embrace the digital sphere and elevate their strategies, it’s wise to stay ahead and ensure you’re in a prime position to reap the benefits now and in the future.

While we’ve shared a wealth of optimization tips, we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible. Are you ready to strive towards positioning your firm as a dominant force in both online and offline search engines?

Get this Exclusive SEO and Web Design Guide For Law Firms to start!

The post Roadmap to Choosing the Best Local Law Firm SEO Agency appeared first on Consultwebs.

If you’re an attorney, chances are you’ve already heard of Avvo. And, particularly if you discovered that Avvo created an online profile for you without your consent, you might have mixed feelings about it.

Despite any initial reservations, Avvo presents a unique marketing opportunity for legal professionals to strengthen their online presence. In this article, we will explore the importance of optimizing your Avvo profile and delve into the best practices to achieve this.

What is Avvo?

Avvo is a very popular legal search directory that specializes in providing data about practicing attorneys. Think of it as the Yelp of the attorney world.

Although it was initially created to connect clients to the right attorney, its services have since expanded. Some of its free features include:

• Attorney directory: Avvo has a comprehensive directory of attorneys across various legal practice areas. Clients can search for attorneys based on location, practice area, and other factors.
• Client reviews: Avvo allows clients to leave reviews of their experiences with attorneys on the platform.
• Legal Q&A: Avvo has a question-and-answer forum where clients can ask legal questions and receive answers from attorneys.
• Legal guides and resources: Avvo offers a range of free legal resources and tools, including legal guides, calculators, and forms. These resources can help clients better understand their legal rights and options, and can also help attorneys better serve their clients.

Avvo also offers a paid service called “Avvo Pro” that allows attorneys additional features like hiding negative reviews, promoting your profile in search results, and access to advanced SEO analytics.

Avvo is commonly not well-liked by attorneys. Why?

Well, partly because even if you think you’re not on Avvo, you still probably are. That’s because Avvo automatically creates a profile for every licensed attorney it can locate. Currently, Avvo has a profile on 97% of attorneys in the US. Avvo scrapes public information from the State Bar Associations to obtain basic details regarding your bar admissions, firm location, and practice area and uses that info to populate your profile. Potential clients can then discover your profile and write reviews about your firm.

Why should you expand on your Avvo profile?

Quite simply, if you’re not expanding your Avvo profile already, you should be.

Avvo ranks attorneys using a proprietary algorithm that takes into account various factors, including client reviews, Avvo profile completeness, peer endorsements, and professional achievements. Therefore, by defaulting to the basic attorney profile Avvo automatically assigns to you, you risk being overlooked by Avvo’s algorithm.

And trust us: ranking poorly on Avvo’s algorithm puts your firm at a big disadvantage. Avvo is an essential marketing tool for all law firms for three primary reasons:

• Avvo is great for law firm SEO. So you want to make sure your firm ranks highly on search engine results? Avvo attorney profiles frequently make the front page of Google. And, unsurprisingly, the more developed your Avvo profile is, the more likely your practice is to rank highly.
• Avvo increases your firm’s visibility. Avvo offers a service that millions of potential clients utilize each month. Without developing your online profile, you could unknowingly be ranking low on Avvo’s directory results and missing out on Avvo’s huge user base. This means that when a client searches for “best personal injury firm near me”, your firm could be sitting sadly (and unnecessarily!) on page 10 of Avvo’s directory.
• Avvo gives you an avenue to address reviews. Sometimes you get good reviews, sometimes you don’t. But if you have an active profile on Avvo, you can at least begin to control the narrative by responding to client feedback. (More on this in the following section.)

Best Practices for Optimizing Your Avvo Profile

Complete your profile as much as possible

A well-fleshed-out profile is critical to ranking higher in Avvo’s algorithm. Fill out all sections, including your professional background, education, awards, publications, and associations.

We recommend getting your Avvo’s profile completion to about 90%. If you wish to include a payments and fee section, you can even push this number as high as 95%. However, we’ve found that 90% profile completion is about where you begin to see diminishing returns to your Avvo algorithm ranking.

And remember: don’t forget to include a professional, high-quality photo of yourself!

Discover the Best DIY-Headshot Tricks for Legal Professionals

Request peer endorsements

Avvo’s algorithm weighs peer endorsements heavily when determining your ranking. Fortunately, Avvos has a simple button in the “Endorsements” section that allows you to reach out to 50 attorneys in your field at once to provide endorsements for your profile. Be sure to return the favor by endorsing your peers as well!

Encourage and respond to client reviews

Positive client reviews are your singularly most powerful marketing tool. Gently nudge your satisfied clients to share their experiences on your Avvo profile, but remember to play by the rules – no incentives or ethical guideline violations! Remember your Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ladies and gentlemen.

But, no matter the nature of the review, take the time to show you care by responding to your clients. Thank them for their kind words or address any concerns in a friendly, professional manner. This shows your dedication to making your clients happy and goes a long way in building trust with future clients.

And how can your law firm handle negative reviews?

Learn How to Respond to Negative Reviews Here

Contribute to the Avvo community

Avvo offers attorneys the opportunity to answer legal questions from users in the platform’s Q&A section. By providing helpful, accurate answers, you can showcase your expertise and knowledge while simultaneously driving traffic to your Avvo’s profile.

Highlight your case results and publications

Two items that also help you rank highly in Avvos’s algorithm? A list of your case results and previous publications.

Give potential clients a taste of your legal expertise by presenting a selection of your most impressive wins, settlements, or verdicts. Include a brief summary of each case’s outcome.

You should similarly keep a running list of your attorney publications. Keep in mind this section is not just limited to researched notes published in accredited, peer-reviewed legal journals. Instead, feel free to mention short blog articles, legal opinion pieces, or written documentation from previous speaking engagements.

Update your profile regularly

Keep your profile up-to-date with your latest accomplishments, awards, and certifications. Regular updates signal that your profile is active and relevant, helping to improve your ranking.

Takeaway

Investing time and effort into your Avvo profile can truly make a difference for your law firm. By applying these best practices, you’ll be well on your way to enhancing your online presence and connecting with potential clients in a meaningful way.

Want more guidance on how to get started on Avvo or other legal marketing ventures? Don’t worry – we’re here to help.

The post How to Optimize Your AVVO Profile? appeared first on Consultwebs.

According to the Legal Analytics Survey Results 2022, more than half (68%) of legal professionals are using legal analytics. Between 2021 and 2022 that number increased by 7%,  take a look:

Law firms are currently leveraging data for business and the practice of law.

In the business of law, here are the top 3 ways law firms use data: 

• 68% of firms use data to pitch or demonstrate expertise to clients
• 50% of firms use data to build competitive intelligence and evaluate new business
• 29% of firms use data to price their services and bids

In the practice of law, here are the top 3 ways law firms use data: 

• 80% of firms use data to build competitive intelligence on judges, parties and opposing counsel
• 73% of firms use data for case assessment
• 63% of firms use data to determine case strategy

From these figures it’s clear that the smartest firms are those that are constantly delivering and growing–are using data to predict their entire strategy, from competitor analysis all the way through case assessment.

Measuring success in marketing is crucial, but with so many metrics available, it can be overwhelming to determine which ones truly matter for a law firm. The good news is, we’ve got you covered. In this post, we dive into the top marketing metrics that every law firm should be tracking to stay ahead of the competition and reach their business goals.

Let’s begin.

The Top Marketing Metrics for Law Firms

The beauty behind a digital marketing investment is that everything is pretty much measurable. But, to help you keep your focus, here are some of the most relevant metrics:

Leads: MQLs and SQLs

This is perhaps one of the most important marketing metrics you need to keep an eye on. Leads, or lead generation, is a good indicator of your future revenue. Leads are paramount because they’re the ones that are taking the jump from being a prospect to a possible case.

As a lead moves through your sales funnel you can broadly categorize them in one of 2 ways:

1. Marketing qualified leads – This is a lead that your legal marketing agency designates as most likely to become a customer.
2. Sales qualified leads – This lead is past the nurturing stage and is ready to talk to your firm, client services, sales team, or whomever is in charge of your lead intake process.

Cost Per Lead

There are lots of factors that figure into  pricing, and thus it usually varies from firm to firm depending on the practice area, legal jurisdiction, level of competition, etc. But, as you invest in more digital assets, you’ll want to know how much a lead is costing you.

The basic formula goes like this:

To get the best response, it’s best to calculate this using a set period of time, e.g. monthly/quarterly, and it’s also best to separate by campaign type, e.g. LSAs campaign, Google Ads, email newsletters etc.

Traffic Sources

If driving customer traffic to your website is a top priority, it’s important to understand the sources of your website traffic and how to maximize each channel for optimal results. To get started, you want to know where the majority of the traffic is coming from.

Because all roads should lead to your website, we’ll focus on web traffic metrics.

1. Direct traffic: Users arriving at your website via a browser bookmark or typing the URL directly.
2. Organic search: Users arriving at your website through organic non-paid marketing. Most likely, they’re coming in from a search engine like Google.
3. Paid search: Users arriving at your website via paid advertisements.
4. Referral traffic: Users arriving to your website from an external website that linked a redirect back to you.

Bounce Rate

Besides keeping an eye on traffic, you’ll also want to keep an eye on at what point you are losing traffic, and this is where knowing the bounce rate comes in handy. This is the percentage of visitors that looked into one of your pages but eventually left without interacting or visiting other pages.

Here is the basic formula to get this percentage:

If this sounds like a headache to calculate, worry not. There are all-in-one platforms like LawEval that are designed for law firms looking to get immediate answers like these. With this incredible platform, you can get a compiled overview of your real-time traffic and visitor data from Google Analytics.

Learn About LawEval Here

ROAS – Return On Ad Spend

If you are investing in legal advertising, then it’s important to track the ROAS. This metric measures the revenue you get per dollar spent. It’s pretty much the same as the ROI except it’s specific to your advertising costs. 

For example, if you have a ROAS of $5 you’ll have a ratio of 5:1. That means that your firm is generating ≈$5,000  in revenue for ever ≈$1,000 spent. Because marketing is quite dynamic, the ROAS may change with time, depending on seasonality, level of competition, and quite a few other factors. However, as a best practice, the more relevant your messaging is, the ‘better’ your return will be.

• Total campaign revenue → The revenue brought in from the ad campaigns.
• Total campaign cost → The amount of capital your firm spent on ad campaigns.

Customer Lifetime Value

Previously, we published a blog on the marketing metrics based on the sales funnel and in it we mentioned a few metrics to accurately measure conversion rate.

One of the metrics that was discussed is the CAC, the customer acquisition cost. This refers to the cost incurred by a business to acquire a new customer. CAC is a crucial metric for businesses as it helps them determine the efficiency of their customer acquisition efforts and whether they are generating positive returns on investment.

The formula goes as follows:

• “Sales and Marketing Expense” refers to all expenses incurred in acquiring new customers, including advertising, salaries, benefits, and other related costs.
• The “Number of New Customers Acquired” is the number of new customers gained during a specific period of time e.g. monthly/quarterly/annually. Using these two values, you can calculate the average cost per customer acquired.

Propel Your Firm Forward

The traditional mindset that marketing is ‘creative only’ is long gone. Today, the top marketing leaders and firms are using metrics to evaluate the success of their creatives.

To begin with, if you’d like to dive into more marketing metrics and keep an eye on your entire sales funnel from beginning to end, we recommend you download this FREE printable checklist.

Download the Metrics Checklist

And if you’d like to learn more about data-driven platforms like LawEval, or simply want to know how to stay on top of your digital assets, we’re here to answer all your questions.

The post The Top Marketing Metrics You Need to Track Your Firm’s Success appeared first on Consultwebs.

Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Consultwebs offers a full range of services and brings unique value to our clients and their marketing campaigns. Our team is expert with the following services:

• PPC Campaigns
• Search engine optimization for Lawyers
• Social Media Marketing
• Web Design and Development
• Marketing
• Public Relations
• Online Strategies, and;
• Programming

We are a dedicated team that works closely with clients to craft and execute custom campaigns based on their brands, markets, and goals. We strive to help our clients grow and celebrate success.

Today, we are thrilled and delighted to share a huge success with all of you! According to Clutch’s research on top providers, Consultwebs was announced as one of the top SEO companies in North Carolina for 2021!

To know more about Clutch, it is hugely respected within the B2B space for connecting small, mid-market, and enterprise businesses with service providers that fit their needs. They evaluate technology service and solutions companies based on the quality of work, thought leadership, and client reviews.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to the whole team at Clutch for recognizing our dedication. Most importantly, our amazing clients who took the time to leave reviews on our Clutch profile. Without you, this milestone wouldn’t have been possible.

Here are what  some of our clients had to say about working with us:

“I was impressed with the professionalism of the team.”

— President, Advocates of Positive Change

“They come up with creative projects to extend our branding goals and to maximize our advertising dollars.” 

— Vice-President, Younce, Vtipil & Baznik P.A.

Are you looking for a result-driven partner? Contact us today, and let’s get started.

The post Clutch Lists Consultwebs as a Top SEO Company in North Carolina for 2021 appeared first on Consultwebs.

The idea of buyer personas emerged in the 1990s and ever since the social media boom, most (if not all) law firms that are going digital have their ideal buyer persona already figured out. Knowing who their ideal client helps law firms put “a face” to the ideal customer. You could say that your buyer persona is basically like the compass within your customer journey map that guides you in the right direction towards more qualified leads.

As your law firm evolves, so should the buyer persona. Businesses change. People change. But many businesses fail to realize this and never go back and update the buyer persona. Why? A lot of businesses get distracted with measurements and metrics and fail to look back at their most important asset, their clients.

According to the Search Engine Journal, “Many content marketers had changed their targeting/messaging strategy […] but fewer had revisited their customer/buyer personas.” In other words, a lot of businesses like law firms are missing out on opportunities to grow. You might be, too!

How to create the perfect Persona for for your Law firm Content

Make it Personal

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “it’s not personal, it’s strictly business,” from The Godfather, but we much prefer the tagline, “it’s business, therefore make it personal.”

Business objectives without having the clients’ wants and needs aligned simply won’t do. Nowadays, users have plenty of options to pick from and users want brands they can trust. And how do you build trust? You make it personal. Understand the buyer personas from all of the angles.

Yes, looking into demographics (age, gender, location, etc.) is important…but there are a few other aspects you’ll want to consider, too.

According to Business to Community, you need to know who you are speaking to. To do this, it’s important to go back and create different buyer personas according to their common goals and not common characteristics. (This very important factor is often overlooked).

Why is it important to dig deeper into the buyer persona?

To personalize content. According to Search Engine Journal, “Having a target audience of ‘everyone’ puts you in danger of appealing to no one.” Here’s an example for you to visualize: What perception would you have of a store that sells clothes, groceries, pharmaceuticals, small electronic appliances, and car parts? We asked ourselves the same question and concluded that by targeting so many different audiences with this massive portfolio of offerings, they risk for their potential customers thinking they might have sacrificed quality over quantity. The same applies to the process of content creation!

To survive in today’s competitive legal marketing industry, content has to be personalized to the client. And the more personalized you can get, the more spoken to the right prospect will feel.

Constructing content around a specific target audience can bring your firm a number of benefits such as:

• Developing a deeper understanding of your ideal persona’s wants and needs.
• Connecting with your audience on an emotional level.
• Giving your law firm reference points of its buyer persona.
• Improving your content strategy.
• Increasing campaign efficiency.
• Identifying who you should and shouldn’t target.

And perhaps the most critical benefit of customer personas is more leads.

Creating a buyer persona, or many personas, to better visualize who you want to reach out with your marketing efforts can help your law firm push the personalized aspect of your firm’s marketing. Personalization is important because it shows your firm would go the extra mile to give customers what they need and want. And customers appreciate this. Around 80% of users are more likely to use a service that provides a personalized experience.

Overall, personas are your firm’s North Star towards more calls and cases. If you’re wondering how buyer personas are the secret to your firm’s success, then read on. We’ll explain the buyer persona, how the buyer persona drives engagement, and how it pushes your SEO to exceed your expectations.

Is the Persona the same as the target audience?

Not quite. The buyer persona is a different concept than the target audience. It can be easy to interchange both terms, but your firm must note the differences.

A target audience gives you a general idea of a specific group of people and includes basic demographic information like age, gender, and education. On the other hand, buyer personas go more in-depth and touch on demographics and behavioral aspects. Some of the more in-depth information buyer personas include lifestyles, interests, specific needs, and psychographics. They even have names!

In addition to this, a buyer persona changes throughout the sales funnel. Potential customers looking for information have different wants and needs than a prospect that is ready to call and book your firm’s services. For this reason, law firms can have different personas. Here’s an example: Ready Ronald, who is prepared to take the big step and sign with your firm will not have the same needs as Cautious Carol, who is just starting to research what she might need from an attorney.

Having at least one standardized buyer persona helps shape your firm’s goals and expectations. It can help answer the question, “Does everyone in my firm have the same vision of our ideal customer?”

To help answer this, you can begin crafting your ideal customer with the following buyer persona type of questions:

• Job/Industry questions, i.e., What are the customer’s most significant challenges? How does their typical day look? What are some of their interests?
• Learning questions, i.e., Where does the customer get their information? Who influences their decision-making?
• Personal background questions, i.e., What are their personal and career goals? What are some of the customer’s pain points?
• Shopping preferences questions, i.e., What pushes personas to pick one product or service over another? What’s their preferred form of communication?

While there are plenty more psychographic questions you can ask, these are just a few examples that can help your firm create a marketing strategy that will cater to your audience across the different stages of the customer journey.

Ideal Client Persona: Your key to creating fresh content

Speak Your Client’s Language

According to Hootsuite, keyword search to monitor mentions and competitors is vital real-time information to know what is being said about a business.

According to Neil Patel, gathering all the information from the keyword search gives the business a better reflection of the persona’s search intent and the relationship between certain words.

And why is this important? Because it’s far more efficient to appeal to people that are actually interested in you than trying to please everyone online.

By speaking your customer’s language you can create content that will speak to them directly in channels they are found. This is the moment to make your client’s business your business.

According to Hootsuite, it’s important businesses get out of the feature mindset and start focusing more on the benefits.

Why? Because a feature just says what your business is but the benefits tap into the persona’s psychological wants and needs. For starters, you can think of this: “How would the persona’s life be better if they chose your services over your competitors?”, “Why are the attorneys at your law firm the best bet for a specific client?”

Buyer personas help in the creation of many elements within your firm’s content marketing, and the most crucial one is the customized content itself!

Personalized content helps your firm:

• Identify your prospects’ pain points, i.e., bad customer service or late responses.
• Understand customer habits – i.e., is the average persona impulsive, or do they take their time? How long does the persona usually take to make a decision?
• Understand customer expectations – i.e., what do they expect from your firm in terms of service and results?

To gather this information, your firm can use two different methods: either directly asking clients or using existing customer analytics. The latter works best.

Evaluating your firm through analytics insights gives you more information about your client’s behavior and makes it easier for marketing and sales campaigns. For example, the analysis will help your firm identify and develop a messaging strategy that speaks to your persona.

You can analyze the existing data of your emails, advertisements, PPC, calls-to-action, social media, and other campaigns.

The Power of Emotions

In today’s world, everyone is so focused on metrics, but the reality is that clients are emotional drivers.

Search intent is driven by emotions. According to Kantar’s NeedScope, a new framework tapping into emotional marketing, the “Why?” Is far more important than the “What?”

The truth is that demographics rarely tell (SEO professionals, content creators, writers, etc.) what they need to know about their consumers. It only emphasized the what. According to Google search terms and emotions, there are 6 “Canonical” consumer needs: (Each driven by a combination of “emotional, social, and functional needs”)

It is important businesses within the legal industry tap into the emotional side of the persona’s search intent to understand their goals and objectives more deeply.

Your firm can then implement updated content strategies in:

• Webinars: increases engagement and authority of your firm.
• Interactive content: also increases engagement and builds on trust.
• Emails: emphasizes your firm’s care and consistency.
• Podcasts: increases and retains users in the learning and awareness phases of the sales funnel.
• Videos: increases your firm’s traffic and gives users a push in their decision-making.
• Social media: emphasizes consistency and engagement.

Using the Persona to increase your firm’s rankings

Although many SEO factors make up your firm’s successful marketing, the buyer persona helps tailor the content, so your ideal clients can find you.

The buyer persona gives your firm a push in your SEO strategy by:

• Placing relevant keywords for your client’s research.
• Identifying the pages that get more traffic.
• Helping your SEO optimization, i.e., the SEO schema markup and SEO meta descriptions.
• Optimizing the user experience with design, i.e., preferred colors, calls to action, navigation route, and other design elements.

Besides this, the buyer persona can help your blog posts. By adding a blog section with legal industry-related content, you can get more traffic to your site. It might be challenging to start or remain consistent with this type of content. However, the buyer persona can help you pinpoint topics of interest.

Be there for your clients at the right place and at the right time

With the buyer persona, you can position your firm to be in the right place at the right time for your clients. Creating a persona and keeping it optimized requires constant updates if you want to meet your clients where they are, though.

Strategizing a buyer persona plan, implementing it, and gathering all the results are necessary actions your firm needs to do to guarantee quality content and rankings. But we understand your time is valuable, and these tasks add pressure.

Unlocking Growth

It is important to break out of traditional marketing metrics and tap into the psychological and emotional side of the consumer.

If businesses within the legal industry want to understand where they are heading, it is important to look back, and remember that the client DOES come first. Your client should be considered a personal business, and your client taps into their emotional side with their search intent and loyalty

Business does have to be personalized. It not only gives the entire company-specific directions but it could push your business to long-term success and loyalty with their clients.

Establishing success is also at your reach. If you’d like to know about a more personalized approach to your law firm’s marketing, reach out to us! We’d be happy to help.

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Google Reviews, QA, and more

New reviews were blocked a few weeks ago. They have begun to function again and people are seeing them beginning to appear on listings now. Google has updated their page to state the following:

Review replies are now available. New user reviews, new user photos, new short names, and Q&A will gradually return by country and business category.

So while we have seen reviews start-up in some business categories they have not returned to all of them within the United States but should be fully functional again soon.

This as you can see in the Google statement also applies to user photos, profile short names, and Q&A features. So if you have not seen any action on these or have had issues adding to or editing any of these areas do not worry it is to be expected currently.

Google My Business Profile Edits

At this time we recommend you do not try to do any updates or changes to your listing. We are seeing edits sit pending for weeks on end right now. Google has prioritized reviews of edits for health-related businesses currently.

They say they will also prioritize reviews for open and closed states, special hours, temporary closures, business descriptions, and business attributes edits for other verified businesses but these are some of the areas we are seeing things sit pending review for longer periods of time.

Google Posts

These were disabled for some businesses for a short period but now seem to be working again. If you have edits you wanted to apply via your profile but they are sitting in pending review as mentioned above we recommend you leverage a Google Post to publish that information out to your profile.

They have also created a new post type. COVID-19 update posts they state will be featured more prominently within your business profile. So you might try these for changes to your hours or contact details. These are staying up on the profile for 14 days currently.

New listings, claiming, and verification

If you are setting up a new listing, trying to claim one or verify a listing you should expect delays. Like many other areas, Google is prioritizing this for health-related businesses at this time. If you do not have access to a GMB profile to do hours and other updates we highly recommend you get these added prominently to your law firm website.

Hours of operation

If you are open in some capacity we recommend you input your special hours if you have access to your profile. This will remove the little alert showing up saying hours may vary due to COVID-19.

Google My Business COVID-19 Guidance

You can find updates and resources and other guidance from Google on this page.

https://support.google.com/business/answer/9773423

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