Internet Marketing Interview

By Kirk Chocholek

Attorney Web Designer at LawConsuls.com

How did you learn so much about web design and Internet marketing?

Everything I know I learned from watching other web designers, reading web design and marketing books, following industry blogs, and from simply building and managing numerous websites over the years.

How did you get started in web design?

My interest in design came from my father who was a successful architect and capable artist. I started getting interested in web design in the late nineties. Over the years, I have built a number of websites for myself and others which is why it is second nature for me now.

As an experienced website developer, what advice would you give to a new solo attorney?

Don’t try to do it yourself. Rather, you should hire a company or designer that has law firm website design experience. Make sure that you work with someone that gives you good value for your money.

I would also recommend investing some time in learning SEO basics before purchasing such services from vendors that are promising to get you to the top of Google. If you can afford it, you should find a trusted consultant to help you navigate your Internet marketing options more wisely.

What is SEO?

SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization. Basically, it is the art of getting a website to the top of a search engine result page listing without using Pay Per Click to do it. It is not something you should invest in blindly. Learn what it is first.

What is Pay Per Click?

Pay Per Click, also called PPC, is another form of Search Engine Marketing. Google calls their Pay Per Click service Adwords, and many personal injury lawyers invest substantial amounts of money in this form of marketing. Basically, Pay Per Click involves bidding for placement in a search engine result page. When a searcher clicks your link, your account is charged the amount of your bid.

How can a law firm get to the top of Google result page?

Pay Per Click is the fastest way to get to the top of a listing, but it can be expensive and will only get you listed in the location of the Sponsored Results. Good SEO, however, may get you into the more desired natural listing. One reason natural listings are preferable is because the majority of searchers prefer them to the sponsored listings.

What should a lawyer know about SEO?

That you should learn the basics before signing contracts with SEO vendors or spending significant marketing dollars on it. Getting to the top of a search result will require engaging in a well planned and executed link building campaign using anchor text that is properly targeted to a worthwhile keyword phrase. If you fully understood what I just said, then you may be ready to get into SEO.

What do you mean when you say Anchor Text?

Anchor text is a term used to describe the actual textual wording of a link, not the URL it points to. This is what allows us to have web links in a paragraph without having to textually list the full URL. When executing an SEO link building campaign, SEO marketers will use keywords in the text of the link so that the search engines pick up on the link’s relevance to the targeted search term.

What other marketing opportunities exist for lawyers online?

Many personal injury lawyers are posting ads in Craigslist and other online classifieds. Additionally, advertising in lawyer directories like Avvo has become a popular alternative to pay per click marketing. Ultimately, however, the type of advertising that a law firm engages in will be determined by its actual practice areas and client demographics. For example, an insurance defense firm would probably find a site like LinkedIn to be more useful for developing business than a site like Craigslist.

What future business development opportunities do you see for personal injury firms online?

I believe sites like Hulu.com will become excellent alternatives to TV advertising in the future. This is because the technology exists to direct local commercials to viewers in local markets. Thus, it is very likely that a Pay Per Exposure form of advertising could develop on these sites in the near future which would allow law firms to add their commercials to the shows that they think their demographics would most likely watch.

Also, I believe more local attorney directories will start to appear online. For example, I have actually developed directory code that would enable users to easily search for attorneys by city, neighborhood, county, and zip code.

How much do you think a law firm should spend on their website?

This is a tough question, and I don’t think I could give a universal answer to it. I would suggest that if you are claiming multi million dollar verdicts, you should spend enough on your website to look like you actually collected such sums. Potential clients will judge you based on your website. If your website looks like you designed it yourself, or that you only spent a few dollars on it, you will probably not make that great of an impression on a potential client. This is especially true if you are claiming $40 million dollar verdicts.

The most I have ever heard being spent on a law firm website was a million dollars. However, you do not need to spend a million dollars on your website to get a really good looking one. In fact, if you worked with me, you could get a really good website for a reasonable price. However, as a web designer, I can only do so much with a limited budget. Thus, I can always do more for the firm that is willing to spend more.

What other opportunities do you think web technologies will create for personal injury lawyers?

I think law firms can improve productivity and efficiency, by using web technologies to organize internal information better.

Before starting LawConsuls, I was considering setting up my own solo practice. At the time, I was planning on concentrating in auto accident and Workers’ Comp cases since they were the areas of law that I was most experienced in. However, one of the challenges I faced was a way of managing all of the knowledge required to practice in these areas.

To help me manage cases more effectively, I decided to create a secure intranet accessible knowledge base that would improve letter management and handling of cases by making the necessary knowledge and information easily available to me via a web browser. To do this, I went about acquiring model letters, motions, and other materials necessary for litigating. Then I made the knowledge and documents more easily accessible by logically organizing the information by case status and function. The result was an intuitively organized knowledge base that allowed for quick retrieval of information via menus and search.

What other ways can web technology make the practice of law easier?

Another area of opportunity for personal injury lawyers is record retrieval outsourcing. Web technology has evolved to the point where it is feasible to efficiently outsource the retrieval of medical records to companies that specialize in it. By using these companies, personal injury attorneys can save themselves and their paralegals time.

How does records retrieval outsourcing work?

This is my understanding of how it works. First you would need to establish an account with a service provider. Then you would order the records through a HIPPA compliant secure connection on their website by entering the necessary information and uploading a scanned copy of the consent form. The company would then acquire the records for you and scan them into their system. Within a few weeks, you would receive an email notification stating that your records are available for viewing or download. Then you would log into the company’s website and download the records in PDF format.

Attorneys in other states have already started outsourcing records retrieval, but it is not that common in Illinois yet.

Do you think you will ever return to personal injury practice?

It is possible, but I would like to continue LawConsuls even if I accept a full time position somewhere else. Fortunately, web design and marketing is a business that is particularly suited for part time and weekend work. As such, it would be very feasible for me to continue helping other lawyers with their websites on a part time basis while also working a full time job somewhere else. Moreover, I could always limit the number of new web design clients I accepted if I needed to do so. Thus, it is quite possible that I may return to full time practice if I was offered a good position with the right firm.