A lot of law firms have been using search engine optimization (SEO), especially more recently as it has shown more success stories. However, being that it is a relatively new process of marketing a company, there are some law firms who have some understandable skepticism and uncertainty about certain aspects of SEO, most notably how the bar rules feel about its use. Lawyers tend to be more careful about things like this, and in turn, try to make sure that they are in compliance with various laws and rules, and no exception is made for marketing either.
What Do The Bar Rules Say About Seo For Law Firms?
When all is said and done, there is a certain ethical expectation that lawyers have which may create issues with respect to their participation in SEO marketing. Indeed, SEO marketing can absolutely be problematic insofar as how it is done. Not every SEO marketing campaign is going to be necessarily an ethical one, and law firms are going to, or at least should take care to, avoid breaking or even bending any bar rules. SEO is relatively new, and as such, not all lawyers, or even a lot of them are going to understand how SEO for law firms may break bar rules. The last thing they want to have to worry about is being on the wrong end of the bar, after all. A big problem with some SEO firms that provide SEO marketing for law firms is that they themselves are not likely to be familiar, or at least as familiar, as an actual lawyer. That is one reason that a law firm should take care to pick the right SEO firm to even work with on this, as going with an SEO firm that has little to no experience or understanding on the subject of bar rules creates a potential risk of the firm violating them.
One of the reasons why these violations are even possible is because, without strict knowledge of legal matters, an SEO firm may use a substitute word or phrase as part of a keyword, which may lead to readers being misled by the content you are posting on your website. That is the last thing you want, both in terms of how the bar association is going to feel about it, but also the last thing you want as a lawyer. You also have to be careful of how you market your law firm in these SEO posts, as bar associations often frown upon certain ways of doing it. For instance, if an SEO markets your law firm as having expertise or a specialty in a certain area where that is not at all accurate. In doing so, you run the risk of being accused of being misleading to your audience.
Potential clients having less understanding of legal matters is only going to make your job more difficult, and worse, could potentially hurt your reputation if it is found that you have been misleading your readership, even if only unintentionally. When picking out an SEO firm, make sure that you know exactly how knowledgeable an SEO marketer is of the respective bar rules of your state, as well as their understanding of law in general. Because if you do not take care with this, the truth of the matter is that you will ultimately be the one to face the punishment for the inaccuracy of your website. True, the SEO firm that made the mistake would be responsible, but the bar association has no power to punish them, only you.
Not only do you have to be mindful of finding a good SEO marketer, but you also have to not leave caution to the wind on the content that is posted. While you are not likely going to have a solid understanding of the SEO process, you can still read over the content posted on your website to make sure that the articles are even accurate. While it is good to be able to put some trust in the people you work with, it is just as important to be cautious with the people you work with as well. Not that they are going to cheat you, but rather, to ensure that they are the kind of people you want to work with. Any good partner you’ll get with, like Gladiator Law Marketing, is going to treat you much the same, making sure that the two of you are compatible, so you needn’t worry about matching that. Once the two of you have established a place of trust, you will be able to work more closely and establish long-term trust and respect. Running the risk of losing your bar card is a risk too great to worry about, and as such, you must take as much care as possible to ensure that you pick the right partner. If you are unsure whether something may run the risk of failing to fulfill the bar rules, consulting an attorney who can help you figure that out is paramount.