Blog Posts in the 'Internet Marketing' Category

The owners of local business review sites, like Yelp.com and CitySearch.com, aren’t happy with Google. They do not like the way data in “Google Places” is shown above their data in search returns. “Google Places” is Google’s equivalent of a local business directory.

Recently, Google made an adjustment to Google Places. Now it takes up more space than ever on a search engine results page. For example, a search in Google on the phrase “NYC criminal defense attorney” yields a page full of Google content. In the image below, the Google Places results are highlighted in yellow. They are surrounded on the top and side by Google paid ads.

Google stands to gain advertising dollars by featuring local businesses this way. Businesses can buy tags for $25/month in order to gain visibility in Google Places.

Google holds almost 70% of the search engine market. Many companies feel that Google abuses its dominant position in the search engine market. The European Union is currently conducting an antitrust investigation.

Regardless of the outcome, Google currently has a stronghold on local business results that lawyers can’t ignore.  Setting up a profile in Google Places is more important now, than ever.

Think back to when you opened your law office. How did you let people know that you were available? Chances are you had a ribbon cutting, wrote a press release, or distributed written announcements. Just as you promoted your new business, you need to promote your new website.

1. Announce your arrival to the search engines. Submit your URL (website address) to Google here: http://www.google.com/addurl
   
   Google admits that your website is likely to be noticed even faster, if it finds it on a routine crawl. How is this possible? If a website that has already been indexed by Google links to your new website, Google will find it.
   
   Submit your URL to Yahoo here: http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html
   
2. Broadcast the “Grand Opening” of your website by email. Be sure to include a specific directive in the email. For instance, “Visit our new website to view all of our services,” or “Visit our new website to read the article about …..”
   
3. Be a guest blogger on a popular blog. Write a helpful article, and link back to your new website at the end of the article.
   
4. Create a profile of your law firm on Google Places, and include a link back to your website.
   
5. If you don’t want to wait months for organic (unpaid) website traffic, you can pay for traffic through Google AdWords.

Remember, you have to work to get your website noticed. There are over 234 million websites on the internet . Complete the 5 steps above, and you will be off to a good start.

Everyday objects like laptops, cars, and pens can be used to direct potential clients to your law firm’s website. The objects can be engraved or emblazoned with your firm’s website address and primary practice area.

Carolyn Elefant recently blogged about an attorney, Cindi Matt, who has personalized her laptop with her firm’s website address. She uses her laptop at a local coffee shop and invariably draws attention to her legal services.

Attorney David Haenel advertises his firm’s web address with his car. The words “fightyourcase.com” surround his vehicle, and attract attention. The advertising is particularly effective when his car is parked in the jail parking lot, as Haenel is a DUI and traffic attorney.

As opposed to laptops and cars, pens can be left behind for others to pick up. They can be strategically placed at local cleaners, banks, bars, or libraries. They can also be handed out to referral sources. You can purchase customized pens from companies such as National and Myron.

An object can be decorated with a self explanatory web address, like planoduiattorney.com. Alternatively it can be marked with a web address and type of attorney, like “Chicago Divorce Attorney.”

In closing, tangible items can be used to draw attention to your law office website. They can be used to bring people online where they can discover more about you and your practice areas. Some of the objects can be temporarily “parked” for others to view, while inexpensive objects can be given as gifts. All of the objects serve to bring awareness to your services.

Consider the search phrases that potential clients use in order to find lawyers.  One might search (in Google) on a phrase like “Dallas dui attorney.” In that case the geographic region is specified and many of the organic (unpaid) search engine results will be local.

But what if a person does not specify the geographic region? What if one wants a local attorney but simply searches on the words “dui attorney?”

Take a look at the results below for a search on the keywords “dui attorney.” Keep in mind that I searched on the keywords from my computer in Frisco, TX (a suburb of Dallas, TX).  The search would give different results in your geographic region.

Green highlights = paid results

Yellow highlights = directories

Orange highlights = Google local business results

Here’s the explanation for what is being returned.

• The paid listings (green) are appropriately targeting Frisco, TX even though a geographic region was not specified in the keywords. This is because when lawyers pay to advertise with Google AdWords they specify the geographic region in which the ads should be shown.
• The national directories (yellow) have a higher organic search ranking than any local law firm websites. The returns are not specific to Frisco, TX.
• The Google local business results (orange) are specific to someone searching in Frisco, TX for a local “dui attorney.”

Here are the options for lawyers who want to be found, even on nonspecific searches.

• You can pay for Google AdWords. You specify the keywords and the geographic region to which the ads should be shown. Keep in mind though that more people click on organic search results than on paid ads.
• Get listed in national directories. Google your practice area from your local computer to see which directories are predominant in your geographic region. Check out the cost of being listed in such directories.
• Set up a profile for your law office on Google Places (a.k.a. Google Local Business). It is free, and it puts you at the top of the Google search engine results pages.

The bottom line is that people are using the internet to search for local attorneys. They are typically using Google to search, as it holds about 70% of the search engine market. Although people are searching for local attorneys, they do not always specify their geographic region in the search terms. That is why it is important for an attorney who wants to be found on the web to create a Google Places profile, and to consider paying for national directory listings and/or Google AdWords.

Today is the first day of fall; a season for burnt orange leaves, football games, and Thanksgiving turkey. Is fall the start of a slump in business, or are you ramping up for a boon in business? It probably depends on your practice area.

If you practice estate planning, criminal defense, or elder law you might find that business picks up towards the end of the year. But what if this is not the case for you? What if you experience a trough during the holiday season?

First of all, it is a good idea to note seasonal fluctuations. Identify highs and lows on your calendar. Use the low periods to ramp up your marketing efforts. Write blog posts, attend networking events, update your website content, and work on your internet presence.

You can also use the time to analyze your sales processes. Take a look at the Google analytics for your website. How successfully are you converting web visitors into clients? If your conversion rate needs improvement, consider revamping your sales process. What do you do when someone contacts you by email through your website? Do you follow up with a phone call? Reconsider the method, speed, or consistency in which you follow up with website leads.

Hopefully fall signals an uptick in business for your law firm. If it doesn’t, take note of it and use the time wisely. Using down time to market your law practice and to re-work your sales strategy will pay off in the long run.

If you have used Google to search lately, you probably noticed something different. As soon as you start to type, results come pouring in. You don’t have to hit the enter key. That is because Google Instant, a new search feature, is functioning. Google believes that this new kind of search will result in “faster searches, smarter predictions, and instant results.”

Here is an example of the way that it works. I begin typing the words “law office” and Google assumes that I am looking for “law office of Domingo Garcia.” See the image below. The black letters are the letters that I typed, and the gray letters are the letters that Google recommended (highlighted).

Here are some other examples.

Try it for yourself. It is a fun association game.  Try to predict what comes after the name Kevin? Apparently if you think like everyone else, you are thinking of Kevin Costner.

Do you see a pattern? Google is filling in the blanks with popular search terms. In my opinion this can influence the way that people search. If they start out intending to type one thing, and get a cue to type something else, they might not ever get around to typing what they originally intended to type.

What are the implications?

· The popular law firms get more popular, and the less popular firms get even less popular.

· People are thrown off track. They are influenced by “group think.” They might never come across your law firm if they get distracted.

How to respond to this kind of search?

· Tie online articles or blog posts to popular events and people.

· Make sure people know your website address, and can type it directly into a browser. That way they don’t have to use Google search to find you.

What do you think of Google Instant? Do you like it? How do you think it will affect your law firm?

There are many online forums through which people can ask legal questions. Some of the sites are exclusively for asking legal questions, such as Avvo, LawGuru, and FreeAdvice. Other sites like Yahoo! Answers and Blurtit allow for people to ask any kind of question, including legal questions.

The basic premise is that someone asks a legal question, and an attorney answers the question for free. Here’s an example from LawGuru:

Q: I was informed that in the state of Texas that if a father or a mother does not give money to the other to support the child in question that they can go to a judge and ask for their parental rights to be terminated. Is this true?

A: It's possible, but rare. Judges would prefer to keep the parent liable for the support of the child. Other options exist to collect child support, such as Petitions to Enforce, and Petitions for Contempt. Usually parental rights are not terminated unless a stepparent is willing to step in and adopt the child. Every situation varies, and you should consult an attorney regarding your options.

The question was answered by attorney Theresa Langford, and there is a link to her profile. Whether or not you agree with her answer or with any other internet answer is not the debate. The debate is whether or not answering questions helps with law firm marketing.

I noted that attorney Anthony Roach had answered 1,851 questions on LawGuru. I asked him a few questions about why he did it, and the dialogue is as follows.

Q: Why do you answer questions on LawGuru? Does it lead to clients?

A: I would estimate that out of every 500 LawGuru questions that I answer, 1 individual will become an actual client.

Q: It doesn’t sound like a very good ROI to have 1/500 answers turn into a client. Do you feel that it gives a good return on investment?

A: It moves my office profile up in the search engine results. We do get calls and consultations from people just searching the internet, but not using LawGuru, so I believe it helps.  Some clients have told me that they also read a lot of the other answers I have given to other people's questions, and it was my ability to answer a wide array of legal questions that convinced them to consult with me.

Attorney Michael Stone has answered 7,228 questions on LawGuru. When I asked him why he answers questions, he replied, “Sometimes the answers lead to clients, good cases, or even ink.”

Attorney Michael Hendrickson takes the cake with almost 17,000 answers posted on LawGuru within the last 10 years.  He claims that answering questions has given him an enhanced web presence that drives traffic to his profile on LawGuru, and to his office in Old Town, Alexandria.  Approximately 75% of his private cases now derive from this source.

So there you have it. Answering questions online can serve a marketing function.  The answers serve as visible proof of the attorney’s expertise, and demonstrate a willingness to help. One could argue that the time would be better spent creating a FAQ section on your website or blog. While that may be true, there is something very authentic about someone else (a real person) asking the question on a third party site.

What is your experience with answering questions online? Has it helped with your web presence? Has it led to new clients?

I have previously talked about the benefits of signing up for a free profile on Google Places. Now you can enhance your listing on Google Places by adding Google Tags. The tags can be used to highlight your law firm website, a video about your firm, or a special service.

In the example below, Park Segler has a Google tag to highlight a Free Consultation. Notice the yellow arrow below the listing.

For another example, a couple of “Orlando criminal lawyers” have chosen to highlight their Law Firm Websites. Notice the yellow/blue tags on the map, and the yellow arrows under the business listings.

Google Tags are useful because they draw attention to your law firm, which could ultimately result in more clients. The tags cost $25/month, and there is no long term commitment. You can visit Google.com/help/tags for more information.

In my opinion, Google Tags should be used now or never. Get them while the getting is good. They won’t mean a whole lot when every business is highlighted.

Playing hard to get might work for some singles, but it doesn’t work for solo attorneys.  If you don’t make yourself fully available, you are going to lose out.  I’m talking about being available online, of course. 

The results of the 2010 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report are out.  Only 52% of solo practitioners own a website.  This percentage has been the same for years. 

Why is this a problem?  Because people are using the internet to search for attorneys.  If you are not available, they will go with someone who is available.

Everybody knows your name?

I know you think people will find you by word of mouth.  This is not always true.  Here’s why.

People move. When they move, they want to find local service providers. They can’t exactly ask friends and family in Chicago for a reference in Orlando. So, they turn to the internet. They use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search on a phrase like “estate planning Orlando.”

Sometimes people are embarrassed to ask their friends for a referral. Sometimes people are arrested on charges of public intoxication. Sometimes people are thinking of getting a divorce. They are not going to ask their circle of friends for help, because they are embarrassed. So, they turn to the internet for help. They search on a phrase like “Dallas DWI lawyer.”

Not everyone knows someone who knows a lawyer.  One solo attorney says, “Most legal niches are small enough that everyone knows who the great divorce attorney, criminal defense attorney, or bankruptcy attorney is in a given geographic area.”  This is very assuming.  I mean, do you know the name of a great oncologist, radiologist, proctologist, and neurologist in your geographic region?

Everybody has your number on speed dial?

So, say you are correct, and someone does find out about you through word of mouth. They Google your name to find your contact information.  You don’t have a website.  What do they do?  They move on.

Easy to Get

Take a look outside the legal industry.  There is a reason why plastic surgeons and dentists have fabulous websites.  It is not because they like spending money, it is because they like making money. 

So, stop playing hard to get, and get a website for your law firm. 

In photo:  Rocky

What are you doing to prepare yourself for a punch? I mean a punch to your web presence. It is easier for people to reach you now, more than ever before. Don’t kid yourself. Just because you haven’t claimed your profile on Avvo doesn’t mean you aren’t open to a jab.

Disgruntled clients can post negative reviews about you or your law firm on internet sites like insider pages, yelp, CitySearch, and Yellow Pages (even if you haven’t set up a profile).

Prepare Yourself for a Punch

1. Flood the internet with your own content. Build up your web presence with a law firm website, blog, online articles, and profiles.
2. Ask satisfied clients to post reviews. For that matter, be like attorney Daniel Gershburg, and ask everyone for a review. The more online reviews that are posted about you, the more accurate the average rating will be. One bad review will be drowned out by many positive reviews.
3. Listen to what people are saying. Set up a Google alert on your name and your law firm’s name. It takes about 5 minutes to do this. Then you can get a notification by email anytime someone says something about you on the web.

Respond to a Punch (or Not)

1. Contact the source of the negative publicity. Ask what you can do to rectify the situation. Maybe even apologize.
2. Don’t respond. Sometimes a negative review is so absurd that the accuser looks like a fool, instead of the accused. Read this criticism of Wal-Mart, for example. It was originally posted on my3cents.com.
   
   
3. Change your ways. If you are consistently getting bad reviews, you might want to consider providing better customer service.

Summary

Hopefully, you won’t ever have a punch to your web presence. That being said, it is better to “prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.” You can prepare for a punch by contributing your own web content, asking clients to post reviews, and by using Google alerts. If you do get punched, you can respond in one of three ways; address it, ignore it, or change your ways.

JDSupra has been in the spotlight lately with the announcement of its new connection to Linkedin. JDSupra is a content sharing platform for the legal industry. You can use it to share articles, newsletters, alerts, court filings, and presentations. Now, because of JDSupra’s affiliation with Linkedin, your content will be disseminated not only within search engines, but within a professional networking site. This is accomplished through “Legal Updates” on Linkedin.

Robert Ambrogi recently posted an article about the “marriage” titled JDSupra is now Linked Up to Linkedin. In the article, Robert does a good job of explaining how the integration works, and how it benefits JDSupra and Linkedin users. Gyi Tsakalakis also recently wrote an article about the connection titled JDSupra: Give Content to Get Noticed. While Gyi’s article is well written, the most notable thing about the post is the comments. In response to the article, attorney Sam Glover said, “If lawyers want to spend time putting content online, they would be far better off writing a blog (or guest posting to someone else’s) than contributing to JD Supra.”

When I read Sam’s comment, I thought “Why not do both?” If the article was worth posting on your blog or website, why not post it on JDSupra for even greater visibility? Gyi must have had a similar thought because further in the comments section he replies, “I guess my only real disagreement is that JD Supra should be considered “in addition to” as opposed to “instead of” blogging and guest posting.”

Here’s why it benefits you to use JDSupra as a syndication tool. JDSupra’s website probably has a higher page rank than your blog or website. It’s that simple. If you want for your article to be returned in the search engine results pages (SERPS), it has a greater chance of being returned as published through JDSupra. In some instances your original article and your article as published on JDSupra will both show up in the SERPS.

I have heard that search engines, like Google, will penalize sites for having duplicate content. So, I decided to ask for JDSupra’s opinion on the matter. I asked, “If I publish an article on my blog (which is seen by Google) and then submit the article to JDSupra (which I assume is also seen by Google) does that create a “duplicate content” problem with the search engine?” Aviva Cuyler, founder and CEO at JDSupra, replied, “Google will not penalize your blog based on your republishing your posts on JD Supra.” Further, she supplied a link to a Google document to support her assertion. The segment of the Google document that I found most useful says that if you syndicate an article, be sure to include a link back to your original article (on your website or blog).

The bottom line is that syndicating content with JDSupra results in a greater readership. This is because articles published through JDSupra are more likely to be found by search engines. It is also because articles published on JDSupra appear in a feed on Linkedin, spreading them beyond your network. If you’d like to boost your readership, and ultimately traffic to your website, give it a try.

My sister and I use Facebook on a regular basis. We were at my parent’s house conversing about it when my dad said, “You won’t catch me on Facebook.” I laughed and said, “Dad, you are already there. There is a picture of you with Jaque and Drew (his granddaughters) on Facebook.”

The truth is that everyone is on the internet, including you. Legal directories scrape information from other sources, and set up your profile without your active participation. That is why it is important to contribute your own information. What do you want people to know about you?

I recently attended the State Bar of TX annual meeting in Fort Worth. I met a solo practitioner, Hugh Lindsay, from College Station, TX. We visited for a while and he told me some interesting stories about his family and his travels. If you Google his name, however, you will not find much information about him. There are “shells” of profiles on Justia, LawLink, and even a strange one on College Station Real Estate. They do not contain headshots of Hugh, nor do they contain any kind of information about his practice areas.

Contrast that web presence to attorney Jon Mitchell Jackson’s internet presence. If you Google his name you find an abundance of information. From his Nolo profile one can learn about his practice areas, read case studies, view a nice headshot, and more. On another website, FindLaw, you can find a map pinpointing his office, his qualifications, and his contact information. Jackson’s law firm website, replete with persuasive content, can be reached through the abovementioned profiles.

One could argue that Hugh Lindsay does not need a solid web presence. After all, he has been in practice for 35 years. I believe that if an attorney is still actively practicing, he needs to work on his web presence. That is because people use the internet to “check out” attorneys before retaining them.

Here’s an example. Let’s say that a potential client learns your name through the grapevine, and then conducts a search in Google on your name. Assuming that you have set up online profiles and a law firm website, the potential client can learn about you (and about how you can help him).  Then he can take action towards becoming a client by filling out the contact box on your website. 

In closing, it is critical that you contribute to your online presence. You already have a presence, whether you know it or not. It is up to you to flesh it out, and give yourself some dimension. Otherwise, there will not be enough to grasp and an opportunity will slip away.

Would you like to direct more traffic to your law firm’s website? You can pay for it. But should you invest your money in getting listed in the FindLaw directory or in sponsored ads on Google? Here is a case study that can help you decide.  One lawyer tracked his leads from a FindLaw listing, and another lawyer tracked his leads from Google AdWords.

The data in the chart shows that the cost per website visitor is approximately the same from either source.

More visitors came from Google AdWords in one month’s time than from FindLaw, at a greater monthly cost. 

Each source probably yields equally qualified leads. This is because whether through Google search or through the FindLaw directory a potential client is looking for a particular type of attorney in a particular geographic region.

Limitations of case study: The lawyers practice in different geographic regions, and they have different practice areas.  Also, the sample size (2 attorneys) is a limitation.  The data was collected during one month, and is not a monthly average.

Although the lawyers are from different geographic regions, they both practice in major US cities.  Costs for placement in Google and in FindLaw vary by city and by practice area.  Typically ads and listings in smaller cities cost less, but it depends on the competition.

There are a couple of other considerations.  You might have to wait for a top listing in FindLaw, as there are a limited number of top spots.  With Google you can pay for top placement of ads at any time.  You can also pay less per website visitor from Google (than $6.78/click) but you might not get as many website visitors.  A final consideration is that Google AdWords probably takes more time to set up and maintain than a directory listing.

In conclusion, you can pay to get more traffic to your website. Whether you pay for internet ads on Google or pay for a top listing in FindLaw you can get a lead for as little as $6.78. That being said, it is up to the effectiveness of your website as to whether a visitor will take action towards becoming a client. Say 1/5 of visitors become paying clients.  That works out to approximately $34/paying client. Would that be a good return on investment? 

Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Crush It, believes that to experience true success you need to “love your family, work hard, and live your passion.” Further he believes that you can turn your passion into money. This has always been true, but more so now than ever because of the internet. Gary says that “the ability to spread your great ideas and share your triumphs is a golden opportunity.”

Why should you listen to a guy who eats grass and dirt in order to develop his palate?

He came to America at age 3. His family was broke, and couldn’t speak English. Twenty years later, he expanded his father’s liquor business from 4 million per year to 20 million per year. He did it by turning his passion for wine and business development into money. He leveraged the internet, specifically through Wine Library TV, to create his personal brand which is “the wine guy who tells it like it is in plain English.”

Vaynerchuk believes that anyone can build a business by developing a personal brand. In building your personal brand you must be honest, authentic, and open to sharing your knowledge. In order to monetize your personal brand, you need to do two things. First, identify what it is that you are passionate about. Then deliver your message, through the right internet medium.

If you don’t believe that this strategy can be used by lawyers, take a look at Gerry Oginski, Carolyn Elefant, and Lee Rosen. Gerry Oginski is passionate about medical malpractice and accidents. He has created his personal brand online with videos. Carolyn Elefant is passionate about Small Law. She has been blogging on MyShingle.com since 2002. Lee Rosen has developed his personal brand through online videos, blogs, and podcasts. As Vaynerchuk would say, they are all “Crushing it!”

Developing your personal brand gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself. It gives you the chance to humanize yourself, so that instead of being seen as a “lawyer” you are simply a decent person who happens to know more about the law than anyone else. People want to do business with you because you have proven yourself to be forthright and honest.

Equally important to developing your brand through content sharing is interacting with your followers. Gary says, “If someone takes the time to reach out to you, it’s your obligation to reciprocate.”

In summary, Gary has turned his passion into money by delivering his message through the internet. He thinks that identifying your passion, personal branding, and word of mouth have always been important to business development. The only thing that has changed is that the internet has made it easier, because it serves as a distribution platform. Given Vaynerchuk’s great success, lawyers who are hoping to be successful might want to learn something from this grass-eating business mogul.

The public believes that lawyers are greedy, dishonest, and selfish. So says a study conducted by the ABA. Lawyer jokes serve to reinforce these stereotypes. Here are a couple:

Question: How can you tell that a lawyer is lying? 
Answer: His lips are moving.

These stereotypes are unfortunate. The lawyers I have met are likeable, and really can’t be lumped into one category. The good news is that lawyers have a chance to dispel these myths.

The other night I met an attorney, Steven Thrasher, at a Startup Happy Hour. First, he told me that he was a patent attorney. Then we started talking about his trip to Turkey, and his interest in archeology. Ah, now that was interesting because I have a Biology degree. Further conversation revealed that he was an EE major, and could do back flips when he was younger. The same was true for my husband! The more he told me about his interests, his wife, and his pets, the more of an individual he became.

Interactions like this between lawyers and non-lawyers help to dispel the myths about lawyers. It was great to talk to Steven in person, but interactions can take place online too. Another lawyer I know, Trent Nichols, is really able to make connections online. He shares his personal life. Recently he posted the pictures of his newborn son on Facebook. He comes across as being compassionate, and helps to dispel lawyer stereotypes.

I don’t personally know attorney David Koller, but he has made a great impression on me through his website. On his website he talks about how his grandmother is his inspiration for practicing elder law. It is a personal story, and it really humanizes him.

There are many mediums through which lawyers can dispel myths: in-person meetings, Facebook, Twitter, website content, and blog articles. Disclosing personal information removes you from the lawyer stereotype, and helps you connect with potential clients. The more that they can see you as an individual, as opposed to a lawyer, the more likely they will be to buy into your services.

Are people looking online for lawyers? You bet!

The Google monthly search volume for the phrase “Dallas lawyer” is 74,000.

Getting more specific, the Google monthly search volume for the phrase “Dallas divorce lawyer” is 3,600.

Do you want to check out the search volume in your geographic region?

Use the Google keyword tool.

Why are people looking online?

Today people use the internet to find help. Sometimes the help comes in the form of an article (hopefully yours) and sometimes it comes in the form of a lead (like a phone number on your website). Watch this 1 minute video to see how a person’s use of the internet turns into a search for a local attorney.

Plus, Google maintains that 82% of people turn to the internet to find local businesses. That includes law firms.

What are the implications?

Lawyers who have taken the time to develop a web presence will be found. Those who are still debating the merits of owning a website will be losing more and more business each day.

Your clients have a choice as to how they get to your office. They can come from the north, south, east, or west. No matter which direction they come from, they can still arrive at your office.

Do your clients and potential clients have a choice as to how they reach your “virtual office?” Your virtual office is your website. It is a place where people can learn about your services, and respond to a call for action.

People are choosing to “live” in different places on the internet. They “live” in Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Have you created a path to your “virtual office” from each of these locations? The more paths you create to your website, the greater the chance that someone will find you.

Establish a path from each location. In other words, set up a profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter with a link to your website. If you do not provide a path, the chances are good that a potential client will find someone who does have a path.

You can establish many paths to your website from Google. Each time you comment on a blog, set up a profile in a directory, and publish an online article, you are creating a path. Each path starts with a search in Google on your name, and ends at your website.

Remember that people are inundated with choices. The more paths you create to your “virtual office,” the easier it will be for them to choose you. So start paving the way to your website, today.