Why Do I need Reputation Management?

Word of mouth is still the #1 driver of attorney leads and ‘word of mouth’ now encompasses online reviews. Your potential clients are researching you before they make the leap to call. One negative review can impact your clientele and online reputation for years. By taking control of you and your firm’s branding you can minimize negative connotation and increase your trust factor, which results in getting more clients.

How Can I Better Control My Reputation?

Strategy 1: Own Your Name(s)
One key strategy is to own the top half of the search results page for your name (or firm’s name). This will require optimizing your website reviews, buying additional domains and creating a ‘reviews’ site, and utilizing 3rd party ratings sites. The goal of owning the top half of the search results page is to push down any negative reviews to the lower half of the page- the portion that is cut off at the bottom of your monitor.

1. Buy Domains- If it’s considered ethical in your state to post client testimonials, then this step is a must. Purchase additional domains specifically for reviews. Develop these websites around your positive user reviews. For a firm you will want to buy domains for each attorney as well as for the name of the firm. Do not use the same review on all websites. Try to use different reviews on the different sites.

   Optimize your SEO and content around keywords: {name} reviews and {name} ratings.

   Domain Examples: Attorney John Doe should buy the domain ‘johndoereviews.com’ , ‘johndoeratings.com’ or ‘attorneyjohndoereviews.com’.

2. Clearly Label Reviews- Dedicate a page on your main website to positive testimonials. Title the page ‘{Name or firm’s name} Ratings and Reviews. Optimize the SEO for the page around the terms {Name} Ratings and {Name} Reviews.
3. Optimize Additional Profiles- Add positive reviews to all your professional profiles, including your LawInfo and Google profile.

Strategy 2: Aggressively Monitor
A second strategy to owning your online reputations is to aggressively monitor ratings and reviews that are published about you and/or your firm.

1. Setup Google Alerts- This step is absolutely crucial. Visit http://www.google.com/alerts and setup free alerts for you and your firm’s name. Google will monitor any new content containing those keywords and email you ongoing reports. It’s a good idea to set up alerts for your firm’s name, your name, and the names of any clients or cases you’re working on.

2. Monitor Existing Ratings and Reviews- Visit popular ratings sites and search for you and your firm’s name. Monitor current reviews and reply to both positive and negative postings.

   Remember, how you respond to a review is public, so put some time into crafting a sensitive response. For further detailed information on responding to negative reviews visit:
   http://www.google.com/support/places/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=184271

3. Dispute False Posts- If you feel that a negative post is unwarranted or false, consider calling or sending a tangible letter requesting the post removal. Only email a web host if your feel comfortable knowing your letter may appear on their website.

Strategy 3: Provide a Good Experience
Read all your reviews and take note of negative posts. Try to provide your clients with attention and understanding. Positive experiences lead to positive reviews and positive reviews create a sense of trust. Trust is a key factor in a user’s decision making process. Successful firms understand this trust factor and thrive by fostering its creation.