Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful www

My niche - in case you havent worked it out - is the ever controversial world of Personal Injury Law.

Its the one area of law that has really embraced the web in terms of adapting to it as a new medium and marketing platform. A few years ago most law firms had no concept of the power that the web can bring to a (savvy) business. It doesnt matter what field / business or niche you work in the web can make or break you and if you get it right - there are rich pickings.

In the PI world most firms have now had their lightbulb moment and switched on to the business volumes available on the net. There are websites galore offering all kinds of free advice and NO WIN NO FEE contracts.

My firm has long since dipped its toe into the fast flowing river of personal injury online custom - if any of you mugs out there havent done so you and your management team want a check up from the neck up (copyright Peter Jones Dragons Den)

Here's a few tips:

Get a website (believe it or not some firms dont have even a corporate touchy feely website)

Make it user friendly and make sure you have a staff IT guy who can upload changes and page content. Dont have a staff IT guy? Get one and preferably one who knows a little about the web.

Make your site content rich - ie lots and lots of info and plain speaking advice pages. A site can still look good with a little detail on it. DONT just do a fancy graphics based site. It will bomb

Get some links to the site - use all your legal contacts - links equal authority on the web (although this is now subject to much debate following the new google rules which devalue reciprocal links to a degree). Try your damndest to get some high quality links from heavy hitting legal directories and affiliates.

Make sure there is a good "contact" facility on the site - leave space for an enquiry form or a FREE helpline tel number.

Get traffic - you wont get any web visitors "naturally" for a while so instead PAY for your traffic. Learn about Google Adwords and Yahoo online ad products. Be prepared to spend at least £1000 a month to start with.

The PI business online is huge. But so are other areas of law (employment law being the most voluminous in my opinion)

If you are a senior partner in a firm with no website WAKE UP to the reality that you are out of touch and falling further and further behind the competition

If you are a budding assoc or low ranking partner - make a suggestion to your supervising partner in time for the next partners meeting.

You wont be the first to arrive at the party but better a late arrival than a non attendee

legalspy