Lawyer Website: Why Facebook and Social Media Can’t Replace Attorney Websites

Lawyer social media experts explain why having social media pages can’t serve as your sole lawyer website and Internet presence.

/// 09/27/2011

San Francisco, CA-- Its easy to think, “I’ve got a Facebook page, so what do I need a lawyer website for? Potential clients can communicate with my law firm through this popular communication channel, so why bother spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer website?” But, this way of thinking could quickly kill your law firm’s chances of gaining potential clients and could cause your attorneys to lose opportunities for new cases.

Yes, social media has taken the world by storm, and with 750 million active users on Facebook it may seem silly to some to invest in a lawyer website when everyone is spending all their time on social sites. 

But, you first need to understand that Facebook—not your law firm—owns your lawyer social media real estate. This means Facebook can control everything and anything on your lawyer social media page, from having the ability to take down your lawyer social media page at any time to dictating whether some posts are in “violation of their terms and services.”

Often what people don’t realize is that Facebook is a “closed network,” which means there may be no connection to the outside Internet. Any information you post on your lawyer Facebook fan page may not be indexed into Google and may not be found by the general public using a search engine. To view certain information and communicate through your law firm’s Facebook page, a consumer must create a Facebook account and log in; whereas your law firm website can be found through a search engine like Google, without logging into any social media networking site to view information or contact the law firm.  Because of this, search engines are known as an “open network,” due to information being shared freely, without having to obtain a membership to access its information.

At the end of the day it is imperative for law firms to invest in lawyer websites for a number of reasons:

1.    Creates an Internet Presence
2.    Potential clients who find you on social media sites will still look for your lawyer website on the Internet.
3.    A lawyer website showcases your law firm’s practice areas, past verdicts and settlements, contact information and other crucial information potential clients may be searching for.
4.    Lawyer websites are the foundation when building a relationship with potential clients.
5.    Your lawyer website is indexed into search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing so that people searching for a law firm for can find your lawyer website on search engines.
6.    An architecturally sound lawyer website, fueled by SEO, can place your lawyer website on page 1 of Google, Yahoo and Bing.
7.    A well built lawyer website helps your law firm stand out from the competition.

About the writer:
Rene Perras is a law firm Internet marketing consultant, who has been helping law firms of all types with search engine marketing for over 20 years. For a free consultation, please contact Rene Perras at 720-ONE-RENE or visit Cepac.com

 

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