Legal Search Marketing

The Fastcase iPhone app has been selected by the American Association of Law Libraries as 2010 New Product of the Year.  This is the app that lets you do full case law and statute research for free on your phone.

The award recognizes new legal information products that enhance or improve existing law library services or procedures. It will be presented during the AALL’s annual meeting in Denver later this month.

According to Fastcase’s press release announcing the award, an iPad version will be released at the AALL meeting and versions for the Android and Blackberry are in the works.  – From the Law Sites Blog

The Fastcase App for your iPhone

Have you ever found yourself in a courtroom hallway preparing for oral argument and wishing that you could search for a few more cases? Would you like to be able to log some legal research time during your subway or bus commute? How about double-checking a statute provision before walking into a client meeting or a settlement negotiation? Now you can.

Fastcase for the iPhone is the largest free law library on the iPhone and it uses smart search technology from Fastcase’s fully-featured Web-based legal research application, which allows you to sort the most relevant results to the top of the list, customize and re-sort search results, and integrate citation analysis tools right into the results list.

This application is free, but you will need to register an account so that you can save favorites and your own customized search history. There are tons of customizable features, so the more you use the Fastcase App, the better it fits you!

Recently Google published an official statement about quality links and their effect on your website rankings. In the statement, Google wants to explain their viewpoint on earning quality links.

FROM GOOGLE:

A popular question on our Webmaster Help Forum is in regard to best practices for organic link building. There seems to be some confusion, especially among less experienced webmasters, on how to approach the topic. Different perspectives have been shared, and we would also like to explain our viewpoint on earning quality links.

If your site is rather new and still unknown, a good way marketing technique is to get involved in the community around your topic. Interact and contribute on forums and blogs. Just keep in mind to contribute in a positive way, rather than spamming or soliciting for your site. Just building a reputation can drive people to your site. And they will keep on visiting it and linking to it. If you offer long-lasting, unique and compelling content — something that lets your expertise shine — people will want to recommend it to others. Great content can serve this purpose as much as providing useful tools.

*** Here Google is saying its a good idea to visit other blogs and forums and contribute to them by leaving comments and also a link to your site.  They are also saying that if you have good quality content, that people will visit your site and LINK to it. So as always, the key is CONTENT. ***

A promising way to create value for your target group and earn great links is to think of issues or problems your users might encounter. Visitors are likely to appreciate your site and link to it if you publish a short tutorial or a video providing a solution, or a practical tool. Survey or original research results can serve the same purpose, if they turn out to be useful for the target audience. Both methods grow your credibility in the community and increase visibility. This can help you gain lasting, merit-based links and loyal followers who generate direct traffic and “spread the word.” Offering a number of solutions for different problems could evolve into a blog which can continuously affect the site’s reputation in a positive way.
** Giving away quality information  for free is a good way to get people to link to your site and to establish yourself as an expert in your practice area.  Creating videos is a good way to engage  your audience. **

Humor can be another way to gain both great links and get people to talk about your site. With Google Buzz and other social media services constantly growing, entertaining content is being shared now more than ever. We’ve seen all kinds of amusing content, from ASCII art embedded in a site’s source code to funny downtime messages used as a viral marketing technique to increase the visibility of a site. However, we do not recommend counting only on short-lived link-bait tactics. Their appeal wears off quickly and as powerful as marketing stunts can be, you shouldn’t rely on them as a long-term strategy or as your only marketing effort.

It’s important to clarify that any legitimate link building strategy is a long-term effort. There are those who advocate for short-lived, often spammy methods, but these are not advisable if you care for your site’s reputation. Buying PageRank-passing links or randomly exchanging links are the worst ways of attempting to gather links and they’re likely to have no positive impact on your site’s performance over time. If your site’s visibility in the Google index is important to you it’s best to avoid them.

** This is important. Google is saying you should not buy links or do random link exchanges and saying it won’t have much positive effect in the long run.  Any legitimate link building strategy is a long-term effort.  There are many ways to generate links to your site but creating quality content and videos for your site and blog are among the best ways to generate links in the long run.

Directory entries are often mentioned as another way to promote young sites in the Google index. There are great, topical directories that add value to the Internet. But there are not many of them in proportion to those of lower quality. If you decide to submit your site to a directory, make sure it’s on topic, moderated, and well structured. Mass submissions, which are sometimes offered as a quick work-around SEO method, are mostly useless and not likely to serve your purposes.

** They are addressing the issue of getting links from directories and are basically saying that yes there are some directories that make sense and would offer a high  quality link to your site BUT that there’s mostly a lot of junk directories that don’t really do much for your site.  So for a legal site, it doesn’t make sense to have your site listed in 100’s of different general business directories or non legal directories.  Usually you want to have your site listed in Yahoo, Open Directory (Dmoz.org), Best of the Web Directory and a few others, as well as any legal directories that match your firms practice and location.  If your a dui lawyer, then it makes sense to get listed in a DUI Lawyer directory.  Yet you want to get listed in a DUI legal directory that has been around awhile and its also important that the link you get from that directory is a FOLLOW link and not a NO FOLLOW link, otherwise it wont count.  **

It can be a good idea to take a look at similar sites in other markets and identify the elements of those sites that might work well for yours, too. However, it’s important not to just copy success stories but to adapt them, so that they provide unique value for your visitors.

All of this is important because the bottom line is that the more quality links you get, the better your search engine rankings will be.  Creating high quality content on  a regular basis will help and is very important, yet there are many different things you must do and it all takes time. Yet getting top SEO rankings can be a great source of new clients, so its all worth it!

The opportunity to earn CLE credits using mobile apps also makes the iPhone an attractive option for attorneys.

Most states require lawyers to earn a certain number of continuing legal education credits in order to maintain their license. Over the past few years, many organizations have allowed attorneys to take advantage of the availability of online CLE programs to earn these required credits.

Now those online programs are going mobile, and attorneys can earn CLE credit at their convenience. West LegalEdcenter launched CLE Mobile (free; app2.me/2385) in December. It allows iPhone and iPod touch users to download more than 2,000 audio courses and earn CLE credits or just listen to programs covering the hot law topics of the week.

“The reason I bought the iPhone is the CLE app,” Smallhouse said. “I can do CLE on the go.”

Lisa Della Rocca, general counsel for Black Diamond Data and SigniaDocs, recently found the ability to complete CLE credits using her iPhone to be invaluable as she rushed to meet her compliance deadline for the California Bar Association. With more than 20 credits to earn in the week before her Jan. 31 deadline, Della Rocca used a combination of online and mobile CLE programs to avoid any penalties for incompletion.

CLE Mobile (right) gives you more than 2,000 downloadable audio courses to earn CLE credits on-the-go.

“I had just bought my iPhone on Dec. 30 and thought, ‘OK, it’s do or die.’ I could sit in front of the computer all day or download the app. That app made it possible for me to meet that requirement,” Della Rocca said.

CLE apps also allow attorneys to make their downtime more efficient. Lisa Keyes, the professional development partner at King and Spalding in Atlanta, recently completed a CLE program on her iPod touch while sitting in a hospital waiting room.

“The app made it easy to be productive. I normally don’t have 90 minutes in my day to do a CLE program,” Keyes said.

This seems to make perfect sense for lawyers and a reason to get an Iphone yesterday! Lucky you, you get a version 4! I will be reviewing this app and other Iphone apps for lawyers in the near future.

source

An article in this months Iphone Life talks about how lawyers are starting to switch to the Iphone from the Blackberry in growing numbers. I think that trend will continue because the Iphone is very useful, especially because of all the Apps available.   Over time, you will see many apps geared specifically for lawyers.

From Iphone Life….

For years, mobile communication in the American law firm has been based primarily on the BlackBerry, but the tide may slowly be turning to the iPhone. The much-buzzed-about Apple device has gathered legions of devoted fans, including attorneys who appreciate the phone’s Web browsing capabilities and ever-expanding catalog of apps. And with online communities of iPhone-centric lawyers forming around blogs like iPhone J.D. and The Mac Lawyer, it’s easy for novice iPhone users to learn how to use their new devices in a professional capacity.

A former BlackBerry user myself, I switched to the iPhone last year when my company, West LegalEdcenter, began to develop an app that delivers continuing legal education (CLE) to iPhone and iPod touch users. Though I’m just beginning to explore the variety of functionalities and apps the iPhone offers, I’m taking advantage of new discoveries every day. My job frequently takes me on the road, and staying in close touch with my colleagues back at the office is a snap. In addition, the travel and restaurant apps come in handy when I’m headed to an unfamiliar city.

Why is the legal industry taking a closer look at the iPhone these days? Four attorneys recently shared their perspectives with me, and their positive experiences with the device won’t come as a surprise to any iPhone fan.

An all-in-one solution

Like professionals across the business world, attorneys appreciate the wide range of utilities that the iPhone offers. The device gives users the ability to combine the functionalities of phones, computers, GPS systems, calendars, MP3 players, digital cameras and other vital business tools in an easy-to-use format.

“I think that people find iPhones a little easier to use as a multipurpose device,” Keyes said. “It’s good for productivity, but it’s also fun.”

Many iPhone converts cite the device’s superior Web browsing ability as a clear differentiator between the iPhone and the BlackBerry.

“The Web browser is infinitely better for quick research on the go,” said Nilan, who also frequently e-mails herself cases to review outside the office.

For Della Rocca, the freedom to leave her computer at the office each night lightens her load, both literally and figuratively.

“I always feel connected with it. I feel like I’m not a slave to my desk or my laptop,” Della Rocca said. “I never thought I’d be that into a phone, but it’s given me a level of confidence that no other phone has ever given me.”

And when she has to be at the office while her family is at play, Della Rocca can feel like she’s part of the action through the photo and video files her husband sends her.

“I never feel out of the loop. It’s the best thing ever for a lawyer,” she added.

Read Full Article

YouTube, well technically the Google sites, topped 14.6 billion video streams in May according to comScore.

*Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video.

read more at Reel SEO

I use the Iphone and love it and it seems like more and more legal professionals are using the Iphone.    The Iphone has many great features for lawyers and there are more and more apps geared towards the legal industry. I will be reviewing some of the best apps for lawyers over the next month.  The Iphone 4 just  came out and people are loving it, time to upgrade again!

IPHONE 4 REVIEWS ARE IN and they are all Great!

• Joshua Topolsky of Engadget has an incredibly well-written review, full of details, facts, pictures and videos.  And he loves the iPhone 4, concluding:  “We’re not going to beat around the bush — in our approximation, the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market right now. The combination of gorgeous new hardware, that amazing display, upgraded cameras, and major improvements to the operating system make this an extremely formidable package. Yes, there are still pain points that we want to see Apple fix, and yes, there are some amazing alternatives to the iPhone 4 out there. But when it comes to the total package — fit and finish in both software and hardware, performance, app selection, and all of the little details that make a device like this what it is — we think it’s the cream of the current crop.”  If you only read one review, read this one.
• Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal writes that the iPhone 4 is a “big, well-designed update that, in my view, keeps it in the lead in the smartphone wars.”  He criticizes the AT&T network, but otherwise concludes that “Apple has built a beautiful smartphone that works well, adds impressive new features and is still, overall, the best device in its class.”
• David Pogue of the New York Times writes that the iPhone 4 is “amazing” and that it “feels solid and Lexus-like.”
• Ed Baig of USA Today writes that the iPhone 4 “demonstrates once again why Apple’s handset is the one to beat.”

OTHER IPHONE 4 NEWS

• Jenna Wortham of the New York Times writes about people waiting in line for an iPhone 4 yesterday.
• You can download the iPhone 4 user guide (243 pages) in PDF format here.
• Andy Ihnatko of the Chicago Sun Times discusses iOS 4, as does Roy Forchgott of the New York Times.
• iSmashPhone looks at the Best 64 Features of iOS 4.

• Wordpress 3.0 is the newest version of wordpress. Make sure u backup before upgrading and also upgrade all your plugins. #

• Created new wordpress personal injury blog for Washington accident lawyer Rob Kornfeld. http://www.washingtonpersonalinjuryblog.com #
• Updated drunk driving news blog with new design. http://www.drunkdrivingduilawblog.com. Add your DUI legal site today. #
• Creating new tax litigation blog. Still celebrating the Chicago blackhawks Stanley cup!! #

Creating your lawyer website using Wordpress has many advantages including the ability to setup plugins that add different functionality to your site. Its pretty easy to setup plugins, you basically download it, then transfer the plugin to your sites plugin directory and then activate the plugin from within your wordpress admin panel.

One plugin that is very useful is the Broken Link Checker.

Sometimes, links get broken. A page is deleted, a subdirectory forgotten, a site moved to a different domain. Most likely many of your blog posts contain links. It is almost inevitable that over time some of them will lead to a “404 Not Found” error page. Obviously you don’t want your readers to be annoyed by clicking a link that leads nowhere. You can check the links yourself but that might be quite a task if you have a lot of posts. You could use your webserver’s stats but that only works for local links.

FEATURES OF BROKEN LINK CHECKER

• Monitors links in your posts, pages, comments, the blogroll, and custom fields (optional).
• Detects links that don’t work and missing images.
• Notifies you on the Dashboard if any are found.
• Also detects redirected links.
• Makes broken links display differently in posts (optional).
• Link checking intervals can be configured.
• New/modified posts are checked ASAP.
• You view broken links, redirects, and a complete list of links used on your site, in the Tools -> Broken Links tab.
• Searching and filtering links by URL, anchor text and so on is also possible.
• Each link can be edited or unlinked directly via the plugin’s page, without manually editing each post.

Once installed, the plugin will begin parsing your posts, bookmarks (AKA blogroll), etc and looking for links. Depending on the size of your site this can take from a few minutes to several hours. When parsing is complete, the plugin will start checking each link to see if it works. Again, how long this takes depends on how big your site is and how many links there are. You can monitor the progress and tweak various link checking options in Settings -> Link Checker.

The broken links, if any are found, will show up in a new tab of the WP admin panel – Tools -> Broken Links. A notification will also appear in the “Broken Link Checker” widget on the Dashboard. To save display space, you can keep the widget closed and configure it to expand automatically when problematic links are detected.

Download the Broken Link Checker

• Created new lawyer blog for washington personal injury lawyer at http://www.zenlawyerseattle.com #
• Try twitterfic for iPhone application. http://www.twitterfic.com / great app for Twitter for lawyers #
• Moving blogs from typepad to wordpress. Wordpress is SO much better for your legal blog or site. Upgrade yesterday ! #