Here's an appropriate topic for Columbus Day:  how to get prospects to discover you.

There have been a number of law firm websites that have been affected by major Google algorithm updates (Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird).  One attorney I was talking with recently said that after the last update, his business fell off a cliff because he got most of his leads off his website and whatever he was doing there, Google no longer liked it.  Panda focused mostly on rewarding sites with good quality content and penalizing those that were just publishing trash.  The Penguin update targeted low quality links and Hummingbird was a complete overhaul of how Google displayed search results to improve the user experience.

The thing you should really focus on is Local Search.  Local search is becoming increasingly important when trying to improve the ranking for your law firm website on Google and other search engines. After all, someone searching for an attorney in Scottsdale will not care about a lawyer in Scarsdale...and Google knows that. Google is all about delivering relevant search results to its users...hence, the importance of doing whatever you can to rank well for local search.

Here are some tips you can deploy to ensure your firm shows up well in local search results:

Find the right keywords. You must use the same keywords people use when they search online.  Research and use the right keywords for your target market.

Optimize your website and content with local terms. Your website should feature your full company name, address, phone number and a geo sitemap to help search engines find you. 

List your firm on Google+ Local. 

List your firm on local and legal directories.  You also need to get your firm listed on Yahoo Local, Bing, Citysearch and review sites like Yelp and legal review websites like Avvo.

Be sure listings are consistent. Use a consistent firm name, address and phone wherever these appear online – on your website, your social media profiles, your blog, etc.  Especially if you’ve been practicing for awhile and have moved a few times or changed firm names -- your listing must be exactly the same everywhere on the Internet to earn citations, which are critical to being found in Local Search.   

Get reviews. Reviews of local businesses are becoming increasingly important in search results, so if you’ve made a client happy with your service, ask them to submit a review or testimonial saying why they loved doing business with you. 

Optimize your social network profiles.  Every social media site that your law firm is on should include the firm’s name, address, phone and a link to your website.  Remember to keep it consistent across all networks.

Optimize for mobile. Be sure your firm website is fully optimized for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.