As head of the Search Engine Optimization department, I get a lot of phone calls – both from clients and from solicitors.  What I really find so amusing is when I get calls or emails from companies saying that our own website is not showing up well in the search engines and that they would be happy to help us for a fee.  In fact, I already got one phone call and one email about it today – and that was before 9 AM.

And, of course, I feel the need to respond since they were so kind as to solicit me.  I point out a few things to them.  First, how did they come upon our information were it not for the search engines?  This one always gets the email-ers because the email address that our consultation forms go through is not my usual email, so I can track where the inquiry comes from.  Second, I point out that one of the most important terms for us is “law firm internet marketing” and our website is on page 1 for that term.  So, how can they do better than page 1?  Needless to say, I rarely get responses back from emailers (if I bother to respond at all) and I quickly get hung up on from the telephone solicitors.

Now, this is something that I can deal with; however, when these people call my clients to give them the same spiel, I get pretty annoyed.  I explain the same logic to my clients and then point out places that they are showing up well.  If they weren’t coming up, these companies would not be able to find them.  So, before you doubt your law firm’s marketing firm’s efforts, consider how you were found in the first place.