If you’re a family law attorney who advertises your firm on the Internet, you probably dedicate some time each month to checking out your results and seeing whether your marketing dollars are paying off.
And during that time, you probably pay close attention to the last-click attribution—the last click a prospective client makes before landing on your website (a pay-per-click ad in a search engine like Google, an organic (unpaid) search result, etc.).
But paying too much attention to last-click attribution is problematic—it only reveals part of the picture, one step in a long journey that led the prospect to your firm.
A lengthy hiring cycle
Unlike criminal defense where someone is arrested and in need of immediate representation, individuals who are considering divorce or dealing with another family law matter tend to conduct their attorney research over time.
Someone may spend a month researching general information about divorce (e.g. “legal separation vs. divorce,” “what happens to your business when you get divorced,” etc.) before they even start looking for an attorney.
How potential clients indirectly evaluate family law attorneys
Rose is planning to get a divorce.
As a mother, a business owner, and someone who has never been divorced before, she has a long list of questions about the divorce filing process and how it will impact her life.
So Rose turns to the Internet for answers.
She searches terms like…
- “divorce vs. legal separation”
- “Child custody options in California”
- “What happens to a business in a divorce”
- “how much does a divorce cost”
Rose spends about a month researching on and off, reading numerous articles and blog posts and watching some videos as well.
Rose learns a lot from her research, but with every article she reads, she thinks of more questions—so she decides it’s time to talk to an attorney.
Unfortunately, Rose has no idea how to find the right lawyer. Who can she trust?
Again, she turns to good old Google for answers, searching “Who are the best divorce attorneys in Burbank?”
A path of many touchpoints
Rose notices a couple of familiar names (a few firms whose blogs she visited while doing her research), and she also notices a few firm names showing up over and over again in her search…
- In the ads at the top of the results page.
- In the local results that show up under the map.
- On results for sites like Yelp and Avvo that list the “Top Divorce Attorneys in Burbank.”
These are the attorneys who get Rose’s attention, so she checks out their websites, clicking on various resources (ads, organic search results, directory sites, etc.). She makes a note of the attorneys that stand out the most, but decides to contact them later when she has more time.
A week later, Rose jumps back on Google, searching law firms by name this time. She reaches out to two different firms through their website to set up consultations—one through a web form and another through live-chat.
Which click wins?
So here’s the big question—when Rose clicked on those law firm websites the last time around, did she do it through a paid listing or an organic listing?
The answer?
Rose can’t remember...nor does she care.
All Rose knows is she’s done her homework and feels like she’s working with a reputable family law firm, considering everything she’s seen online up to this point.
Your firm’s takeaway
What lesson can family law attorneys learn from Rose’s story?
It’s not that attribution doesn’t matter—Data reporting and analytics are important parts of understanding how potential clients engage with your firm online.
The lesson is that there’s always more to the story than the last click.
While not every digital touchpoint will get measured (especially in an extended client journey like Rose’s), they all contribute to moving the prospect closer to the point of conversion.
With just one of those touchpoints missing (well-placed paid search ads, high-ranking organic listings, five-star reviews on Yelp), the outcome could have been different.
So, as a family law attorney looking to gain a competitive advantage online and attract more leads, you need to do two things:
#1: Be present everywhere on the Internet
Create a well-balanced digital presence for your firm:
- Produce helpful content in various formats (blogs, articles, videos, infographics, etc.) that answers your prospects’ questions while they’re in the research stage.
- Work on your search engine optimization (SEO) to get your firm placed high up in the organic search results, especially when potential clients are conducting local searches that reflect a high-level of intent (“Burbank divorce lawyer,” “divorce lawyer near me,” etc.).
- Invest in advertising across numerous digital platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, YouTube, etc. to maximize your firm’s visibility.
- Pay attention to your online reputation. Is your firm listed on the most prominent directory sites where people look for local attorneys? And do you have great reviews to put more credibility behind your firm name?
All of these touchpoints add to the prospect’s overall experience and the impression they form of your firm.
#2: Take a more holistic approach to evaluate your marketing success
Yes, you should definitely take metrics like clicks and conversions (e.g. calls and form fills) into account. But the real measurement of success occurs in the results that are affecting your bottom line, like new clients retained and revenue generated.
Look at how your digital campaigns are performing overall and compare your results to how much new business you’re generating each month. Pay attention to patterns and trends over time to get a feel for what’s truly moving the needle in the growth of your business.
It helps to have digital marketing technology that provides comprehensive reporting and analytics, giving you full transparency into how your campaigns are performing across the board.
And of course, having a team of law firm digital marketing experts to break it all down for you doesn’t hurt, either.
Want to learn more about how you can grow your family law firm with digital marketing?
Call Scorpion at (866) 344-8852 or message us here.
