Is Listing On LawInfo Worth It?

Earning and retaining clients can be challenging for law firms. Website design, content creation, and social media posting are common techniques attorneys use to generate business and improve their search engine optimization and visibility. Another popular method is through directories. Listing on LawInfo is a popular way attorneys build backlinks and generate new traffic. To determine if listing on a directory like LawInfo is suitable for your firm, there are a number of factors to take into consideration, including the pros and cons of directories, the listing process, and the cost.?

What Are Directory Listings?

Online directories provide consumers with extensive lists of businesses. The goal is to help consumers find and contact the right company or service for their needs. Online legal directories provide basic contact information like name, address, phone number, and practice area specialties. Some directories provide links to law firm websites, while others do not.?

It is possible a legal directory listing could make a significant difference in the amount of traffic your website gets every month. However, you will need to evaluate whether a directory is worth the cost.??

The Pros and Cons of Directory Listings?

To determine if listing on a directory like LawInfo is worth the money for your firm, you need to weigh the pros and cons. While legal directories can increase your chances of performing high in Google search results, the cost and lack of backlinks may not be worth the investment. Let us take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages.?

Advantages of Directory Listings

Legal directories can help attorneys build an online presence and expand website traffic. The primary advantage is the possibility of your website appearing more often on search results—especially if you have an entry on a high-ranking directory. If you are in multiple directories, your law firm could appear several times in one search.?

Legal information directories also house a variety of information, as they provide services for lawyers and customers. Typical services include forums where attorneys and users can interact as well as places for lawyers to advertise their firms and share content they have created.?

They were also indirect benefits to having a legal listing in a directory. The primary indirect benefit is your ability to build authority. The more authority you have, the more reputable Google will think your website is. As a result, you will likely be ranked higher in search results.

The second indirect benefit is more technical,? but it has to do with backlinking. Essentially, backlinks are links from one site that point to your website. The more backlinks you have from sources that are considered reputable, the higher your website is likely to rank. Utilizing Legal Information directories is one of the easiest ways to build backlinks to your law firm website.?

Disadvantages of Directory Listings?

The most significant disadvantage of directory listings is that they have do not have a tail. The lack of tail means that once your entry is removed, like if you intentionally end your contract or it expires, you will lose citations, backlinks, and views immediately, if not soon after the entry is taken down.??

There is also the matter of cost. Directory fees vary, but most are billed monthly or annually. Depending on your marketing budget, you may or may not choose to spend the funds. It all depends on if the benefits outweigh the cost.?

In most instances, successful SEO strategies rely on organic lead generation. If you are still interested in paying for a directory listing, you can plan for the issue of no tail. All you will need to do is create similar quality backlinks in citations and determine how to optimize your search engine rankings using the information you gained from the directory.??

What Is LawInfo?

LawInfo, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, has over 180,000 ranked keywords and significant domain and page authority. Many search engines link to LawInfo, making it potentially valuable for attorneys.?

LawInfo categorizes information in a searchable and digestible way. Consumers have access to the information they need to make decisions regarding legal representation. The goal of LawInfo is to pull interested legal consumers to a lawyer or law firm that can meet their needs.?

LawInfo offers a yearly paid contract. The listing is removed immediately upon expiration if the agreement is not renewed. Standard and premium services are available, starting at $40 a month. At nearly $500 a year, LawInfo is one of the most expensive legal directories.

In terms of attorney and law firm listings, LawInfo provides no-follow backlinks and custom links. Both factors can negatively impact the value of the backlinks the site generates. The no-follow backlinks tell Google’s crawlers not to visit or count the link. Using custom links means that even if the links are followed, LawInfo uses a custom link that redirects visitors to your site instead of using your exact web address.

How Does Listing on LawInfo Work?

To obtain a listing on LawInfo, you have to go through their Lead Counsel Application. You will supply contact information about yourself and your law firm, as well as information to verify your credentials. Once the application is received, the Lead Counsel Review and Support Team will review it and determine if you are eligible. If your application is approved, you will submit payment, and your listing will stay active for at least one year.?

LawInfo’s Lead Counsel Verification process is in place to connect individuals and businesses with the best possible legal representation based on their needs. Attorneys who receive the Lead Counsel badge are considered experienced, licensed, in good standing, and have a clean disciplinary record.?

According to LawInfo, attorneys who apply for a Lead Counsel badge must commit to a specific set of service standards, including the following:

• Treating clients with courtesy and respect
• discuss ing strategies and objectives for successful representation?
• Representing clients diligently and competently?
• Maintaining high ethical standards
• Complying with the Rules for Professional Conduct?
• Remaining in good standing with applicable bar associations?
• Communicate with clients promptly?
• Explaining rights and legal obligations thoroughly?
• Informing clients of case proceedings
• Charing reasonable legal fees
• Explaining in advance how costs are calculated and billed?
• Staying current in the practice areas in which they are verified?

Many Lead Counsel Verified attorneys hold positions in legal organizations and occupy positions on professional boards. Some have also won arads, authored articles and works, and played important roles in their communities. Lead Counsel Verified attorneys are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they continue to meet the requirements.?

Is Listing on LawInfo Worth It?

Ultimately, determining if listing on LawInfo is worth the investment for your firm depends on your marketing goals. Keep in mind that you also want to evaluate the quality of the law firm citations the directory provides. For example, it is considerably more valuable to list your firm on a directory that offers do-follow links, as opposed to no-follow links. Better value may be found on directories that provide explicit, followed links within listings.?

If, however, LawInfo ranks highly in your area on search engines, it could be worth the cost. However, considering that LawInfo is one of the more expensive legal directories, you may not get a return on your initial investment.?

To get an idea of whether LawInfo ranks well in your area, choose a common keyword, one that you track for your own website, and search it through Google. If LawInfo appears at the top of the search engine page results, you can assume the directory performs well. This is important because few potential clients use directories directly. Instead, it is more likely they would type their search into Google and look at the first few results to find answers.?

There are a number of other legal directories with similar domain authority to LawInfo that cost less or are free. Examples include the following:

• Mediate?
• HG.org
• LawGuru ?
• Avvo ?
• Nolo

Depending on your firm and marketing strategy, it could also be the case the directory listing provides no real SEO value for your website. If you are not sure which option is best for your firm, consider consulting with SEO experts.?

How Law Quill Can Help

To decide if listing on LawInfo is a proactive decision for your law firm, you need to evaluate the circumstances. With LawInfo being one of the more expensive directories, you will want to ensure LawInfo ranks highly on Google for your area and determine if the cost fits into your marketing and SEO budget. If you are uncertain of the next best steps for your law firm’s digital marketing presence, Law Quill can help.??

We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your law firm website’s content, and how we can take these tasks off your plate! Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today . You can also email us at [email protected] .

Annette Choti, Esq. has over two decades of combined legal and digital marketing experience. She founded Law Quill, a full-service digital marketing agency for law firms and businesses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Annette is a sought-after CLE and keynote speaker for Bar Associations and legal events throughout North America. She founded Click Magnet Academy, where she teaches professionals how to leverage the powerful LinkedIn platform. She creates and hosts the?Legal Marketing Lounge?podcast, and is the author of the bestselling book, Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so far from the law, if we are all being honest.