how can lawyers fix and repair their online reputation, by steven w. giovinco, recover reptuation

How Lawyers Can Repair Their Online Reputation

For professionals such as a lawyers, what would happen if your reputation online was damaged?

Photo by CBP Photograph


Clients rely on lawyers for:– Confidence– Experience– Reputation.



If:– Negative attacks,– Slanderous rumors

…Appear online on:– Websites– Blogs– Online forums



The damage may be significant in terms of:– Lost customers.– Decrease in billable hours.



Negative information online can:– Discourage potential customers from initially

contacting you.– Working with you again.

Why Fixing an Online Reputation is Important


Some lawyers may think that because much of their work comes from referrals, a bad reputation online is not harmful to them.



NOT TRUE!



Clients still value personal recommendations But they look online before:

– Calling back a lawyer.– Signing a contract.



If negative information appears on the first page of Google, potential customers simply do not call.



Bad Online Reputation Affects Ability to Practice

"Law Books, j3net, flickr," By Lisa Lambert


Law firms interact with:– The public.– The legal system.– Judges.– Law clerks.– Administrative personnel.– Lawyers.– Other witnesses, jurors and potential customers.



Bad online reputations might give:– The court– Opposing counsel– Jury

…Ammunition that could significantly affect the results of the case.



Here are some tips to help you repair or fix your online reputation for lawyers:



1. Frequently review how you appear online by searching you or your firm in Google.

Monitor Your Online Reputation


If there is a problem, try and solve it immediately.

It probably will not go away. It can deteriorate quickly or move up the

first page.



Do not panic. Don’t take it personally. Address the problem.



Where does it appear now?– On the first page or tenth page of Google? – Start to formulate a plan on how best to

move forward.



Think about what needs to be done:– Now– Next week– Next month– Six months from now

For example, if there is a case coming up, try to reduce the negative reports during the next several months.



2. If an online reputation problem shows up, it may take time to repair.

– Prepare yourself for the long term. – Several months of active work may be

necessary.– It may take six months and hours of work or

more to resolve the problem.

Repairing Online Reputation Takes Time


3. Once something is online, it is extremely difficult and almost impossible to get rid of.

Try to Remove Negative Reports


Trying to remove it is the first step.– Most web sites have a section on their

posting policy– Start to see if the message or comment

violated their terms and conditions.



You might be lucky and get it removed. – For example, Yahoo Answers, has a set of

guidelines limiting what members can post.– Other sites have similar rules.



Note that many sites often ignore removal requests, such as RipoffReport.com.

Even though the posts can seem libelous.



4. The best way to fix your online reputation:

– Write good information.– Post frequently.

Create Good Content


Flooding the internet with quality content will eventually push the negative element off the first page.

Create Good Content


As a lawyer, you may feel the need to be careful posting information.

Proceed with caution, but definitely proceed.

Create Good Content


What to write? – See what other good things have been

written.– Make sure that they show up online. – Think of the major events, conferences,

awards, achievements and past cases.– Post or write about it.

Create Good Content


How long will it take? – It depends on the severity.– How popular it is.– Your existing web presence.– Effort you put into fixing your reputation.

Create Good Content


How long will it take? – In general, it can easily take several months.– Average projects take six months.– If necessary, consider working with a

professional to expedite the process.

Create Good Content


5. Use social media to spread the word about:

– Blog content.– News sites.– Articles.– Press releases.

Share on Social Networks


This should include your already optimized:

– Twitter– Facebook – LinkedIn – Other accounts.



Tweet daily. Post weekly on Facebook and LinkedIn. Add content to your blog every few

weeks.



6. Search engines love sites related to your industry—law.

– This can rank higher than sites with more traffic.

– Be sure you have a presence on sites such as Avvo.com, and others.

Get a Presence on Law-Specific Websites


7. Setting up a Twitter account or having an intern write one blog probably will not work.

Continue to Add Useful Information


Because the process can take months, prepare to:

– Spend hours a week to repair your online reputation.

– An online reputation professional can spend 30 to 100 hours to over months to repair the problem.

– It can take you twice as long.



It is quite possible to repair or fix your legal online reputation.

Be prepared for the long haul. Keep at it. Know fixing your online reputation quickly

results in clients coming back.


how can lawyers fix and repair their online reputation, by steven w. giovinco, recover reptuation

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