Attorneys Need to Manage Their Online Reputation: Four Steps to Help

We all know it's a fact of life that you can't please everyone all of the time, but what happens when dissatisfied individuals post their frustrations online? A negative review can cause a lot of damage to a law firm, and neglecting your online reputation can be a disastrous misstep. With the popularity of social media, it is easier than ever for users to post slanderous material in places like Facebook, Twitter, and CitySearch. Negative reviews will not only cause embarrassment, but can also jeopardize current client relations and future business. You can't prevent people from posting negative feedback about your practice, but you can monitor your online reputation and prevent further disaster by paying attention to the following steps.

1. Own Your Domain

Purchasing your domain name is an important step in controlling your online presence. Not only will it ensure that the people who are searching for you will find your website, but it can prevent someone else from posing as your business and ruining your good name. If a potential client searches for you, it is important that they find your reputable website first, instead of a bad review. Domain names are one investment that will pay for itself immediately. It is a good idea to go ahead and register your domain as soon as possible because first choice URLs are becoming increasingly difficult to get.

2. Develop a professional website

Having a clean, modern and well developed website is vital for Law Firms. Your site becomes the online representation of your practice, and if it is outdated or unprofessional, it will give the same impression about your firm. It is easy to develop a site that looks good while efficiently conveying important information about your firm and services. It is important to have a site that is easy to navigate and can be updated regularly. It is a good idea to embrace your company website as it is a direct reflection of your firm.

3. Activate Google-Alerts

Wouldn't it be great if you could be notified every single time someone posts about you or your practice? Imagine how helpful it would be to instantly know when someone posts negative feedback. With Google alerts, you can set up automatic notifications for whatever search terms you choose, alerting you every time your search terms match any kind of news post, blog, website, video or discussion. For example, setting up a search for your practices' name will send you an e-mail every time it is mentioned on the internet. This will give you quick warnings about feedback so you can respond promptly and accordingly.

4. Publish a Blog

Blogging is a productive way to manage your online reputation. By publishing content that you write, you can populate your search results with accurate, helpful and positive material that can promote the image of your firm. Show off your legal knowledge by writing articles about your expertise. By making a blog filled with entertaining and pertinent content, others might want to link to your site, creating brand awareness, generating traffic and potential business.

Your online reputation is a fragile thing, and all it takes is a few bad reviews to seriously harm your firm. Disregarding what people are saying about you and not taking necessary precautions to protect your online reputation is basically an invitation for disaster. By paying attention an following some of the advice above, you can have a better idea of how you are being represented online. Managing your online reputation does take time and effort, though, and the attorney back office specialists at Legis, Inc can make this process easy. Legis offers solutions to the time consuming and tedious tasks that often overwhelm a law office. To learn more about how Legis, Inc ( http://www.legisin ) visit our website or call (888) 875-1221 today.