As a lawyer, you may be looking for different ways to make your firm more visible and attract more leads and customers online. A good place to start is having a basic understanding of SEO and how it can help you gain more visibility on your law firm website. The digital experts at dNovo Group specialize in getting law firm websites more traffic which translates to more business.
How online marketing for law firms works
There are different goals for marketing your law firm online. For a start, you may want to create more awareness, reach out to an extended customer base and offer your services throughout your community. You may also be keen on establishing a strong relationship with your clients and prospects. A key goal for most law firms investing in SEO is to establish themselves as an authoritative resource in their area of practice or the legal field in general. Whatever your goals are, a proper digital strategy can help you stand out from your competition and have anyone looking for legal services in the region consider your firm a top option.
Advertising regulations for law firms
There are rules specially laid out by the Law Society of Ontario for marketing law firms. These guidelines have been set aside to prevent legal institutions from engaging in misleading, confusing or deceiving advertising. It’s important to work with specialists like dNovo who are well versed in law firm advertising and will ensure that all messaging and campaigns are within the law.
Under Section 4.2 and 4.3 of the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Code of Conduct, lawyers are only allowed to market their services if:
- The content of all marketing material is demonstrably true, accurate and verifiable
- The marketing is neither misleading nor confusing to the public
- All marketing is in the best interest of the public
- Marketing must maintain the highest standards of professionalism
There’s also a list of marketing activities that lawyers are not allowed to participate in. For instance, if you are a lawyer, you cannot market yourself as a specialist unless you have certification in that area. Additionally, the certification must apply to the jurisdiction where your marketing messages will be used. Phrases such as “best”, “most experienced”, “greatest” are prohibited in law firm marketing as they could mislead or deceive the public.
You also need to stay away from unverifiable claims when marketing your law firm. Any content that includes information that could be deemed misleading, such as “we win all cases” can be termed unprofessional, inaccurate and unverifiable. Engaging in such kind of marketing can be considered misleading and lead to a violation of the advertising guidelines.
Work with experienced marketing professionals
If you’re interested in getting your law firm out there, it makes sense to hire a professional law firm marketing agency that understands the guidelines for advertising in the industry. They’ll help you maintain a higher standard of professionalism in all your advertising and maintain the public’s confidence in the profession.