I'm assuming you've seen the news on the Law Gazette website regarding the QualitySolicitors.com retail network being launched? Prof. Stephen Mayson described it as a "...potential game changer..." and personally I think he's right. I'll reflect on the full impact over the weekend and post something on our blog.
So, HIPs are going I see. Are you happy about that? I know a number of our clients spent time yesterday updating their sites to remove references to HIP services. One of the key services we provide to our clients to a legal news feed and we did our bit by having a news story added to all our client sites by lunchtime (sample on John Collins & Partners website).
We held our third annual client conference last week. A full write up, photos and videos will follow in our next email newsletter but for the time being we have added a few photos and links to the presentations on our blog. We had over 40 clients attend for one or two days at Coombe Abbey Hotel near Coventry. The feedback so far has been excellent. Roll on 2011.
Our lead article below is an offer to all readers of this newsletter to provide a whitepaper on this available on our website, but it is protected via an enquiry form.
Regs....David.
In this issue:
- Free search engine position report
- ABS seminars with Legal Mentors
- Legal Sector Alliance - Acting on Climate Change
- New Google interface
- Site of the Month - Pickerings
- Featured LinkedIn Discussion
- Video on your Website - Gogglebox
- The Funny Bit at the End - OSU flash mob
FREE search engine position report
We've been busy over the last couple of months and developed an application that will do a quick assessment of up to five search phrases and compare your website to that of two of your competitors. The results will be emailed to you monthly so you can track the progress of any search engine optimisation work you might be doing. If you would like this report set up for FREE then just fill in this simple form on our website and we will take care of the rest.
ABS seminars with Legal Mentors
We are pleased to be working with Legal Mentors to support their upcoming seminars titled "ABS Survive & Prosper". There are currently two more seminars scheduled in Southampton (Tues 8-Jun) and Newbury (Weds 9-Jun). Follow the respective links for more information and to book. Tickets are just £97 + VAT for 4 hours of CPD on this hot topic.
Legal Sector Alliance - Acting on Climate Change
I came across the Legal Sector Alliance recently via a post on the Legal Support Network blog and was REALLY pleased to find a number of my clients registered as members. I must admit that although it's been around since 2008, I had never heard of it before, but it seems like a really good scheme, and I think all law firms should support it and act upon it.
New Google Interface
So, have you got used to the new Google interface yet? Google themselves describe the changes as "..turning the design up a notch...". The new expandable left hand navigation is supposed to make it faster for us to search, which hopefully it will in the long run, but in the short term it's slowed me down enormously while I get used to where certain things are.
Also, there seems to be an element of duplication of what's under the left hand "More" button and the text based links at the very top left of a search results page. Only time will tell if both are here for the long run, or whether the top text links are going.
Site of the Month - Pickerings
A really nice site that we've just done for Pickerings Solicitors . Some striking imagery used on the home page along with a subtle "JQuery text swap" effect plus all the usuals like up-to-date content, high quality people photos.
Featured LinkedIn Discussion
Robin Evans from Boys & Maughan started a great thread on the Law Society Gazette LinkedIn group regarding "solicitor search engines" which we also refer to as "lead generation sites". Seems there is another one coming called http://www.solicitorssearch.com (launching this month apparently).
Video on your Website - Gogglebox
Video is becoming increasingly important on the web. It is reported that something like 40% of all the traffic across the internet is video. Whether it's YouTube videos or something else, clearly with the increasing speed and penetration of broadband, video use is only going to grow. So whether it's video news, videos on your staff profiles or recordings of events, start thinking about how you can use video on your website. One application to look at is Gogglebox, try the site but make sure you have your speakers turned on when you do.
The Funny Bit at the End - OSU Mob Dance
As our clients who attended our conference last week will tell you, at Conscious we are BIG into YouTube videos. Every time someone sends me a link to a video I "lose" at least 30mins of my life looking at other videos. Here's one that a friend of mine showed me the other day. It is a dance based flash mob (see Wikipedia's definition) that was filmed at the new Students Union building of the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. I defy you not to have a smile on your face when you watch this...how much practice (in secret) must this have taken!!!
