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


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

 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.


Why Fixing an Online Reputation is Important

 Negative information online can:
– Discourage potential customers from initially
contacting you.
– Working with you again.



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



 NOT TRUE!



 Clientsstill value personal recommendations
 But they look online before:
– Calling back a lawyer.
– Signing a contract.



 Ifnegative 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


Practice

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


Practice

 Bad online reputations might give:
– The court
– Opposing counsel
– Jury
 …Ammunition that could significantly affect
the results of the case.


Practice

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


Monitor Your Online Reputation

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



 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.


Repairing Online Reputation Takes Time

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.


Try to Remove Negative Reports

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



 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.


Create Good Content

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.


Share on Social Networks

5. Use social media to spread the word
about:
– Blog content.
– News sites.
– Articles.
– Press releases.



 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.


Get a Presence on Law-Specific Websites

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.


Continue to Add Useful Information

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



 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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How Can Lawyers Fix and Repair Their Online Reputation, by Steven W. Giovinco, Recover Reptuation