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Author: IFTSWPU53r

Get More Clients – A 7-Point Checklist to Increase Your Website Inquiries for Law Firms (or any other small business)

 

Have you ever wondered if your website is any good?  Better yet, have you ever wondered if Google thinks that your website is any good?  If no one visits your website, you won’t get any social shares or traffic.  Even worse, you won’t increase your Google ranking and get your website on that elusive first page with the amazing click-rates.

Follow the tips below, and you will increase the likelihood of your website ranking higher and generating more traffic.  Here is a 7-point checklist that will help you get started:

  1. Make sure that your website has an SSL certificate

Starting at the end of January 2017, Google Chrome will now alert users that a site is not secure if there is no SSL certificate and the site collects credit card or password information.  They intend to expand this rule to all websites.  Be proactive and protect your online presence with an SSL certificate.  Additionally, Google looks favorably upon websites that have certificates currently.

  1. Put your phone number in large font in the header of your website.

According to Google Mobile Movement, 88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.  You want it to be as easy as possible for that prospect or client to get in touch with you.  The easier it is, the more likely they are to send that email, pick up the phone or visit your business.  60% of local businesses don’t have their phone number on their website (according to BIA Kelsey).  Make sure that you aren’t one of them!

  1. Include compelling H1 or H2 headlines on your homepage

When it comes to writing headlines, it’s important that you include at least one keyword and format them properly using H1, H2, & H3 tags to tell Google what your page is about.  This should result in Google sending proper traffic to your site.

  1. Make sure that your content is keyword rich and describes exactly what your business does

By having at least 500 words of benefi­t-driven, keyword-rich content to tell Google what your website is all about, you will have a lot better chance of attracting the right visitors.  Remember, content is king so make sure that you have copy that is unique to YOU!

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  1. Include your top 3 practice areas with benefi­t-driven, keyword-rich copy

Try to minimize the legal jargon and speak to the average individual.  Let your site visitors know that you understand their problem and that you are the person to ­fix their problem. A simple trick is to minimize the times that you say “we” and instead use “you” or “your”. Try it!

  1. Professional branding is a must

Your website is your online face to the world and you only have 8 seconds to make a lasting impression.  Make sure that you have a professional logo, strong brand messaging and great looking aesthetics.  Try to build your personal brand into your business.  People trust individuals and like to put a face to a company.

  1. Be impossible to resist

Create a lead magnet (ebook, guide, checklist, etc.) to offer to your website visitors.  Make sure that it will be of great value to them, so that they want to provide their email address to download it.  When you email it to them, surprise them with a special offer available only to those who download it.  Keep the lead magnet short and easy to read.  Avoid industry jargon.

 

To recap, 7 quick wins that you can implement for your homepage are:

1. Make sure that your website has an SSL certificate
2. Put your phone number in large font in the header of your website
3. Include compelling H1 or H2 headlines on your homepage
4. Make sure that your content is keyword rich and describes exactly what your business does
5. Include your top 3 practice areas with benefi­t-driven, keyword-rich copy
6. Professional branding is a must
7. Be impossible to resist

If you found these 7 tips helpful, download the entire 47-point guide from Integrity First Technology Solutions.

 

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Does my Business Need a Website?

Example website for a company

If you are asking yourself, “Does my business need a website?” the answer is unequivocally “YES!”  Over 2.6 billion local searches are performed monthly (Small Business Community – https://smallbusinesscommunity.org/2013/03/15/online-marketing-for-local-business-introduction/).  Having a website isn’t just for e-commerce anymore; it’s a must for any legitimate business.  Your website should be the hub to your marketing plan.

You should implement a website for a number of reasons:

  1. Websites provide your contact information and location easily: 43% of searches use a local keyword.  86% of those convert to a phone call or visit to your physical location, according to SE Leads (http://localvox.com/resources/marketing-statistics/).  People aren’t just relying on the Yellow Pages or other print directories anymore. Instead, they’re trusting Google to list local businesses based on their search terms and location.
  1. Websites provide information about your business: Businesses spend thousands of dollars creating paper brochures and fliers that end up being thrown away or misplaced on desks.  Having a website allows you to change information real-time without having to pay printing costs. Customers and prospects will always receive the latest information when they visit your site.
  1. Websites allow you to attract new customers: Over 2.4 billion people use the internet daily.  By not having a website, you miss out on these potential customers.  Have you ever heard a business owner say, “No thanks, I have enough business”?
  1. Websites can establish trust and credibility: What your website looks like affects the perceived value of your business.  If it looks unappealing, is rife grammar mistakes and has broken functionality, people are going to assume that your business is exactly the same: dysfunctional.  Your website is a reflection of you and your business.  By having one that is grammatically correct and well structured, your business will gain instant credibility and represent the true nature of your expertise.  One important thing to remember is that it is BETTER TO HAVE NO WEBSITE THAN A BAD ONE.
  1. Websites can provide reviews, testimonials and your completed projects: People like to see that you are capable of doing the work that they want to hire you to do.  They also like to know that other people enjoyed working with you.  Therefore, providing customer testimonials or allowing reviews of your company online help to showcase your expertise and the qualities that make working with you unique.  You can also provide details of completed projects, showing the quality of your work.
  1. Websites provide the opportunity for a Vanity Email: Along with your site comes the ability to have an email address that is you@yourwebsite.com.  You may think that the Gmail, Yahoo! or Hotmail account that you currently have is fine, but it lacks professionalism.  A vanity email is much easier to remember and will resonate with your clients.  A 2015 Verisign study concluded that 65% of consumers consider a vanity domain to be more credible than a generic email account.
  1. Websites allow you to have a company blog or event page: A blog or event page on your site allows you to provide your clients with your latest promotions, events, discounts and more.  The blog also allows you to establish your expertise with your customers by writing high quality content that is relevant to them and your field.
  1. A website allows YOU to save time and money: Your website provides your clients with 24/7 access to your company and any information that you provide.  If you add a customer portal, ticketing system or even an FAQ section, you will streamline your process and decrease YOUR cost of customer support.
  1. A website allows you to keep up with your competition: I can guarantee that at least one of your competitors is online and if you are not, the additional people that they can reach will not even know about you.  Why make it easy for another company to beat you?  A good site can help level the playing field between big and small companies.

If you want to establish rapport with a broader set of customers, provide up to date information about your company, easily answer questions from clients, reach a new set of prospects and compete with your largest competitors, then a website is for you.  Integrity First Technology Solutions can help you create a successful website and more.  Contact us today!

 

Hosting a Site on Plesk without Providing the Email Service

Recently, IFTS had a situation where we were asked to host a website for an organization, but they would be using Microsoft365 for their email.  This was a new situation for us, as we provide the email service for every other website that we host.  The organization’s web host is MidPhase, so this is where we created an “A” record for their domain pointing to our server.  On our server, we set up the domain on Plesk as usual.  Additionally, we copied the Microsoft365 email DNS settings from MidPhase into Plesk as a precaution.

The organization’s new website was published and working well.  Additionally, sending a test email to the Microsoft365 account from Gmail worked fine.  However, sending an email from any email account on our server to the Microsoft365 account resulted in the email immediately being bounced back.  The bounce back contained the error code 17099 and a message that claimed that the mailbox did not exist on the target server.

Just establishing the DNS settings point to Microsoft365 in Plesk was not enough.  When you create a domain in Plesk, it evidently automatically creates a postoffice for that domain in mailEnable.  Therefore, despite the fact that the DNS settings pointed to Microsoft365, the mailboxes on our server just attempted to automatically deliver the email to the domain’s newly created postoffice that was not being used.  Hence, the bounce back.

The solution is to turn off the mail service for this domain.  To do this, go to Home > Subscriptions > Your domain.  Click on the “Mail” tab next to “Websites and Domains”, then click on the “Mail Settings” tab.  Select the domain and click on the “Activate/Deactivate Services” button to deactivate the postoffice/mail domain.

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After we did this, we sent a test email from our server and it went through fine with no bounce back.