So how does the team at Hennessey Digital stay ahead of all the changes that Google throws at us? As the Senior Manager of Learning & Development, I will share a couple of tips on how to incorporate new trends and train your team to stay ahead of the curve.

Understand the Market & Identify Trends to Train On

Before you dive into incorporating the latest digital marketing trends in your learning and development program, you need to identify what trends are going on in the first place. This can be dealt with in a couple of different ways.

You’ll want to identify some sources that help you keep track of the latest trends. Those sources are almost always Google, Microsoft (Bing), or other tools you use for your digital marketing strategy such as Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, STAT, etc. Many, if not all, of these tools have marketing newsletters and email alerts that you can subscribe to.

Additionally, you can utilize an alert system like Google Alerts, where you tell Google what you want to be kept in the loop about, and Google will send alerts to your email. Another great source directly from Google, albeit a bit daunting to approach, is the Google Search Central Blog.

Each of these resources are great starting points to stay informed about updates and trends related to digital marketing. But it still produces a large amount of content to weed through to find out what applies to your company. This is where our next step is crucial!

Identify Your Subject Matter Experts

It’s going to take an army to start. Google is a massive brand that is always updating its products and services, from its algorithm which impacts SEO, to Paid Search, Analytics, and even its consumer products like Chrome or VPN. Admittedly, I am not an expert on anything SEO-related, although I’ve learned a lot through my peers. At Hennessey Digital we specifically hire individuals for our digital marketing teams who are true subject matter experts (SMEs) – those who eat, sleep, and bleed their specialties. Having multiple experts, perspectives, and opinions will help you form a solid training that accounts for everything.

Ideally, within your organization, you may hear about the latest trends and updates from your subject matter experts. They may be your department team leads, managers, or directors. They could even be some of your individual contributors in non-people managing roles. Connect with these individuals when something is coming down the pipeline that you are aware of. Or better yet, set up recurring meetings with these individuals throughout the year to make sure you are on top of industry trends and changes. And when changes do occur, be sure to utilize these people to help update any existing resources or training materials you already have.

Empowering SMEs to Create Impactful Trainings

Once you’ve identified key market trends and identified the SMEs who can help decipher these trends and changes, it’s time to start creating training programs and resource materials.

Here, l, we utilize an internal Learning Management System (LMS). It is always my pleasure to have a subject matter expert raise their hand to create the pieces of training specific to their specialty within our LMS. While this task can be intimidating at first, it’s my job to show that subject matter expert how easy (and important) it is to take an idea and bring it to life in our LMS.

This is where I like to lead by example and conduct a live training “creation meeting” with our subject matter experts. During these meetings, I show them the process of creating a resource or training that provides all the details necessary for effectively educating others and adapting to a new trend or change in the digital marketing landscape.

We take it a step further by providing templates within our LMS that SMEs can select from when creating content. These templates equip creators with everything they need to make a stellar, Hennessey Digital-approved resource or training. Then, all the SME needs to do is fill in the blanks and get that information approved before we launch it live to the eyes and ears of our fellow team members.

Announce & Reiterate

Now that you’ve created an exceptional resource or training, you’re eager to make it accessible to everyone. But is there a right way to do this?

In short, yes, there’s a right way – and a wrong way. When it comes to announcing new training or processes, we strive to ensure that the message resonates, and there are various approaches you can take to achieve this. Here’s our approach:

1. Multichannel announcements: After the training is approved, we make it a point to announce it through multiple channels. We begin by sharing the news during company or departmental meetings. The choice between department-specific or company-wide announcements depends on the nature of the training. Some are tailored for specific roles or departments, while others benefit the entire company. These initial announcements, whether in department or company meetings, always come with the promise of future live training sessions. We reserve time on our calendars to host separate meetings about significant changes in our processes or in the digital industry that affect our clients or services. This separation is crucial to ensure that the training’s importance is not diluted when combined with broader department or company meetings.
2. Global announcements: Following the separate training sessions, we make a global announcement of the resource through our LMS. This means that the team has received a general announcement about the update, attended live training, and now has a resource at their disposal that relates to the update.
3. Monthly Updates: To reinforce the message and provide one last reminder about the new trend or update, I send out a monthly message via our internal messaging tool. Within our agency, it goes out on our main Slack channel. This message highlights all the new content we’ve created and added to our LMS in the previous month.

Setup An Audit Program

Now let’s admit, tackling all things digital marketing related can still be a daunting process even with subject matter experts helping you out. Sometimes, critical updates or changes slip through the cracks, including minor alterations such as user interface (UI) updates for a Google tool or the rebranding of a tool or system.

To safeguard yourself from dropping the ball and missing updates, we suggest implementing an L&D audit program. By having a recurring audit program you get buy-in from department leads and SMEs. Audits don’t take place overnight and might require significant time depending on how much content you have to review in your LMS.

I suggest giving yourself 4 weeks for the audit to give everyone ample time amidst their daily responsibilities. Here at Hennessey Digital, we attack this process over the course of a month and have our department leads go through everything related to their specific department. They are required to read through and ensure the content contained within is still relevant. This allows department leads to identify old, outdated content that either needs to be updated or potentially removed entirely. During this process, department leads and SMEs can update anything that needs immediate change. Generally, there shouldn’t be too much to update as long as you are keeping in touch with your department leads and subject matter experts throughout the year.

The L&D Audit process can also unearth gaps in your training where you might be lacking content. From there it’s back to the drawing board with identifying the subject matter experts to help you fill in that gap of content.

Rinse, repeat, and reward!

The post Incorporating the Latest Digital Marketing Trends & How to Train Your Team to Stay Ahead appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

In thinking about what makes Hennessy Digital so successful at building and maintaining a positive, strong, award-winning culture, it’s just one thing. Nope, no “Top Ten” list here, or laundry list of action items. It’s just one thing.

It’s not rocket science, it’s not expensive, and it has nothing to do with useless buzzwords like “synergy,” “world-class,” or “quiet quitting.” If you are tired of never-ending vacancies and toxic personalities, let’s dive in.

Navigating the Challenges of Human Resources

It feels like every day that passes, being a Human Resources professional is more and more challenging. And if you are a business leader that has the luck, er… responsibilities of the HR function, it’s even more difficult because you are trying to do an increasingly complex job, on top of all of your other responsibilities. Keeping up with the times, the laws and the regulations, it’s time-consuming and challenging.

Here at Hennessey Digital, we call our HR team “People Success.” In my experience, many businesses and traditional HR departments forget, or perhaps don’t realize, that the goal of HR is to help the company and its people find success. Too many times, HR staffers turn into policymakers and enforcers, and focus so much on compliance they can’t see the forest through the trees. It’s easy to do and seemingly impossible to keep up. However, compliance is important, since it reinforces essential fairness and equality when handling everything from hiring and training, to benefits and compensation.

But, People Success is different. 

When People Success stays focused on career growth, robust total rewards, ongoing leadership training, and continual improvement of the team, a magical thing happens. We see our team members stepping up, going above and beyond, and staying focused on clients’ success.

I love helping people find their way professionally. I love hiring and promotions, bringing out the best in people, growing the business, and focusing on the good. And while it’s not always so rosy, I appreciate when team members become vulnerable so we can figure out what the real issues are and solve them together.

It wasn’t always easy.

And I see now this was my path to pushing for bigger and better things. I struggled in past jobs when leadership did not support the team members and related initiatives. I struggled when they were more focused on the pennies than the people, and they acted surprised at impossible turnover and open positions that couldn’t get filled.

It is simply a recipe for failure. Don’t be that leader.

The Power of a People-Centric Approach

Put in the work upfront.

For starters, we built a strong foundation first. We got the right people on the team, set the structure, and determined business goals and our Vivid Vision. We then set clear, smart goals, stayed focused on those goals, and made decisions that work toward achieving those goals.

Getting the right people in place is key. It’s true what they say, hire good people and give them space to run. Don’t hold back when you know something is not working. Give those individuals a chance to improve, but don’t settle. Lead them, but don’t micromanage, and sometimes allow them to fail.

I should note in the People Success space, competitive pay and benefits should go without saying. They are necessary and should not be considered optional. If you do not have a competitive package, even the best environment won’t keep your key players and can’t maintain a positive culture. Basic needs must be met. This can be a large investment, but it’s an investment in your people, and people are worth it.

So what is it? What is the 1 thing?

Start with a blank piece of paper, and ask yourself this one question: What does my team want? Better yet, ask your team what they want.

Do not ask, ‘What works best for the company?’ Or, ‘How do I get to the highest level of productivity?’  And do not “lead your witness” by asking things like, “Do you think more PTO is a good idea?” Always ask these questions anonymously if you can.

We host quarterly town halls because our leadership team wants to know how we are doing. Because we’re so honest and transparent with our team, we find our team shares information with us.

I promise you will be shocked by how (mostly) very reasonable and doable their suggestions are.

Empowering Employees for Sustainable Growth

If it is that simple, why don’t more companies do this?

I’ve heard much opposition.

• What if we can’t do what is asked for by employees? Asking and not responding is worse than not asking at all. I will caution, if you ask your team, be prepared to react in some way. Think about how you can get close if what is being asked is not doable for your company. How can you find common ground, or “give a little.” Exhaust all options to make it happen. Think outside the box, and maybe even offer a trial to see how it goes. In the end, if it truly can’t be done, communicate why.
• Is this going to be expensive? It doesn’t have to be. Most employees want things in their careers that are free or very low cost, such as career pathing or flexibility to attend a concert, ballet, or soccer practice. And many want things that are simply indirect costs that can more easily be absorbed, such as mental health days or additional PTO.

Some people would make the argument that those things are not free, that they negatively affect the workforce, scheduling, etc. The opposite is true with the exception of a few industries. You’d be shocked how team members pitch in to help others out with no interruption to the business. Our leadership and People Success teams know that giving people what they need will repay itself tenfold.

• I am not sure I want to know. That’s probably the most common concern I have heard because leaders are worried about what people might say. Sometimes it’s “easier” not to know. Well, guess what? Not knowing only perpetuates the issues. Facing issues head-on is the only way to resolve them. And once the issues are resolved, we can all move on and have a better environment.
• I will only hear from the complainers. Yes, you will probably get some anonymous hateful elves. Every company has them. The best way to manage this is to take their feedback seriously and see if you can get to the root of the issue. If it is anonymous, that can be tough, but it’s worth your time to show them you care. On the flip side, companies like to listen to the “yes” women/men or the “kiss-ups.” While these opinions are also valid, these voices don’t typically represent the diversity of the company.

And then repeat.

This is not a one-time initiative. At Hennessey Digital, we don’t “set it and forget it.”

I am continually, perhaps obsessively, monitoring how people are doing. We take the temperature of our company and collect feedback in many ways, both formal and informal. The most essential is our bi-annual Employee Survey, the classic Net Promoter Score (eNPS). It’s simple with just one question and room for comments. We ask during our quarterly town halls and during our exit interviews. We even ask about engagement and their feeling of value on performance reviews. I make it known that I’m always available to receive feedback and answer any questions that the team has.

If you haven’t asked your team in the past 6 months, then it’s time. The workforce changes more rapidly than we think, especially if your company has experienced high turnover.

Our Senior Manager of Learning and Development, Greg Herrman, and I were chatting recently about the tremendous success we’ve had with engagement for online learning. Team members have not only been taking numerous courses, but also seeking out information about our training system.

The key here was simple, we decided early on that our training system is the single source of information. And then we repeated it over and over. We didn’t overcomplicate it, we repeated what worked.

Repeat what works. Change what doesn’t.

Creating a Thriving Work Environment: The One Thing That Matters

The one thing that matters is, in fact, one thing that can change and transform your company culture. It takes the desire for change and the intentionality of the leadership team to prioritize the needs, growth, and well-being of your employees.

In a world where talent acquisition and retention are crucial for organizational success, investing in a people-centric approach is more important than ever. By valuing your employees, you not only create a fulfilling work environment but also position your company for long-term growth and achievement.

So, take the first step. Embrace the power of a people-centric approach and unlock the transformative potential it holds for your company culture. Your employees and your organization will thank you for it.

The post The “One Thing” that Transforms Company Culture appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

But how do you reach this audience, especially if you’re a personal injury law firm? If a person sits down at their computer or browses on their phone and begins looking for ‘personal injury lawyer near me,’ how can you stand out? Appearing in the first position in search results usually involves paying for ads, which is where your law firm digital marketing budget comes into play.

So how much does it cost to be successful with PPC advertising?

As the Paid Media Manager at Hennessey Digital, I frequently receive questions about the ideal budget to allocate toward a PPC campaign. In this article I will highlight the important things to consider that will help you make an accurate decision regarding the allocation of your firm’s marketing budget for paid search.

Budget Misconceptions in PPC for Law Firms

In my experience, I have come across two common misconceptions. First, there is often a request for achieving substantial results with a budget as low as $500 per month, with the aim of generating 5-10 personal injury cases. Second, clients sometimes express a desire to invest the maximum budget possible to dominate the entire market within their region or area of service.

Both of these scenarios are not practically feasible.

Take the first scenario, where firms want to achieve the most with the lowest budget. First, let me clarify that I’m not suggesting that PPC advertising should cost an arm and a leg. However, it’s important to understand that personal injury law stands as one of the most costly sectors within the PPC landscape. The cost-per-click (CPC) – for a single click – can range from $70 to $250, contingent upon the targeted locations and the level of competition in that geographic area. Car accident and truck accident portfolios in PPC advertising are significantly more expensive too, with CPCs ranging between $150 and $500. Given this expensive cost-per-click, it is impossible to bring in 5 to 10 cases from PPC ads with a monthly budget of only $500.

With the second scenario, putting an unlimited budget toward PPC, I always advise spending each dollar wisely instead of burning every single penny with the aim of obtaining every piece of the pie. It is impossible to dominate the entire market due to the presence of other competitors who actively bid on similar keywords. If you blindly allocate every dollar to PPC ads, you might unreasonably inflate the cost-per-click, cost-per-lead, and ultimately, the cost-per-case, without being able to capture 100% of the searches. For example, if you have an unlimited budget and allocate all available funds to PPC ads without careful consideration, you are essentially engaging in aggressive bidding on keywords with the aim of capturing every click possible. This approach intensifies competition, however, resulting in higher costs as you attempt to outbid your competitors.

Optimizing Cost-Per-Case with a Data-Driven Approach

Here at Hennessey Digital, we track every possible metric (impression, CPM, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, cost-per-conversion) for effective campaigns. And we strive for optimal cost-per-case in the market. For a lawyer, this means how many cases you’ve signed and how much money you’ve spent to get them. To reach this goal, we focus on both the quality and quantity of searches, clicks, and leads. Our PPC team has analyzed more than $2 billion dollars worth of marketing data to establish average cost-per-click, cost-per-lead, and conversion rate-related benchmarks. We apply these benchmarks to formulate strategies that result in successful PPC campaigns for the law firms that partner with us. Our depth of experience in legal marketing also enables us to know how to allocate the right amount of budget toward specific campaigns related to personal injury, car accidents, or truck accidents.

Drawing from my experience, if you’re a personal injury law firm looking to venture into PPC advertising, it’s recommended to allocate a minimum of $8,000 in media spend for the first month, with the understanding that a management fee for the campaign is usually added on top of that. When managing these campaigns, we advise allocating a larger portion of the budget to generic search terms related to personal injury keywords, and a smaller portion to safeguarding your brand through a branded campaign for your law firm. We suggest gradually increasing the budget starting from the second month, based on the results you’ve obtained and the data analysis.

It’s important to note this is the ideal budget to set your law firm up for success in generating quality leads through PPC advertising. Multiple factors will come into play including your law firm’s size, digital marketing budget, objectives, or competition in your market – all things we factor to help you determine the right PPC budget to achieve your goals.

Maximize Law Firm PPC ROI With Strategic Bidding & Budgeting

It’s a delicate balance to strike – underinvesting in paid search campaigns can lead to lower visibility or brand recognition, but overspending can waste valuable budget resources. The real cost of PPC is about weighing financial inputs against potential outputs. Meaning, developing a thorough understanding that each click is more than a numerical value for that click. Within PPC there are bidding wars, keyword strategies, and developing an understanding of user intent.

Deciding how much money to spend on PPC campaigns can be tough from a technical perspective. Hennessey Digital has extensive experience working with law firms of various practices and sizes and provides effective SEO and PPC strategies tailored to personal injury lawyers and other practices. Our expertise allows us to offer valuable insights that help shape your overall marketing budget, and our reputation has shown that our motivation is to get you cases, not to artificially inflate your marketing budgets.

If you’re seeking to establish successful PPC campaigns, our expert team is here to assist with the setup, optimization, and management of these campaigns. Don’t let the details of campaign management derail your growth potential from PPC campaigns. Fill out the form below and begin bolstering your online visibility today.

The post What Is the Best PPC Advertising Budget for Personal Injury Law Firm Digital Marketing? appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

Our virtual work environment currently spans 13 countries, including Bulgaria, Ethiopia, India, Kosovo, Ukraine, Romania, Argentina, Macedonia, the Philippines, Egypt, Mexico, Scotland, and the United States. This representation empowers us to connect with top talent around the world, and more authentically with diverse audiences by bringing fresh perspectives to our search engine optimization (SEO) and digital marketing strategies.

Because we know diverse backgrounds and experiences enrich our agency, we foster an inclusive culture that fuels innovation, creativity, and inclusion.

“We recruit top talent, ensure our culture is inclusive, and that everyone feels a sense of belonging. Retention is a natural result, and our clients benefit from a talented and experienced team. In fact, our turnover this year is a record low,” Jill Wenk, Vice President of People Success.”

In this post, we will explore the impact that diversity plays in digital marketing and hear from team members at Hennessey Digital about what it means to them in their careers, and how it fuels innovation, expands horizons, and drives our collective success.

The Power of Diversity in SEO and Digital Marketing

Expanding: Our Global Reach & The Evolving SEO Landscape

Digital marketing is constantly changing how companies and consumers connect and exchange information – and at a rapid pace. What worked a few years ago might not be applicable today. Diversity among our team members at Hennessey Digital allows us to approach SEO challenges from multiple angles, which enables us to stay ahead of competitors for our clients and on top of the latest changes in SEO.

To stay relevant, businesses must adapt strategies and consider the latest trends or changes, such as algorithm updates and the rise of AI & ChatGPT. Incorporating unique perspectives, fresh ideas, and innovative approaches is a necessity to effectively tackle the complexities of algorithm updates. Drawing from diverse knowledge and experiences globally, this approach results in improved rankings and increased organic traffic for our clients. Embracing diversity in digital marketing ensures that our strategies remain relevant to targeted audience segments, ultimately maximizing our impact and generating superior results for our clients.

“Diversity helps in the work we deliver because it brings people with different perspectives together on how to solve a problem. This type of collaboration has shown to produce some really creative solutions.” – Stanislov, Senior Data Scientist (Bulgaria)

“Digital Marketing became my career choice because there was less pre-defined work with more experiences and things to explore that this field has to offer.” – Abhishek, Senior Local SEO Specialist (India) 

“Diversity has a crucial role in digital marketing since people from different parts of the world and different cultures think differently in terms of marketing in general. For example, creating a campaign for advertising coffee in Italy and in Turkey can be very different – the types of coffee that people drink in the two countries are different (espresso in general in Italy, Turkish coffee in Turkey), how and when they might consume coffee, and also the age limit for coffee drinkers. The way to look at the market and target audiences will not be the same. So in cases like this, having culturally diverse team members can be very helpful in developing successful marketing campaigns.” – Aleksandar, Software Engineer II (Macedonia)

“Since digital marketing requires engagement from potential customers, the background of this audience is a factor in the results. It is best to be considerate of the diversity in the world for maximum results.” – Ermiyas, Software Engineer I (Ethiopia)

Hiring the Best & Brightest: Expanding the Talent Pool

We pride ourselves on shattering geographic boundaries to find the best talent no matter their location. In order to remain at the forefront of digital marketing, our agency needs to have experts who have the skills, knowledge, and passion to drive results for our clients. This global mindset is threaded throughout the company in a very natural way which allows us to learn from each other and collectively elevate our own expertise to push the boundaries of what is possible in the digital marketing space.

Breaking Geographical Barriers

Personally, it is an incredible experience to hop on a Zoom meeting and chat with team members in Bulgaria or Kosovo, or even across the country at Hennessey Studios in Los Angeles. Removing geographical constraints allows Hennessey Digital to attract experts who bring a diverse range of skills, knowledge, and experiences to the digital marketing table.

“When recruiters only look in one city, there is a limited pool of applicants. Often managers must pick the best candidates of what is available. When recruiting globally, the size of the candidate pool is unlimited, allowing us to select the best and brightest candidates from around the world. This definitely achieves a better-qualified candidate, often with more precise experience,” Wenk notes.

“For me, marketing is connected to everything: creativity, technology, and culture. I believe diversity has a key role, particularly today, where everything is connected and people from all parts of the world are getting more together than ever.” – Salvador, Content Writer (Mexico)

Connecting Through Knowledge Sharing and Fostering Innovation

Being a smaller agency means our talented team members touch multiple projects. and many are cross-trained allowing us to provide better service to our clients. This collaborative approach means we’re continuously working with and learning across departments, experiences, and backgrounds to share best practices, insights, and emerging trends. This diversity of thought allows our creative juices to flow and sparks innovative ideas that enable each department to overcome challenges with fresh strategies and solutions that achieve success for our clients.

This collaboration has resulted in innovation and new products such as HD Translate. Ideated and developed in-house, our proprietary cutting-edge website translation tool helps reach multinational audiences while boosting SEO. Leveraging AI and ChatGPT technology, HD Translate optimizes your web pages for indexing by Google in multiple languages. This boosts your visibility in search results and ensures native-level, natural-sounding content across different languages.

“I am drawn to the competitive digital marketing industry because it offers dynamic and creative jobs, a high learning curve scope, and the opportunity to work on different projects. Moreover, digital marketing has become an integral part of every company today, and I want to be a part of it.” – Mohammed, Software Engineer I (Egypt)

“I love the creative side of digital marketing, how brands choose to represent themselves, and where I personally can explore and bring new ideas to life. The diversity of digital marketing means it’s always evolving which provides the possibility to always learn something new.” – Teodora, Content Strategist (Romania)

By embracing our global workforce in all its forms, everyone’s unique perspective is valued and celebrated, ultimately leading to inclusive digital marketing strategies that have an impact. It allows us to better understand and cater to the unique needs and preferences of our clients, drives innovation, enhances SEO strategies, fuels creative campaigns, fosters our work environment, and propels our clients’ businesses to success.

Diversity is part of who we are at Hennessey Digital, and embracing global diversity is one of our strategic advantages. Are you looking to work with the best and brightest? Harness the full potential of Hennessey Digital, a global, diverse digital marketing agency where we deliver exceptional results to our clients through digital marketing excellence.

The post Embracing the Power of a Globally Diverse Workforce appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

Even well-crafted content might not perform up to par if your content is not aligned with your overall strategy or lacks clear objectives. In the same way, even well-meaning content creators can sabotage their own content strategy by overlooking key search engine optimization (SEO) tactics or focusing on the wrong approach.

At Hennessey Digital, we’ve identified seven critical ways you might be unintentionally hindering your SEO content strategy. We’ve talked about how to optimize your content for SEO, and now we’ll shed light on these common saboteurs and how to avoid them, making sure your efforts don’t go to waste and your content is driving the results you need.

Writing Content Without A Plan

Any project goes better with a plan. Having a strategic plan for your content ensures that the pages you publish work together to boost the rankings of each piece of content as well as your entire site.

Here are a few essential factors that should be considered in your content plan:

• Site structure: When search engines evaluate your content, they use bots to crawl through your website. A clear and consistent site structure will allow these bots to categorize your content and determine its importance, relevancy, and ranking potential. Without a plan, you might create a disjoined site structure that confuses crawlers and prevents pages from being categorized (and ranking!) correctly.
• Keyword research & mapping: Keyword research ensures that you are creating unique content around keywords and topics that are relevant and have actual search volume that will drive traffic to your site. Keyword mapping also helps you avoid cannibalization (targeting the same keywords in multiple pieces of content). Cannibalization will cause your pages to compete with each other and can negatively impact their performance.
• Consistency: By planning in advance, you can ensure that your SEO efforts are continuous and not sporadic. Consistently publishing content is a positive ranking signal to search engines that you are keeping your site active and up-to-date with fresh and relevant information.

Thinking in the Short Term

Organic SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and consistency is critical. As such, you can’t treat your content strategy like a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign.  PPC campaigns are designed to be turned on and off. You need time to research and plan your strategy, create your content, and monitor the page as it begins to appear in search results. New pages often take weeks to “settle” into a ranking.

Quick, sudden changes to your content strategy will not garner immediate results. In fact, this could result in content that hurts your SEO performance. If you rush your content strategy, you risk creating disjointed, duplicate, or low-quality content. If you suddenly pause content for long stretches of time, as mentioned above, you might see a loss in rankings or traffic as search engines do not see you as a consistent source of content.

Not Knowing Your Goals

The number one reason we see content strategies shift is when clients don’t have a thorough understanding of their own goals or priorities.

Discussing priorities is one of the first—and most important—conversations I have with any client. In our first meeting, we look at the intersection of the services they offer and the locations where they offer them, and discuss what areas are most important or need the most attention. We discuss what drives the most business for our client and what areas have the highest ROI.

Based on this information, we can determine the objectives of our content strategy: not only what content we want to create, but also how we want to create it. We might take a “shotgun” approach and create content for multiple locations to establish brand visibility in those areas, or a “sniper” approach, hyper-targeting one market or service to increase conversions.

Every approach has its merits, but the best approach is the one that aligns with our client’s goals. Without having defined goals, you won’t get the most out of your content strategy. Similarly, if you are working with an agency, the best way to empower your SEO agency is to provide them with insights into your current performance and priorities.

If you’re unclear about your priorities, ask yourself these questions:

• What is my most profitable practice area, service, or product right now?
• For law firms, what is the average value of each case type?
• What practice area, service, or product do I want to be more profitable?
• Which of these has the highest ROI for my firm or company?
• Where do my clients or customers live (top cities or zip codes)?
• Are there any areas I know my competitors are not currently targeting?
• How much business growth can I handle without expanding operationally?

Writing for Yourself, Not Your Audience

Once your content plan is finalized, it’s time to get writing. At Hennessey Digital, we create meaningful and useful content that showcases Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) while also incorporating all the necessary SEO elements that search engines understand and value.

In some cases, however, in an effort to establish E-E-A-T, content can become too complex. When you are a subject-matter expert in your field, it can be tempting to want to dive into the details and explain the complexities of your work to make it accurate or more “valuable.” In the past, we have worked with clients who have wanted content to be written the way they would want to read it, without considering their audience.

Your audience is rarely experts. Using too much legal or technical jargon can overwhelm and alienate your potential clients or customers. The most meaningful content is understandable and accessible to the average person. That’s why we typically recommend writing content at an 8th-grade reading level. Simple, actionable content provides a positive user experience, which satisfies E-E-A-T and increases the chance of users converting.

Not Understanding Search Intent

In the same vein, writing content that does not consider search intent can also undermine your efforts. Search intent refers to the purpose behind a user’s search query, and falls into categories such as…

• Transactional
• Informational
• Commercial
• Navigational

If the content is not meaningful or useful to a user’s search, then they will quickly leave the page. For example, if a user arrives on an FAQ page looking for a quick answer, they will likely not stay on the page if it is full of calls to action to contact the business. Conversely, if there is too much tangential information on a transactional page, they may click away before they can convert.

These user actions indicate to search engines that your content isn’t relevant and will eventually lead to the page losing ground in the search results.

(Want to learn more about search intent and different types of content? Check out How To Optimize Content For SEO by our Senior SEO Team Lead Natasha Guy.)

Not Revisiting Your Content

One of the most significant ways to sabotage your SEO content strategy is to publish your content and consider the job done. Search results are constantly shifting which means even if your page is ranking right now, it isn’t guaranteed to stay that way forever. Certain industries such as the legal industry have particularly volatile rankings, sometimes changing from day to day.

As such, you need to regularly monitor the performance of your content and reassess your content as needed. This could be as simple as refreshing content to include more recent statistics to ensure it isn’t outdated, or completely rewriting a page to be more relevant to the primary keyword and the search intent.

Ultimately, revisiting your content ensures you’re staying on top of best practices and will better weather major core updates.

Using AI to Write All Your Content

AI is here to stay, there’s no doubt. We have spent months testing and learning the many advantages and disadvantages of using ChatGPT and other AI tools for SEO. For content, AI chatbots are capable of producing quality, readable content, and it’s understandable to want to leverage AI to start producing content at scale.

But relying too heavily on this new technology is still a big risk, for all of the reasons discussed above. AI content is often lacking in E-E-A-T signals, and any facts, statistics, or laws it does provide must be thoroughly checked. ChatGPT in particular creates content that is very repetitive and does not always meet search intent, and requires lots of human editing or rewriting with specific prompts. In addition, the content needs to be formatted, linked, and published with all the appropriate SEO signals.

Avoid Sabotaging Your SEO Content Efforts

Crafting a successful SEO content strategy requires a holistic approach and a long-term mindset. From developing a well-researched and structured content plan to understanding your audience’s needs and search intent, paying attention to these tactics is crucial in creating relevant content that drives traffic. Remember to revisit your content regularly, ensuring it stays fresh, unique, and impactful. Avoiding these common pitfalls can transform your content from just good to truly effective.

Want to learn more about how we craft content strategies that convert? As a leader in SEO and law firm digital marketing, Hennessey Digital creates ambitious, customized strategies in close collaboration with our clients. Contact us today and see how we can help your business grow.

The post 7 Ways You Might Be Sabotaging Your Own SEO Content Strategy appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

When it comes to digital marketing, there are a lot of moving parts and elements at play. Platforms, tools, your internal team, and sometimes even agencies and partners change on a dime – making access and keeping track of information a challenge for business owners and marketers.

Nothing is worse than that locked-out feeling and your marketing operations coming to a screeching halt. We’ve seen it happen for clients when someone is out of the office, when a client migrates from one tool to another, or in the onboarding process when clients transition to us as their digital marketing partner.

This is why ensuring access and ownership over crucial aspects of your digital assets are paramount to your success – and where your ‘digital binder’ becomes important.

As a law firm digital marketing agency and agency partner for other small and mid-sized businesses, we understand the importance of seamless operations and flow of marketing and believe to our core that transparency and collaboration are key to building a successful partnership. (Seriously, it’s one of our Guiding Principles!)

So stop what you’re doing and ask yourself – do you have a digital binder? Are you clear on who and how to access what so that no matter the industry dynamics, your marketing operations are functional?

We’ll take you through what should be in your digital binder. And by this do we mean a physical 3-ring binder that’s labeled (or maybe has your favorite vacation spot or band on the cover)? No, not really. It’s really a checklist of your tools, platforms, data, how to access it, and who within your company can access it.

Let’s get started:

Ensuring More Than One Person Has Access

Even if you’re the one who bears the responsibility or holds the key, it’s important that not only one individual, but three stakeholders can locate and have access to the key elements associated with your marketing efforts. It will not only help your digital marketing run efficiently, but it ensures a smooth transition getting set up and going when working with a new digital marketing agency.

Owning Your Analytics

Analytics is one of the most important components of digital marketing because it provides businesses with insights into customer behavior, website performance, and marketing campaign effectiveness. Without data insights, you won’t be able to make data-driven decisions.

To truly harness the full power of analytics, you should have complete ownership over your data and access to important platforms, such as Google Analytics. Ownership of your analytics and data ensures continuity in your data history. If you lose access to your analytics, you lose the ability to track and analyze long-term trends, leaving you unable to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions based on historical data.

Being able to analyze and interpret data will allow you to make informed decisions and adjust strategies for the success of your law firm.

Testing Platforms

Testing platforms, such as VWO, and Optimizely, allow businesses to optimize their website’s conversion performance and user experience. These platforms give you and your agency partner the ability to create and run tests, view results, and make changes as needed. They also provide you with a better understanding of your audience and provide a seamless user experience that drives conversions.

Being able to log directly into your testing platforms, gives you and your agency team the ability to conduct A/B testing, implement data-driven changes, pinpoint areas for improvement, and address any bottlenecks that might hinder your firm’s success. Without access to these, your team is left unable to fine-tune your marketing efforts for better results.

Google Tag Manager

A key component of digital marketing success is managing various digital marketing tags, such as conversion tracking, analytics, and remarketing pixels. Google Tag Manager (GTM) offers a centralized platform to simplify tag management.

GTM is an essential tool for digital marketing because it allows you to add tracking codes and other tags to your website without requiring manual code changes. This gives you the ability to create and manage tags, set up triggers, and track conversions while reducing the risk of page load delays and potential disruptions to user experience. Without having access to GTM you lose the ability to track user behavior and make informed decisions about your marketing strategies.

This piece of the puzzle is a little more technical, that’s why it’s important to have a dedicated analytics team handle this for you.

Call Tracking

There are numerous reasons your business needs call tracking, especially for those that rely on phone calls for leads and sales. And having ownership of your call tracking platforms, like Call Tracking Metrics, will help you better understand customer behavior, enhance lead attribution, improve client engagement, and optimize your marketing campaigns accordingly. Without access to your call tracking you lose the power you can harness with inbound calls. It is a vital component because it helps firms understand clients’ journey from online interactions to offline conversions.

Social Media Accounts

Engaging with customers and building brand awareness comes with the power of social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok give you the ability to manage and post content, track performance, and engage with followers.

Owning access to your business’s social media accounts ensures that regardless of changes within your company or agency team, you have access to the insights you need that allow you to be strategic with how you connect with your audience and build stronger relationships. If you use a social media management publishing platform such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and any Linktree or Bitly accounts, it’s important you have access to these as well. Without this access, you and your agency team are missing out on curating content tailored to your firm, responding timely to clients, and tracking performance, historical data, and any paid campaigns you might run through these social channels.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising and Paid Media

PPC for law firms and other Paid Media are powerful channels that drive traffic to your website and generate leads. Having full ownership of all your paid media accounts, especially your Google Ads account, gives you and your agency team better control over your advertising spend and optimize their campaigns for maximum ROI.

Without having access to your paid media accounts your paid media team loses control of performance data, budgets, fine-tuning targeting, and missing out on analyzing the performance of the campaigns.

If this is outside of your wheelhouse, work with our expert team at Hennessey Digital to research, strategize and execute a paid media plan to get fast ROI.

Development

You should have ownership over your website’s development. This includes access to the website’s source code, the ability to make changes and updates as needed, the website hosting account, and the domain name. Having access to and ownership of your website’s development, you can better control your online presence and make informed decisions about your digital marketing strategy.

We’ve heard SEO horror stories where clients didn’t own their domain or access to their Google Business Profile listing, and when they left they had to start over from scratch or gridlocked spending time acquiring access when needed.

All set?

If you cover the bases above, you should, and can, have peace of mind that no matter who is leading your digital marketing strategy, you’re set up well on the back end with the access you need to be successful, and your marketing always up and running.

We cannot overstate it enough: the key to success, especially when working with an agency partner, lies in the power of ownership. Safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining access over critical elements is essential for success and security. No one should leave all passwords to one individual in your firm or to an agency who could leave you with no control over your digital assets.

But if you want help with the technical aspect of digital marketing and are looking to switch to a digital marketing partner who educates and empowers your team and company, let’s chat. We are committed to transparency, collaboration, and empowering our clients to take ownership of their digital marketing assets. Our team of award-winning SEOs, paid media strategists, website developers, data analysts – and all-around awesome people – are ready to begin the conversation and help drive your marketing performance and website to new heights.

The post Your Digital Binder: The Importance of Ownership in Digital Marketing appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

What can you do to stay ahead of the competition and make sure your law firm comes up first in the ads? You start by creating your own branded campaign and creating ads to boost your law firm’s visibility.

If you don’t know what a branded campaign is or how it works, no problem. Let’s break it down.

What is a branded campaign?

A branded campaign is a paid media campaign that includes bidding on keywords such as your law firm’s name and other phrases identifiable with your firm. Goals for branded campaigns include increasing the recognition and visibility of your law firm when someone searches for those terms, and driving more qualified leads to your website. Your banded campaign ensures your firm’s ad is seen by those who are searching for your firm by name, by attorney, slogan, and other related keywords. They also help to increase the return on investment (ROI) from your digital marketing since the campaign targets potential customers who are already familiar with your services.

This might seem counterintuitive to your law firm SEO strategy, and make you wonder if you’ll lose organic traffic, but that’s not the case. Branded campaigns boost your overall leads and cases. Since your law firm would be targeting individuals who are already familiar with your services, the likelihood of converting those search queries and leads into actual clients is higher.

Branded campaigns are also a good way to protect your firm’s name and reputation because you have greater control over how your branding and message appears, while working to trump other law firms that may use your name or variations of your name as keywords in their own advertising campaigns. By doing this, you are making sure that potential clients are not misled by ads that falsely claim to be associated with your firm.

Investing in branded campaigns conveys professionalism, authority, and a dedication to quality that builds client trust. Having both a branded ad and an organic position on the first page of the SERP gives you an advantage and allows you to control the message you want to show.

Law firm branded campaign cost

You may be wondering, “How much is this going to cost, and what kind of results can I expect from a branded campaign?” As law firm digital marketing experts, we recommend spending about 5% – 8% of your total Google Ads budget for it to be successful. Since this is a branded campaign, your results should be better than your non-branded campaigns. This means that you can expect a higher click-through rate, higher conversion rate, and ultimately higher ROI. After all, potential clients are looking for your firm by name.

Let’s break down what our data at Hennessey Digital has shown:

• The CTR (click-through rate) of law firm branded campaigns tends to be 3x higher compared to non-branded campaigns
• Cost-per-case is just one-tenth of the average cost-per-case for non-branded campaigns
• Cost-per-lead (CPL) is even lower; in fact, it can be up to 191% cheaper to generate a new lead through branded campaigns than the non-branded campaigns

This is why we strongly recommend incorporating branded campaigns into your law firm’s SEO strategy. It will benefit you more in the near and long term, so it is worth diverting a small portion of your total budget to do it.

Final thoughts

A branded campaign can boost your law firm’s exposure and brand recognition while generating more qualified leads that turn into actual cases. At Hennessey Digital, we incorporate branded campaigns into digital marketing strategies to ensure visibility and make sure advertisements are seen by people who are already familiar with your company or who are searching for your company’s branded terms. Your brand advertising efforts also reinforce trust, stop brand infringement and safeguard your company’s reputation.

Curious to know how Hennessey Digital’s customized approach to branded campaigns can help take your law firm marketing to the next level? Contact us to increase your leads and number of cases with an effective and efficient law firm PPC strategy.

Anthony Fournier, Paid Search Specialist, contributed to this post

The post Why A Branded Paid Search Campaign Is A Must For Your Law Firm appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

So let’s dive into strategies you can implement this year to improve the ROI of law firm PPC campaigns on Google Ads.

Understanding how pay-per-click works

When running PPC digital advertising, also known as paid search, you are charged a fee each time someone clicks on your advertisement. Instead of relying on organic methods to attract clients, PPC allows you to “purchase” website traffic. This is particularly useful when you want to target competitive keywords, such as “personal injury lawyer,” and your organic ranking may not be high enough to appear on the first search engine results page (SERP). By bidding on the keyword and paying a certain amount if clicked, your ad will be displayed.

SEO and paid search strategies are effective when run together, as they boost your visibility on the SERP, and seeing listings in both places is known to boost trust in the credibility of a page or link when someone clicks. Developing a PPC campaign strategy for law firms takes careful execution owing to regulations and optimizing campaign performance, but it’s important to advertise there since potential clients turn to search engines and often engage with paid ads when looking for legal advice. PPC marketing can sometimes be expensive and competitive, too, but it can also yield a high return on investment with the right strategies and focused campaigns.

Never bid on broad single-word keywords

It’s important to not focus solely on broad single-word keywords such as “lawyer” or “attorney.” These can be costly to bid on and can lead to campaign inefficiency and wasted budget. Instead, think about targeting long-tail or multiple-word keywords that are more specific, less expensive, and provide more opportunities to capitalize on than the highly-competitive, broadhead keywords. By doing so, you can choose more specific, niche keywords that take into account the buyer intent and the practice areas that generate the most revenue for your law firm. This strategy may seem subtle, but it can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your ads campaign and is a great PPC strategy to implement for your law firm.

Use negative keywords in your campaign

It might seem counter-intuitive to use negative keywords in your paid search campaigns, but it is a proven PPC strategy. Negative keywords are terms that you explicitly exclude from your PPC campaign so that your ad will not show up when a specific term is searched for. This strategy helps increase the chances of reaching your target audience.

It’s common to use multiple negative keyword lists, around seven to ten, so when thinking of what you want to include in your list of negative keywords, consider terms that are unlikely to result in a qualified sales lead, such as ‘legal aid,’ ‘games,’ and ‘apps.’ You should consider adding terms associated with education and careers to your negative keyword list as well as other low-quality, sales lead terms like ‘cheap,’ ‘free,’ and ‘inexpensive.’ You may also want to include cities and states that are outside of your target region. Being aggressive with keyword exclusions will help you avoid spending money on undesirable search terms, boost your conversion rate by reducing unnecessary clicks, and result in more qualified customers visiting your website or landing page.

Implement an effective keyword bidding approach

An effective keyword bidding strategy is crucial for a successful Google Ads campaign. This involves determining the right keywords to bid on and setting the appropriate bid amount for each keyword. To use automated bid strategies, Google Ads provides several strategies that can help optimize your campaigns for different goals, such as maximizing conversions, maximizing clicks, and targeting CPA (cost per acquisition). It’s important to regularly monitor and adjust your bids as needed to help ensure that you’re getting the best results for your investment. Keep in mind that the most effective keyword bidding strategy will vary depending on your firm’s unique goals and circumstances.

Protect your brand

Even if your law firm already ranks well in search engine results for your branded terms (ie: company name), it’s important to consider advertising for these keywords. If not, a competitor may use your firm’s name in their ad campaign and potentially divert customers away from your business. This tactic is known as “brand-jacking.” Even if your organic search ranking is high, a competitor could still appear above you in the paid advertising section for your brand name. To avoid this, bid on your branded terms to increase your digital real estate and maintain control over how your firm is represented in the paid advertising section.

A/B test with compelling ad copy

One of the fundamental rules of a winning PPC strategy is to test everything. Nowhere is this more important than in your paid ad copy. This is the copy that will either convince a potential client to click or not, resulting in them completing an online lead form, calling your firm, or looking at a competitor. Messaging is key and the ad has to speak to the needs and concerns of your target audience. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that you know what people want in your ads rather than what the data tells you. You can write the best ad in the world, but if it’s not performing by boosting click-through rates and leading to conversions, it means it isn’t working.

Google has a good built-in tool to test and measure different versions of your ad copy to determine what resonates most with your target audience and generates the best results in terms of click-through rate and conversions.

Although it may seem overwhelming to develop an organic search and paid media strategy that sets your law firm up for success in search results, understanding the ins and outs of law firm SEO is crucial for your PPC strategies to continually acquire new clients. A strong online presence and a constant flow of qualified leads are essential for the growth of your practice, and one way to achieve this is by working with an experienced PPC team that can manage and optimize your campaigns daily.

Looking to acquire more cases while keeping costs low, or want to improve your marketing strategies and establish a stronger online presence for your law firm? Trust our PPC experts here at Hennessey Digital to drive results for your law firm. Fill out the form below to learn how we can help you achieve your goals!

The post PPC For Law Firms: Proven Strategies To Increase Case Acquisition appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

Let’s dive in with some history to see how we got to where we are today and why GIS so profoundly impacts the digital space.

What is GIS?

The key to GIS is geography. GIS is all about the use of any location data or any data that is related to the “where” of things. The more data that’s available, the better GIS can work.

One of the first instances in the history of GIS (long before computers) is the famous map created by John Snow, a doctor and epidemiologist from London in 1854. At the time, he was seeing a high number of patients suffering from cholera. Neither he nor anybody else could figure out what was causing this outbreak, so Snow started to mark on a map where his sick patients lived and marked the location of water pumps in the area. Quickly he began to recognize a pattern that there were more sick patients concentrated around one specific water pump. He reported his findings and the identified water pump was determined to be contaminated – and therefore, shut down. The number of cholera cases began to decline thanks to his work, and his study has now become one of the go-to examples of early GIS in practice.

How does GIS work?

Modern GIS didn’t really take off until the 1990s with the development of computer technology and the internet for better data management, processing, and sharing. But the logic and process are still quite similar to what it was decades prior.

The key thing in GIS is data layering as seen in the diagram above. GIS is able to take data and create it into individual layers that can then stack on top of each other to create unique visualizations and identify patterns that could go unnoticed. The unique layering and data patterns working alongside current digital marketing and SEO strategies and techniques can create better planning and new decision-making processes.

To begin any GIS project we need data. Unlike data in a chart, data for GIS requires a reference to a location. In GIS, there are three main data types and all of them can either be used alone or as a combination:

Polygon data – This is like drawing country or state boundary lines. But polygons aren’t just limited to political boundaries or pre-drawn data available. With the use of different GIS tools, custom polygon shapes can be made to fit an exact area you’re interested in knowing more about.

Line data – This is like roads or rivers. And just like polygons, lines don’t just have to be pre-made. Custom lines can be created to fit a project.

Point data – Point data is the most-used data type in GIS, and can either be single instance or distinct data points. This can be addresses for buildings or different points of interest. Point data can be downloaded from different reputable sources, or created and recorded in a table. As long as each row in the table has an associated latitude and longitude or an address, then it can be converted in a GIS program and placed on a map for easier data visualization.

Once you determine the type of data you want to use, it can be created, downloaded, or imported into GIS software to be manipulated and analyzed. The most common GIS programs used are the industry standard ArcGIS Pro developed by ESRI, or an open-source, free alternative is QGIS. Both softwares have pros and cons, but foundationally they both are able to do a high-level analysis of geographic data.

GIS softwares work with unique file types that are used to combine table data and information that is relayed to the software on how and where to draw data. Once all this data is put into the software, the fun part of the analysis begins. In GIS there are many different geospatial tools used that can be used in infinite combinations that can accomplish the goal.

Once all the data is analyzed, it can be shared as a static map using various cartographic methods or brought into even more software available to create interactive maps, which is becoming more and more popular.

Where is GIS used today?

In the early days of modern GIS, it was primarily developed for environmental research to allow scientists and geographers to get a better bird’s eye view of their data and research sites. Today, GIS has stretched long beyond the confines of environmental science to the point where nearly every industry does, could, or should be using GIS.

For example, GIS is used quite a bit in the real estate sector when creating built-in maps for real estate websites to allow customers to view properties easily. Realtors also use it internally to get a visual of real estate trends that show the appreciation and depreciation of an area.

Another great example of GIS in action is with logistics companies. Companies that deliver mail or transport goods heavily rely on GIS to develop the most efficient routes for their drivers or the best routes to transport goods along. This process allows for cost-saving planning before the trucks even hit the roads.

A newer trend is using data forecasting with geographic data. As time has gone on, many GIS data sources have been able to store longitudinal, historical data. The availability of this data has allowed the opportunity for data science and GIS to blend together to plan for future events. A current example of this is mapping coastal flooding and being able to plan and prepare for where floods are more likely to occur. This data forecasting also allows aid agencies to know where to send resources in the event of natural disasters.

These are broad-term examples, but the most specific example that perfectly encapsulates GIS in digital marketing and one that most people are familiar with is Google Maps.

GIS and Google Maps

Google Maps mixes every type of GIS data together, from generating red polygons when you click on a city’s name to see where Google draws a city’s boundaries, to using line data for navigation of your route. Google Business Profiles act as point data in the map showing you where businesses are located and includes information on a specific business from phone number to hours of operation and reviews.

In fact, Google Maps also has a sort of “behind the scenes” look. If you go to Google Maps, you can switch to different layers and one of them is the traffic layer. You can see the roads and the traffic overlaid on top. When you get directions from Google it takes several different factors into account, including road laws like speed limit, road type (residential road vs highway), flow of traffic, and actively pulls data on traffic patterns. It may navigate you around heavily trafficked roads that slow you down or direct you around construction sites.

What is the relationship between digital marketing and GIS?

GIS can provide a wealth of information that can go unknown or unnoticed unless you knew it was available.

Google Analytics has a very basic form of GIS visualization built into it. You can look at a location overview to see where your audience is coming from, but Google is limited in what data it can pull and collect. It heavily relies on tracking the user based on their IP address and their site activity, but that is all the information Google Analytics can get. This is where GIS comes in to fill in the gaps and build out even more information on your potential user audience.

GIS can be used to provide a much more educated strategy for SEO and digital marketing plans. For example, say you want your website to reach a specific target audience based on demographics. The United States Census Bureau collects this information every 5 and 10 years and makes that data publicly available. Using GIS, you can download this data and work with it to overlay all your different target audience characteristics to figure out where that ideal audience is. Then you can use that information to make more informed decisions in your SEO strategy to reach your target audience faster than before.

GIS can help reduce the chance of creating an SEO strategy that does not reach your intended audience because the audience is either limited or not where you thought it would be.

How we use GIS here at Hennessey Digital

Local SEO strategies for law firms 

One of the most common uses for GIS we use here at Hennessey Digital for our law firm SEO strategy is collecting car crash data that different state agencies provide to the public. Almost every state in the country collects information on how many car crashes happen annually in their state. Some states go further to include more granular data on where the accidents occur such as counties, cities, or even location data on where accidents occur.

This available data helps to identify areas with high numbers of car crashes based on different criteria, or to provide a bird’s eye view of the data trends for the state. We combine all of this data with our unique analysis methodology to help create a more targeted SEO strategy that can quickly meet your audience.

Seasonality

Historical data is valuable in recognizing seasonal patterns of different phenomena. Knowing the seasonal patterns of an area provides answers on why data collected in Google Analytics is either doing better or worse compared to previous periods. It can also predict when a website may see more traffic for specific pages because more people in that area could be doing web searches using those keywords. It can even be used to prepare new website content to cater to seasonal trends rather than miss the peak window of time for a topic.

New business locations for clients

Determining a new business location requires taking several factors into consideration, especially when it comes to SEO. Savvy businesses want to be strategically positioned in a good SEO market while also being in a location with people needing their services who can be directed to their site. GIS is able to take all these factors into consideration and create a unique analysis and map that reflect the potential best locations for new business locations. We take into account data such as demographics to find your target audience, historical data trends, and potential up-and-coming trends to ensure better success for a new location.

The Future Outlook of GIS

GIS is and will continue to be a growing industry as more industries begin to adopt its capabilities. And using GIS in digital marketing and SEO is no exception to that growth. Every day, new techniques and tools are being developed to continue to push the boundaries of what GIS is capable of doing. It is becoming more commonplace to use GIS and the popular coding language Python together to create custom tools for unique projects. Python’s popularity primarily in data science and analysis makes it complementary to GIS’s analysis abilities. It even helps develop automation processes and integrate data science methods to give more insights into data.

As the blended field of GIS and digital marketing is just beginning, so are the ideas that come with it. Creative uses for data and analytics can create a well-strategized website that can reach its target audience faster than before.

The post Location Data: How GIS is Used in Digital Marketing and SEO appeared first on Hennessey Digital.

Based on my 11-year career of onboarding clients into marketing agencies, I have developed these tips that will set you (and your agency partner) up on the best possible path to success.

Provide as much information as possible.

Especially during the onboarding phase, and anytime something new comes up, make sure you share as much information with your agency as possible. Are there new case types you are focusing on? Have service areas changed at all? Have you added any staff or attorneys? Have you won awards or new settlements? Things you might not think of mentioning are helpful to your team. Even events happening in your local area you want to target like conventions or festivals are extremely helpful. Every piece of added context and information helps your overall SEO strategy. Making sure your agency has the most up-to-date information will help them to adjust their strategy to provide you with success. Help them, help you!

Be clear on your goals.

Knowing exactly what success will look like for you is crucial for your SEO agency partnership. Stating that you want “more” isn’t enough to guarantee success because it leaves room for misinterpretations. Saying that your goal is more of a particular type of case or more cases in a specific location are two good places to start, but how about narrowing that down even further? Be as granular as possible, like providing the number of cases you would like in a specific practice area, and in a particular location, are great details to provide. Even having that information tied to a financial goal is the ultimate clarity.

When asked how much would you like to pay per case, again, the answer can’t just be “less.” Being measured and specific is key. You may not know exactly where you would like to be and that’s ok, your SEO agency partner can analyze your current data and let you know where you currently sit. With that information, a decision can be made on where you would like to go from there, and you’ll get valuable feedback if your goals are realistic based on your market. Figuring out where you are starting from and then providing clear insights on where you want to go is the formula for success. And if you don’t know where to start or what your goal should be, collaborate with your law firm SEO partner. That’s what they’re great at.

Be responsive.

This might seem like a no-brainer, but we all know that work can become busy. So busy, in fact, responding to questions from your SEO agency can take the back burner. Whether digging to provide answers or even just jumping down the rabbit hole of checking emails, all of this requires time – the time you might not have when you’re busy winning cases in court. Can you appoint someone who has more time flexibility to respond on your behalf? Anything you can do to help to ensure progress on your SEO doesn’t slow because of a lack of responsiveness is important for your digital marketing success. Think of it this way, when your SEO agency partner is waiting for a response, it could cause whatever they are working on to come to a complete standstill. Make sure the money you are spending is working for you, including doing everything in your power to be sure you aren’t the bottleneck. Doing just that will go a long way. In my experience, while the biggest time commitment from clients comes in the first few months of hiring a new SEO agency, there will always be times when they need feedback from you. You are paying for their services and results; make it a priority!

Trust your agency.

You chose your new agency for a reason. As I mentioned earlier, you did your due diligence and decided on your digital marketing partner. It may have been the people you interacted with, what you read on their website, or their reputation in the industry. Something connected with you and made you click on that e-signature to sign the contract. Trusting in their expertise is important in solidifying your relationship with them. Knowing they have the experience, the data, and the best practices to back up what they are recommending is why they are considered experts. Experts you employed to take your business to the next level. Trust their recommendations and embrace them. Know they are doing what they think is best for positive movement in your website’s performance.

Of course, if you have questions or disagree with something they want to do or focus on, speak up! Even though they are experts in their fields – and maybe in your industry, you know your business best. However, you can trust that they have your best interest at heart and they want you to succeed so they can succeed. This is the ultimate win-win partnership.

Remember: Your SEO agency is your partner.

SEO for law firms is an important and valuable marketing strategy. The relationship with your SEO agency should be considered an extension of your internal marketing team. You are partners working for the greater good of your business. They want to succeed as much as you do because they are personally tied to the SEO performance related to your website. Approach this relationship with this mindset. There will be good times, great times, and maybe even some not-so-great times. But, they are not robots, they are people who value being accountable and a part of your success. Understand mistakes will be made, there may be bumps in the road, but a thriving client/agency relationship is one where treating each other with respect is bi-directional, and kindness and respect will go a long way in a long-term partnership. One of our guiding principles at Hennessey Digital is, ”MAKE IT FUN; DON’T BE A JERK.” While it is pretty simple, I believe in most cases anyone you partner with will agree with the sentiment.

A partnership can be defined as two or more people working together. A successful partnership can be defined as two organizations working together to ensure positive outcomes for both parties. Fully embracing the suggestions I have outlined will help lay the groundwork for a successful partnership that can be built upon for years to come.

The post How To Be The Best Partner For Your SEO Agency appeared first on Hennessey Digital.