It is widely documented that web users are increasingly using search engines as a path to access relevant information. As more information becomes accessible on the internet, business people need a simple and accurate way of finding what they want. These requirements may be for research, for finding goods, services or even trading partners and suppliers. The internet has become an integral part of modern business communications and this raises the question of how much attention your business pays to ensuring that its content is properly accessible to search engines.
During the past few years I have noticed that many legal businesses – particularly barristers’ chambers – have been slow to ensure that they gain good visibility for their websites. Much of the focus in the sector has been on getting information out there, through development of a website. There is a misconception that a website creation allows immediate communication to a global audience. Unfortunately, in today’s competitive world, that is not enough. People need to find you and increasingly they are relying on search engines to provide them with accurate information. This misconception can be an expensive one, as the return on investment achieved from the development of a website is proportional to the number of people visiting the site. The logical next step for the legal sector is to ensure that they maintain a high profile on the search engines, encouraging qualified visits by people looking for specific goods and services in which they specialise.
