This discussion in my Website Options for Law Firms series will take a look at FindLaw as a website services provider.
I’ve previously reviewed the services offered by other large companies that hold themselves out as specializing in law firm marketing. These discussions included a review of Scorpion Web Design and Justia. Let’s start by taking a look at my experience with FindLaw.
My experience in evaluating Findlaw as a website option for law firms
FindLaw is a common name in the attorney marketing world. FindLaw offers a variety of legal marketing products that include website services, online legal directories for attorneys (divided by practice area and location), and other products. Thomson Reuters currently owns the company after having been originally founded in 1995.
They’re now also offering assistance to attorneys with non-web-based forms of advertising.
FindLaw’s list of web marketing services.
My review will focus exclusively on the website services, as that’s the focus of this series.
I will start by saying that my experience reviewing Findlaw was a night and day difference compared to Scorpion Web Design, LexisNexis, or Justia. The lack of cooperation from each of those entities made me feel like I must have been inquiring about top-level government defense secrets.
During my review of Findlaw, I spoke with multiple representatives who helped answer my questions. After getting quite a bit of feedback and running a series of tests, I feel very comfortable discussing the service.
Evaluating Findlaw as a website platform for lawyers and law firms
As with all other posts in this series, I’m evaluating Findlaw according to cost, SEO potential, ease of use, and how well the company seems to be keeping up with the changing web environment.
Analyzing the cost of Findlaw websites
On the cost front, expect Findlaw to be as expensive, and probably more expensive, than other options you may be considering.
FindLaw offers pricing levels for attorney websites based on the number of pages the site contains. The more pages on the site then the higher the site’s price will be. This pricing structure was described as ranging from $250 to thousands per month.
The company does offer discounts if you buy additional products, such as directory listings, but doing so will still increase your overall monthly cost.
FindLaw sites, based on my research, are certainly on the “pricey” side of the options we’ve checked out.
Using FindLaw does mean locking oneself into a long-term commitment at the higher end of a price range. Multiple attorneys that I conversed with while preparing this review took issue because the company typically requires a 2-3 years contract.
The good thing is that Findlaw has a uniform pricing structure for its websites across the country. That’s right — the location of your law firm doesn’t even matter. This contrasts with Scorpion Web Design who appears to charge a different price for the same level of work, depending on an attorney’s geography.
Analyzing the SEO potential of Findlaw Websites
In terms of the services I’ve reviewed in this series, FindLaw’s overall wins on the SEO front. However, if you’re in a market or niche that’s competitive, you’re likely going to have a hard time competing if you’re using their cheaper products.
After I reviewed a collection of FindLaw websites, I was concerned about some red flags raised from an SEO perspective.
Every site I tested scored poorly in terms of their page speed loading score, which I tested with Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool (Google is the Judge and Jury after all).
SEO Tip: Page speed is a big one in terms of SEO. Low page speed scores mean that Google sees these sites as potentially loading slowly, detracting from the user experience.
Other issues were found with the websites I analyzed. Some had incorrectly formatted page titles and meta descriptions, while others didn’t have problems in this area. I noticed they used Adobe Flash on one website even though Flash has fallen out of favor with most search engines. Google has attempted to improve its ability to index Flash files, but it’s best to avoid this dilemma altogether.
FindLaw employs content writers for each of their sites. The content (which is crucial to how your site performs in search) is written with the attorney’s input. The content I reviewed across various FindLaw websites contained a certain personalization level but wasn’t as personalized to each lawyer as I would recommend. It was more personalized, however, than the content I reviewed on websites by Scorpion Web Design.
Given that the technological issues I described above weren’t consistent across all sites, I’d suggest you ensure that those problems don’t exist on your Findlaw site.
How FindLaw Sites Perform in the SERPs
I analyzed multiple sites featured on Findlaw’s website gallery page. I also conducted a series of Google searches in these sites’ home markets (which were smaller markets) along with similar searches of broader markets.
I found that many FindLaw sites did well in search for their particular niches. But here’s the catch: These sites were markets with smaller populations.
For a more comprehensive test, I performed the same searches in two larger markets. Some of these searches yielded one FindLaw site in first page results, while some of these searches yielded none.
Evaluating a Findlaw website’s ease of use
Given that FindLaw is an all-encompassing service and not a do-it-yourself platform, I evaluated ease of use by looking at how painless it is to have a site constructed within a reasonable amount of time as well as the level of ongoing support received.
The process of having a site constructed appears to be relatively painless.
The company provides far more support than the other options I’ve looked at. FindLaw has roughly 150 representatives working in different parts of the US. These representatives make a point to try to visit with their attorneys on a semi-regular basis. This should provide an attorney an additional avenue to address concerns.
Since support from options such as Scorpion and Justia appears to be lacking, Findlaw gets the nod over those options regarding ease of use and support.
Analyzing whether Findlaw’s websites are well-suited to the changing web environment
The web is changing rapidly — making having an optimized and dynamic website for desktop and mobile more critical than ever. Law firms we assist with our marketing services currently see roughly forty percent of their traffic coming from mobile devices.
To keep up with this rapidly evolving marketing world, an attorney wanting long-term success must pick a web developer who is adapting to this changing environment.
Findlaw’s sites utilized a responsive design, which is the correct approach to mobile. This is different from Scorpion Web Design sites, which utilized an incorrect “.m” approach to mobile.
SHOULD ATTORNEYS USE FINDLAW FOR THEIR ONLINE MARKETING?
FindLaw is the better option for lawyers than the other non-DIY options I’ve reviewed. However, I cannot recommend FindLaw as the best option for law firms on the web marketing front. The biggest drawback to this company is cost, as it’s the more expensive option if you wish to be competitive.
As with all options in my series, I didn’t compare our company’s services, Rankings.io. The problems with doing so, from an objectivity standpoint, are apparent. It’s important to note that I’m analyzing FindLaw compared to its direct competitors, analyzed in this series, which cater explicitly to attorneys. Just because a company markets exclusively to law firms doesn’t mean that said service is the best option for a law firm.
Still not sure if you should use FindLaw for your firm? Check out FindLaw Reviews: We Asked 30 Attorneys What They Like Best and Least
After the Google Panda/Penguine update, I would be cautious about any SEO company that sells links. The question is how does this company get away with duplicated contents, spun articles and article automation? How long will these techniques work until Google catches up?
Thanks for the feedback. I wouldn’t count on links from the Findlaw directory to give an SEO boost. These links don’t hurt a site in search, but Google stopped seeing them as an SEO positive some time ago. On the articles, etc., I’m assuming you’re talking about the ones that appear on Findlaw.com? If so I recently did a video addressing the topic; attorneys concerned about competing against the Findlaw directory (or similar directories for that matter) don’t have much to be concerned about in my opinion. I think the “dominance” of such directories in search is more fiction than fact. Here’s a link to the video I did on the topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbbuL8XQRno&feature=share&list=UUt2rsbtdxJ0HhsEg0V0N_tA
Great post, Luke. It was nice to read that FindLaw is the better option for lawyers than the other non-DIY options you have reviewed.
Thanks for the input Keith. Always appreciated.
I worked for FindLaw in the past.
Much of the content is spun content, especially blogs. Not every blog post has attorney input.
Thanks for sharing Lucas. When you say “spun” are you referring to summaries of news articles, etc.?
DO NOT USE FINDLAW!
I recently purchased a marketing package through Findlaw and could not be more disappointed with the product, the support personnel, or the sales personnel.
From the very beginning their sales personnel made a great many claims about statistics, and the reliability of the product and the services they can provide. Two months after signing with them, it turns out that just about every statistical and factual claim she made about the performance of my listing was completely false. Aside from a fraudulent sales pitch, not only is the program itself faulty, but the number of potential client hits is much lower than I had been told before signing on.
Findlaw’s product does not work. Part of the marketing package I purchased was a “premium listing.” Findlaw uses their own phone number for your profile, which is then supposed to be forwarded to your office line so Findlaw can track client leads. However, only about 50% of the calls to the number they list actually connects to my firm line, so I am missing out on the very leads they are charging me substantially for. My account manager has chosen to ignore this issue whenever I bring it up. But, they have a tracking system so you can see how much the program is not working for you and how much potential business you are losing.
Despite the errors in the program, Findlaw’s support and IT staff are not responsive to inquiries. Expect weeks of time and to have to make multiple attempts at contact before receiving any response at all.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Ian. Hopefully the rep from Findlaw will join the discussion.
I have a general policy to never sign multi-month contracts for marketing services. The main problem is not knowing whether it will work, and once you sign, the company has no motivation to improve itself.
Unfortunately, I signed a year long contract with Findlaw for its premium services. I have had one call because of them. And the person wasn’t actually expecting to have to pay for an attorney to use an attorney.
I would recommend AGAINST Findlaw. I have found other services which agreed to a
“trial period” in which time I could cancel if it didn’t work for them.
Also, for criminal defense, most of the clients and people I spoke to do NOT look on any one specific site. They use google, bing, etc.
Thanks for sharing your experience Asher. I would say that a subscription model can be a good thing as long as one is getting something with the service. An example would be that the site receives regular updates to ensure it is continually providing what Google sees as a good user experience. The recent requirement that sites use SSL being one example of this. So I would say that, IMHO, not all subscription models are bad.
I am advertising with find law for many years and I’m very happy with service
Thanks Greg,
What level of service do you currently have with Findlaw?
we are in their directory and also build a website for us
I used this service and they did not provide one item they promised me. DO NOT use this service as they never provide you with what they promised
I am not a bug fan of Findlaw or any other of the large companies in this space. They take you money, but their slow to respond, the content is basically template driven ( which google can detect ) and they are expensive.
Just my 2 cents..
Jeff Goldstein
Thanks for sharing Jeff. Do you use Findlaw for your web presence or have you gone in a different direction?
I have gone in a very different direction. I am not a believe in a one size fits all type of vendor.
-Jeff
Findlaw’s sales representatives made general representations about the number of hits and inquiries that typically resulted from a Premium Listing. They indicated that other subscribers were pleased with the Premium Listing and had seen a return on their investment. After three months I have had no legitimate leads from my subscription but have only received spam emails. I received one phone call from an individual who was seeking free legal representation. The service is not worth the money. The sales representatives were misleading. Save your money. Avoid Findlaw.
Curious how this compares to AVVO’s web design services? Is there an article on this topic already?
Thanks KT. I’ll be doing another website review series in January. Are there any options you would like to see discussed along with AVVO?
How about a similar article reviewing Foster Web Marketing, who also caters to lawyer websites?
Thanks for the input ST. We’re going to do a 2015 version of this review series in January of ’15. I just added Foster to the list of companies to be reviewed.
I wish this article and the comments were available a few months ago and before I agreed to work with FindLaw. I have had nothing but disappointment and frustration with their service. My first complaint was with the time for the production of the site. I have a year contract and the first six weeks was spent in developing the site. After the site was up for three months and replaced my DIY site, I compared the analytics from my old site to the new FindLaw site and discovered the number of page views and site interaction was down significantly. Their solution was to revise some of the content and layout of the site. I am now in the process of a third revision to the site, which had taken another six weeks. Despite paying massive amounts of money for the site each month, no one can explain to me why the “experts” at FindLaw have had to revise the site three times in less than a year. I will never work with them again and consider the decision to sign up with them the biggest mistake of my career. (And I shall now step down from the soapbox.)
Thanks LK. Mind if I ask what type of DIY option you were using and what types of changes they’ve had to make re: the content and site layout?
Before FindLaw, I basically built my own website starting with a free template. I know enough coding to be able to manipulate the template and build it myself. So it was me, Dreamweaver, and helpful tips from blogs like this.
After my complaints, FindLaw made some minor changes to move a “call to action” further up on the page so that more people would contact me. I noticed no difference in the number of people that actually contacted me as a result of this change. The third version of the site is supposed to shorten the content to 250-400 words; update meta descriptions; and add headlines and point points to improve “scannability.” Despite the third version being in development for a month, I have yet to see what these changes will actually look like.
Thanks LK. How long is your content currently and, if I may ask, what’s the rationale for shortening it? Is it the scannability issue you mentioned? Please let us know how things go once the new design launches.
Several months later, I thought I’d update my prior post about FindLaw and my poor experience.
Luke, to answer your question, the reason for shortening the website was to increase scannability of the page – essentially, making it more user friendly and not so dense to read. The updates had little to no impact on the site.
FindLaw did drive potential customers to my office – usually by way of phone calls. My phone rang more when I was listed high on their directory. I have no reason to believe their management of my website had anything to do with people contacting me because the website interaction was always lower with FindLaw.
I celebrated the day my contract with FindLaw expired. I know it has worked for some attorneys. It was a complete waste of time and money for me. As previously noted, the cost of FindLaw is the biggest drawback. For me and my practice, it was a wash. The cases that FindLaw generated maybe paid for FindLaw over the course of the year.
Hi Luke, just came across this review. As we’re coming up on a year’s time from posting, I thought I’d inquire as to whether you have noticed any changes at FindLaw?
I reviewed them a ways back and have been contemplating an update.
Perhaps we could share notes?
One of the things that concerned me most were the issues about ownership. Wondering if you know whether they’ve updated this policy?
Anyway, kudos for getting the word out. Curious what thoughts others have on whether FindLaw has changed practices/approach/etc.
I looked at several Find Law websites and was not impressed. Most were plain, generic and poorly written.
We did buy a (12) month subscription to a Find Law Premium Profile, with (2) spotlights (1) PI & (1) Car Crash, which the sales peron said “its a work horse”.
The attorney had to fight tooth and nail with the Find Law writers, so the summery for the profile were decently written, and not the garbage Find Law’s writters sent.
As far as the phone number to track the calls go, we were skeptical of it and decided to do away with that number that Find Law provided.
The attorney’s spot lights hardly received any PlI leads, but that is a very competive market.
The majority of leads were for SSDI/SSI cases & Divorce, etc..
I am still trying to figure that one out.
I suspect that we had two maybe three cases from our Find Law Premium Profile & Spotlights. No MVAs, (1) PI & (1) product failure case.
I did better creating a google business listing, a yellowpage listing and a Facebook business page.
We will probably keep the primium profile and get rid of the spotlights, or change to a different field.
We have had good luck with the customer service, but the sales people are pretty shady.
I wish you well if you choose to do business with Find Law.
PS
They will negotiate, their first offer is not finale, we have gotten them to move quite a bit.
I had used Findlaw and am now looking around. The website took time but that was in part my doing. It does look professional, the mobile app works well. Generally it didn’t seem to bring me cases but people used it as a validator. Problem was when I got add on services, bill mushroomed and I’d be very leery of doing anything more than basics. Summary–not bad, but not great. Service staff were polite, competent, though seemed to have high turnover.