How Do You Get Noticed On The Internet?

“…the barriers to entry on the Internet are few, but the world is very large, and it’s very, very hard to get noticed….how will you get people to know you are out there, and get them to come back to you[?]”

This quote came from a lawyer skeptical about how blogs work for lawyers. He’s not alone. Although lots of lawyers have embraced blogs, websites and the internet, others don’t think the internet will work for them – or don’t use it to their best advantage.

If you want people to know you’re out there and keep them coming back, offer excellent content and keep reminding them about you and how you can help solve their problems. Your website can’t just sit there if you want to be noticed. I’m no SEO expert, but I’d suggest contacting one to see how they can help you drive traffic to your site, whether it’s a ‘traditional’ site or a blog. Beyond that, here are some suggestions:

1. Put your web address on all of your marketing materials, in your email signature block, and in all of the places you’d put your other contact information. Where appropriate, make reference to specific areas of your site, or articles of interest.
2. Market your website offline as well as online. Drive traffic to your site by networking, writing articles, and speaking. At each one of these events, make sure you let participants know your web address. Give them a reason for visiting.
3. Practice ‘education marketing’ – make sure that your website and your other marketing materials provide value to those in your target market. Educate them about your area of practice. Let them know that you know what their needs are, and that you have a solution that will benefit them.
4. Remember the ‘so what’ rule – for everything you write on your website, stand in your clients’ and potential clients’ shoes. As you’re reading, ask yourself ‘so what?’ Why should your clients or potential clients care about what you’re saying? Focus on what’s in it for them, and speak in their language – using a lot of technical legal terms will confuse your readers, and they may not come back.
5. Make sure to have not only good content, but current content, on your site. If you want people to come back, they have to have a reason to think there will be something new for them when they return. Offer them something THEY want – be a resource for your target market. Become the place to go for people who are seeking answers in your area of concentration.
6. Links build your page ranking and get you noticed by search engines. To get others to link to your site, whether it’s a blog or a ‘traditional’ website, contact others who have a presence on the internet in your area or complementary areas and let them know about your site. Post comments on blogs and leave your web url in the comment.
7. Don't try to be all things to all people - carve out your niche. To get noticed, you have to be different than everyone else out there. Showcase your unique talents, skills and personality. Make sure web visitors know why you are the one that understands their particular problem.
8. Make your site pleasing to the eye and easy for visitors to navigate and to read. Use headlines, sub-headlines, photos and other visuals. Don’t make paragraphs too long.
9. You can’t just market your website once, when you first put it up – it’s a continuing effort. Build a list of contacts. There’s nothing more valuable than your list. Have some way for visitors to ‘register’ with your site or sign up for your list by offering a newsletter or other free information. Then you can continue to stay in the forefront of their minds by sending them information periodically and updating them on the new information your site offers to keep them coming back.
10. Provide a way for web visitors to contact you to ask questions or start a conversation. Get their feedback on your site and on what you’re offering so you can continue to provide what your target is looking for.

The world is big, and the internet is growing at warp speed. But you can carve out an area of the internet that people will visit over and over. And you don't have to be one of the 'big guys' to do it.