Could Google suddenly have a new challenger?
Google is completely dominant in terms of search is it not? It has seemed that way for sometime now, although my view has always been that at some point “niche search” engines will come and take away small chunks of supremacy at a time. I had a live example of this recently which I found fascinating!
I suddenly noticed that many people were landing on the 1stClaims website that I run having used the search term “Lesley Ash” (we have this excellent software that tells us when someone has landed on the website and what search term they used to arrive there – drop me a line if you would like the details). When I say many, there were around 50 people within the space of a few minutes.
I realised that the only time I had ever written anything about Lesley Ash was when she received compensation for her medical negligence MRSA compensation. What intrigued me was why so any people were looking her up at that time. I feared something bad had happened to her so quickly did a Google Search and whilst 1stClaims came up in the search results not much else did.
I then remembered a clever web marketing man and Golf enthusiast Andy Brown telling me that he used Twitter to find out what people thought of live events such as Air Shows etc to see if they were worth attending. I popped on to do a Twitter Search and typed in Lesley Ash and before my eyes were loads of people commenting on her appearance on Loose Women at that very moment in time.
That certainly explained why people were Googling her name, but it also showed me that if you want to carry out any live searching for instant results on what is happening now then a Twitter Search is the way to go. I am sure Google have noticed this too and are doing something about it as I type!
From a Law Firm Marketing perspective it just shows the importance of commenting on live, current and topical legal issues. If you see a hot legal story make sure you write about it on your blog or website, send out a client email newsletter about it and a twitter announcement. There are so many opportunities to use your expertise to reach out to new and existing clients, and the rewards can be incredibly powerful and quick (as shown above).
As a solicitor, I’m really not yet convinced about Twitter. The name says it all to me. It all feels a bit of a fad — I see that the leading member of the Twitterati– Stephen Fry — has now given up twittering. If a solicitor wants to spend any time on a social media strategy — LinkedIn seems much more attuned to the professional market -and seems to me to have much better potential for building those relationships that will lead to future direct or referral business.