Black Hat SEO Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison
As a business owner, you’re probably used to receiving calls from numerous companies out there offering to improve rankings, increase client reviews, or even “verify” your Google listing*. These companies play on a business owner’s lack of internet marketing knowledge to deceive, take advantage of, and essentially rip off anyone they can. While we instruct our clients to forward calls and emails like that along to us, not all businesses have a marketing company in their back pocket to keep a watchful eye over illegitimate online marketing practices.
Up until recently, there seemed to be little that could be done to hold companies like this accountable. If you were naive enough to sign up for an offer that seemed too good to be true, then you had to simply cut your losses and hope your next marketing company could fix the mess that the fraudulent company created. However, one such black hat fraudster bit off a little more than he could chew when he deceived and extorted Generational Equity (GE), a Dallas merger and acquisitions company (NOT multinational conglomerate General Electric (GE), in case you’re wondering). Read the rest »
SLS Consulting Recognized by National Trial Lawyers in Top Ranking Personal Injury Law Firm Study
In a recent study conducted by Lawyer Marketing Score and discussed at length on The National Trial Lawyers blog, the search engine rankings of personal injury firms across the country were examined to determine which firms rank best in the top five major metropolitan areas. The cities considered in the study were Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas Ft. Worth. SLS Consulting, Inc. is proud to have one of its client sites recognized for its #2 ranking in the New York City area.
The study examined the top keywords used in each respective city as a gauge to determine which law firms ranked in the top five. In major metropolitan areas, ranking at all for the most competitive keywords is no easy task. Ranking in the top five for those competitive keywords is even more challenging!
SLS Consulting Hosting Lupus Fundraiser at Kidd’s Jewelry Heist in South Pasadena!
Psst…PSST!
Hey you…yeah, YOU…
You wanna be part of a heist this Thursday night? We could use somebody like you to help us pull this one off…it’s all or nothing…we’re goin’ after Lupus and we could use your help!
On Thursday, September 17th, the crew at SLS Consulting, Inc. will be hosting a charity event to help raise funds in the fight against Lupus. Just like we did last September, our staff will be participating in the Walk to End Lupus, a stroll around the Exposition Park area to help raise awareness of (and funds for) Lupus. In having a personal connection to the affliction, our staff is ready and eager to “help solve the cruel mystery of Lupus,” and we’re doing all we can to help fundraise before then! Read the rest »
Where to Watch Fourth of July Fireworks in Los Angeles
You could purchase M80s, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, and other fireworks and conduct your own show in your backyard, but needless to say, this is extremely ill advised. If you want to avoid becoming a statistic on the next Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report, we recommend that you hit up any of the venues listed below and let the pros handle the explosives so you and your family can enjoy a spectacular show without blowing up a hand or getting burned. Read the rest »
SLS Consulting Celebrates National Pet Month
May is National Pet Month, which aims to raise awareness of how beneficial humans can be for pets, and vice versa. It also helps promote pet adoption, while highlighting the importance of service and emotional support animals. Here at SLS, our furry friends come in all shapes and sizes, and we love with all of our hearts.
Our feline friends have no shortage of personality. SLSer Rachael’s cat “Brixton” was adopted when he was only a few months old, as a surprise for her and her brothers. Brixton can be a bit smug and moody towards almost anyone that ISN’T Rachael (her dad was only very recently ‘allowed’ to pet him), but when Rachael is around, he can be described as “affectionate” and “vocal.”
SLSer Lety’s cat “Bella” is similarly fickle towards humans, and even towards other cats as well (her only animal friend is a dog). Bella has a penchant for following her human Lety around, finding a comfy place for herself regardless of how many times she has to move from room to room. She also ONLY drinks water out of a faucet. It could be said that both Bella and Brixton are very, very “catty.” Read the rest »
Why Is Good Content Marketing Important to Your Business?
Recently, Gilbert Galindo, Chief Technical Advisor at SLS Consulting, attended Lawyernomics 2015 in Las Vegas, a premier legal marketing and business conference hosted by Avvo. There, he gave a presentation on how businesses can use effective content marketing to boost their success.
We’re happy to say that the presentation was well-received. Afterwards, many attendees approached Gilbert to pay compliments and exchange business cards. Some even came with questions. One of the most common questions people asked – and one we at SLS Consulting get asked frequently by prospective clients – was this: why is good content marketing important to my business? Read the rest »
Celebrate National Small Business Week with SLS Consulting
May 4-8, 2015 was National Small Business Week, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the millions of small businesses across the country that employ nearly 60 percent of the U.S. workforce. This year, the U.S. Small Business Association’s theme is “Dream Big, Start Small” as most businesses originate from just one entrepreneur with a dream to go big, make a difference, and truly thrive.
At SLS Consulting, our own beginning was no less humble. More than 15 years ago, SLS founder Susan Ziegler decided to finally take the leap and start her own Legal Internet Marketing company. It is certainly no easy decision to venture out and become an entrepreneur, but as a mother of three, the prospect of being able to stay at home with her children, set her own hours, and take charge of her career made it a risk worth taking. Read the rest »
Why Saul Better Call a Marketing Specialist to Fix His Local Search Campaign!
Sunday night’s premiere of Better Call Saul opened with the title character (a lawyer) working in a Cinnabon® (presumably part of witness protection), and then flashbacked to earlier days in his career (as a practicing attorney). Early in the episode, Saul travels to his “office” located in the water-heater closet of a nail salon. Before making his way through the salon, Saul asks the receptionist for his mail, and then proceeds to his “office” to sift through it. Thumbing through his mail, we notice that Saul uses the same address as the nail salon (no suite number or anything). While it’s yet to be seen whether or not Better Call Saul is a hit like its predecessor Breaking Bad, one thing is for certain: Saul’s fictional local search presence is in some trouble. Let’s talk about the concept of shared and virtual office space and why they don’t really work in today’s internet.
Before we start, let’s clarify that Saul doesn’t actually have a “virtual” office, but “shared” office space. While he does seemingly share an address with the nail salon, and (from the looks of his mail) doesn’t have a unique suite number, he technically does have a real office space where potential clients are able to meet with him (which puts him well within Google’s local search guidelines). However, because Saul shares his address with the nail salon, it could potentially create some confusion with his modern-day local search presence (i.e. not having a unique NAP these days is a MAJOR mistake Read the rest »
End of Year Marketing Wrap-Up – Video Marketing
Video marketing didn’t take huge leaps in 2014. A lot of attorneys used videos as a means of marketing to potential clients, and a lot of them continued to do it in the exact same way that they had in 2013 and prior. While there’s no doubt that video ranks well and will continue to do so in 2015 and beyond, law firms interested in shooting videos this year should keep conversions in mind throughout every step of the process. Additionally, when marketing these videos on the internet, a sound strategy needs to be drawn out beforehand in order to get the absolute most out of your video efforts.
You always have to keep the attention spans of your viewers in mind, and you should never market a video that runs too long or that doesn’t succinctly answer the questions that your audience wants the answers to. Give your viewers something of value, wrap it up in a short video, and be sure to tie it all in with your existing marketing efforts. Keep in mind though, the creative, pre-production process and the actual production itself are two entirely different things.
If you plan on shooting video in 2015, try to remember the following DOs and DON’Ts: Read the rest »
End of Year Marketing Wrap-Up – Social Media Marketing
All in all, 2014 was a busy year in the world of social media, and an even busier year for marketers trying to stay on top of all the latest developments and updates. Facebook removed like-gating, Twitter rolled out a brand new look, and Google+ removed authorship from the SERPs.
The number of people using social media sites continued to rise, and mobile apps (namely Instagram) really started to ingrain themselves into the everyday marketing practices of brands both big and small.
If you’re an attorney though, how should you approach your 2015 marketing efforts when it comes to social media? For starters, ask yourself the following two questions:
- How well are you using your social media presence to help leverage new business?
- Are you at least using it to help brand your law firm? Read the rest »
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