This really should go on my internet marketing page, but I don't have the time to put everything in both places, so I'll just put it here. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have already redesigned my law firm website.
What was originally one site has no become three. One is focused on Seattle DUI law and Seattle criminal law, one is focused on Seattle traffic law, and one is focused on Seattle eminent domain law (though the content for this one isn't created yet). The idea is that people who go looking on the internet for legal services are usually looking for something in particular (and by particular I mean "DUI lawyer" or "criminal lawyer" instead of "lawyer"). To make my sites more appealing to potential clients and to Google, I decided to break them up.
And it was working like a charm. My traffic law site, within one week of being put up, was on the first page of Google for some traffic law keywords I was targeting. And my DUI law page was gaining ground very quickly. Then one day, it all disappeared. Poof. All gone. My sites were no where to be found. I had fallen into, unknowingly, the Google sandbox.
No one really knows or understands the Google sandbox, only that it exists. And it can be the death of your new law firm. It's kind of like Santa Clause or Big Foot in that respect. What happens is, if you turn a site on and start building links to it too fast, from sites that are seen as too unreliable, Google tags your site as a possible spam site and you have to dig your way out.
How long you are in the Google sandbox is usually an unknown. Sometimes sites are in there for weeks. Sometimes for months (I, and my bank account, are hoping that it is only for weeks). Usually, they let you out of the sandbox once they are assured that you are not a spam site. Once that happens you tend to climb the ranks pretty quickly (I think this is a way for Google to not let garbage content on the first page). But, if you keep working at it, eventually Google spits you out and lets your site back out there for the world to see.
My sites have been in the box now for about ten days. And I am checking every day to see if they have been released yet. My guess is it will be at least another week or so before I even have a chance to get out. In the meantime I've changed my linking strategy a bit to include more articles and things from recognized sources and less from my blog network. I think that is what got me in trouble.
Anyone else ever fall into the Google Sandbox? Ever find your way out? I guess the moral of the post is that even if your site isn't showing up on Google with all of the work you are doing to get it there, you have to keep working at it. The good news is that most lawyers have no idea how this stuff works and continue to pay people to do terrible work for them.
So for me, even in Seattle I've been able to work my way up to page two on Google in only about 4 weeks (until I redid my sites). Some keywords I've seen can take years to move up that high - this just means law firms and legal marketing sites aren't doing a good job of creating the right kinds of links to sites.
If you are just thinking about starting a law firm, and if you are not, there is not better time than now to start blogging. Not only does it help you figure out what you want to say, the nuances of your practice area, and build a bit of a reputation for you, but it allows you to begin building the internet foundation you need to get your website where it belongs - at the top of Google.
UPDATE - 10/07/09: I'm out of the Google sandbox, but am still having trouble getting my DUI site in particular to climb up the search rankings. I can't figure out what it is, but am working hard to get it recognized by Google. I've got a funny feeling I did something wrong and Google is waiting to make sure my site is legit. And what seems like an eternity to me has really just been about four weeks of non-recognition. In the grand scheme of things it will be a blip on the radar, but right not it sucks. I'll keep you up to date on the status of my site, but probably over on the legal marketing website.
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