Internet Directories Can Help Capture Business For Professionals

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Professionals have been slow to realize the enormous value of the Internetas an advertising medium.
Many have adopted e-mail and developed websites,but they don't know what to do with them. Every day, thousands of consumersand businesses search for professionals on the internet.
Major law firms will often spend thousands of dollars on a website, buthesitate to spend $295 on "Lawyers.com" or even $100 for a yearly listing athttp://www.Attorneyfind.comSmaller firms, often spending less than $300 for a website, have been ableto take great advantage of the opportunities left open by the large firms.Sole practitioners, with the help of good web designers, look like a "classact" to the Internet viewer.Here are some tips for those building a website:1. Make the site simple and easy to navigate.
Let visitors know the basicfacts on the opening screen.2. Avoid graphics that will slow down the loading of the site.
Internetviewers are impatient and will not wait even a few seconds. There's no needfor animation to catch attention.
At this point, the viewer is ready forfacts.3. Place your e-mail address on the site, available for use by the viewerwho loves to communicate by e-mail.4.
Read your e-mail regularly. Internet users expect prompt responses.For those wanting to take a step further and actually advertise on theinternet (in addition to being on EVERY directory they can afford)heed thesewords of caution:The Internet goes to more than 60 million viewers WORLDWIDE.
Therefore,target your ad to avoid useless messages from visitors you are unable toserve. While "key word" BANNERS on words would be too costly, you can placefree listings on search engines.
Use the name of your city or state in yourpromotion.For instance, you can list your firm high on a search engine at GoTo.com andpay only when someone clicks on your listing. A Clayton, Missouri law firmin the criminal law field should ask for listings on the words "Missouricrimes", "Clayton crime","Missouri arrest", etc.
to make sure the responsesare coming from the right potential clients.The search engines, where you can pay per "click-through" can be amarvelouis bargain. Don't expect a flood of traffic, but what you do get canbe worthwhile.
In some cases, a "click-through" can cost as little as apenny.Submit your site information to the major "search engines". There aremany firms on the Internet that will do this for you without charge.
Someadvertise they will submit your name to 2,000 "search engines", but this mayjust generate 2,000 "thank you" messages, and little else.When you submit your website to search engines, make sure it has"metatags" that clearly show your categories of law and your location, soyou have a chance to end up in the right spot. Ask your website designer toexplain "metatags".
Very few firms get high listings on "search engines"and the viewing public rarely goes beyond number 20. While there may bethousands listed in a category, the search engine will not let the viewer gobeyond 500.
Professionals should let the directories do the marketing andbring the highly targeted traffic to their site. Article Tags: Search Engines Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .