Muzeview’s new Law Firm Web Presence Index™ shows smart web strategy allows law firms to punch above their weight

Muzeview Research LLC, a competitive intelligence services provider working with professional services firms, has released its Muzeview Law Firm Web Presence Index™ for December 2008, ranking different law firms against one another according to the strength of their presence on the World Wide Web.

The Index, released today, shows a number one ranking for Jones Day, the Cleveland, OH-based firm with 2,204 lawyers, by no means the largest. DLA Piper and Baker & McKenzie, the two largest US law firms in terms of 2007 revenue and number of lawyers, ranked third and fourth respectively.

Punching well above its weight was WilmerHale, based in New York, which boasts only 972 lawyers, but still made it into the top ten, at number ten. WilmerHale scored particularly high in its Web Search Engine rank (which takes account of where the firm’s name occurs in search engine results on relevant key words such as M&A litigation, fraud, etc.), and in mentions on industry-related blogs.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (number nine overall) rated highest in terms of Search Engine Rank, and Baker & McKenzie (number four overall) rated highest in terms of Web site stickiness, or the amount of time and page views engaged by any single visitor to its Web site.

“This new index gives a clear view into the weight each firm gives to its visibility on the Internet, as well as the effectiveness of the effort,” said Paul Gladen, founder and president of Muzeview. “Some firms, such as Morrison & Foerster and WilmerHale, are showing a good profile on industry blogs, which means their Web strategy is paying off in terms of getting the firm discussed among the online legal community.”

“There are significant opportunities for professional service firms to leverage the internet to increase brand awareness,” said Chris Yates, marketing director at Business Marketing Services, which helped research the Index. “If a firm would like to identify the best opportunities specific to them, it all begins with first finding out where they currently stand. A professional audit or analysis can provide insight into a firm’s current online strategy and identify the areas which need work.”

The Muzeview Professional Services Firms Web Presence Index™, which is updated monthly, helps firms competitively evaluate the return on investment they are generating from their web activities and associated marketing and recruitment activities.

The Muzeview Law Firm Web Presence Index™ evaluates not just a firm’s Web site but the links, references and discussions about the firm that occur across the web in business and social media, references sites and search results.

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How the Index Is Created

The Muzeview Law Firm Web Presence Index™ ranks leading US law firms based on a weighted portfolio of publicly sourced web metrics. The information was gathered in conjunction with Business Marketing Services. The web metrics measure a variety of aspects of a firms overall web presence including:

• Search Engine Positioning: How high links to a firm’s Web site appear in search engine results using relevant key words related to the firm’s specialization.
• Web site Stickiness: How long visitors spend on the firm’s Web site and how many pages they view.
• Web site Ranking: How popular a firm’s Web site is compiled through user panel, web toolbar and ISP data.
• Content Ranking: How much content related to marketing and thought leadership a firm’s Web site contains – including briefing papers, newsletters, events information etc.
• Web site Size: How large a firm’s Web site is in terms of number of pages.
• Web site Traffic: How much traffic a firm’s Web site receives.
• Social Media: How much coverage the firm receives in social media, and the level of participation by a firm’s professionals in business-oriented social networking sites such as LinkedIn.

Why the Law Firm Web Presence Index™ Matters

Muzeview developed the Law Firm Web Presence Index™ in recognition of the increasing importance of two key aspects of firms marketing activities:

1. Online Activity: A firm’s online activities are an increasingly important component of its marketing efforts and a strong Web presence will support a firm’s long term growth and competitive positioning.
2. Measuring Marketing ROI: As firms increase their investment in marketing, and expand the range and sophistication of marketing methods, they must also develop a robust set of metrics to assess the impact and effectiveness of their various marketing activities.

Law Firms’ Online Activity

Firms are operating in an online world where:

• A Web site is a firm’s digital shop window.
• A firm’s activities, insights, and expertise are covered by business and trade publications that are increasingly focused in online delivery of content.
• Business relationships are introduced, validated, and developed via e-mail, Web site profiles, and social media such as LinkedIn.
• Conversations about business issues are taking place in business and social media and in Webcasts, podcasts, and other web forums.
• Firms’ reputations are discussed, for better or worse, in the same business and social media venues.
• Executives and their teams perform online research to find insights and experts who can help solve complex business problems

Over time, we believe the quality, relevance, and positioning of a firm’s online presence will be a major contributor to its ability to generate leads, influence client relationships, and drive revenue growth. A firm’s web presence is also an increasingly important contributor to attracting both graduate talent and experienced hires. A firm’s web presence enhances and complements its real world marketing, relationship development and recruitment activities.

The Muzeview Web Presence Index™ also provides a basis for evaluating the firm’s web presence and marketing effectiveness from a competitive perspective.

Marketing ROI

Firms are investing significant time and expense in sales and marketing activities such as:

• Brand development.
• Marketing communications and thought leadership collateral such as brochures, newsletters, whitepapers, research studies etc.
• Marketing events.
• Sponsorships.
• Web site development.
• Lead generation activity.
• Non-billable client and relationship development activities.

Firms must measure the impact of these activities in creating and enhancing awareness, generating leads, and facilitating sales opportunity conversion.

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