Legal directories can be a good way to get your law firm's name out.  However, a firm can seldom justify the expense of placing its site in multiple paid directories. Fortunately, many directories offer free or attractive pricing. 

Firms should take advantage of the opportunity to list themselves in the free commercial and legal directories.  Some of the fee-based legal directories should be considered.  Adding the firm to legal directories gains exposure for the firm and popularity links.

Directories are disappearing quickly as the competition increases. We recommend that you invest with established directories who can substantiate their claims.

Methods of testing a legal directory's effectiveness include:

• Review the directory.  If few firms are listed, the directory is either new or not well received.  Call listed firms and seeing if they have received clients from the directory.

• Most prospective clients look for services on search engines.  Test the directory's visibility in search engines such as Google, AltaVista, Yahoo and others.  For quick, easy tests, try our Google / AltaVista query box.  Test your location, area of practice and phrases.

• View the site's search engine readiness by reviewing the meta tags.  See the meta tags discussion on Law Web Marketing.  Click on View > Source on your browser and view the program code.  For example, the title should have no more than 100 characters.  The key words section should have no more than 1,000 characters.  The description should have no more than 200 characters.  The meta tags should virtually mirror the site's content.

• If your time is limited, ask a knowledgeable legal Web consultant to assist.  An hour of a knowledgeable consultant's time may save you a great deal of time and money.  A consultant may, for example, advise you to list in only one to four of the main directories and use the remainder of your budget to improve your main site's search engine effectiveness.

Directories include:

• A1Legal  

• Allexperts.com (offers free listings, but requires volunteer time)

• American Immigration Lawyers on the World Wide Web

• Attorneyfind

• Attorney Locate

• Attorney Pages (offers free listings)

• AttorneyLocate

• AttorneyNet

• AttorneyPages

• Attorney Referral (offers free listings)

• California Attorneys Online

• California Certified Lawyer Referral Services

• Canadian Lawyer Index

• Canadian Lawyers and Law Firms (offers free listings)

• Canadian Law List  

• Directory of Certified Attorneys

• Electronic Academy of Law

• Estate Planning Attorneys with Web Sites

• FindLaw LegalConnection - Top Lawyers and Attorneys with Legal Connection - (646) 827 2347

• First Legal Resource

• Florida Bar Legal Locator

• Free Advice (free listings - attorneypages.com)

• Harris Legal Directory

• Heroes for Justice (free sign-up to become an "expert.")

• Immigration Lawyers on the Web

• Law Info

• Law Office

• Law.com

• LawReferral.com

• Law Research

• Lawyer Finder (offers free listings)

• Lawyer to Lawyer Referral

• Lawyer Profiles site (offers free listings)

• Lawyers.com

• Lawyer's Diary

• LawyersListings.com

• Lawyers North Carolina (offers free listings for NC attorneys)

• Lawyersoncall

• Leading American Attorneys

• Legal Help for People of Modest Means (ABA)

• LegalNet

• Legal profiles

• LegalServ

• LexNET Legal Directory for Malta (free for Malta attorneys)

• Martindale Hubbell

• Mississippi Law Firms Directory

• National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys

• New Jersey Law Network Lawyers' Directory

• Nursing Home Malpractice Lawyers

• Oingo (offers free listings)

• Online Attorney Finder dot com  

• Pritchard Law Webs Directory of Minnesota Law Firms (offers free listings)

• To Law

• USA Law (offers free listings)

• WashLaw (offers free listings)

• WebLocator

• West Legal Directory

• WorldPages Attorney Guide

• Worldwide Listing of Patent Attorneys (offers free listings)

• Yahoo List of Attorneys

Please direct questions to Consultwebs.com or Dale Tincher, Consultwebs.com, 9913 Gralyn Rd., Raleigh, NC  27613.