Hey guys, I'm hoping some of the people here in familiar with the industry can give me some advice.

This is regarding my firm's website. We have a company that hosts it and does internet optimization for us. Last month we decided to stop doing internet optimization. We pay $1700 per month and haven't gotten a case from it for at least 6 months. Overall, we've averaged about 6 new cases per year from the internet over the past few years. Most of those cases are disputed cases. And we've also noticed that most of the clients we get off the internet are very difficult people to deal with.

On the flipside, we've been getting lots of cases lately from our usual source of cases, word of mouth from our existing client base. Enough that we decided we don't need the 6 crappy cases per year from the internet.

So we called our web guy and cancelled the optimization. But, we still need someone to run our website. He said he would do it for $550 per month. We said that seems steep and he said we could find a company that would do it for $200 per year, but that company wouldn't back up your site or protect it from hackers. Seems like a hyperbolic sales pitch, but we don't know one way or the other if he's right or wrong.


I agree that paying $200 per year seems cheap and I would question the service you would get, but $550 a month seems very expensive just to keep the lights on and update the website a couple times a year. Is there some middle ground, a company that charges a much more reasonable rate, but does a good job? Our website's only purposes are so people can confirm we exist, get some basic info about our practice and attorneys, and find the address and phone number easily.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Are you specifically looking for a company or could it be a person. I think I know a guy. Or gal as it were.

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Just link directly to your twitter page. Clients will be impressed by your wonderful thoughts.

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BLUEHOST

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yeah, It's Big Brane!

https://lmgtfy.com/

fantastic option. no doubt the link will have what you need at the cost you want.

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He is wrong.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

No preference. Just trying to find out if we really need to pay $550 per month or if there is a cheaper way to get the exact same services.

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Ok, that's a start. Thanks.


Brick, I seem to remember this being your area of actual expertise so definitely interested in what you have to say. Are you saying we'd be fine with the $200 per year people or are you saying we can get it done cheaper than $550, somewhere in the middle?

I'm also open to hiring someone from the board if they are qualified.

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I'm qualified. PM me all your passwords.

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IMU is the board computer expert.

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In his mind.

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Damn I know just the person. But i was just texting her and her employment contract bars freelancing. I asked if she could pass on any associate names. Will pm you. Everyone is Chicago based if that matters.

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I heard he mentored Rick.

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Call Brick, shakes.

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Well, $550 a month is a lot more than what you should be paying if what you say is accurate that it doesn't change very much and has little to no maintenance. Backup and "hacker protection" isn't that expensive.

I guess it really comes down to how much value he provides. It may only be worth it for him to do it for $550 but I would guess in general he is taking at least $500 of that as profit/work. Backup and protection should be automated by him.

Unless you are doing it yourself $200 a year is not going to get it done either. That is probably what even the most basic hosting service would provide. There are cheaper hosting options but a business website really shouldn't be using those.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I charge lawyers triple.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

SEO isn't important?



That's okay; he only pays 1/4 of the bill.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Thanks!

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I'll call my guy and find out exactly what we are getting for $550, maybe there's more to it than I thought.

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I'm sure its very important when it works. Unfortunately, in my field, paying $1700 per month for it nets you next to nothing. Fortunately, our business is doing very well right now and we don't need any business derived from the internet.

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Your site would not have much in the way of updated content on any consistent basis or any connection to a database, yes?

A basic WordPress website with a domain would be cheap, and would have small maintenance fees.

https://www.fiverr.com/categories/graph ... 3Awebsites

Really...once you have it up...you yourself should be able to manage any changes as it would be designed using simple modules and the administrator toolbox wouldn't be too complicated.

edit: SEO focus would not be the method I recommend to a local law office. A social media presence would be a way to take normal word of mouth strategy and apply it to a larger group of people.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

That would make sense to me. When I'm googling a service price is typically my main concern. When I'm using referrals and word of mouth I'm much less price conscience.

The six internet cases are people are probably expecting the world at half the price.

@ DGH

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Yeah IMU and the PLO flag will go over great at shake's place.

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Elections have consequences.

I don't deal with any of this type of stuff. Could someone explain what "internet optimization" is and why it would be $1200/month?

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It is a lot of analysis and tweaking of the website. $3000/mo isn't unreasonable.

You pay for monthly or biweekly meetings....the actual service (10-15 hours per month of research, optimization, checking on the competition etc)

The actual search engine optimization is about identifying groups of keywords that are both 1) popular and 2) not heavily being used / being used properly by your competition.

Then you tweak your website content to have Google better pick up on the associations between they keywords and your website's content.

Being on Google Top 10 search results for well searched keywords increases a website's traffic by extreme margins. And every spot you climb on that Google Top 10 has large gains as well.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.