Congrats to Academy Associate Director of Education, Stephen Hartnett! Forbes just printed an article entitled, “More Estate Tax Changes Could Follow Fiscal Cliff Deal” and our very own Steve was quoted a couple of times in the article.
(http://www.forbes.com/sites/hanisarji/2013/01/06/more-estate-tax-changes-could-follow-fiscal-cliff-deal/)

When Members asked why we didn’t alert them to the publicity (which helps with their credibility), the answer was simple. We had no way of knowing the Forbes research team would use Google to gather opinions about this recent tax law change—and when they did, they found Steve’s timely blog on the very subject which interested them. (http://www.aaepa.com/blog/2013/01/fiscal-cliff-averted/)

1. We hope attorneys are able to read about law firm marketing, practice management, estate planning or elder law techniques and find the blogs valuable… and develop an interest in knowing more about what we offer attorneys excelling in estate planning.
2. But also, we want to be ranked by Google. So we try to regularly (3 times per week) write blogs that contain keywords that our future readers and future members may be searching for online so we are constantly introduced to more attorneys we would like to get to know.
3. And… what the heck, if journalists and writers around the country find us and quote us – there’s more publicity for Academy Members nationwide!

Just a reminder that if you’re blogging –

• BE VERY DISCIPLINED about the number of times per week you blog. Otherwise readers won’t get to know you; they certainly won’t be waiting for the next blog you have coming out.

• RELEVANT TOPICS. You won’t please everyone each time with interesting topics, but do try to provide information for which you want to become known.

• USE KEYWORDS. Make sure if your audience tends to search “Madison Estate Planning Attorney” you include those words in your blog, if your desired audience is likely to search, “Pennsylvania Probate,” make sure you have articles on that topic and you also find ways to mention the very words you expect prospective clients to use in search engines.

Jennifer Price
Chief Operating Officer
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

We all know Facebook can be a great tool for engaging with customers and prospects, but did you know it can also help your search engine rankings? If optimized for search, your Facebook page can show up in organic search results, right alongside your website, blog, and YouTube channel. Here are some quick updates you can make to improve your Facebook page visibility:

1. Use keywords

Search engines read your fan page in much the same way they read a regular website, so there are particular elements that you want to optimize. Be sure to include your keywords in your fan page name, as well as in the About, Mission, and Company Description sections.

Make your profile as complete as possible, including the fields for Address, Phone Number, Company Overview, Mission, and Products.

2. Create a custom fan page username

Not only does it make it easier for people to identify and find your page, creating a custom username also produces a custom URL for your page. URLs are weighted heavily by search engines, so this is another good place to include your most prominent keyword. You can easily create a custom username by visiting this Facebook page.

Please note, your fan page must have 25 likes before this feature is available to you. Also, you can only change your username once, so choose wisely.

3. Create backlinks to your fan page

Be sure to include a link to your Facebook page on your website, blog, YouTube channel and other social media platforms. The more inbound links to your page, the more relevant your page is to search engines, resulting in higher rankings.

4. Enable messaging

The main goal of social media is engagement with your audience, so do all you can to foster communication. Enabling private messaging allows your readers, including prospects, to ask questions in a more private format. To enable messaging, go to the Facebook admin panel and click “manage permissions,” then check the box labeled “messages.”

5. Optimize your status updates

The first 18 characters of your Facebook post serve as a meta description, so make them count. When you’re sharing content, but sure to “Write something . . . “– that text will be considered the SEO title for your update, so it’s a good place to use keywords. Including links to your website in your updates is also a good idea.

As search engines continue to incorporate social context into their search results, paying attention to just your main website is no longer enough. Simple SEO techniques should be applied to Facebook and all of your digital channels to maximize your online presence.

Rita Chaires
SEO and Social Media Manager
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just a valuable investment for your firm’s website. You can increase web traffic by optimizing your social media accounts as well.

Implementing a few of the following simple SEO techniques on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube accounts can have a big impact on your rankings and traffic:

• Use a professional profile image

• Use a keyword to name your profile image (estateplanningattorney.jpg, for example)

• Select a relevant username, preferably the same one for all social media profiles

• Fill out as much information on your profile as possible

• Use relevant keywords in the “About” and “Info” sections of Facebook and Google+, as well as in your Twitter bio

• Include links to your website, blog, and/or other social media accounts

• Include your social media account information on your website

• Use keywords and hashtags in your tweets and status updates

• Consistently update your pages with relevant content

Google and Bing both confirm that Twitter and Facebook influence SEO, as do Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social media platforms. Social media profiles are now finding their way into the top search results. In addition to trying to outrank the websites of your competitors, you’re now also trying to outrank their social media profiles. Optimized social media accounts are yet another opportunity to expand your online presence.

Rita Chaires
SEO and Social Media Manager
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com