With our latest release we’ve fixed a long-standing bug that has prevented you WordPress bloggers from adding the Avvo Badge to your blog. No more excuses. Don’t have a blog yet? We can help with that too.

And whether you are using WordPress, Blogger, hosting your own blog or just have a website, here is a quick how-to video to walk you through adding the badge to your webpage:

Much ado in the legal blogosphere about “ghostblogging”, an apparently new practice in which lawyers pay professional writers to write their blogs for them. The discussion has evolved to cover not only the appropriateness/efficacy of ghostblogging, but also whether it is ethical (per attorney advertising rules) and whether it is proper for those taking umbrage at ghostblogging to “name names” of those lawyers hiring ghostbloggers.

This entire discussion is mind-bendingly baffling to me. Blogging is a great platform for those who like to write and have something to say. It can be cathartic, informative and lead to engagement with others sharing your interest in the topic. It may lead to writing deals and speaking gigs. It may even help you develop business directly, particularly in the form of referrals from those who have gotten to know and respect you via your blog. But having someone else write your blog? If you haven’t even got the inclination to write, how are you going to deliver the authenticity and engagement that are table stakes to making blogging successful? What’s the point?

On the ethics issue, I’m not a big fan of attorney advertising regulation, and I don’t think blogs in their proper form are even subject to attorney advertising rules. However, when blogs devolve into pure advertising, they’re just like any other lawyer website, ad rules and all. And to the extent a ghostwritten blog involves deception, there’s no question it runs afoul of these rules.

Most amusing to me, however, are the protestations that bloggers like Mark Bennett who have called out lawyers using ghostblogging services are doing something untoward. Hey, if the service isn’t a problem, you shouldn’t care if anyone tells the world you’re using it. The fact that users of ghostblogging services are sensitive about being associated with it speaks volumes about how above-board they really perceive the practice to be. What’s more, they’re ATTORNEYS. I don’t know about these lawyers, but having people tell me I’m full of crap or don’t like what I’m doing has been a regular occurrence throughout my legal career. Grow a thicker skin – and don’t think about blogging if you can’t be authentic and have a real conversation.

Hiring an SEO (search engine optimization) firm can be a daunting experience.  Thousands of dollars are at stake, there is no regulation in the industry, and there is certainly no shortage of people promising amazing results.  Read on to find six questions that will help you sort out the pros from the con men.

1)  How well does the SEO firm’s own website rank in Google?

If an SEO firm’s own website doesn’t rank well in Google for keywords important to its business, that puts a big dent in its credibility.  To quickly find out for yourself a few keywords an SEO firm ranks well for, enter its website into SEM Rush.  You can then ask for elaboration on how the firm uses SEO to acquire clients.

2)  What percent of the SEO firm’s clients stick around for more than 2 years?

Unfortunately some SEO firms have a churn and burn business model.  They exploit the fact that SEO can take time, so they essentially do nothing for months, saying they need more time, until the client eventually gets fed up and leaves.   Ask how many clients stick around for more than 2 years, and ask for a handful that you can contact for references.

3)  What specific tactics does the SEO firm use to build links?

Link building is the most difficult and the most important part of SEO.  You can play with the code of your website all day, but without link building, you’re not going to rank well for competitive terms.   Therefore, it’s critical your SEO firm be skilled at acquiring links to your website.

Ask for the specific places (or types of places) you can expect to get links from, and then make sure you keep an eye on this if you become a client.  Be sure the links are coming from reputable, relevant sites, not just junky directories no one has ever heard of.

4)  How will the SEO firm measure its own performance and be accountable to you?

What do you want from the SEO firm? Do you have specific keywords you want to rank better for? Or do you just want more clients via your website?

Be honest with yourself and the SEO firm about what you want, set benchmarks and agree on metrics that you will regularly monitor.  If not, bad SEO firms can string you along for months showing you complex numbers and pretty charts that aren’t getting you closer to your goal.

5)  How many different clients is the SEO firm juggling at the same time?

SEO, particularly as time goes on, is not something that you can do on an assembly line.  Scalability is a big problem.  SEO requires time-consuming, custom solutions for each client’s unique situation, and it’s impossible to do a good job if you’re juggling too many clients at a time.  Ensure the people working on your SEO are not stretched too thin.

6)  What is the background and experience of key management?

SEO is a relatively new industry and lacks any real regulation or accreditation.  In other words, anyone can call himself an SEO expert.  Closely scrutinize the background and experience of key management to ensure they have solid SEO experience and a clean record.  Also find out if the SEO firm has ever operated under a different name.