How many Denver Criminal Defense Websites have you seen with this warning:
Do Not Speak to the Police Before You Call Us!
The majority of Criminal Defense Websites say this-and it’s just not Denver; it’s coast to coast. I think many individuals who have faced criminal charges would agree that this is excellent advice. Let’s put a different spin on this situation that I recently experienced first hand-When Attorneys Dissolve the Partnership and the financial consequences of your Internet Marketing Program!
If you are involved in a breakup with your partner-Don’t agree to anything until you call Steve Mertz for a consultation!
Here are some specifics of this case study.
I build the original website for the two partners. We had original and authoritative content that Google recognized with time. They were on the first page of Google searches for terms such as Denver Criminal Defense Attorneys, Denver Sexual Assault Attorneys, Denver Drug Attorneys etc. They were also in the magnificent 7 of Google Places-what do you think this kind of Internet placement is worth?
Now, let’s consider some specifics:
Who owns the domain name?
They’re partners, do they both own the domain name? Well, the two partners negotiated a settlement. They decided that partner A owned the domain name and he would license the domain name to Partner B for a stipulated time. However, Partner A decided to remove all the content that was spidered and was showing up on the first page. Before you decide on your new domain name remember the significance of having a domain name with keywords in it. Unfortunately, a new domain name will take time and effort to start showing up in the searches-be sure you know what your SEO strategy is to jump start this process. What do you think the consequences were?
The website dropped like a rock in Google searches because there was no content! Worse yet, if someone was doing a search for say, Denver Sexual Assault Attorneys, and they clicked on it-they got the ugliest message in the world; Error 404-Webpage Cannot Be Found. Do you think partner A might be liable for negligence and loss of business? A brief reminder: Call the Internet Marketing expert before you agree to anything!
Who Owns the Content?
Partner A claimed that he developed and refined the content for Google searches, but why would he remove all the content? He thought he would take all of this content to his new site and everything would be Wonderful…and they lived happily ever after-Dream On! I got my client’s website up first and all of that copy is now on his site. Too bad Partner A hadn’t planned on this outcome.
Who Owns All of Those Great Backlinks to the Website?
All those backlinks that you spent hundreds of hours on and maybe thousands of dollars-they’re no good to either one of the partners. If you don’t understand the significance of backlinks-Speak to an Internet Marketing Expert before agreeing to anything!
Who Owns any Articles Written and Paid for by the Partnership?
There could be an article that was written for the firm and showing up in the searches for say, Denver Criminal Defense Attorneys. My take is this: the article was written for and paid for by the firm. So, first come, first served, my client now has a majority of those articles on his website!
Who Owns or Controls the Google Places listing?
This is huge, being in the top 3 of Google Places can bring a huge ROI to your business. What happened in this case? Partner A went in and changed the name and the phone number to his firm. This was further complicated by the fact that for now, they both have the same address. So you think this could confuse Google? Here’s what happened-Partner A was gloating that he had out manuevered Partner B; after all, they showed up in several categories for Google places. Unfortunately for partner A, Google received about 6 to 7 emails showing that Partner A had no rightful claim to the Google places listing-Google removed Partner A from Places and partner B is having his Citations diligently worked on-he is very close to sliding into a top position with Google Places.
The gloves are off and both of the partners are suffering from loss of business because of these missteps and questionable actions by Partner A but Partner B is on the way to Internet success-more later!
If you have a partnership and have questions about a partnership dissolving-call the Internet Marketing Specialist before you agree to anything!
This topic is now one of my most requested when I speak to Associations and Organizations. Please contact me if you would like me to give you specifics on how I can make this Internet Marketing topic the most talked about presentation at your convention!
