Confirming earlier reports, the Perceptio marketing firm reports that more clients searching for an attorney found them from internet content than they did from referrals.

According to its new Client Acquisition for Law Firms eBook:

• In 2005, 65% of people searching for an attorney found them from referrals.
• By 2014, that number was down to 29%.
• Internet content, such as blog posts and articles, went from 7% to 38% of the way people researched attorneys.

This confirms two earlier research reports that the primary way clients find lawyers is online:

• LexisNexis reported in 2014 that most consumers go online to look for an attorney
• The same year Hinge marketing also reported that references are no longer the primary way clients check out law firms. Instead, 80.8% of clients "check out" potential professional services firms by looking at their websites.

Accordingly, a law firm website must have "content that educates, engages and addresses audience pain points," Perceptio says. This includes blogs, eBooks and video.

Law firms should then distribute and promote their content using social media, email blasts and/or paid placements.

Interestingly, the report says that 67% of search engine optimization (SEO) strategists admit creating original content is the most effective SEO strategy.

Click to get the Executive Guide to Client Acquisition for Law Firms