Spending the morning researching the past months legal news headlines and stories, I came across the Hull & Hull LLP website which, on the homepage, displays a link to a memorial for Rodney Hull, Q.C. LSM Nov 25, 1930 - Dec 5, 2009, the founding partner of Hull & Hull LLP. The memorial includes a link to the inspiring poem 'If' written by Rudyard Kipling.
Rodney Hull was a well known and respected estate lawyer from Canada. When somebody dies they leave a huge gap, the death of such a beloved person is truly heartbreaking but Rodney Hull's legacy lives on through the continuing operations of Hull & Hull LLP and its staff while his memory lives on through friends and family.
With two offices located in Toronto and Oakville and a team of respected lawyers, four of whom certified in estate and trust law and two specialists in civil litigation, the firm focuses on real estate and trust issues. The firm has built a 50 year reputation throughout Ontario and across Canada as a leader in the field.
From referencing new smart phone technologies to health issues within the Hull & Hull LLP Toronto Estate Law blog: http://estatelaw.hullandhull.com, the firm stays on point and connected. Hull & Hull have released a quarterly newsletter, The Probater, since 1997 which after a re-brand in august 2000 has held the same design for ten years. Hull & Hull LLP are at the forefront of technology and information in the legal industry, offering breakfast series podcast presentations several times a year that provide valuable information on topics of interest to estate practitioners. Presentations can be attended in person, dialled into for live audio, or viewed live, via a webcast. The podcasts have a ten year history of being online.
Using the Internet Way back machine I ascertain that a partnership with FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business was established some time after May 2008. Hull & Hull maintain a few web properties including the Hull & Hull LLP website, its associated blog and www.hullestatemediation.com an associated website that targets estate mediation.
Hull & Hull LLP website properties have the potential to rank well within Google, Bing and other search engines. The domain has been aged and the blog contains 532 pages, has gathered 15,699 inbound links over the years, while the Hull & Hull website has 174 pages and has acquired 3,963 links. With this type of history it is not essential to focus too much time on search engine optimization, although realigning the site's architecture could result in dominating the search engine results pages. Focusing on the keyword phrases alternative dispute resolution, estate planning and estate mediation the web properties perform well in search results, although when Toronto is added to the search query, performs better, returning page results in the first few search engine result pages. In regards to Hull & Hull's initiation of pay per click advertising, the organization likely wastes a few dollars with sponsored results appearing for branded searches. People that come across the sponsored link will likely click the link which is a cost per click while the same link appears below in search results pages.
Overall the organization does a good job employing basic search engine optimization tactics, with the incorporation of proper tagging, good keyword anchor text and a well formed file structure. Content delivery networks are used effectively while the inclusion of Google maps and twitter is integrated seamlessly into web properties. The web properties are compliant to web standards and a sitemap is available.
From a non technical perspective the website is aesthetically pleasing, while offering useful content and information either through blogs, podcasts as well as a recommended reading list that is linked to a Chapters/Indigo ecommerce website. Branded search engine queries result in result pages clear of competition and bandwagon sites, while the Hull & Hull LLP website is included in relevant directories such as www.seniorservicedirectory.com. It is also encouraging that Ian Hull interacts with potential clientele submitting content through Technorati.
There are a few issues that have been overlooked by the firm in regards to their web properties, including poor sound within attached video that is available directly from key landing pages and although a number of optimization tactics have been applied, graphics are used rather than selectable, readable text and have irrelevant file names. Files names include years which date content which will often result in pages being ignored by search engine spiders searching for fresh content. Competition is often linked directly or two clicks away from Hull & Hull LLP properties which degrades link equity while increases the chance of sending potential clients elsewhere. Hull & Hull LLP has initiated a social media campaign that reaches out through a number of social networks although the Facebook fanpage misses the mark with only 27 fans or likes, which has the potential to currently reach hundreds or even thousands of people.
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