Early Site Release! Happy Day

The news is good today; the release date has come early:
Patrick K. Oden, Attorney at Law.

To be candid, I really didn't think the retooling of my site would take so long. And there are still a few kinks to iron out, but I didn't want a few little bugs to hold up the release any longer. I am so particular about my work that, to be even more candid, I am surprised I was able to release the new version before I knew it was completely perfect.

Putting aside my egotism in order to release the site has not been easy. While I’m not a perfectionist, I loathe giving anyone a reason to criticize any work I produce. There is a fine balance between making sure the work is perfect and getting it out there for people to see.

This conflicting interest, as it affects me, is hard hitting when it comes to advertising. On the one hand, I don’t want any mistakes—no matter how minor. On the other hand, I want to help people, and the only way I can do that it by offering my services. And the only way anybody will know that I’m offering my services is by telling them. Telling. Advertising.

I’ve advertised in a couple of different ways. When I was fresh out of Pitt Law School, I advertised by word of mouth. I didn’t think of it as advertising, but I would tell anyone and everyone I met that I am a lawyer now. Licensed even. That’s fundamental advertising. Of course, it didn’t produce results. I got only a couple of small clients with minor issues. They were a good start. I couldn’t have handled anything large or complicated then anyway.

Then I put up a rudimentary Web site. The site was very basic. I had put up a lot of information, but I didn’t know enough at the time about getting it noticed. The design was plain (which I liked, but it wasn’t compelling; it was Spartan and spare—just my style). In the end, my site didn’t generate much business because I didn’t know what I was doing. My comfort is that most attorneys have no idea what they’re doing on the Internet. Perhaps we don’t really belong here? I don’t believe that, but there is some truth in the asking.

Now I’ve got a site that has a nice design and still has a lot of information (I think I’ve got about 25,000 words on my site). The difference is in the optimization. My site has been built with search engine marketing techniques. This new release should be much more visible than the old was—and much more pleasing.

I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait before I get my first new client from the new site, but even if I never get a single one, I will have to say the experience has been worth my time and efforts.

At any rate, I'm excited. I welcome any feedback here or by e-mail. Any and all suggestions for improvement would be a great kindness.

Take care.