Company Background

The LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell database of more than 1 million lawyers and firms, accessible at www.martindale.com and www.lawyers.com, is the number-one lawyer directory on the Internet (as measured by comScore Media Metrix). Lawyers.com is designed to help consumers and small businesses make fast, informed decisions when choosing a lawyer by offering helpful legal information and free access to its searchable database.

Challenge

Since its founding in 1868, generations of lawyers and businesspeople have relied on LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell as a resource for information about the legal profession. With a well-established brand in the legal community, the company has been aggressively seeking to increase its recognition among consumers and small businesses.

"We want our lawyer customers to be visible when prospective clients need legal help," says Joseph Douress, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Client Development solutions for LexisNexis. "And since consumers and small businesses increasingly turn to the Internet to find legal assistance in their local communities, we decided to explore the possibility of distributing our comprehensive and unique attorney information through Google Maps."

Approach

Google Maps' local business listings now offer detailed information about local attorneys and law firms from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell. A monthly feed from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell into Google Maps ensures that the information is accurate and fresh. "When we compare seeing a page with just business name and phone number to a page with LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell's rich local content - such as areas of practice and years of experience - it's compelling to see how this enhanced information improves the user experience," says Douress. "This will ultimately benefit our law firm customers by producing an increase in client development opportunities. It also helps the Google Maps user by providing them with better information to identify and select a lawyer.

LexisNexis wanted a partner that had wide online reach and the ability to implement a seamless user experience. Nicholas Karrat, Senior Director of Marketing and Alliances for LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, says they found that relationship with Google Maps.

"We wouldn't have gone into the relationship if it didn't have a simple and straightforward process. It has gone as smoothly as any other data feed relationship we have had to date," says Karrat, adding that the company's IT staff has been very satisfied with both the process and the feed documentation and support. "The IT process is easy and intuitive. The Google Maps engineer has also been very informative from the beginning to let us know what to expect ahead of time. When we hit any integration issues, Google's responsiveness was outstanding."

Results

LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell launched its content on Google Maps early in 2006, and within months the initiative began showing results. "There are already clear, quantifiable results to prove that we are adding traffic and complementing our web visitation instead of cannibalizing it," Karrat reports. "We've seen traffic to individual law firm profiles increase - ranging from low single digits up to 12 percent - as a result of this alliance."

"Google Maps enables us to offer best-in-class online local exposure," adds Douress; "Consumers looking for lawyers, and lawyers looking for highly engaged prospective clients, benefit from this relationship with Google. This is our goal, and the relationship with Google Maps fits perfectly with this objective."