OK, I’ve had my law firm website online for almost ten years now, longer than the wayback machine goes.  And in all that time, I’ve been hobbling along with a clunky URL, http://www.his.com/israel/loce (the "Israel" is my husband’s last name, who holds the HIS account, not the country).  Though I regard the URL as a badge of honor that evinces my Internet longevity, after a decade, I realize that it’s time to cut the ties to the past and move into the present.  So, for now, I’m using CarolynElefant.com though I will probably soon register Elefant Law (or will this be considered undignified animal advertising?) or some other designation to show that the URL belongs to a law firm website.


8 Responses to Another Resolution Completed

Congratulations! However, when I clicked through your CarolynElefant.com link, your old URL showed up in the IE address bar.
Some regiatrars have a tool that holds the originally linked-to URL in the address bar (I believe NameSecure calls it the address gripper). You might want to look into that.

Congratulations! However, when I clicked through your CarolynElefant.com link, your old URL showed up in the IE address bar.
Some regiatrars have a tool that holds the originally linked-to URL in the address bar (I believe NameSecure calls it the address gripper). You might want to look into that.

There is nothing wrong with using a redirect instead of a framed copy of your page while you make a firm decision as to your final URL. One of the biggest mistakes law firms are making these days is to put their content up on multiple websites, without telling search engines to index only the primary URL, which can result in “duplicate content penalties” in search engine results. Some major players in the “law firm website” market seem to be actively encouraging this, presumably because it allows them to charge exorbitant fees for multiple websites instead of just one.
Most firms really only need one URL, which should be as simple and memorable as possible. (Although all kidding aside, if you go with elefantlaw.com there would be nothing wrong with purchasing “elephantlaw.com” and having it redirect to your actual site, for those potential clients who don’t quite know how to spell your name.)

There is nothing wrong with using a redirect instead of a framed copy of your page while you make a firm decision as to your final URL. One of the biggest mistakes law firms are making these days is to put their content up on multiple websites, without telling search engines to index only the primary URL, which can result in “duplicate content penalties” in search engine results. Some major players in the “law firm website” market seem to be actively encouraging this, presumably because it allows them to charge exorbitant fees for multiple websites instead of just one.
Most firms really only need one URL, which should be as simple and memorable as possible. (Although all kidding aside, if you go with elefantlaw.com there would be nothing wrong with purchasing “elephantlaw.com” and having it redirect to your actual site, for those potential clients who don’t quite know how to spell your name.)

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